RIDGECREST, Calif. — The U.S. Geological Survey reports a magnitude 4.0 earthquake in the Mojave Desert in Southern California.
The earthquake occurred Friday shortly before 4 p.m. roughly 40 miles from Ridgecrest, California.
It was reported at a depth of 1.5 miles. An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.0 occur annually in California and Nevada. Two earthquakes — magnitudes 6.4 and 7.1, respectively — in the region in 2019 shook the small desert town of Ridgecrest.
No fatalities were reported, which authorities attributed to the remote location of the Mojave Desert, but the quakes buckled highways and ruptured gas lines that sparked several house fires.
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