Magnitude 4.1 earthquake shakes up Bakersfield
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck California’s Central Valley on Monday, bringing shaking to Bakersfield.
The epicenter was located on farmland about 19 miles southwest of Bakersfield and about 16 miles northwest of the northern edge of the Grapevine section of the 5 Freeway, where the San Joaquin Valley ends at the base of the Tehachapi Mountains.
Weak shaking was felt in Bakersfield and may have been felt in Lebec and Frazier Park, along the border between Los Angeles and Kern counties, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake occurred at 3:31 p.m.
The area has had destructive earthquakes in the past. A magnitude 7.5 quake with an epicenter about 12 miles southeast of Monday’s temblor struck in 1952.
Having half a dozen earthquakes with a magnitude 2.5 or greater strike in a single week is not a common occurrence in Southern California.
That quake brought very strong shaking to Bakersfield and resulted in 12 deaths and the collapse of some buildings, with the worst damage in the town of Tehachapi. Damage also was reported in Bakersfield and Arvin.
The 1952 earthquake could be felt across the state, splashing swimming pools in the Los Angeles area, as well as water in pressure tanks on the tops of buildings in San Francisco. At least one building was damaged in San Diego.
The estimated property damage from that time was $60 million — equivalent to about $690 million in today’s dollars, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The last few days have been active seismically in Southern California.
On Monday morning, a magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck underneath Los Angeles’ Eastside. The temblor, which hit at 5:07 a.m., was the third to occur under the Los Angeles neighborhood of El Sereno this month.
On Sunday at 5:26 p.m., a magnitude 2.5 earthquake occurred in the Yorba Linda area.
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