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7.1 Magnitude Quake Strikes in Southern California

Associated Press

   LOS ANGELES - Authorities are now reporting injuries and damage from a
   magnitude 7.1earthquake jolted Southern California and was felt as far
   away as Mexico Friday night.

   The quakeinitially was reported as magnitude of 6.9 to 7.1. It was also
   measured at 7.1 by the
   European-Mediterranean Seismological Agency.It would be the largest
   temblor in the region in 20 years and was centered in the same area as
   a 6.4 quake that hit a day earlier.

   The shaker at 8:19 p.m. was centered 11 miles from Ridgecrest, a Mojave
   Desert town 150 miles (240 kilometers) away from Los Angeles that saw
   building damage, fires and several injuries from the earlier quake.

   Kern County fire officials reported "multiple injuries and multiple
   fires" without providing details.Officials in San Bernardino County
   reported homes shifting, foundation cracking and retaining walls coming
   down. One person suffered minor injuries and was being treated by
   firefighters, they said.

   Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the California Institute of
   Technology's seismology lab, tweeted that the quake was part of the
   sequence that produced the earlier quake.

     This is the same sequence. You know we say we 1 in 20 chance that an
     earthquake will be followed by something bigger? This is that 1 in
     20 time
     -- Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) [1]July 6, 2019

   The new jolt was felt in downtown Los Angeles as a rolling motion that
   seemed to last at least a half-minute. Reports said the quake rocked
   chandeliers and rattled furniture as far away as Las Vegas, and the
   U.S. Geological Survey said it was felt in Mexico as well.

   Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department told KNX-AM radio
   says more than 1,000 firefighters were mobilized, but there were no
   immediate reports of damage or injuries.

   The press box at Dodger Stadium lurched for several seconds, and fans
   in the upper deck appeared to be moving toward the exit. Enrique
   Hernandez of the Dodgers was at-bat in the bottom of the fourth when
   the quake occurred. He stepped out of the batter's box, but it wasn't
   clear if that was because of the quake.

   An NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas was stopped after the quake.
   Speakers over the court at the Thomas & Mack Center continued swaying
   more than 10 minutes after the quake.

   The quake came as communities in the Mojave Desert tallied damage and
   made emergency repairs to cracked roads and broken pipes from the
   earlier quake.

     Like any quake, today's M7.1 has a 1 in 20 of being followed by
     something even bigger. Smaller quakes - M5s are likely and a M6 is
     quite possible.
     -- Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) [2]July 6, 2019

   Hours earlier, seismologists had said that quake had been followed by
   more than 1,700 aftershocks and that they might continue for years.
   However, that quake would now be considered a foreshock to the Friday
   night temblor.

   Damage from Thursday's quake appeared limited to desert areas, although
   the quake was felt widely. The largest aftershock, magnitude 5.4, was
   also felt in Los Angeles before dawn Friday.

   At an afternoon news conference, a seismologist had said the odds of a
   quake of magnitude 6.0 or larger happening in the next few days was
   only 6 percent and dwindling.

   Earlier Friday, Ridgecrest Regional Hospital remained closed as state
   inspectors assessed it, spokeswoman Jayde Glenn said. The hospital's
   own review found no structural damage, but there were cracks in walls,
   broken water pipes and water damage.

   The hospital was prepared to help women in labor and to give triage
   care to emergency patients. Fifteen patients were evacuated to other
   hospitals after the quake, Glenn said.

   The quake did not appear to have caused major damage to roads and
   bridges in the area, but it did open three cracks across a short
   stretch of State Route 178 near the tiny town of Trona, said California
   Department of Transportation district spokeswoman Christine Knadler.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/DrLucyJones/status/1147356046349889537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://twitter.com/DrLucyJones/status/1147357622124683264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw