A 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Southern California on Thursday, the strongest in the region in two decades. Kern County authorities said that there had been minor injuries from falling glass and that a nearby dam would be assessed for possible damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 10:34 a.m. local time near Searles Valley, a remote area in San Bernardino County about 170 miles north of Los Angeles and 125 miles east of Bakersfield. The agency initially said the magnitude was 6.6 but revised its measure downward.
Seismologists said there were likely hundreds of separate earthquakes on Thursday, most of them much smaller. About 30 were above magnitude 3.0, they said, warning that aftershocks could continue for days, with a small chance of an earthquake that’s even stronger than 6.4.
