The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the presence of small earthquakes near the Kern County community of Ridgecrest on Sunday. At around 9:15 P.M., a 4.3 magnitude quake shook the area and hit about 14 miles east of Ridgecrest.
At around 8:25 P.M., a smaller earthquake was felt by residents, measuring about 3.0 in magnitude. The quake closed off more than 31 miles northwest of the town. So far, there were no reports of damages and injuries from the shocks. Local residents shared updates about the earthquake on social media and some even said they felt it from several miles away.
Just last week, the area was battered by a 5.5 magnitude quake, which experts believe was an aftershock from previous quakes throughout Southern California in July 2019.
The agency got reports of people feeling the earthquake throughout the Central Valley, in San Jose, east to Henderson, Nevada, in Phoenix, and throughout parts of Southern California to the Mexico border.
The quake was felt all the way in Los Feliz, Hollywood and beyond. The quiver in California was then elevated from a 5.1-magnitude quake.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was followed by a succession of aftershocks, including a downgraded 2.6, 2.7, and 2.5.
Caused by Aftershocks
In a tweet, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones explains how the aftershocks were due to significant earthquakes 11 months ago. She adds that it is actually a typical pattern to see and that they were able to foresee these aftershocks.
Furthermore, she says the more prominent the earthquake is, the more massive and more quakes it triggers in the future. She adds that the number decreases in time; however, the magnitude does not. She also says that at least 40,000 quakes have developed in the Ridgecrest region since last summer.
Just like with last year's major earthquake in Ridgecrest, Jones once again reminded the public about a 5 percent chance that an enormous quake would follow.
In tune with what the USGS says, aftershocks are earthquakes that follow the most massive shock of an earthquake sequence. These are smaller than the mainshock and are usually within one to two rupture lengths distance from the mainshock. Aftershocks can continue over a course of weeks, months, or even years.
The Earthquake-Battered City of Ridgecrest
According to EarthSky, Ridgecrest has been near the heart of major earthquakes since way back. One of these significant quakes includes one in 1995 and last year's series of shocks in July.
July's 6.4-magnitude quake was foreshadowed by a short series of small foreshocks, including a 4.0-magnitude earthquake 30 minutes before the major earthquake. Consequently, it was followed by a booming sequence of aftershocks.
This included almost 250 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 and above, up until the 7.1-magnitude crisis. The following day, the 7.1-magnitude mainshock happened near the same location. The back-to-back earthquakes demolished homes and sparked fires, which caused about $100 million worth of damage.
