An earthquake that hit Southern California on Wednesday registered as a 5.5 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The epicenter of the tremor occurred around Ridgecrest, located about 50 miles from Barstow, the USGS said.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the surrounding area experienced five quakes of 3.0 or greater in the past 10 days or so.
But Wednesday’s earthquake, which appeared to be the strongest, was an aftershock, said USGS’s Dr. Lucy Jones on Twitter.
“Yes, an earthquake. A M5.5 at the very southern end of the 2019 Ridgecrest aftershock zone. This is a large late aftershock - do you remember that I said these are common?” she wrote.
Caltech seismologist Zachary Ross said also noted that Wednesday’s quake was an aftershock of a quake that rattled the area in July 2019.
“Why is this considered a Ridgecrest aftershock after almost a year? Because the rate of events per day is still way above the rate before the sequence started,” Ross said in a Twitter message.
There were no reports of damage or injuries. However, on social media, a number of people expressed that they felt the tremor.
Kathy Marisol, who works at Red Rock Liquor in Ridgecrest, told the Mercury News that no bottles fell from shelves.
“It’s crazier here with the shaking. We hear the bottles rattling,” she said.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti acknowledged the earthquake hit while he addressed protests on Wednesday evening. He was asked if he felt the quake, responding that he hadn’t, according to The Hill.
