The Fourth of July Quake Is a Warning Shot ~ How L.A. Responded Online

[dropcap size=big]H[/dropcap]anging lamps swayed and living rooms swiveled across Los Angeles after a preliminary 6.4R earthquake struck high in the Mojave Desert on the morning of Fourth of July, sending seismic waves across Southern California and all the way to Las Vegas, Sacramento, and Tijuana.

The earthquake — although not catastrophic — served as a jolting reminder that California is still due for a major quake, in the fatal range of 7.0R and above, Cal Tech seismologists said Thursday. Fires were reported close to the epicenter in Ridgecrest, northern Kern County.

"This is an area that normally has lots and lots of earthquakes," said Dr. Lucy Jones, a straight-talking seismologist who fielded reporters' questions in several briefings after the 10:33 am quake. She warned of more aftershocks, saying, “The chance of having a magnitude 5 [in the area] … is probably greater than 50-50.”

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