概要

米地質調査所(USGS)によると、米西部カリフォルニア州南部で4日午前10時33分(日本時間5日午前2時33分)ごろ、マグニチュード(M)6・4の地震があり少なくとも数人が負傷した。震源はロサンゼルス中心部から北北東へ約250キロの砂漠地帯。震源の深さは8・7キロ。一帯では余震が続いている。

米メディアによると、この地域一帯では過去20年間で最大規模の地震となり、ロサンゼルスのほか、ネバダ州ラスベガス、メキシコとの国境地帯など広域で揺れを感じた。数人が負傷したほか、火災が発生。道路の亀裂や水道管破裂、停電なども起きたほか、店舗では商品が棚から落ちて散乱した。

地元テレビは独立記念日の行事に参加していた人々の驚いた様子を伝え、地震情報を報じ続けた。専門家は記者会見で、しばらく余震が続く可能性があると警告。ロサンゼルスの総領事館も在留邦人や日本人観光客に注意を呼び掛けた。

カリフォルニア州は数多くの活断層が集中する地震の多発地帯。1906年にはサンフランシスコ地震、94年にはノースリッジ地震が発生し、大きな被害が出た。

また、多くの余震が今も続いている

California earthquake generates over 100 aftershocks

Los Angeles (CNN)The strongest earthquake to hit Southern California in nearly 20 years prompted one city to declare a state of emergency Thursday, and shook residents from Las Vegas to Orange County.

The quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, was centered near Ridgecrest, a community west of the Mojave Desert and about 150 miles north of Los Angeles.
At least 159 aftershocks of magnitude 2.5 or greater were recorded after the earthquake, according to USGS Seismologist Robert Graves. It is a higher than normal number, but not unprecedented, he said. The largest of them were magnitude 4.6.
Noted seismologist Lucy Jones called it a “robust” series and said there is a 50% chance of another large quake in the next week.
Jones said there is a 1 in 20 chance that a bigger earthquake will hit within the next few days. “It’s certain that this area is going to be shaking a lot today and some of those aftershocks will probably exceed magnitude 5.”
Jones said the quake, named the Searles Valley Quake, was preceded by a magnitude 4.2 foreshock.

Hospital evacuated

Ridgecrest has announced a state of emergency, Mayor Peggy Breeden said. As the mayor spoke to CNN earlier in the day, an aftershock interrupted the interview.
“As I understand, we have five fires,” the mayor said. “We have broken gas lines.”
Footage from Ridgecrest showed firefighters hosing down flames rising from homes.
There were also power outages in the city of 28,000 residents. The forecasted high temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the National Weather Service said.
In Kern County, at the epicenter, the Fire Department responded to more than 20 incidents relating to the earthquake and aftershocks, including fires and medical emergencies, according to a tweet on its verified account.
Ridgecrest Regional Hospital was evacuated. About 15 patients from the emergency room were taken to another hospital, and inspectors were going through the facility to determine whether it was safe to bring the other patients in from the tented areas outside.
April Rodriguez was at home in Trona when she felt a smaller quake followed by a larger one “that didn’t stop,” she told CNN.
“We were panicked trying to get out of the house because everything is falling out of the cabinets, off the shelves, off the walls. … They were flying like missiles off the shelves.”
Kimberly Washburn was directing a children’s July Fourth program in Ridgecrest when the earthquake shook the building, starling the 65 children on stage.
With their parents in the auditorium seats, the kids began screaming.
“It was terrifying,” she said.
One boy was injured when something fell on his foot, but Washburn said they were blessed that more weren’t hurt. After they evacuated, a wall fell behind where the children had been performing, she said.