A series of earthquakes including one with a 4.8 Magnitude has rocked South West US near the border between California and Mexico leaving people’s houses shaking.
Residents reported decorations falling from the walls and breaking as the quake was felt across the area. According to United States Geological Survey (USGS) 15 earthquakes have so far hit in the space of an hour.
he earthquake was assessed as 4.8 on the Earthquake Magnitude Scale. According to Michigan Tech, around 500,000 earthquakes of this scale happen accross the world each year. Describing quakes from 2.5 to 5.4 on the scale, their website reads: “Often felt, but only causes minor damage.”
#Earthquake (#sismo) possibly felt 29 sec ago in #California. Felt it? Tell us via:
📱https://t.co/IbUfG7TFOL
🌐https://t.co/AXvOM7I4Th
🖥https://t.co/wPtMW5ND1t
⚠ Automatic crowdsourced detection, not seismically verified yet. More info soon! pic.twitter.com/ZIzOguDHz6
— EMSC (@LastQuake) February 12, 2024
One resident living in the region reported: “Earthquake swarms just as I was about to go to bed. strong enough for things to fall and break. sadly, a few broken decorations.”
Some people reported feeling multiple tremors. The series of quakes started at 8.36am UTC (12.30am local time) and carried on until 9.30am UTC. The USGS reported around 15 measurable quakes during this time.
Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that occur in the same general area during the period following a larger event or “mainshock.”
