A rapid-fire barrage of 16 earthquakes slammed Southern California in less than 24 hours, reigniting terrifying fears that the “Big One” is getting ready to tear the region apart.
A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit near Indio, in the Coachella Valley, on Monday night, followed by at least a dozen smaller tremors, seismic experts at the US Geological Survey confirmed.
The dramatic burst of ground motion — part of an ongoing swarm of quakes in the region — occurred near the notorious San Andreas Fault, which runs near Indio.
The USGS reported the quake struck at a depth of just two miles, making the shaking feel like a violent “jolt” for locals. No damage was reported.
But the initial shock was just the beginning.
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Four additional quakes ranging from 3.4 to 2.9 magnitude were logged in the minutes that followed.
The area was then hit by a relentless wave of over a dozen seismic disturbances.
The second strongest in the string of earthquakes was a 3.8 magnitude, which was recorded at 10:48 a.m. on Tuesday, about 11 miles north of Indio.
While the aftershocks registered as “weak” to “light” on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale, they were still high enough to keep the desert area on edge.
The Monday to Tuesday tremors were a vivid reminder that the earth under California is never truly still.
For those who live in earthquake territory, it was not so much a question of if a bigger shake is coming —but when.
Officials have warned that aftershocks may continue for the next week, with a 6% chance that one will be higher than a magnitude 5.
The USGC has forecasted a “99% chance of magnitude 3 and above aftershocks” through Jan. 27, and “it is most likely that 1 to 14 of these will occur.”
The 745 mile San Andreas Fault “can generate the region’s largest magnitude earthquakes (up to about M8.2).”
