Las Vegas feels magnitude 5 earthquake in California

LAS VEGAS –  A magnitude 5 earthquake jolted the California desert Thursday – and it was felt as far as Sin City.

Clark County officials in Southern Nevada reported on social media that some employees felt the aftershocks in downtown Las Vegas.

The U.S. Geological Survey said Thursday’s quake occurred at 1:49 p.m. and was centered 19.8 miles north of the small city of Ridgecrest.

The magnitude 7.1 quake on July 5 and a magnitude 6.4 foreshock the day before strongly shook the same region and were felt more than 100 miles away.

Las Vegas tourists and residents eating at restaurants, sitting in the stands at sporting events and unwinding at home delivered Twitter dispatches following aftershocks of what is now considered the largest Southern California quake in at least 20 years.

Damage from those temblors occurred to facilities on the sprawling Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake as well as in the nearby communities of Trona and Ridgecrest.

Among the many aftershocks, a handful have reached the magnitude-5 level.

Contributing: The Associated Press. 

Ed Komenda writes about Las Vegas for the Reno Gazette Journal and USA Today Network. Do you care about democracy? Then support local journalism by subscribing to the Reno Gazette Journal right here.