4.6-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Barstow
BARSTOW (CBSLA) — A 4.6-magnitude earthquake jolted Southern California just after 7 p.m. Friday night.
The quake's epicenter was 2.3 miles deep and about 14 miles north-northeast of Barstow. It was felt from San Clemente to Palmdale and even Las Vegas.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said this quake was widely felt because of its Intensity 2 rating.
"The intensity number tells you what you're feeling," she said. "Intensity 2 is the type of earthquake where you have to be sitting down quietly and, 'Oh, was that an earthquake?' Where as most of the people, if you're walking around at all, you'll completely miss it."
Jones said while it looked like a wide distribution of people who felt it, it was actually a small percentage across the Southland who felt it.
A 2.9-magnitude earthquake struck less than a mile away six minutes later.
Jones said, like always, there's about a 5% chance that a bigger temblor will follow.
I sure wish I could tell when a quake is going to be a foreshock. I spent many years looking at foreshocks to try to find something that made them different. Never found it. We will know if it's one of the 5% that become a foreshock if something bigger happens.
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) January 25, 2020