Earthquake on the Fourth of July!

Just experienced a strong shake about twenty minutes or so ago. Definite rocking motion as the secondary wave rolled through - very much like being at sea.

Apparently the epicenter is near Ridgecrest, CA. A magnitude 6.4.

Russ (and other SoCalers), did you feel it?

There was also a 6.2 quake up here this morning. However it was too far offshore to be felt where I live, but some right near the coast felt a bit of the shake apparently.


https://bc.ctvnews.ca/6-2-magnitude-earthquake-hits-haida-gwaii-region-in-b-c-1.4493774

In case any one is wondering. Haida Gwaii is phonetically pronounced as Hi-da Gwuy (like guy with a hard Gw at the start.)

California earthquake brings scattered damage.

Los Angeles (CNN)An earthquake with an early measure of magnitude 6.4 hit Southern California -- about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles -- on Thursday morning, according to the US Geological Survey.
Reports of scattered damage, including rock slides and fires, rolled in by midday.
At least four large aftershocks have been recorded, measuring 4.7, 3.5, 3.8 and 4.2 magnitude, officials said.
The earthquake was felt in central Los Angeles as a long, rolling quake, making buildings rock back and forth for at least several seconds.


https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/04/us/southern-california-earthquake/index.html

M 6.4 - 12km SW of Searles Valley, CA — I didn’t feel a thing.

At this point it’s all about the Aftershocks

Everyone still OK out there?

All quiet on the western front. Shaken, but not stirred

2AM in mpls and the news as all about the 7 something quake.
i wonder how many grabbed the BOB??!!

Yep, 7.1 Quake Rocks SoCal. Again, didn’t feel it. Too far. Check the aftershocks link above, it keeps updating.

We felt a repeat of the day before, although a bit longer and bigger. Our utilities were not interrupted, and we watched TV as Dr. Jones gave her usual superb explanation of the situation. Stayed up past my usual bedtime.

No point in grabbing the BOB. If you are close to the epicenter, you may have damage of some sort or another to deal with, and you have resources close at hand. Even this incident was over in less than a minute, and life, for us, returned to normal. Probably not so for Ridgecrest.

A few more details on the recent EQ is available at:
California earthquake: Will the Big One erupt along the San Andreas fault line?
Expect more of the Mag.7 EQ’s, the “Big One” is not expected any time soon.


BTW that USGS website can be configured to extend the time and filter for EQ size. Viewing it at 7 days and Mag 4.5+ clears out all the smaller Mag 2-4 EQ’s and shows you just the recent larger quakes. The Ring of Fire is active.

Fundamentally, EQs are not predictable, although efforts are underway to enhance predictability. If you live in an EQ zone, consider measures that enhance your safety if an EQ occurs, and remember that fires, triggered by EQs often occur in the aftermath.

Basically, the preps that work for an EQ are useful in a good many other emergency situations.

https://enewspaper.latimes.com/desktop/l...0c-236bf740270e

Paper this morning was full of articles discussing "earthquake kits" and measures to take to be ready for the next jolt.

This leaves me in wonderment. If you live in Cali, or are moving here, how is that you don't already know that this locale is known for shaking ground now and then? It is a very good idea to learn of the EQ potential in your area and make preps accordingly.

Most of the advice is quite good and bears repeating.. I especially like the line 'Prepare for at least 72 hours, but two weeks is even better."

The Aftermath Of California's Massive Ba... Big One'"

The “Big One” as it’s referred, will be on the San Andreas fault and will supposedly be a Magnitude 9 EQ — 100 times stronger that the Mag.7 in Ridgecrest. From a personal view, that means it will be much stronger and possibly much closer to where I live. It runs from SF down to the Salton Sea, so a lot of California residents will be at risk.

The article seems really concerned about burglaries during the event, all of two.

Begs the question, how many burglaries would have occurred during a non=EQ Saturday night in Ridgecrest? and so on?

What is theft anyway, vs. scavenging, in a dire emergency? Would one really object if someone took a tourniquet, for instance, without asking, and used it properly, or water, for someone desperately in need? It would be nice to ask first, but that is not always possible....

The hundreds of earthquakes along a fault line are related to what was thought to be from the dormant Coso volcano field north of Ridgecrest. It last erupted 39,000 yrs ago. The shallowness of the earthquakes means there is movement in the magma pool below the surface. It does not mean an eruption is eminent but one is definitely possible. Some people have speculated that it is related to the 4 geothermal plants located nearby.

Apparently, there have been swarms of earthquakes before in this area but this is the first to have 6 and 7 magnitude quakes. The quakes are not generally thought to relate to anything on the San Andrea's fault line but it may trigger other movements in the area. If it is the volcano waking up, Las Vegas would be directly downwind of any ash fallout. Something to keep an eye on but don't lose any sleep over it.

Thanks, hadn’t considered volcanic activity; but it is the ring of fire. Regardless of my not feeling Ridgecrest’s Mag 7.1 EQ, the Coso Volcano cooking off will be noticed. The LA basin would not be a good place.

I believe that concern about the Coso volcanic field is not prominent among most seismologists working on this event. Any references?

Movement along the fault is mostly lateral - slip strike.

Wikipedia (not the most reliable source) indicates the Coso Volcanic Field was last active 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. It becoming active again would be a big deal outside the desert SW, let alone in SOCAL.

Actually probably not such a big deal, except for the Navy, the geothermal plant, and the other very few people in the immediate area. Any future eruption is likely to produce features similar to those already there: cinder cones, and lava flows extending a few kilometers. If a future eruption includes more silicic lava, a plume of volcanic ash may extend a few tens of kilometers downwind. For more info on the geology, history, and hazards at Coso, see the USGS at: Coso Vocanic Field.

Regarding the relationship between Coso and the recent big earthquake, it is not that unusual for a big quake to trigger small aftershocks at a nearby dormant volcano. This is a very seismicly active area, and no doubt Coso has been jostled numerous times in the 40,000 years since its last well dated eruption. According to the USGS Coso hazards page there is no indication that an eruption is imminent, at the present time.

There is a nice very detailed discussion on Facebook posted at https://www.facebook.com/andy.frassetto/posts/10108643920765392?hc_location=ufi, by someone who actually knows something about Coso and it's geologic context.

A more probable California volcanic eruption might be Mammoth Mountain which emits toxic gases even now and apparently erupted about 1200 years ago. But I would not hold my breath....

Good article in the LA Times comparing the Ridgecrest EQ with the potential from another San Andreas EQ — aka “The Big One”.

San Andreas fault is a 730-mile monster. ...
Ridgecrest earthquake was tiny taste of possible destruction