BORREGO SPRINGS, Calif. — A swarm of earthquakes, the largest of which had a 4.9 magnitude, hit south of the Salton Sea in Imperial County on Wednesday afternoon and evening, sending light shaking into San Diego County.
In a two-and-a-half-hour span, 45 earthquakes of at least a 3.0 magnitude struck the Westmorland area, according to seismologist Lucy Jones, formerly of the U.S. Geological Survey.
The first quake, which had a 3.0 magnitude, struck at 4 p.m., and the 4.9 magnitude quake struck at 5:31 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Several more quakes occurred later into the evening in the same area.
"The swarm happening now south of the Salton Sea, near (Westmorland) is over 30 km south of the end of the San Andreas. It is in the Brawley seismic zone, a common source of swarms," Jones tweeted.
"A M5 in Imperial County has no impact in San Diego, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. Swarms in Imperial Co are normal," Jones later added on Twitter.
