[Geology2] 'Quake Swarm' Hits Community East Of San Diego
'Quake Swarm' Hits Community East Of San Diego
More Than 100 Earthquakes Have Hit Brawley Since Monday
POSTED: 11:28 pm PST December 15, 2010
BRAWLEY, Calif. -- A rare earthquake phenomenon called a "quake swarm" has set off more than 100 earthquakes in southern California, including Wednesday's 4.4 magnitude quake that hit east of San Diego.The 7.2 earthquake on Easter Sunday created dramatic waves in a pool in Brawley, a small town about 130 miles east of San Diego.Maria Molina Rocha, who has lived in Brawley for 50 years, told 10News, "You could hear the rumble before you felt the earthquake."
More than 130 of them have been recorded in Brawley since Monday with the strongest one Wednesday's 4.4 quake."It's an exciting place to be right now," said geologist Dr. Pat Abbott. "You don't go an hour without feeling an earthquake."Abbott called the phenomenon a "swarm" that doesn't happen anywhere else in the United States."Brawley is a very famous area for earthquakes, known worldwide for all its earthquakes," said Abbott.Abbott said the last swarm took place in 1975, when Brawley shook for four days with 339 quakes, with the strongest being a 4.7.Brawley is located between the Imperial Fault and the San Andreas Fault and is surrounded by hot magma rocks that heat the water and absorb a lot of the volatile energy."So we're getting a different style of earthquakes, numerous small earthquakes in warm rock rather than saving up a lot of energy and having a more violent rupture," said Abbott.Abbott said he doesn't believe this swarm of quakes will have much affect on the two nearby faults.
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