Series of quakes rattle San Diego
Sunday, Aug. 26th 2012A 5.4 earthquake occurred Sunday afternoon following a swarm of quakes and aftershocks that broke along the San Andreas fault system, causing shaking throughout San Diego County and Southern California, the US Geological Survey said.
A swarm of quakes began on Saturday night with a series in the 3s and 4s in the desert about 90 miles east of San Diego.
The series appears to reach its peak around 2 p.m. Sunday when a 5.4 quake hit in Imperial County.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries in San Diego or Imperial counties.
(Please email us your quake report at Gary.robbins@utsandiego.com)
A swarm of small quakes is not unusual, especially along the San Andreas, the geologic dividing line between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. Such swarms rarely mean that a much larger event is imminent.
However, the quakes occurred at the very southern end of the San Andreas. Scientists are concerned that the entire stretch of the San Andreas will someday snap, causing a catastrophic quake.
The quakes rattled the region, shaking the congested stands at the Del Mar Racetrack and offices in Mission Valley.
Tom Rockwell, seismologist at San Diego State University, said: "Today's event occurred in the Brawley Seismic Zone, an area where the San Andreas and Imperial faults come together. It's a very seismically active region."
But Rockwell said having three 5.0 earthquakes is very unusual so close in time.
"The big concern is if a moderate earthquake would lead to a larger earthquake on the San Andreas," Rockwell said.
Source: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/aug/26/series-quakes-rock-region/
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