Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Aftershocks Expected for Days After Quake
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
July 9, 2021

Share

A magnitude 6 earthquake 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 the Central Valley, with days of aftershocks predicted, authorities said.

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.

“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, she said.

Earthquake Shakes Roads and Buildings

The California Highway Patrol said some cars were struck by rocks but there weren’t any injuries. Video from drivers showed cars slowly navigating around big blocks of stone that littered the roadway.

At one point, rockslides closed about 40 miles (64 kilometers) of the interstate, a major route through the northern Sierra Nevada, but the road reopened some hours later.

Boxes flew off the shelves at Smith’s Food and Drug in Gardnerville, Nevada.

“Our whole entire store was shaking,” said Brittany Oswald, who works at the store’s deli. “I just stood there and held onto a table, and waited for it to end.”

Aftershocks Felt Throughout the State

The seismic waves rolled out across the eastern Sierra — where thousands of people camp and hike in national forests — westward through California and were felt about 250 miles away in San Francisco.

“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.

Reports of damage or injury might not be available for days because a lot of the shaking was felt in remote areas, Ballman cautioned.

The quake occurred along the Antelope Valley fault, which extends across the state line near Topaz Lake. Quakes aren’t uncommon there, seismologists said. Last month, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake rattled the eastern Sierra town of Lone Pine and sent boulders crashing down Mt. Whitney.

However, Thursday’s temblor was the largest recorded since a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the area in 1994.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

DON'T MISS

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

DON'T MISS

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

DON'T MISS

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

DON'T MISS

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

DON'T MISS

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

DON'T MISS

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

DON'T MISS

Stay Cool, Fresno!

UP NEXT

Arson Suspect Named as Park Fire Near Chico Triples in Size

UP NEXT

Eye-Popping Construction Costs Intensify California’s Chronic Housing Shortage

UP NEXT

A Man Got Third-Degree Burns Walking on Blazing Hot Sand in Death Valley, Rangers Say

UP NEXT

CalFire Makes Quick Arrest of Arson Suspect in Explosive Park Fire Near Chico

UP NEXT

California Took Vacation Time From a Prison Doctor. Now It Has to Pay Him $1.8 Million

UP NEXT

Wildfire Explodes Near Chico, Prompting Widespread Evacuations

UP NEXT

Newsom Issues Executive Order for Removal of Homeless Encampments in California

UP NEXT

Wildfires Prompt California Evacuations as Crews Battle Oregon and Idaho Fires Stoked by Lightning

UP NEXT

Hiker Falls to Death During Storm on Yosemite’s Half Dome

UP NEXT

CA Task Force Seizes 8 Million Fentanyl Pills in Six Months: Gov. Newsom

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

5 hours ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

5 hours ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

6 hours ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

6 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

6 hours ago

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

6 hours ago

Stay Cool, Fresno!

7 hours ago

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

7 hours ago

Tanker Plane Crash Kills Firefighting Pilot in Oregon as Western Wildfires Spread

7 hours ago

Will Bonta Election Lawsuit Reverse the Will of Fresno County Voters?

7 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

The arch of colorful balloons over the doorway of a storefront on Shaw Avenue in Clovis was a clue that something exciting was happening on ...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

4 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

4 hours ago

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

5 hours ago

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

5 hours ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

6 hours ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

6 hours ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

6 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend