A couple of minutes ago.

Gentle rolling in the western SFV, but most definitely an earthquake (strong enough to insure that anyone who feels it is thinking about their immediate "To Do" list in case it turns out to be a bad one).

Don't know the epicenter, or any of the numbers yet.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2019 01:42PM by Tevai.

6.4 quake centered in Searles, CA. which is 60 NW of Barstow. We are in Vegas and the building swayed and swayed. I had to go stand in a doorway. It was scary!

Devoted Exmo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 6.4 quake centered in Searles, CA. which is 60 NW
> of Barstow. We are in Vegas and the building
> swayed and swayed. I had to go stand in a
> doorway. It was scary!

I agree it was scary, because I was seriously running through the "bad earthquake" drill: turn off the gas to the house, gather important papers and put them into the car, etc.

Glad you are okay in Vegas, Devoted Exmo.

I was concerned because the rooftop pool if full of people and I was worried it all might come down. SCARY!

And I've lived for decades in the bay area and lived through worse in Japan, but those never scared me quite like this one.

Devoted Exmo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was concerned because the rooftop pool if full
> of people and I was worried it all might come
> down. SCARY!
>
> And I've lived for decades in the bay area and
> lived through worse in Japan, but those never
> scared me quite like this one.

I would have been scared too!

(I've never before considered the potentials of rooftop pools in earthquakes. Definitely something to consider in the future, though!)

First info (from www.ktla.com):

Epicenter: Ridgecrest (Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County).

6.6



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2019 01:50PM by Tevai.

Ban plate tectonics now !

I'm sure it has something to do with Marxism and the grand plan.

Dave the Atheist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ban plate tectonics now !

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=247180

I told you all either get rebaptized or I was going to shake things up.

Seattle is on/near the 'Ring of Fire' also, but really:

just How is a quake in SoCal 'news'?


OK if there was some very serious damage or injuries/deaths.

GNPE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> just How is a quake in SoCal 'news'?

News on RfM because we have many members in earthquake country (includes all of California, Nevada, etc.), and because earthquakes can be catastrophic and deadly.


> OK if there was some very serious damage or
> injuries/deaths.

When an earthquake happens and "you" are experiencing it, there is no way to know how intense the earthquake is, how widespread are the effects of that quake....and certainly you have no way to know the extent of damages, the specific areas where the damages occurred, or how many people may have died. Some of this information will begin flowing soon after, but much of it may not be known or available for at least several days. [Think: the Sylmar and the Northridge quakes.]

There were people here on RfM who were affected by the wildfires, and there are people here on RfM who are affected by serious "California" (regardless of where the epicenter is) quakes.

He was being ironic, in that it is what SoCal is known for. Note that 'news' is in half-quotes.

I should report you!


See? More irony

thankyouverymuch

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> He was being ironic, in that it is what SoCal is
> known for. Note that 'news' is in half-quotes.
>
> I should report you!
>
>
> See? More irony


Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

Thank you for the explanation.

I am frequently not all that great on irony.

(Some irony I am fine with. Other irony, not so much. In this case, earthquakes are so personal, and so potentially serious to everyone affected, that it takes at least a bit of time and distance to not reflexively think of an earthquake in extremely factual ways--like where DID we put the wrench I need to turn off the gas so our house doesn't burn down?)

Hey, just being my usual servant of truth, justice, and the Sirens of Titan.

We felt it on the southern tip of the central coast. Relatives an hour or so north of Bakersfield had water sloshed out of their pool and shifting but no significant breakage of china cabinet contents.

Now we see the difference between soft rolling and hard jolting.

Northridge was a 6.6J, and this one was a 6.4R.

Pretty concise, huh?

Has anyone heard a damage report?

Thankfully, it centered in a a desert area with very few or no people.

Buckle up for aftershocks, everyone. Good thoughts to you.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/04/us/southern-california-earthquake/index.html

The video on CNN shows a house on fire

"The department reported "minor cracks (in buildings); broken water mains; power lines down; rock slides on certain roads" in northwestern communities in the county."

"Highway 178 has a 4-inch crack, said San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Jeremy Kern. All highways in San Bernardino County remain open. The area's high tension power lines are all intact."

Waiting for more reports.

I hope it didn't damage Trona High's dirt football field.

I loved trout fishing there in Searles Lake every second weekend in October!! But we would always stay in South Trona, where it was more couth.

A quake could devastate Searles and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

I was having chemotherapy at UCLA Health when the quake rolled through. No panic, no evacuation, just everyone pausing to take notice, then back to work.

It was just another day in paradise to them.

Hope the chemo is going well for you.

olderelder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was having chemotherapy at UCLA Health when the
> quake rolled through. No panic, no evacuation,
> just everyone pausing to take notice, then back to
> work.

I also hope the chemo is going well for you.

I am glad you did not have to evacuate.

According to what I read a short while ago, the hospital in Ridgecrest DID have to evacuate (and evidently, the town of Ridgecrest was shaken up pretty badly).

I am glad that where you were, all was well.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yada yada yada, but have you ever seen a more aesthetically challenged region than the Searles Valley? I'm of course sorry they were hit with a quake and hope the damage was minimal and the casualties even more minimal, but it would be tough to make the region look any worse than it already looks.

My uncle used to attend the Borax bowl every year.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2019 04:14AM by scmd1.

I don't know if this is legitimate or not, but on another board, there is warning that further earthquakes (aftershocks?--this part is not clear) are predicted to begin in about five minutes or so.

Supposedly, according to further posts on this other board, this warning has been confirmed by both CNN and Fox.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212243830



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2019 03:39PM by Tevai.

They had had a 4 earlier in the day, so the one that followed was much larger. They are expecting many aftershocks.

Lucy Jones, the Godmother of CA earthquakes, simply pointed out that there is a 5% chance that an aftershock of greater magnitude could follow within four hours.

But it's much sexier to leave out the 5%...

Also, you're going to know about the aftershock before you hear about it on TV.

That is scary.

Hope everyone is safe there.

I know southern California's on the Ring of Fire, but a 6.6 is a large earthquake nonetheless.

Amyjo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know southern California's on the Ring of Fire,
> but a 6.6 is a large earthquake nonetheless.

Thanks, Amyjo.

Good news: the quake has now been downgraded to 6.4 (which is actually a more substantial downgrade than it appears to be).

I think my cousin lives near there too. Ugh. More trouble in paradise.

:(

You guys stay safe!

Those after shocks are something to watch out for too, you know.

I didn't really feel it here in Bakersfield because I was up and walking around. My gal (who was watching TV) started yelling though, I noticed my window blinds moving, and the little lantern that my lawn jockey carries was swaying back and forth.

California's version of rock and roll.

Did I hear that wrong?