Loud booms and shakings as 4.8-magnitude earthquake rattles dormant volcanoes in Sierra Nevada, California

A noteworthy 4.8-magnitude earthquake shook the Dormant Crater Mountain Volcano and several Sierra Nevada towns on February 16, 2016.

This main tremor was followed by a series of 6 quakes which produced loud booms and low-pitch rumbling noises. This location has not erupted in over 15,000+ years, and is a sign of coming seismic movement in a nearby area along the coast.

Residents in Sacramento, Livermore, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles and across the state line in Nevada reported feeling the ground shaking as a magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit just after 3 p.m. six miles west of Big Pine.

The shallow quake (nine miles) in Inyo County hit along the Owens Valley fault line. The area has only experienced eight quakes of a magnitude 3 since 1935, and a magnitude 4 hit in 1988.

There are many reports of loud booms and long (4 to 6 seconds) shakings.

The initial jolt on Tuesday was followed by a series of six aftershocks over more than an hour, the largest a magnitude of 4.3.

M2.9 – 11km WNW of Big Pine, California
M2.8 – 11km WNW of Big Pine, California
M4.3 – 10km WNW of Big Pine, California
M2.9 – 13km SE of Mammoth Lakes, California
M2.8 – 7km SE of Coso Junction, California

This is a sign of coming seismic movement in a nearby area along the coast.

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