Earthquake Swarm Rumbles Through Salton Sea Area

A swarm of small earthquakes rattled the desert near the Salton Sea on Thursday evening, but no damage or injuries were reported.

The largest quake, at 8:37 p.m., measured 4.4 in magnitude, according to preliminary estimates by seismologists at Caltech in Pasadena. It was followed by a 3.2 temblor that rumbled across parts of Imperial and eastern San Diego counties at 9:24 p.m., said Caltech spokeswoman Heidi Aspaturian.

The first quake, at 6:05 p.m., had an estimated 3.7 magnitude. An aftershock measuring 3.0 hit 18 minutes later. “Seismologists here are referring to it as a swarm,” Aspaturian said. “They haven’t yet identified a fault.”

All were centered five miles west of Salton City, about 130 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The area, just east of the San Diego County line, has experienced similar seismic activity before, but the cause of the quakes is not yet known, said Caltech seismologist Riley Geary.