Quakes Rattle Southern Sierra, Imperial County
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LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. — Three small earthquakes within minutes of each other shook part of the southern Sierra Nevada on Sunday, but no injuries or damage were reported.
The largest of the three quakes, which had a 4.3 magnitude, struck the Kern County region at 11:20 a.m., said seismologist Karen Kahler of Caltech in Pasadena. The epicenter was about seven miles north of Lake Isabella and 38 miles northeast of Bakersfield.
A magnitude 3.4 quake shook the same area at 11:22 a.m., followed by a magnitude 3.1 temblor about seven minutes later.
“At first, it just felt like the windows were shaking,” said John Carter, a Lake Isabella motel manager. “Then it stopped, and all of a sudden, they started shaking again.”
Kern County sheriff’s dispatcher Chris Johnson said there were no reports of damage or injury.
Lake Isabella is about 180 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
Hours later, an unrelated quake shook Imperial County about 90 miles east of San Diego.
The magnitude 3.4 temblor hit at 3:16 p.m. 13 miles southwest of Ocotillo, said Caltech seismologist Nick Scheckel.
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