On January 21, 2020, just a few days after the 26th anniversary of the Mw 6.7 Northridge Earthquake, we had another small jolt strike the San Fernando Valley. This one, while small, was felt over a wide area. If you are among the many that did feel it, the USGS wants to hear from you! These “Did You Feel It?” reports help them to understand earthquakes further.
Part 2 of my Ridgecrest earthquake field trip is now online. This time, I also won’t forget to add a link!
Finally posting the photos from my August 22, 2019 Ridgecrest trip. Part 1, which covers the fault rupture, is finally up. Part 2, which will cover the problems in Poison Canyon and Trona, are coming soon!
Owens Lake, once a fairly large lake at the southern end of the Owens Valley, dried up after the water from the Owens River, its primary source, was diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct. That aqueduct, engineered by William Mulholland, was officially opened on November 5, 1913.
Shown here, the shorelines of the former Owens Lake are visible in the distance, rather looking like rings in a bathtub. The lake bed, after the lake was gone, became one of the largest single sources of particulate matter pollution in the western United States. Mitigation efforts, required by court decree, have helped a great deal but are still a far cry from the lake that once had steam boats crossing it.
At 10:33 am this morning, July 4, 2019, there was a Mw 6.4 earthquake centered a few miles northeast of Ridgecrest, California. The focus of the earthquake was mid-range in depth, about 10.7 km deep. So far, there have been numerous aftershocks ranging up to M 4.7 in size at the time of this writing. The earthquake is the largest to strike southern California in some time. The area to the northwest of the epicenter has been subject to earthquake swarms in the past as well, though usually only up to the M 5.0 range in size.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci38443183/executive
USGS summary of the earthquake
Due to the size of the earthquake, I would expect there to be a fair amount of damage to buildings in the Searles Lake, Trona, Pioneer Point, Ridgecrest, and Inyokern areas. If you live in any of these areas, let the USGS know about what happened. Your information is greatly appreciated and will help them better understand the effects of earthquakes.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci38443183/dyfi/intensity
Did you feel it? Report it to the USGS here!
