5.2 quake rocks Valley, several other smaller quakes also reported
A strong and very shallow earthquake struck Friday morning in Anza Borrego Desert State Park near the Salton Sea the Geological Survey reported.
The temblor struck at 1:04 a.m. at a depth of .6 miles with a magnitude of 5.2, according to a computer-generated report from the USGS. A quake of such strength is capable of generating considerable damage.
Video: Earthquake footage from Luis Lua with KESQ & CBS Local 2
The Riverside County Fire Department says they have no reports of damage in the county at this time. The California Highway Patrol says some drivers are reporting that boulders are on the roadway on Highway 74 from Palm Desert to Pinyon.
The quake’s epicenter was 13 miles north-northwest of Borrego Springs in San Diego County and 16 miles south-southwest of La Quinta in Riverside County. It was strong enough to be felt in Los Angeles.
There have been at least eight aftershocks ranging from 2.6-3.5.
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.
“Every earthquake has a 5 percent chance of triggering an aftershock that is bigger than itself — always within a few miles of location of the first earthquake,” Jones wrote.
News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will continue to bring you updates in the aftermath of the quake, as things begin to steady around the Coachella Valley.
