A magnitude-5.2 earthquake hit North of Los Angeles County tonight and was felt across much of the region, with reports from Santa Monica to Camarillo to Long Beach to Dodger Stadium, where there were upwards of 47,000 in attendance.
The quake was centered about 18.5 miles southwest of Bakersfield, about 89 miles north of downtown L.A. It struck at 9:09 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It was followed by a series of aftershocks in rapid succession, the first measured at 4.5 less than a minute later, followed by a magnitude-3.0 aftershock at 9:14 p.m., a magnitude-4.0 at 9:17 p.m. and a magnitude-3.8 a few second later.
There were no immediate reports of damage in Southern California.
The quake comes a little over a week after a 4.9 magnitude temblor struck to the East of Barstow and was also felt throughout much of Southern California.
The LAFD said tonight that “pursuant to protocol, the LAFD is now in earthquake mode, as personnel from all 106 neighborhood fire stations conduct a strategic survey by land, air and sea of their districts, examining critical infrastructure and areas of local concern across our 470 square mile city of Los Angeles jurisdiction.
“Once this process is complete and reports are consolidated, assuming there is no significant damage, LAFD Earthquake Mode will be complete.”
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake, centered about 18 miles southwest of Bakersfield, was felt across a wide swath of Southern California on Tuesday night.
The earthquake, originally estimated to be magnitude 5.3, struck at 9:09 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed by at least a dozen aftershocks of magnitude 2.5 and up, including magnitude 4.5 and 4.1 earthquakes.
The epicenter was in sparsely populated farmland, about 14 miles northwest of the unincorporated community of Grapevine in Kern County, 60 miles northwest of Santa Clarita, and about 88 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
The area closest to the epicenter felt “very strong” shaking as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. But by the time shaking was felt in more populated areas, like Bakersfield, Santa Clarita and Ventura, the USGS calculated that only “weak” shaking was felt, which can rock standing motor cars and cause vibrations in a building similar to the passing of a truck.
Residents described feeling a long duration of shaking. One person in Los Feliz felt 45 seconds of shaking, with at least three different waves — one weak, followed by a strong one, then again by a weak one. In South Pasadena and Whittier, people felt about 20 seconds of shaking, contained in two distinctive waves.
There were no immediate reports of damage. The Los Angeles Fire Department is conducting a routine survey to determine to assess if there is any damage, Mayor Karen Bass’ office said on social media.
The USGS said the quake was felt across the Los Angeles Basin, inland valleys, as well as in Santa Maria, Bakersfield and Fresno.
Many Southern California residents described getting alerts from the USGS’ earthquake early warning system, such as through the MyShake app or on their Android phones. (The earthquake early warning system is automatically installed on Android phones, but people with Apple iOS phones need to install the MyShake app to get the most timely alerts.)
One person described getting 30 to 45 seconds of warning before feeling the shaking arrive. Another person, in East Anaheim, reported getting 30 seconds of warning before shaking arrived.
It occurred 13 miles from Lamont, Calif., 14 miles from Arvin, 19 miles from Rosedale and 22 miles from Oildale.
In the last 10 days, there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
