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Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Strikes Southern, Central California

By Rahul Srinivas
Published on: 15:43 PST, Feb 23, 2016

A moderate-sized earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale rattled several residents living in central and southern California on Tuesday, reports the Los Angeles Times. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), this latest earthquake to hit California was centered near Bakersfield. Initial reports do not seem to indicate that the quake caused any sort of damages or injuries.

The epicenter of this earthquake was located around 25 miles northwest of Bakersfield in the town of Wasco. It reportedly happened at around 4 p.m. local time. The USGS described the tremor as a shallow earthquake that occurred at a depth of around 14 miles from the surface of the earth. The earthquake was initially reported to have measured 4.9 on the Richter scale – but has since then been corrected to 4.8. USGS added that the strongest tremor was limited to the area around the epicenter near Wasco. Other places that clearly felt the shake included the areas of Bakersfield, Delano, and Porterville. The primary earthquake was followed by several aftershocks – the largest of which was measured at 2.6 on the Richter scale.

According to Capt. Andrew Kennison of the Kern County Fire Department, which also serves the city of Wasco, the earthquake “was short, brief, but strong — kind of a violent hit.”

He further added, “We surveyed the town – no broken windows, no structural damage, we haven’t had any damage.”

A dispatcher from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the earthquake gave the office “a pretty good jolt”

Following the earthquake, officials from the Kern County Fire Department deployed teams of firefighters to look for signs of damage across the affected area. Initial signs have been positive with a spokesperson confirming that they had come across no damages as of 4:45 p.m., local time. This has been confirmed by James Dowell, spokesperson at the Kern County Fire Department.

Officials from the the Los Angeles County Fire Department also activated its earthquake procedures, and they have also confirmed that no damages have been caused

Residents from the surrounding counties — including Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, including areas along the coast 150 miles away — also reported about feeling the earthquake.

Several people took to social media to talk about the earthquake, some even reacting with humor.

The experience was scary for some.

The news of this latest earthquake in California comes just a week after another moderate earthquake that measured 4.8 on the Richter scale hit the Sierra Nevada town of Big Pine. No damages were reported in last week’s quake as well. However, these two earthquakes in rather quick succession is a cause of concern for several residents as these two earthquakes were among the strongest tremors to hit California in the past two years.

Did you feel the latest earthquake that hit central and southern California earlier today?

[Image Via Pixabay]

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