At 8:08pm, on Saturday night, two moderate earthquakes struck in the Anza-Borrego Desert. A 4.9 and 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit approximately 9 miles north northwest of Borrego Springs, California. Both earthquakes occurred just south of the Anza Gap and are related to San Jacinto Fault.
The first earthquake was a 4.9 magnitude quake which struck at 8:08pm.
The second earthquake was a 4.5 magnitude aftershock that struck at 8:09pm.
Because the earthquakes struck so close together, only 24 seconds separated the two seismic events, the USGS had trouble determining the exact magnitude, location, and whether they had one or two events recorded. Within the first hour, the magnitudes were revised multiple times and the sizes ranged from 4.4 to 4.9 in magnitude.
At the time of this posting, the official answer seems to be that two quakes occurred, a magnitude 4.9 and a 4.5.
The epicenter of both quakes were far from any major town. Anza and Borrego Springs were the closest towns to the epicenter, both small desert communities. The San Diego Union Tribune quoted a clerk at the Borrego Springs Resort as saying, "...the building’s glass shook but did not break, and the resort had no damage." No damage or injuries were expected elsewhere as well.
Despite the quake being considered small to moderate, it was widely felt strongly by many in Imperial, San Diego, Orange, and San Bernandino county areas, as well as by people in the Los Angeles city area. Additionally, felt reports were received from Tijuana, Tecate, and Mexicali, Mexico.
Some of the communities that turned in the most felt reports included Carlsbad, Ramona, La Quinta, Santee, Escondido, San Diego, Poway, Encinitas, Temecula, San Marcos, Fallbrook, Palm Desert, Murrieta, and Oceanside.
I personally felt this quake while I was at work in Carlsbad, California. I was in an office building at the time, ground floor, in a hallway when the earthquake struck. It felt like something hit the building. The entire building suddenly shook violently. I stopped what I was doing and looked down the hallway. I heard the shaking travel through the building from one side to the other, east to west. I knew immediately that it was an earthquake. However, after the initial jolt, I could not feel any shaking afterward and no apparent damage had been done.
The following recording was made back home while I was at work. I have set up an earthquake cam in an attempt to capture a quake on video. Unfortunately, there is no sound, but what you will see is at least three things move in the shot. (According to the clock in the video) At 8:07pm and 49 seconds, the p-wave hits, effecting the chimes and the pendulum. A 8:07pm and 59 seconds, the pendulum and the ball move, almost in unison. You have to watch for the ball closely, though. It's very subtle. For the remainder of the video, the chimes and pendulum shake until they eventually calm down.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS continues to review the data.]
-Article written by Tim "Lance" Sherwood of Oceanside, Ca.
At 4:02am, on Wednesday morning, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit 6 miles southeast of Ocotillo, California. The earthquake occurred just north of the Mexican border, in the desert, and is possibly related either to the Yuha Wells Fault or the extreme northern edge of the Laguna Salada Fault. The earthquake appears to be an aftershock of the 7.2 Baja earthquake sequence.
A 1.9 magnitude aftershock was detected just two minutes later.
The 3.1 magnitude earthquake was not reported as felt by anyone to the USGS.
The epicenter of the 3.1 quake is located in the desert where no major towns are immediately nearby. Due to the minor magnitude and rural terrain, no damage or injuries are expected.
The closest communities are Ocotillo, Ocotillo Wells, Jacumba, Seeley, Calixico, Mexicali, Santa Isabel, El Centro, Brawley, Plaster City, and the closest major US city is San Diego.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews the automated data.]
At 4:59pm, on Monday evening, a 3.7 magnitude earthquake hit 4 miles west of Hermosa Beach, California. Earlier in the morning, a 3.5 magnitude hit 3 miles west of Hermosa Beach, making the 3.5 a preshock to the 3.7 this evening.
The earthquake occurred just off the coast of the LA area and may be associated with either the Redondo Canyon or Palos Verdes fault zones. The epicenter was located just north of both fault systems.
Approximately an hour after the 3.7 magnitude quake, close to 3200 felt reports were given to the USGS, most of which were centered around the LA metro area. The highest number of reports, 202, came from the Manhattan Beach area. It was reported being felt as far north as Bakersfield, as far east as Riverside, and as far south as Capistrano Beach.
Due to the minor magnitude, no damage or injuries are expected.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews the automated data.]
At 1:32pm, on Monday afternoon, a 3.3 magnitude earthquake hit 4 miles north of Big Bear City, California. Nine minutes later, a 3.2 earthquake struck in the same location. A 2.6 aftershock followed a minute later.
The earthquakes occurred away from town, closer to Highway 18, going down the mountain on the north side. It occurred deep in the San Bernandino Forest. Due to the minor magnitude and rural location, no damage or injuries are expected.
Approximately 20 minutes after the two 3.0+ quakes, only 6 felt reports were given to the USGS. All six came from the area of Big Bear.
Before these quakes, it would appear that a small handful of microquakes, ranging from magnitudes of 1.1 to 2.6, began at 9:23am this morning. These may have been preshocks to the 3.0+ quakes seen this afternoon.
