COSO JUNCTION — A magnitude-4.4 earthquake has struck a rural area in central California. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake struck at 7:11 p.m. on March 12, about 34 miles south of the Lone Pine community, near the south end of Sequoia National Forest. It hit at a depth of one-tenth of a mile.
USGS geophysicist Dale Grant says the quake was shallow enough to have caused damage if it were larger or in a more populated area. But he didn't expect any damage, and authorities in Inyo County said there have been no reports of it or of injuries.
Several dozen people reported feeling the earthquake on the USGS website. The quake was followed soon after by several small aftershocks, including a magnitude-3.0 temblor about 25 minutes later.
