Early morning 3.9-magnitude earthquake shakes Southern California, geologists say

An early morning earthquake Friday rattled some Southern California residents awake.

A 3.9-magnitude earthquake shook Bodfish, California, at about 5:30 a.m. Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. People in nearby Bakersfield could feel light shaking.

The 3.7-mile deep quake could also be felt near Barstow, California City and Ridgecrest. More than 270 people reported feeling the tremor to USGS.

Multiple other earthquakes shook parts of the state Thursday night into Friday morning. A small swarm of over a dozen earthquakes shook near the California-Nevada stateline, according to USGS.

The largest was a 4.6-magnitude near Smith Valley, Nevada, that struck at about 9:47 p.m. Thursday. The other earthquakes ranged in magnitude from 2.5 to 3.5, USGS reported.

A 2.6-magnitude earthquake also shook about 28 miles from Santa Rosa in The Geysers, according to USGS.

Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.

Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech.

This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 8:22 AM.