6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Southern California, 30 Aftershocks Follow

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California on July 4, and a series of aftershocks followed. USGS

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California on July 4, and a series of aftershocks followed.

The initial earthquake hit at around 10:33 a.m. local time and hit seven miles southwest of Searles Valley, eight miles west-southwest from Trona, and 11 miles east-northeast from Ridgecrest, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

After that quake, at least 30 aftershocks hit over the span of about an hour, with the largest registering as a 4.7 on the Richter scale used to determine the strength of seismic activity, according to the USGS’s map.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks hit Southern California on July 4 USGS

About 30 minutes before the 6.4 magnitude quake, two earthquakes struck, including a 4.0 magnitude tremor, the USGS said.

A number of people and agencies across Southern California, including Los Angeles and Anaheim, reported feeling the tremor and aftershocks.

The Anaheim Police Department said that there weren’t any reports coming in about damage.

“It was an earthquake. Please keep 911 lines clear unless you have an emergency. Initial info is 6.6 near Ridgecrest. No reports of any damage in Anaheim so far,” the department wrote on Twitter.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said there was “shaking and rolling” in the county.

“PLEASE call your family, friends, and check on any elder or disabled persons you know,” the office tweeted.

According to the Los Angeles Times, it was the largest quake to hit southern California in decades. “The quake was the largest in Southern California since the 1994 6.6 Northridge quake, which killed dozens and caused billions in damage. But Northridge hit in the center of a populated area, while Thursday’s quake was located far from the metropolitan Los Angeles area,” it reported.

Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.