BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO — Multiple earthquakes this week have sparked conversation about bigger quakes in the future, but the United States Geological Survey says you can never truly know when or where another quake will hit.
- Video shows earthquake impacts in Kern County
- Tuesday's earthquake may have raised concerns about a larger quake in Bakersfield, but the USGS says it's unlikely to experience an earthquake larger than the original shock.
You may have felt the 4.4 magnitude quake on Wednesday night or the 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.
Both have sparked conversation about bigger quakes in the future, but the United States Geological Survey says you can never truly know when or where another quake will hit.
Many people across central California felt the shakes of the 5.2 magnitude quake on Tuesday night.
“One thing of course to always realize is California is earthquake country, and there will always be earthquakes,” Robert deGroot, the Shake Alert Operations Team Lead with the USGS, said.
He says following the main shock, they’ve tracked 156 magnitude two or higher aftershocks with four of those reaching a magnitude four, and deGroot expects to see even more in the next week.
“I will tell you right now, there will be an earthquake in California magnitude three or larger tomorrow," he said.
DeGroot says this swell in activity raises concerns for a bigger quake on the horizon, but the aftershock forecast predicts there’s an 8% chance, Tuesday’s tremor could turn into a foreshock, resulting in a magnitude 5.22 quake or higher.
“Rather than spending all of our time, trying to figure out when the next earthquake is going to happen, what we do instead is we do two things," he said. "We do what we can to prepare for earthquakes we know are going to happen.”
Through August 15th, the USGS aftershock forecast predicts a 99% chance of 35 magnitude 3 aftershocks, which are strong enough for people to feel, and a 1% chance of a magnitude 6 or higher aftershock.
Either way, Jon Gudel with the Earthquake Early Warning Program advises people to prepare with the MyShake App.
Well, I think this earthquake is just another reminder that we live in earthquake country, and to always be prepared," Gudel said. "They always say it’s not a matter of if but when the next earthquake will strike."
According to the USGS, damaging earthquakes can occur in the future, so remember if you find yourself in an quake, drop cover and hold on.
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