California could be hit by another, even more powerful earthquake within days after the state was rocked by its worst tremor in 20 years on Thursday, experts believe.
Geologists say yesterday’s 6.4-magnitude quake is likely to produce a forceful 5.5-strength aftershock and a series of smaller tremors – and could even prompt a larger one.
In addition, officials admitted that a new Los Angeles earthquake warning app had not sent out a public alert despite the most powerful Southern California quake since 1999.
The ShakeAlert system detected the quake but did not trigger a public warning because the magnitude was less than 5.0 in Los Angeles, city bosses said.
The Fourth of July quake cracked roads, caused fires and broke power lines, although there were no serious injuries reported.
Today residents in the small desert city of Ridgecrest were set to begin the clean-up while two houses were damaged by fire from broken gas pipes.
The quake also drew the attention of a series of California-based celebrities, including Trevor Noah, Ashley Tisdale, and Ava DuVernay, who said: ‘That was the longest earthquake I’ve ever experienced.’
Blaze: This house in Ridgecrest caught fire after the 6.4-magnitude earthquake in California which geology experts say could be followed by powerful aftershocks
This Pita Fresh restaurant in Ridgecrest was hit by shaking after the Independence Day earthquake yesterday
Aftermath: Charred items sit in front of the home which caught fire in Ridgecrest following the Fourth of July tremor
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled Southern California residents amid their Fourth of July celebrations has caused fires, damaged buildings and sparked rock slides
Speaking to SFGate, U.S. Geological Survey expert Susan Hough said: ‘For a 6.5 quake you’d expect a lot of aftershocks. You’d expect the biggest to be 5.5 and so far the biggest has been 4.7.
‘With any earthquake, there is a 5 percent chance something even bigger will happen within the next three days. If it did, it would be in the same remote area.’
Los Angeles city bosses have promised to revamp the ShakeAlert system after residents did not receive a notification about the quake.
‘The ShakeAlert app only sends alerts if shaking is 5.0+ in LA County. Epicenter was 6.4 in Kern County, USGS confirms LA’s shaking was 4.5,’ a statement said.
‘We hear you and will lower the alert threshold.’
ShakeAlert detected the quake, giving 48 seconds of warning to the seismology lab before the shaking arrived in Pasadena.
Officials in San Bernardino County said the quake caused water mains to break, downed power lines, cracked buildings and caused rock slides on roads.
A car passes over a fissure that opened on a highway near Ridgecrest yesterday
A local resident inspects a crack in the earth after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area
Bricks from a house’s chimney sit on the ground in the wake of the tremor in Ridgecrest
People clean up broken bottles at the 1 Stop Market liquor store
Mariah Carey and Ava DuVernay were among the celebrities who posted their reactions to the California earthquake yesterday
In the small desert city of Ridgecrest near the epicenter of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake, grocery store aisles were littered with smashed bottles, jars and packages.
‘I mopped up over 20 gallons of wine that fell over in addition to the beer, soda and the cooler that fell over. We have several thousand dollars worth of damage,’ said shopkeeper James Wilhorn.
Water gushed up from zigzagged cracks in the pavement from busted water lines, while deep fissures snaked across the Mojave Desert.
People from Las Vegas to the Pacific Coast reported feeling a rolling motion that shook shower doors and made hanging dining room lights sway.
This firefighter is seen fully extinguishing the blaze from the home in Ridgecrest
This image shows another angle of the firefighters battling the blaze in Ridgecrest
The earthquake caused rock slides (left) as well as large cracks (right) across roads, officials said
Some celebrities commented on the timing of a large earthquake on the Fourth of July
At least four large aftershocks have been recorded, measuring 4.7, 3.5, 3.8 and 4.2 magnitude, officials said.
President Donald Trump said he was fully briefed on the earthquake and that it ‘all seems to be very much under control’.
Several celebrities also tweeted about the quake.
Actress Gabrielle Union tweeted that the she was using the bathroom at the time of the earthquake.
‘The fact that I experienced that longa** earthquake while on the toilet at the gym…and immediately blamed the celery juice, is about right. Lordt,’ she joked.
A Ridgecrest resident shared video of her father’s liquor store (pictured) that was damaged by the earthquake
Hundreds of broken bottles (pictured) of spirits were seen all over the floor of the store as the family surveyed the damage
Several residents shared videos of their homes shaking during the quake. One video shows the moment the quake even created waves in a resident’s swimming pool
Veteran seismologist Lucy Jones (pictured) said the earthquake was the strongest to hit Southern California in 20 years. She says the previous large quake was a 7.1 on that struck in the area on October 16, 1999
Ava DuVernay also tweeted: ‘Been living in Los Angeles all my life. That was the longest earthquake I’ve ever experienced. Not jerky. Smooth and rolling. But it was loooong.
‘It was so long I thought for the first time ever ‘Is this the big one?’ Damn. Respect Mother Nature. She’s the boss.’
Trevor Noah said: ‘That earthquake was not fun…’
‘6.6 is strong. We felt a lil’ movement here in the valley, but all good. Prayers to those in D valley, Bakersfield, S Valley, Kern etc. Be safe, stay prepared,’ Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson tweeted.
The Los Angeles Airport said that all of their ‘runways have been inspected with no reported damage to the airfield or the Sepulveda tunnel. Operations remain normal’.
Video posted online of a liquor store in Ridgecrest showed the aisles filled with broken wine and liquor bottles, knocked down boxes and other groceries strewn on the floor. Flames were seen shooting out of one home in the community.
According to European quake agency, EMSC, the quake was felt in an area inhabited by some 20 million people. This graphic shows the areas where the quake was felt
The earthquake struck about seven miles southwest of Searles Valley, California (pictured)
Another video shows the moment the quake even created waves in a resident’s swimming pool.
Cora Burke, a waitress at Midway Cafe in Ridgecrest, said: ‘It almost gave me a heart attack.’
‘It’s just a rolling feeling inside the building, inside the cafe and all of a sudden everything started falling off the shelf, glasses, the refrigerator and everything in the small refrigerator fell over.’
Ashleigh Chandler, a helicopter rescue EMT at Fort Irwin, California, said the quake happened as she was getting ready for a July 4th party.
‘I was just in the living room getting everything ready, we start to feel the shaking, so then I look up and then the wine bottles start rattling and I thought, ‘They’re going to fall.’
‘My sister was in the house and my dog, so we just got everyone outside and then it ended. It was like 15, 20 seconds, maybe. It was pretty good shaking, so I’m out of breath.
‘Everyone’s OK.’
Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the California Institute of Technology’s seismology lab, said the earthquake was the strongest since a 7.1 quake struck in the area on October 16, 1999.
‘This has been an extremely quiet abnormal time,’ Jones said. ‘This type of earthquake is much more normal … The long term average is probably once every five or 10 years somewhere in Southern California.’
This photo shows broken bottles and other goods in a store in Lake Isabella, California, following the earthquake