Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
News

5.8 Magnitude Quake Triggers Rockslide In Eastern Sierra

An early earthquake warning alert issued to people as far away as Los Angeles (Screenshot/Jacob Margolis)

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck just south of Lone Pine, California at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The amount of the damage across the area is still unclear.

The Whitney Portal, about three miles from Lone Pine, is closed due to rockslides near the main parking lot. According to the Inyo Sheriff's department there are currently no known injuries.

Community residents reported buildings shaking around them.

"I looked front and back because I thought a truck hit my building, it hit so hard," said Geoff Brackney, owner of Lone Pine Sporting goods, who grew up in the area. "Never had anything hit the building like that."

"I took off running. This building was built in the thirties. I wasn't going to stick around to see how it was going to damage this thing," he said.

Within a half hour, he said he and his employees had cleaned up the store, picking up small items like bugspray and sunscreen that'd fallen to the ground.

Sponsored message

Just two days ago the area experienced a 4.6 magnitude earthquake, now considered a foreshock to today's event.

An earthquake early warning was received by people in Los Angeles, with those as far south as Orange County and as far north as Sacramento, also potentially getting a heads up.

As of 11:40 a.m., there was a four percent probability that an earthquake larger than 5.8 could strike the same area some time in the next week, per the the U.S. Geological Survey. The aftershock forecast will continue to change as time goes on.

Just last year nearby Ridgecrest experienced a 6.4 magnitude foreshock on July 4, which was quickly followed by the mainshock, a 7.1 magnitude quake on July 5.

This is a developing story.


Sponsored message

THE BIG ONE IS COMING. GET PREPARED

We don't want to scare you, but the Big One is coming. We don't know when, but we know it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgcrest quakes last year. To help you get prepared, we've compiled a handy reading list

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today