x
Breaking News
More () »

Seismologists: 6 percent chance of another quake striking

Seismologists say there is a roughly six percent chance of another quake of magnitude 6 or greater striking in the area.
Credit: Caltech/USGS

RIDGECREST, Calif. — A magnitude 5.4 aftershock to the Ridgecrest Earthquake struck in the same area Friday morning, rattling areas across Southern California. It struck at 4.07 a.m. at a depth of around 4.3 miles, its epicenter 9.7 miles west of Searles Valley, according to a computer-generated report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

RELATED: Fourth of July Earthquake: Where was the ShakeAlert?

Seismologists at Caltech said Friday afternoon that Thursday morning's original quake, which had a magnitude of 6.4, actually struck along a pair of faults, one running northwest and one running northeast. They also said there is a roughly six percent chance of another quake of magnitude 6 or greater striking in the area, although they could not give any specific timeline of when such an event could potentially occur.

Several temblors greater than 3 magnitude hit the same region earlier Friday morning.

Then, at 5:38 a.m., a 4.1 magnitude aftershock struck, again at a depth of 4.3 miles, 9.4 miles west of Searles Valley, according to a computer-generated USGS report. It was followed 17 minutes later by a 3.7 magnitude temblor that hit at a depth of 3.7 miles.

There were no reports of injuries or damages stemming from the latest aftershocks.

RELATED: State of emergency declared after 6.4 Fourth of July earthquake rattles southern California

RELATED: San Diego earthquake safety tips from FEMA

Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued an emergency proclamation due to the effects of the earthquake near Ridgecrest in Kern County and continued aftershocks that have damaged infrastructure, homes and other structures and caused fires.

Dramatic video on Friday showed a Good Morning America reporter caught in the aftershock while her camera was rolling.  

Others flocked to social media to post about what they felt.

When the 6.4 earthquake struck on July 4, people from Las Vegas to the Pacific Coast reported feeling a rolling motion and took to social media to report it.  

RELATED: San Diegans sound off on social media about magnitude 6.4 earthquake

Multiple injuries and two house fires were reported in the town of 28,000. Emergency crews were also dealing with small vegetation fires, gas leaks and reports of cracked roads, said Kern County Fire Chief David Witt.

Before You Leave, Check This Out