RIDGECREST, Calif. — A day after being rattled by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake an even more powerful quake has hit Southern California.
Officials in Kern County, where the eartquake struck, are reporting some injuries and "multiple fires."
Seismologists now say Thursday's earthquake was a foreshock preceding Friday's quake.
The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 hit the area around 8:19 Pacific time Friday evening. The agency first said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1.
It was centered about 11 miles from Ridgecrest, where Thursdays quake struck.
A 5.5 magnitude aftershock was recorded just a few minutes after that earthquake hit.
The earthquake didn't faze the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, with the teams continuing play as the stadium shook.
#EarthquakeLA Vaya video, temblor en #ENVIVO pic.twitter.com/LjmLW5KJ5x
— Carlos Hidalgo (@CarlosHidalgoo) July 6, 2019
The quake was felt downtown as a rolling motion that lasted about half a minute, and was felt as far away as Las Vegas and in Mexico.
If the 6.9 magnitude is correct it would be the largest earthquake in Southern California in 20 years.
Seismologists say there were 1,700 aftershocks reported after Thursday's earthquake.