In 1992, a 7.3 earthquake struck near Landers, California. Just three hours later, a 6.5 earthquake shook the vicinity of Big Bear, California. The closest fault to Big Bear, California, is the San Andreas fault.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews the automated data.]
At 2:17am, on Monday morning, a 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit 3 miles west of Hermosa Beach, California.
The earthquake occurred just off the coast of the LA area and may be associated with either the Redondo Canyon or Palos Verdes fault zones. The epicenter was located just north of both fault systems.
Approximately 15 minutes after the quake, more than 720 felt reports were given to the USGS, most of which were centered around the LA metro area. The highest number of reports, 88, came from the Manhattan Beach area. It was reported being felt as far north as Chatsworth, as far east as Covina, and as far south as Irvine.
Due to the minor magnitude, no damage or injuries are expected.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews the automated data.]
At 11:10am, on Thursday morning, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit 6 miles east southeast of Ocotillo, California. The earthquake occurred just north of the Mexican border, in the desert, and is possibly related either to the Yuha Wells Fault or the extreme northern edge of the Laguna Salada Fault. The earthquake appears to be an aftershock of the 7.2 Baja earthquake sequence.
Earlier in the morning, a 3.2 earthquake occurred near Anza and a 3.1 earthquake occurred near Salton City, California. These three earthquakes occurred within 10 hours of each other and, two months after the Baja quake, this is showing signs that seismic activity in the region is not going quiet just yet.
The 4.1 magnitude earthquake was felt as far north as Palm Springs, as far northwest as Irvine, as far west as San Diego, as far east as Mexicali, and south into Mexico.
The epicenter of the 4.1 quake is located in the desert where no major towns are immediately nearby. Due to the moderate magnitude and rural terrain, no damage or injuries are expected.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews the automated data.]
At 7:15am, on Thursday morning, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit 6 miles west southwest of Salton City, California. The earthquake occurred west of the Salton Sea, in the desert, at the southern most tip of the San Jacinto fault system.
Earlier in the morning, at 1:44am, a 3.2 microquake occurred near Anza which is along the same San Jacinto fault. It is possible that the two quakes are reacting to the same stress due to the close proximity of time and location, as well as being along on the same fault system.
At the time of this posting, no damage or felt reports were posted to the USGS. The epicenter of the 3.1 quake is located in the desert where no major towns are nearby. Due to the low magnitude and rural terrain, no damage or injuries are expected. A 1.4 aftershock occurred at 7:20am.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews the automated data.]
At 1:44am, on Thursday morning, a 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit 12 miles east southeast of Anza, California. The earthquake occurred just East of the "Anza Gap" near the San Jacinto Fault system.
At 1:48am, a 1.4 microquake was shown to be near Hemet, approximately 25 miles up the same fault to the northwest. It is possible that the two quakes are reacting to the same stress due to the close proximity of time and location, as well as being along on the same fault system.
No damage or felt reports were posted to the USGS. The epicenter of the 3.2 quake is located in the mountains where no major towns are nearby. Due to the low magnitude and rural terrain, no damage or injuries are expected. The 1.4 magnitude quake is considered a "microquake" and is generally too small be to be felt.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews the automated data.]
At 7:50am, on Saturday morning, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit 7 miles east southeast of Ocotillo, California. This appears to be continued stress from the 7.2 magnitude Baja quake of April 4th. It may be related to the extreme north end of the Laguna Salada Fault, or more than likely the quake relates to the Yuha Wells Fault.
This local region has gone relatively quiet, however, this is the first 3.0+ magnitude quake in the area immediately north of the border of Mexico since the 4.2 magnitude earthquake that struck 12 miles southeast of Ocotillo at 5:21am on May 24th.
15 minutes after the 3.8, no damage or felt reports were posted to the USGS. The epicenter is located in the desert. No damage or injuries are expected.
[Magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews the automated data.]
At 11:22pm, a 2.5 magnitude earthquake hit 12 miles southeast of Port Hueneme, CA. Two hours after the quake, only 18 people in the local area had reported feeling it to the USGS. There were no reports of damage nor injuries and none were expected.
The magnitude and location is subject to change as the USGS reviews that data. This micro earthquake was the latest in a slight increase of activity off the coast in the Channel Islands Region.
On May 15th, 2010, at 8:19pm, there was a 3.9 magnitude earthquake 10 miles southeast of Oxnard, California. That same night, there was a 2.6 micro quake by Ontario and a 3.0 in the Greater Los Angeles area.
At 8:52 pm, a 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit 11 miles west southwest of downtown San Diego.
At 8:57pm, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 38 miles southwest of Imperial Beach.
Both earthquakes hit 5 minutes apart and both were off the coast of downtown San Diego. This is a change in activity as both quakes occurred far from the Baja aftershock sequence. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and none would be expected due to the moderate to low magnitude of both quakes.
The magnitudes and locations are subject to change as the USGS reviews that data.
The last earthquake in this region was a 3.5 magnitude quake 36 miles southwest of Rosarito, Mexico, on March 24, 2010.
