Southern California Earthquake: 5.2 Magnitude Tremor Strikes Overnight

Borrego Springs, CA — An earthquake near the San Diego County community of Borrego Springs early Friday was felt across a large swath of Southern California.

The 5.2-magnitude temblor struck at 1:04 a.m. about 13 miles north-northwest of Borrego Springs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 14 miles east of Anza, 15 miles northeast of Warner Springs and 42 miles from Escondido.

The shallow earthquake epicentered in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park at a depth of nine-tenths of a mile was felt in San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles and Imperial counties, according to the USGS.

USGS initially recorded the quake with a magnitude of 5.1, but upgraded it to a 5.2-magnitude. A few aftershocks were recorded, including a 2.8-magnitude at 1:07 a.m. and a 3.5-magnitude at 1:33 a.m.

A quake of such strength is capable of generating considerable damage.

According to KESQ in the Palm Springs area, Cal Fire Riverside County rescued two people who became stuck in an elevator at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage.

Other than that, Cal Fire Riverside County indicated there were no immediate reports of injury or damage in its territory.

#BorregoSpringsEarthquake No reports of injury or damage in RCOFD response area. Engines removed from apparatus bays as precaution.
— CAL FIRE Riverside (@CALFIRERRU) June 10, 2016

The earthquake did trigger a minor rockslide on Montezuma Valley Road, about 14 miles southeast of Borrego Springs, the California Highway Patrol reported.

There were no other immediate reports of injuries or damage in San Diego County, sheriff's Lt. Andrea Arreola said. "At this point, we are just monitoring'' the area, she said.

A resident of La Quinta, near Palm Desert in Riverside County, described his experience.

"Very minor damage with pictures turned askew on the wall and a couple decorative bottles knocked off kitchen shelves," said Eddie Trent. "No damage, no injuries ... but not going back to sleep for a while."

The earthquake occurred along the San Jacinto Fault, historically the most active fault in Southern California, according to seismologist Lucy Jones. It was near a magnitude-6 earthquake in 1937 and a magnitude-5.3 earthquake in 1980, Jones reported.

"We have never seen a San Andreas earthquake triggered by a San Jacinto earthquake," Jones wrote on Twitter, referring to the state's most famous fault, the one along which the so-called "big one" is expected to hit someday.

"Every earthquake has a 5 percent of triggering an aftershock that is bigger than itself — always within a few miles of location of the first earthquake," Jones wrote.

Among those who felt the quake and voiced their reactions on social media was skateboarding legend and Carlsbad resident Tony Hawk.

"Earthquake! It felt like a bus hit our house," Hawk said via Twitter.

Actress McKaley Miller, who was raised in Texas, tweeted, "I literally thought a ghost was pushing my bed, but thanks to Twitter, I now know it was just an earthquake... I've never been so scared."

Did you feel it?

City News Service contributed to this report.

Updated at 9:52 a.m. Pacific Time, June 10, 2016; Originally published at 1:15 a.m. Pacific Time, June 10, 2016. 

(Image via Shutterstock)