6.6 Earthquake near Searles, CA

[StormStalker]

It was felt by a lot of people. Monitoring for damage reports.

 

[bjdeming]

The region is still rocking and rolling, per the map and this news report.

Quote from that report::

The US Geological Survey said there's a 20% chance of an earthquake of magnitude 6 or higher occurring in the next week and an 80% chance of a magnitude 5 or higher quake hitting the state.

I don't know how that fits in with the generally elevated risk in California, but here's an interesting site.

PS: When I copied and pasted that quote it seems to have led to a talkweather.com javascript message; I've deleted that and just include the quote. Hope it didn't cause any problems!

 

[WesL]

Friends in Vegas still reporting a little movement this morning. I think it reminded a lot of people that Vegas can still rock and roll.

 

[barcncpt44]

A 7.1 earthquake just struck.

 

[StormStalker]

Seeing some footage from basketball and baseball games out there is crazy’

 

[bjdeming]

Shallow, too. The good news is that the epicenter wasn't in a heavily urbanized area, but USGS still gives it Mercalli Scale IX shaking. There will be a lot of damage, still. Looks like the drought may be over.

A little more info from CalTech. Is that confirmed that it's downgraded to 6.9? The sources I've seen still have it at 7.1, but perhaps it's not yet updated.

You can follow all the seismicity here.

 

[barcncpt44]

 

[StormStalker]

Looks like it was downgraded to 6.9 but upgraded back to 7.1

 

[WesL]

Was listening to LA radio on the way home and it sounds like there is a whole generation that hasn't experienced strong earthquakes before. When was the last big SoCal earthquake?

 

[barcncpt44]

Was listening to LA radio on the way home and it sounds like there is a whole generation that hasn't experienced strong earthquakes before. When was the last big SoCal earthquake?

The last big SoCal Earthquake was the 1994 NorthRidge Earthquake which was a 6.7, 25 years ago.

 

[WesL]

The last big SoCal Earthquake was the 1994 NorthRidge Earthquake which was a 6.7, 25 years ago.

I'm so glad you are with us @barcncpt44! I thought that was the case!

 

[barcncpt44]

Wow!

 

[WesL]

Wow!

That was intense!

 

[barcncpt44]

Video inside a Albertson's Grocery Store in RidgeCrest after the 7.1 struck.

 

[WesL]

Just putting this out there. I've enjoyed watching the waves slosh around the earth.

 

[bjdeming]

There's still a LOT of seismicity ongoing. No guarantee that this is over yet, but hopefully it will stay low level and eventually settle back down.

USGS is staying with the 7.1 magnitude, though they have changed the epicenter depth from 0.5 to around 17 km. Reuters has switched back to the 7.1 rating, too, and as of latest report:

"We do know there were a number of injuries, but most of them I would characterize in the minor to moderate level, and no reports of any fatalities, so I think we’re very lucky there,” OES Director Mark Ghilarducci said at a news conference on Saturday.

Here's the shake map. Poor Ridgecrest!

 

[bjdeming]

Wow!

Drop. Cover. Hold on.

Of course, the decision to get out or stay in place and shelter depends on the construction of the building -- something most of us don't even notice when we go into places.

The bigger quakes can take many minutes -- that's a lot of shaking to endure while holding on. =8-O

 

[bjdeming]

Just saw this in my mailbox -- not a doom'n'gloom thing, but interesting scientifically (link added; also checked with the Global Volcanism Program page, and this field has had swarms before, most recently in 1992.):

CALIFORNIA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT
U.S. Geological Survey
Saturday, July 6, 2019, 10:42 AM PDT (Saturday, July 6, 2019, 17:42 UTC)

COSO VOLCANIC FIELD VOLCANO (VNUM #323180)
36°1'48" N 117°49'12" W, Summit Elevation 7874 ft (2400 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN

An earthquake swarm started on the evening of July 5 at the southern margin of Coso Volcanic Field in Inyo County, California. The swarm activity was triggered by a magnitude M5.4 earthquake at 9:19 PM PDT located 20 km (~20 miles) ESE of Little Lake, which itself was likely an aftershock of the M7.1 earthquake that occurred about an hour earlier 17 km NNE of Ridgecrest, and south of the Coso area. An average of about 30 earthquakes per hour have been detected since, most within the range of magnitude M1 to M3. No ground deformation indicative of volcanic activity has been detected, and there is no imminent threat of an eruption. The California Volcano Observatory will continue to monitor the situation for any sign of volcanic activity and provide updates as warranted.

Where to go for additional information:
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/coso_volcanic_field/
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

Background on Coso Volcanic Field
Latitude: 36.03° N
Longitude: 117.82° W
The Coso Volcanic Field is located on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains at the northern end of the Mojave Desert, about 64 km (~40 miles) north of Ridgecrest. The field covers about 150 square miles primarily within the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake, and is comprised of lava domes, lava flows, and cinder cones erupted over the past 250,000 years. The most recent eruption was about 40,000 years ago.

 

[bjdeming]

CalVO issued an update this morning -- good news: the intensity of the swarm at Coso Volcanic Field is declining.

CALIFORNIA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT
U.S. Geological Survey
Wednesday, July 10, 2019, 10:28 AM PDT (Wednesday, July 10, 2019, 17:28 UTC)

COSO VOLCANIC FIELD VOLCANO (VNUM #323180)
36°1'48" N 117°49'12" W, Summit Elevation 7874 ft (2400 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN

The seismic activity that started on the evening of July 5 at the southern margin of Coso Volcanic Field in Inyo County, California continues at a rate of about 600 M1.0 or greater earthquakes per day. The activity was triggered by a magnitude M5.4 earthquake at 9:19 PM PDT located 20 km (~20 miles) ESE of Little Lake, which itself was an aftershock of the M7.1 earthquake that occurred about an hour earlier on the 5th, located 17 km NNE of Ridgecrest to the south. The intensity of the activity at Coso is gradually declining. Of the approximately 1600 earthquakes detected at M1.0 or above since July 8, only 12 have been M3.0 or above, with the largest two registering M4.1.

The current activity at Coso can be considered distant aftershocks, or triggered earthquakes. The M7.1 on July 5 occurred on a NW-trending fault oriented toward the Coso area, and it is common for large earthquakes to cause aftershocks beyond the actual fault rupture. No ground deformation indicative of volcanic activity has been detected, and there is no imminent threat of an eruption. The California Volcano Observatory will continue to monitor the situation for any sign of volcanic activity and provide updates as warranted.

Per the LA Times, surprisingly little damage; and, sadly, one fatality in Nevada.

Also, apparently, earthquakes hate mobile homes almost as much as the wind does. That surprised me, because I thought they would fare a little better because of less mass -- silly to think that, of course.

 

[WesL]

CalVO issued an update this morning -- good news: the intensity of the swarm at Coso Volcanic Field is declining.



Per the LA Times, surprisingly little damage; and, sadly, one fatality in Nevada.

Also, apparently, earthquakes hate mobile homes almost as much as the wind does. That surprised me, because I thought they would fare a little better because of less mass -- silly to think that, of course.

Mobile homes are no fan of any natural disaster. I seem to remember someone doing some earthquake related research on mobile homes. I'll see if I can track it down.