Posted on 02/11/2008 9:21:26 PM PST by BJungNan
The latest quake hit Monday morning, near Mexicali. Officials said the magnitude 4.9 — downgraded from 5.1 — earthquake struck at 10:29 a.m. The quake was centered 24 miles south-southeast of Calexico and was felt in parts of San Diego, Imperial and Orange counties and as far away as Yuma, Ariz., according to the USGS.
Late Friday, that same area was hit by a 5.4 earthquake, which shut down factories near the border and left 400,000 people without power, authorities said.
NBC 7/39 spoke with a seismologist at San Diego State University. Dr. Kim Olsen said the recent quakes are actually a swarm, or collection of quakes that hit roughly around the same time in the same area.
Normally, you have a big quake, followed by smaller aftershocks. But the USGS said a swarm is different. The big quake is not at the beginning of the series and it’s not always that much bigger than the other quakes.
Monday’s quake was followed by a series of aftershocks, including one that measured a 3.6 magnitude. Olsen said earthquakes are typical for this area near the border, which is basically the southern extension of the San Andreas Fault.
“South of the Salton Sea, the San Andreas tends to develop complex faults — many smaller faults — in several directions. It’s most likely related to this system,” said Olsen.
The area is known as the Brawley seismic zone, Olsen said. It’s not a “well-defined monster fault” like the San Andreas is, which ends at the Salton Sea.
Does that recent swarm mean a big quake is on the way? Olsen said we really can’t say for sure. But swarms tend to range from 2 to 5 magnitudes and tend to repeat. They’re not typically a prelude to a major quake.
Pissant stands a bit taller today. Good post.
Double Mexico Earthquake ping.
BJung
Baja has been swarming all week too. Lotsa swarms with three at 5.0
Medium Strength Earthquake in Southern California
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I added your thread here.
Mexico is seeing alot of action this past week.
Swarmin’ with earthquakes.
I liked their rockabilly/hayseed music more than some of their more experimental ponderings. Still get a kick out of Tennessee Jed now and again.
Ya would think at least a plywood wall with corregated plastic or metal roof.
That is what I remember as a teen in the slums of Manila.
Thanks from Mexicali, Pissant, for that ballad.
There is still trouble to be had here. Of the bars with the senoritas, one or two are the turf of the kidnappers. Policia don’t frequent that locale.
Earthquakes are the least of this burb’s problemas.
Y las chicas, ahhh.
Have a Dos Gusanos and a Tecate for me, will ya?
he he, well didn’t the shuttle go up?
Rove’s machine is tuning up.
This is near the the Cerro Prieto cinder cone (last eruption more than 10,000 years ago) and Cerro Prieto geothermal plant, actually built right over a crustal spreading center between the North American and Pacific plates.
Jerry Garcia always thought of himself as first and foremost a bluegrass musician, and only secondarily as a stoner rock and roll musician.
I’m not sure where the neckties come in to it, but I like them too, and I have a bunch.
It would seem that so many quakes in that area would be shifting the tectonic stress to the LA area.
Sounds like Norte Baja California has a deep case of Montezuma’s Revenge.
You'd probably like these two. Check out New Riders of the Purple Sage and Blueground Undergrass......
Too bad it can’t run across the entire Mexican border and disengage the US completely away from Mexico.
This damn global warming.
There’s been a 6.3 in central Mexico (per FOX 7:18 CST)
Actually quite a distance from this quake swarm (near Guatemala) and on a completely different fault system.
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