SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) – A series of earthquakes, with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, struck near El Centro, east of San Diego County, Monday night, shaking the area.
According to the US Geological Survey, the initial and largest earthquake was recorded just after 12:30 am at a depth of about three kilometers.
This led to about two dozen additional earthquakes, most of which ranged in magnitude from about 2.5 to 3.9, including one that measured 4.5. The latest magnitude 2.5 strike was reported by the USGS just after 9:30 a.m. near Interstate 8.
According to the USGS “Did you feel it?” According to the survey, the strongest tremors were recorded in Calexico, El Centro and Brawley. Some people in San Diego County also reported feeling light shaking.
No damage or injuries have been reported at this time.
However, the USGS says the first earthquake triggered the Shake Alert System as it initially measured 5.0, sending notifications to the cell phones of people living near the epicenter.
These types of back-to-back shocks, called “swarms”, are not necessarily rare for the area, but they are not considered a frequent occurrence.
The last swarm near El Centro was reported last May, when three separate swarm events began in San Diego and Imperial counties within a few days of each other.
As Dr. Pat Abbott, professor emeritus of geology at San Diego State University, explained to FOX 5 at the time, the eastern San Diego area is particularly vulnerable to these series of earthquakes due to geothermal energy in the expanse of land south of Salton. Is susceptible to. Sea.
The 35 miles of land between the tip of the San Andreas Fault on the ocean floor and the top of the Imperial Fault, which runs from Mexico to Imperial County, have lots of magma and hot volcanic rocks beneath the surface. At shallow depth. This creates energy that contributes to much movement and, as a result, seismic activity.
And these swarms, Abbott said, rarely serve as harbingers of a major earthquake on the horizon.
He added, “Every time we have earthquakes, we take them seriously, but we also know from history that usually it’s not going to be anything major.” “It’s like one of the little features about living in California – we get a lot of little earthquakes… I like to label them as a reminder (that) we live in earthquake country. “
