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This Morning's 4.9 Earthquake Near Ridgecrest May Have Jolted You, But It's Completely Normal
(Courtesy USGS)
Another earthquake rattled the High Desert Friday morning, this one a 4.9 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The quake struck at about 6:11 a.m. near the city of Ridgecrest, following a pair of strong earthquakes in that region last week -- a 6.4 on July 4 and a 7.1 on July 5.
The morning jolt was felt throughout the region, including in Bakersfield and down here in Los Angeles County.
EARTHQUAKE UPDATE: USGS confirms 4.9 aftershock in Ridgecrest at 6:11 a.m. Check out this video of @_VanessaDillon reacting to that aftershock in Ridgecrest right before her live hit. Residents calling in and reporting it could be felt in the Bakersfield area as well. pic.twitter.com/fkG72Fhf2j
— KGET 17 News (@KGETnews) July 12, 2019
Just woke up to my third earthquake in the last week! 😭 #earthquake #EarthquakeLA
— Jessica (@jessigyang) July 12, 2019
Los Angeles Fire Department officials said the agency is in "Earthquake Mode," patrolling the city for signs of "damage or emergency needs," though nothing serious has been reported as of 7:15 a.m.
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Seismologist Lucy Jones said the quake was not unexpected, since it's part of a normal aftershock sequence that's been happening in the region since last week's bigger quakes.
"Each aftershock is relieving stress in some places and redistributing it to others," Jones said on Twitter this week, adding Friday that this latest 4.9 quake "is normal and it's having its own aftershocks."
Remember, we said that the relative number of large magnitude quakes is constant, and more M5s in the sequence would be normal. This morning’s M4.9 is normal and it’s having its own aftershocks https://t.co/Q1FejGJvUI
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) July 12, 2019
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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UPDATES:
7:30 a.m.: This article was updated with contextual information from seismologist Lucy Jones.
This article was originally published at 7:15 a.m.
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