LOS ANGELES—A 7.1 earthquake struck Southern California, Los Angeles at 8:21 p.m., from southwest Searless Valley in San Bernardino County at a depth of 6.6 miles on Friday, July 5. The earthquake occurred just after the 6.4 Ridgecrest Quake at 10:33 a.m. on Thursday, July 4
The shakes can be felt from the Mojave Desert to San Fernando Valley to Studio City, and other regions of Southern California, spreading to north Sacramento, Las Vegas to the east and Mexico.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the preliminary M7.1 quake is one of 1,400 aftershocks to take place after Thursday. Several thousands have been affected by power outages, fires, damage buildings and homes, including crakes in the road causing several injuries.
“There are significant reports of structure fires, mostly as a result of gas leaks or gas line breaks throughout the city” and daybreak Saturday could show even more serious damage, said Mark Ghillarducci director of California Office of Emergency Services in a press release.
The USGS warns small and large aftershocks above 5.0 are expected to continue, but will decrease over time. USGS can not predict when the next earthquake will take place, instead calculates earthquakes using statistical analysis based on past earthquakes events.