Earthquake Swarm Hits Southland

SAN DIEGO, CA — A series of earthquakes rattled the San Diego region over the last 24 hours, starting with a 4.8 magnitude temblor just before midnight Thursday.

It was quickly followed by three smaller aftershocks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquakes struck near the U.S.- Mexico border in the Yuma Desert, including a magnitude 3.5 at 7:51 a.m centered 6.9 miles east of Ocotillo. At 7:43 a.m. a magnitude 2.6 quake struck in the same area.

Shortly before that, a magnitude 3.4, struck at 5:12 a.m. It was centered 6.9 miles east of Octillo and southwest of El Centro.

The 4.8 magnitude earthquake that started the swam struck 7.4 miles east of Ocotillo at 11:43 p.m. Thursday. The temblor was about 5.6 miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The shaking was felt as far north as Porter Ranch and east into Arizona.

There were no immediate reports of damage in the remote area where the quakes struck.

The quake reportedly struck on the San Jacinto Fault Zone, second only to the San Andreas in slip rate, according to Temblor.net.

The fault is of particular interest to geologists because studies have found that large quakes on the San Jacinto fault zone or the San Andreas fault zone may be triggered by seismic activity on the other.

There have been a series of small quakes in the Southland this week including along the San Andreas Fault where a magnitude 3.5 quake in Big Bear on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, a magnitude 3.2 quake struck near near Borrego Springs.

See Also:

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• Fault Capable Of 8.0 Quake Awakens Thanks To Ridgecrest Temblors
• 7.1 Magnitude Quake Rattles Southern California
• Strong Earthquake Prompts Preparedness Reminders
• Earthquake Preparedness: Must-Have List
• Earthquake Preparedness For CA Pet Owners
• The San Andreas Is Overdue For The Big One, And This Might Be Why

Here’s how you can prepare for earthquakes:

1. Secure tall heavy, furniture to the walls
2. Create an family disaster plan including backup means of communicating with one another if cell phone towers are down such as designating an out of state relative to serve as a point of contact, or establishing an emergency family hashtag for communicating
3. Maintain an earthquake survival kit including: a first aid kit, food and water for a week, medications, spare eyeglasses and contact lens solution, copies of ID cards and insurance cards, pet supplies, flashlight, blankets, batteries, solar powered chargers, a whistle, cash, list of important phone numbers, Toiletries, plastic bags, cooking utensils, a wrench to turn off gas and water

HOW TO SURVIVE:
Drop cover and hold on. Doorways are no longer considered a safe place to wait out a quake. Experts advise taking cover under sturdy furniture. Evacuate when it is safe to do so.