The last two biggest and comparable quakes to hit the Mojave Desert in Southern California were the magnitude 7.3 Landers earthquake in 1992 and the magnitude 7.1 Hector Mine quake in 1999. As the Landers earthquake of 28 June 1992 (magnitude 7.3) demonstrates, the region is seismically and tectonically active. It is in the North American Southwest, primarily within southeastern California and southern Nevada, and it occupies 47,877 sq mi (124,000 km 2).Small areas also extend into Utah and Arizona. According to the US Geological Survey, a 6.4 magnitude quake struck near Searles Valley in the Mojave Desert just after 10:30 a.m. Friday night's quake sequence began with a 5.0 shock at 8:16 p.m., followed by the 7.1 quake just 3 minutes later. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit north of Barstow, California, Friday evening in the Mojave Desert. The last two biggest and comparable quakes to hit the Mojave Desert in Southern California were the magnitude 7.3 Landers earthquake in 1992 and the magnitude 7.1 Hector Mine quake in 1999. The station is north-northwest of the West Thumb Geyser Basin.
Geophysicists had cautioned that after Thursday's earthquake numerous aftershocks could be expected in the seismically active area and that there was a high probability of strong aftershocks -- and perhaps a follow-up quake that would be stronger than the initial 6.4 shake. The preliminary magnitude was 6.6, but it was since downgraded. Although this earthquake was much more powerful than the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the damage and loss of life were minimized by its location in the sparsely-populated Mojave Desert.
Picture by David McNew/Reuters Picture by David McNew/Reuters A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit north of Barstow, California, Friday evening in the Mojave Desert. “The epicenter was about 14 miles northeast of Barstow, in a remote area off Williams Well Road, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The Mojave Desert (/ m oʊ ˈ h ɑː v i, m ə-/ moh-HAH-vee, mə-; Mohave: Hayikwiir Mat'aar) is an arid rain-shadow desert and the driest desert in North America.
Aftershocks from Southern California's largest earthquake in 20 years rumbled beneath the Mojave Desert on Friday as authorities tallied damage in the sparsely populated region. The earthquake was a right-lateral strike-slip event, and involved the rupture of several different faults over a length of 75 to 85 km (47 to 53 mi). The epicenter of the Landers earthquake was about 50 miles south of the Mojave National Preserve. A deep fissure discovered in the Mojave Desert near Ridgecrest, the epicenter of the M6.4 earthquake in Southern California on July 4, 2019. The earthquake presented a surface rupture over 40 miles long (75 km). The tremor had a depth of about 2 miles,” according to the Daily Press. Mojave Desert, California magnitude 6.4 earthquake (10:33 AM, 4 July 2019) This is the seismogram for the Little Thumb Creek seismic station in Yellowstone, Wyoming.