Magnitude 5.0 Aftershock of Landers Quake Shakes Desert
The strongest aftershock of the 1992 Landers earthquake in more than two years rocked an area southeast of the desert city of Yucca Valley early Friday, causing slight damage but no injuries.
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey and Caltech said the 12:54 a.m. temblor registered magnitude 5.0 and was centered on the Eureka Peak fault five miles southeast of Yucca Valley.
It was followed by more than 100 additional aftershocks, including a 4.0 at 3:52 a.m.
Lucy Jones of the Geological Survey’s Pasadena office, said the largest of Friday’s quakes was the 21st jolt of at least magnitude 5.0 since the magnitude 7.3 Landers main shock June 28, 1992. Friday’s was also the strongest Landers aftershock since a 5.4 jolt near Barstow on March 18, 1997.
Friday’s aftershocks were located between the epicenters of a 6.1 quake on April 22, 1992, which began the Landers sequence, and the 7.3 main shock centered north of Yucca Valley. Eureka Peak was one of several faults involved in the Landers sequence.
Authorities said damage Friday was confined to some breakage from groceries and bottles falling off store shelves, as well as some household items falling in Yucca Valley and Palm Springs.
The quake was felt fairly strongly 19 miles southwest of the epicenter in Palm Springs and as far away as San Diego.
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