4.1-magnitude quake jolts Southern California’s inland region

Courtesy of the US Geological Survey

CORONA, Calif. – An earthquake centered roughly five miles southwest of Corona Wednesday rattled the Inland Empire in Southern California. There were no reports of damage.

According to the US Geological Survey, the 4.1-magnitude temblor occurred at 1:49 p.m. at a subterranean depth of nearly a mile. The quake was originally reported as a 4.5 magnitude, then reduced to a 4.3 and ultimately to a 4.1.

The quake was felt in Riverside County and began with a jolt, followed by moderate shaking that lasted about five seconds. The earthquake was also felt in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

There are 136,000 Filipinos in the Riverside-San Bernardino area and more than 500,000 in the LA metropolitan area, according to the Pew Research Center, based on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

“The city of Corona immediately responded to the seismic event by surveying the affected area to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents and infrastructure,” Corona Fire Department spokesman Daniel Yonan said.

“We are pleased to report that there has been no reported damage within the city at this time. However, our teams will continue to diligently evaluate and assess the situation to ensure ongoing safety.”

Yonan said the event is a “reminder to our community that earthquakes can occur unexpectedly and anywhere,” and he encouraged residents to be prepared by having “emergency kits” on hand in case of utility outages, as well as going through “drop, cover and hold on” drills to be ready for a major seismic occurrence.

Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones told ABC News that the Corona earthquake is part of a sequence. Several smaller quakes happened in the same area on Tuesday, including a pair of 2.8-magnitude quakes between roughly 7:30 and 7:40 p.m., and a magnitude 2.5 shaker that struck at about 2 p.m.

“Like any earthquake, this is going to have a 5 percent chance of being followed by something bigger within the next couple of days,” Jones said. (With CNS report)

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