The main quake was followed by at least 20 smaller aftershocks.
Scientists are watching the increased earthquake activity because it is near a section of the San Andreas Fault that has not popped loose in over 300 years.
Scientists are particularly interested in the area because an earthquake that starts in Bombay Beach and ripples northwest along the San Andreas fault could be “The Big One” that levels Los Angeles, said Graham Kent, a research geophysicist at the University of California, San Diego.
These quakes appear to be taking place at the hazy intersection of several recently mapped faults crossing beneath the Salton Sea and the southern end of the San Andreas fault.
The worry for scientists comes from a case in 1987, when a magnitude-6.2 earthquake on one of the crossing faults appeared to trigger a 6.6 quake 12 hours later on the Superstition Hills fault to the south.
The San Andreas fault is north of these crossing faults and the geometry is similar, Kent said.
A light earthquake occurred at 4:55:43 AM (PDT) on Tuesday, March 24, 2009. The magnitude 4.8 event occurred 4 km (2 miles) S of Bombay Beach, CA. The hypocentral depth is 6 km ( 4 miles).
| Magnitude | 4.8 - local magnitude (ML) |
|---|---|
| Time | Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 4:55:43 AM (PDT) Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 11:55:43 (UTC) |
| Distance from | Bombay Beach, CA - 4 km (2 miles) S (178 degrees) Obsidian Butte, CA - 18 km (11 miles) NNW (333 degrees) Salton City, CA - 22 km (13 miles) E (84 degrees) El Centro, CA - 61 km (38 miles) NNW (345 degrees) San Diego, CA - 145 km (90 miles) ENE (65 degrees) |
| Coordinates | 33 deg. 19.1 min. N (33.318N), 115 deg. 43.7 min. W (115.728W) |
| Depth | 5.8 km (3.6 miles) |
| Location Quality | Good |
| Location Quality Parameters | Nst=094, Nph=094, Dmin=4 km, Rmss=0.26 sec, Erho=0.2 km, Erzz=1.3 km, Gp=36 degrees |
| Event ID# | ci14433456 |
| Additional Information | 2-degree map Google Earth KML (Requires Google Earth.) Did you feel it? ShakeMap shaking intensity maps Waveforms SCSN First Motion Mechanism 1 24-hour Aftershock Forecast Map SCSN Moment Tensor Solution |
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