A cluster of earthquakes shook a secretive Navy base in the Mojave Desert on Thursday afternoon and before dawn Friday, geologists say.

Numerous small quakes hit in and around the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Five of the quakes were higher than 2.5 magnitude between 3 p.m. Thursday and 3:30 a.m. Friday in Ridgecrest, the USGS said.

The base, deep in the California desert near Death Valley National Park, is where the Navy develops and tests its newest weapons.

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A massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake on July 6 was also centered on the base and forced the evacuation of the massive installation, according to KLTA.

That was the biggest earthquake in the area in two decades, according to the USGS.

A series of major earthquakes in early July around the Navy base, about 150 miles from Los Angeles, drew worries about “the big one”

The earthquakes this week were much smaller: The worst were between 2.6 and 3.1 magnitude, according to the USGS.

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article238580988.html