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Saturday, February 15, 2025
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HomeTop NewsEarthquake Bakersfield: What's behind strongest tremors felt in Southern California in years

Earthquake Bakersfield: What’s behind strongest tremors felt in Southern California in years

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A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Southern California on Tuesday (PST) night, with its epicentre located about 18 miles southwest of Bakersfield.
The US Geological Survey reported that the quake occurred at 9:09 pm (PST), with its epicentre near Mettler, an unincorporated area in Kern County, approximately 85 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
The tremor was widely felt across the region, including in Los Angeles, though there were no immediate reports of significant damage or injuries, as reposted by Los Angeles Times.
The initial shock was followed by a series of aftershocks, including a stronger 4.5 magnitude quake that struck less than a minute later, and another at 4.1 magnitude temblor at 9:17 pm (PST).
Residents in the Los Angeles Basin, inland valleys, and even as far as Santa Maria, Bakersfield, and Fresno felt the quake.
Allen Husker, a geophysics professor and the head of the Southern California Seismic Network at Caltech, explained why so many people felt the quake, especially in the Los Angeles area. Since the earthquake hit at night, when most people were at home and likely resting, they were more sensitive to the shaking than they might have been during the day when they’re busier and more active.
Husker also highlighted the influence of the “basin effect” in the Los Angeles region. The city sits atop the Los Angeles Basin, a six-mile-deep, bathtub-shaped area filled with soft sand and gravel. This geological feature, stretching from Beverly Hills to northern Orange County, acts like a giant amplifier for seismic waves.
“The basin effect … increases the shaking that you would otherwise normally have,” Husker said.
This earthquake was the strongest to hit Southern California in three years. The last time the region experienced a quake of similar magnitude was in June 2021, with a 5.3 magnitude tremor near the Salton Sea. A year earlier, in June 2020, a 5.5 magnitude quake hit the Mojave Desert.
Interestingly, Tuesday’s earthquake occurred just 12 miles northwest of the epicentre of the massive 7.5 magnitude Kern County earthquake that struck in 1952. The 1952 earthquake, which occurred due to the White Wolf fault, was felt as far away as San Francisco and Las Vegas, according to the USGS.
However, Tuesday’s earthquake was not associated with any previously identified faults in the region.





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