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Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake in Mojave Desert Widely Felt On Central, South Coasts

People on the Central and South Coasts are still talking about the latest series of earthquakes to hit Southern California. A magnitude 7.1 quake centered near Ridgecrest, in the Mojave Desert was felt throughout our region.

After the main quake hit at 8:19 Friday night, there were more than 50 aftershocks recorded by midnight, including a few topping magnitude 5.  Only a handful of the aftershocks were felt on the Central and South Coasts.

No major issues were reported in our area. The quakes were blamed for dislodging some docks at Channel Islands Harbor, and for a power outage in Fillmore.

More than 300 people on hand for a Music Academy of the West chamber music concert in Montecito's Hahn Hall briefly evacuated the facility as a precaution because of the quake Friday night.  But, there was no damage and they soon returned inside for the resumption of the concert.

The quake didn’t stop a game at Dodger Stadium, even though some people in the upper decks briefly left their seats. Disneyland shut down some rides as a safety precaution, but no damage was reported.

Caltech seismologists say the magnitude 6.4 earthquake which occurred Thursday morning in the same area of the desert turned out to be a foreshock of the bigger quake. They say we should expect aftershocks for at least a year.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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