March 24, 2009
KTLA News
PASADENA -- There has been a swarm of earthquakes in one area of Southern California that scientists in Pasadena are watching closely, with the latest quake hitting this morning.
The magnitude-4.7 (upgraded to 4.8 by USGS) struck at 4:55 a.m. near the Salton Sea in Imperial County at a depth of about 3.5 miles, according to seismologist Amy Vaughn of the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was centered three miles south of the small town of Bombay Beach and 90 miles east of San Diego.
A magnitude-3.0 quake struck a few minutes later.
There were no immediate reports of any injury or damages.
Several small temblors have shaken the area in recent days.
The activity has sparked the interest of scientists who want to see if small faults crossing under the Salton Sea are transferring energy to a section of the more dangerous San Andreas fault, which has not popped in more than 300 years.
An earthquake that starts in Bombay Beach and ripples northwest along the San Andreas fault could be the Big One that devastates Los Angeles, Graham Kent, a research geophysicist at UC San Diego, told the Los Angeles Times.
The activity is being monitored by a system run the U.S. Geological Survey and Caltech in Pasadena.
In a 48-hour period starting Saturday morning, 42 quakes shook just south of Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea, ranging in magnitude from 0.5 to 3.3.
The last time a swarm of this type occurred in the area was 2001, so scientists say this is not especially unusual.
Caltech seismologist Kate Hutton said scientists do not yet know if quakes this small can trigger anything dangerous on the San Andreas.
Experts have said a magnitude-7.8 earthquake that unzips the southern San Andreas Fault would cause 1,800 deaths and $200 billion in damages.
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