Before that, there was also a 4.4 and two 3.6 magnitude earthquakes between February 1st and February 3rd earlier this year in the same general location off the coast.
A light earthquake with a magnitude 4.4 shook a section of Southern California shortly after 4am this morning (March 16, 2010).
The quake was centered in the Whittier area of the San Gabriel Valley. This is the same general area that was struck by the deadly 5.9 Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987.
At this time no damage or injuries have been reported. The quake was felt as far south as northern San Diego County and as far North as Southern Kern County.
A shallow earthquake measuring 3.8 on the richter scale occurred near San Clemente Island. This is due west of San Diego.
The earthquake struck at 8:31 in the evening local time. No damage and no injuries were reported as a result of this quake. The quake was felt in parts of southern Orange county and coastal sections of San Diego counties.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.9 occurred about 4 miles north of Fontana. It struck at 1:22 a.m. Local time on March 9, 2008. An aftershock measuring 3.1 occurred about a minute later.
A quake of this size is not expected to cause damage or injuries. It was widely felt throughout the Inland Empire, Riverside and parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Quakes in this area are not uncommon. A 4.4 in January of 2005 was preceded by several smaller foreshocks.
The sequence of earthquakes coming out of Northern Baja is quite impressive and is not showing any signs of slowing down. It resembles an aftershock sequence you might see after a 6+ earthquake. But there was no 6+ earthquake. In fact, the quake which started this was only a 5.4.
The quake was originally posted as a 5.4 and later downgraded to a 5.1. There is still some debate over the true magnitude of this quake. It will take some time to determine the actual magnitude. It should be somewhere between 5.1 and 5.5.
As of the time of this report the 5.4 quake has been followed by at least 35 aftershocks with a magnitude of 3.0 or greater. Five have been greater than 4.0 and two have been 5.0 or greater. In total there have been over 200 aftershocks.
How does this compare with previous quakes in the area? Data from previous years shows that in May of 2006 a 5.4 earthquake produced 16 aftershocks of 3.0 or greater. In February of 2002 a 5.7 quake in the same area produced nearly fifty 3.0+ aftershocks.
The question that I'm sure everyone is asking is whether something bigger and more destructive is on the way. Nobody can say for sure. The 5.7 quake in 2002 was preceded by increased seismic activity which started in December of 2001.
It is always best to be prepared. Plan as if a stronger quake is on the way. Make sure you are prepared by having a supply of bottled water and non-perishable food. Always sleep with a pair of shoes and a flash light near your bed. Make sure there are no loose items or furniture that could fall and hurt someone.
It's a good idea to always be prepared. The mainshock is usually the largest and most destructive, and waiting until after the mainshock to get prepared is a bad idea.
Here is a link for more tips on how to prepare for an earthquake and what to do after one strikes.ALWAYS BE PREPARED
Here is our latest image showing the region affected by these quakes (click on it to enlarge):
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A small earthquake hit the northern Los Angeles area just before 1 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT) on Thursday (August 9, 2007), waking residents across a broad swathe of the area, but there were no immediate reports of significant damage.
The 4.5 preliminary magnitude quake was centered 4.1 miles north-northwest of the suburb of Chatsworth, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was extremely shallow, at only 3 miles deep.
Residents reported a strong jolt, followed by a lot of shaking. Some said pictures fell off walls, water sloshed around in toilets, and television sets wobbled on cabinets. A police spokesman said the quake triggered hundreds of alarms.
It was followed by two aftershocks, both with a preliminary 1.6 magnitude.
Chatsworth is just six miles west of Northridge, the epicenter of the magnitude 6.7 quake that killed 57 people and injured more than 9,000 in 1994.
Many people accross Southern California reported feeling an earthquake shortly before 12:45 pm (west coast time). As it turns out the culprit was not an earthquake, it in fact was the expected sonic boom caused by the return of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
The shuttle was expected to land in Florida, but due to bad weather the landing was changed to Edwards Air Force Base in the Southern California desert.
The shuttle's path to the base took it over San Diego and Los Angeles before landing smoothly at 12:49 pm.
OCOTILLO, Calif. (AP) - A small earthquake has rattled a desert town near the US-Mexico border, but there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
A preliminary report from the US Geological Survey says the magnitude-3.9 temblor struck at 7:08 pm. It was centered eight miles southwest of Ocotillo, about ten miles north of the border.
A dispatcher with the Imperial County Sheriff's Department says there are no reports of injuries or damage.
Parts of Southern California were shaken by two mild earthquakes Wednesday night. Both quakes measured 3.9, and were centered about 2 miles South-Southeast of Devore, California. The first came in at 11:11 PM while the second struck less than five minutes later at 11:15 PM.
Although there have been no reports of injuries or damage, the quakes have been felt all the way the Los Angeles coastline, nearly 80 miles away.
Quakes are not uncommon in this area of the Southland. There have now been five quakes with a magnitude of 3.0 or greater in this general area since the start of the year.
I have created a special page showing the last 20 years of earthquake activity in the immediate Devore area. CLICK HERE to see a list of all quakes (2.5+) between 1987 and 2007.
