California hit by two earthquakes as residents rocked by double tremors

Two earthquakes shook a popular city on Monday morning (February 10), with the seismic activity reaching over four miles.

The first tremor hit San Bernardino, California, at 9.44am local time at around 3.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale, and a second quake followed at 9.48am at a 3.0 magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquakes, which both hit just minutes apart from each other hit around three miles north-northeast of San Bernardino. The area was hit over four miles.

Luckily, there were no reports of damage in the early stages of the earthquake. However, residents in San Bernardino, as well as Ontario, Victorville, Hesperia and Riverside, could all feel the quakes of the 3.5 shake.

It didn't stop there, as residents in Inglewood, Redondo Beach, Palm Springs, Huntington Beach and north San Diego County reported feeling it as well. One user on X wrote: "In southern California we just had a small earthquake as matter of fact 2."

Another added: "Yup felt that one...another day in California." As of yet, no casualities or damage has been reported, but this could change.

California is no stranger to earthquakes, with the state being a hotspot for tremors. This is due to the positioning of tectonic plates, more specifically, the San Andreas fault line.

According to the United States Geological Survey, "Since the formation of the San Andreas Fault system 25-30 million years ago, the juxtaposition of the Pacific and North American plates has formed many faults in California that accommodate lateral motion between the plates."

The huge ridge was formed between the two tectonic plates and they frequently move against each other. California has around 10,000 earthquakes a year, but only 500 of those are large enough to be felt by residents.

California's earthquakes comes just weeks after their recent wildfire outbreak, which were contained on January 31. The two fires rank among the top five most destructive fires in California's history, having destroyed at least 12,000 structures, according to California Fire services.

They burnt more than 37,800 acres (approximately 59.1 square miles) in just over a week. The fatalities stood at 29 people.