Second earthquake rattles California in as many days

(Image credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

published 6 July 2019

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked Southern California on Friday evening around 8:20 p.m., just one day after a 6.4-magnitude temblor struck the same area. The seismic activity is related, Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology, said.

Friday's quake was reportedly felt as far north as Sacramento, as far east as Las Vegas, and as far south as Mexico. There are reports of damaged buildings and roads, fires, power outages, and several injuries throughout the region.

The quake was the largest in Southern California in at least 20 years and was followed by multiple aftershocks, some of which surpassed magnitude 5.0. More aftershocks are expected and could reportedly occur for years. There is also a 1-in-10 chance that another 7.0-magnitude quake could hit within the next week, while a 5.0-magntitude tremor is "approaching certainty," Jones said. The fault causing the quakes appears to be growing, scientists said.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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