A pair of +4 Earthquakes rattle Eastern Sierra
By Arnie Palu
February 17, 2016
Four minutes after 3pm Tuesday a 4.8 earthquake hit north of Big Pine. The US Geological Survey says the first earthquack struck Tuesday afternoon at 3:04 local time. The epicenter located 6 miles west, north-west of Big Pine. The inital report showed the quake with a magnitude of 5.3, but was later revised down to a 4. 8.
Approximately a half hour later a strong aftershock hit at the same location. At 3:27 a 4.3 quake, in the same location, rattle the eastern sierra.
Margret Mangum of the USGS indicates the quakes on Tuesday are “Unrelated to Volcanic unrest” and are “Typical of activity in the Owens Valley”.
Both the Bishop Police Department and Inyo County Sheriffs department confirmed reports of residents and visitors experiencing the earthquakes, but no major damage or injuries were reported.