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by LOS ANGELES – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 struck an area near Palm Springs, Calif., on Wednesday afternoon, and the shaking was felt more than 100 miles away, but there were no initial reports of damage or injuries.
The quake hit at 4:53 p.m. near the small town of Borrego Springs, 28 miles south of Palm Springs in a desert area of San Diego County. The earthquake was felt widely throughout Southern California. In Los Angeles, the rolling motion lasted nearly 30 seconds. The United States Geological Survey initially said the quake measured 5.9 on the Richter Scale, but minutes later downgraded its strength.
It was not immediately clear if the quake caused damage near the epicenter, but electricity and water appeared to be functioning normally in Los Angeles, which is about 150 miles northeast of the epicenter.
At the Borrego Springs Resort, just a few miles from the epicenter, guests and staff felt the brunt of the quake's force, which they said lasted for about 30 seconds. But people there remained calm because they weren't sure what was going on, a staff member there said.
"It was a pretty strong hit and it rolled for quite a while," said John Yzaguirre, the resort's general manager. He added, "It was the strongest one we felt here. It was a really, really hard hit. Then it stopped for a second and started to roll. Nobody really knew what was going on. It felt like someone hit the building."
The resort seemed to sustain only minor damage; some items fell off shelves and water sloshed out of the pool. The resort's water and power systems were not affected. The quake was immediately followed by seven smaller aftershocks.
Wednesday's quake follows a cluster of quakes closer to the state's border with Mexico. A 7.2 magnitude Easter Sunday quake in Baja California, near the U.S.-Mexico border caused structural damage and rattled San Diego.
Scientists at Caltech, in Pasadena, Calif., said initial reports indicate the earthquake occurred along the San Jacinto fault, not the more widely known San Andreas fault, which is also located in that general vicinity. The San Jacinto fault was one of two that was stressed after the April quake in Baja California, officials said.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703636404575353682768848758.html
The quake hit at 4:53 p.m. near the small town of Borrego Springs, 28 miles south of Palm Springs in a desert area of San Diego County. The earthquake was felt widely throughout Southern California. In Los Angeles, the rolling motion lasted nearly 30 seconds. The United States Geological Survey initially said the quake measured 5.9 on the Richter Scale, but minutes later downgraded its strength.
It was not immediately clear if the quake caused damage near the epicenter, but electricity and water appeared to be functioning normally in Los Angeles, which is about 150 miles northeast of the epicenter.
At the Borrego Springs Resort, just a few miles from the epicenter, guests and staff felt the brunt of the quake's force, which they said lasted for about 30 seconds. But people there remained calm because they weren't sure what was going on, a staff member there said.
"It was a pretty strong hit and it rolled for quite a while," said John Yzaguirre, the resort's general manager. He added, "It was the strongest one we felt here. It was a really, really hard hit. Then it stopped for a second and started to roll. Nobody really knew what was going on. It felt like someone hit the building."
The resort seemed to sustain only minor damage; some items fell off shelves and water sloshed out of the pool. The resort's water and power systems were not affected. The quake was immediately followed by seven smaller aftershocks.
Wednesday's quake follows a cluster of quakes closer to the state's border with Mexico. A 7.2 magnitude Easter Sunday quake in Baja California, near the U.S.-Mexico border caused structural damage and rattled San Diego.
Scientists at Caltech, in Pasadena, Calif., said initial reports indicate the earthquake occurred along the San Jacinto fault, not the more widely known San Andreas fault, which is also located in that general vicinity. The San Jacinto fault was one of two that was stressed after the April quake in Baja California, officials said.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703636404575353682768848758.html
