5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits San Bernardino County

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake rattled Southern Californians near Ridgecrest on Wednesday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The temblor struck about 10 miles south of Searles Valley at 6:32 p.m. Ridgecrest is 14 miles west of the epicenter, which is also about 10 miles north northeast of Trona, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, according to officials with the San Bernardino and Inyo county sheriffs' departments and the Ridgecrest Police Department.

Seismologist Lucy Jones indicated the earthquake was probably an aftershock from a big quake that hit the area nearly 11 months ago.

Last year, on July 5, a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Ridgecrest and Trona, a day after a 6.4-magnitude quake centered near the Kern County town interrupted its Fourth of July festivities and sent residual tremors rippling across Southern California and parts of the Southwest.

On Wednesday, 15 aftershocks occurred within the first 30 minutes, including one as strong as 3.2.

Carol Wolfe, who has lived in Ridgecrest for 35 years, said she heard the tremor first.

"It sounded like a UPS truck traveling down a dirt road," she said.

Then the shaking started, she said, and seemed to last for about 10 seconds. She said it felt like consistent shaking, rather than a jolt or a roll.

Following last summer's earthquakes, Wolfe said subsequent temblors are "stressful," because she never knows if they are an aftershock or a precursor to something bigger.

"It's mentally traumatizing, even if there's no physical damage," she said.

The quake was felt in the Coachella Valley and across Southern California. 

It shook buildings in downtown Los Angeles and caught the attention of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who commented on the shaking as he pledged to cut the city police department's budget and invest the funds in communities of color.

He made the announcement amid widespread protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed May 25 by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck as he was being arrested..

"I was just informed, too, that we just had a large earthquake, as if things couldn't get worse," Garcetti said. "Our hearts and our activities will go to support everybody in San Bernardino. We're still assessing to see what that sort of damage there is."

It was also felt as a bump and rolling motion in a high-rise building in downtown Las Vegas. Local television news broadcasts stopped as anchors reported seeing lights sway in their studios.