A magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook Southern California around 8:20 pm on Friday night — just one day after a 6.4 magnitude quake struck the Ridgecrest area on July 4, AP reports.
Why it matters: Following a quiet stretch in California's seismic history, these are the largest reported earthquakes to affect the state in nearly 20 years. Scientists say the fault causing the quakes seems to be growing, per the LA Times.
Anchorage, Alaska, saw sizzling temperatures on Thursday, hitting 90ºF degrees and toppling the city's all-time record-high temperature by 5 degrees, as well as the daily record of 77ºF for July 4, according to Weather.com.
Why it matters: The Arctic region has pushed into an entirely new climate. The last 6 years have been the warmest Alaska has experienced since record keeping began in 1952. In addition, Alaska's land-based ice is being lost at a rate of about 14,000 tonnes per second, according to William Colgan, co-author of a report on Arctic climate change in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
