Aftershocks Expected for Days After 6.0 Quake in California
Thursday's temblor was the largest recorded since a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the area in 1994
July 9, 2021
(AP) Authorities predict days of aftershocks following a magnitude 6 earthquake that jolted both sides of the California-Nevada state line, tossed boulders onto a major roadway and was felt as far off as Las Vegas and even San Francisco.
The quake, shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, was centered south of Lake Tahoe near Walker, a rural community of a few hundred households in the eastern Sierra Nevada. No major damage or injuries were reported, authorities said.
It was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including at least a half-dozen of magnitude 4 or above, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were more than 30 aftershocks on Friday morning alone.
"The ground was shaking pretty bad, and then everything started falling," said Carolina Estrada, manager at Walker Coffee Company. Syrup bottles broke, dishes fell to the ground and the roof of the shop caved in a bit. The shaking lasted 30 seconds or more, she said.
"We ran out of the building," Estrada said. But the shaking continued, and "boulders the size of cars" fell onto nearby U.S. 395.
The seismic waves rolled out across the eastern Sierra - where thousands of people camp and hike in national forests - westward through California's agricultural Central Valley and were felt about 250 miles (402 kilometers) away in San Francisco. Sacramento also felt the shaking and so did Las Vegas, about the same distance southeast of Walker.
"People in the area should expect aftershocks for days following an earthquake of this size," said Jason Ballman with the Southern California Earthquake Center at the University of Southern California.
Story by Jocelyn Gecker, AP writer. Published on KCRA.com.
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