[ti:Californians Clean Up After Strongest Earthquake in 20 Years] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.01]The strongest earthquake to hit California in 20 years caused minor injuries and damage in a town near the quake's epicenter. [00:12.56]The quake struck Thursday morning in the Mojave Desert, about 240 kilometers northeast of Los Angeles. [00:23.89]Scientists say it measured 6.4 in magnitude. [00:30.81]The United States Geological Survey defines magnitude as a number that represents the relative size of a quake. [00:41.65]An area near the small town of Ridgecrest was most affected by the quake. [00:49.94]But it was felt by people in areas as far away as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in the neighboring state of Nevada. [01:00.85]Officials said more than 80 aftershocks shook the town and nearby areas by Friday. [01:10.10]One of them had a magnitude of 4.5. These aftershocks were expected to continue. [01:19.36]The fire chief in California's Kern County, David Witt, told reporters only a few "minor" injuries were reported. [01:30.85]He said the injuries came from broken glass and objects falling inside local businesses. [01:39.72]Witt added that some hospital patients were moved from the town's main hospital because it received damage. [01:49.96]Two houses caught fire from broken gas lines. [01:54.89]Some power lines went down, leaving thousands of people without electricity. [02:01.51]The quake was blamed for some small grass fires and damage to roads. [02:07.66]California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Kern County, [02:16.18]meaning the area can receive state aid and recovery assistance. [02:21.85]Cora Burke is a restaurant worker in Ridgecrest. [02:27.33]She told The Associated Press the earthquake "almost gave me a heart attack." [02:33.71]She described "a rolling feeling" inside the building. [02:38.66]"And all of a sudden everything started falling off the shelf," she said. [02:44.97]Video images of one business showed the floor filled with broken bottles, boxes and food products that fell from shelves. [02:56.49]Lucy Jones is with the California Institute of Technology. [03:03.06]She said the earthquake was the strongest to hit California since a 7.1 quake struck the area on October 16, 1999. [03:16.63]"This has been an extremely quiet, abnormal time," Jones said. [03:23.37]"This type of earthquake is much more normal... [03:27.89]The long-term average is probably once every five or 10 years somewhere in Southern California." [03:36.81]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM