5.1 Earthquake Strikes Town with a Population of 10

A moderate earthquake tonight shook near Ludlow, CA, an extremely small San Bernardino County town 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert.

The 8:18 p.m. quake originally measured at magnitude 5.5, but was later downgraded to 5.1, making it the second largest quake in Southern California this year. A 5.4 magnitude quake--the largest quake to hit the Los Angeles region since the '94 Northrige one--shook east of Los Angeles on July 29th.

Tonight's quake was probably an aftershock of the 7.1 Hector Mine earthquake in 1999, which scientists warned would continue for 10 years.

"We didn't hardly feel anything, just some kind of vibration," said Leon Lee of Lee's Tavern in Yermo, a town 20 miles from Ludlow. However, the quake was felt as far as the San Fernando Valley and the edges of Nevada and Arizona. No injuries or major damage has been reported.

Image via USGS