4.9 Earthquake Rattles Parts of Southland

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake centered on the San Jacinto fault 10 miles north of the desert town of Borrego Springs rattled a wide swath of Southern California Friday night, but caused no damage or injuries.

The 8:14 p.m. quake was felt in San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.

Scientists at the Caltech Seismological Laboratory said it was not an aftershock, but was centered in an area of northeast San Diego County that has had numerous smaller quakes in recent weeks.

The San Jacinto fault, extending from north of San Bernardino southeasterly to the Imperial Valley, is considered one of the most dangerous faults in Southern California. It was the locale in April, 1918 of a 6.8 quake centered near San Jacinto and Hemet that did considerable damage.

Residents of Borrego Springs described Friday night’s temblor as a short, sharp jolt, over before they could take cover.

The shaking was also felt at the San Diego Padres baseball game, 40 miles to the west.

First reports from the U.S. Geological Survey said that the quake occurred at a depth of eight miles and was four miles north of a magnitude 5.8 temblor that took place April 29, 1969.

Friday’s quake was not quite as strong as the aftershocks of the Northridge quake that struck an area west of the Santa Clarita Valley on April 26 and 27.