The U.S. Geological Survey says the 7.1 magnitude quake hit at 8:19 p.m. Friday and was centered 11 miles from Ridgecrest, a small desert town in Kern County. The quake was felt downtown as a rolling motion that seemed to last at least a half-minute, according to AP. It was felt as far away as Las Vegas, and the USGS says it also was felt in Mexico.
If the preliminary magnitude is correct, it would be the largest Southern California quake in 20 years.
Officials in San Bernardino County reported homes shifting, foundation cracking and retaining walls coming down. One person suffered minor injuries and was being treated by firefighters, they said.
Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the California Institute of Technology's seismology lab, tweeted that the quake was part of the sequence that produced the earlier quake.
The Los Angeles Times reports over 2,000 residents in Ridgecrest and surrounding areas are without power.