San Diego County residents awoke to a jolt Monday morning as an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 struck the region. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the tremor occurred at 5:17 a.m. about 11 miles southeast of Ocotillo Wells, with a depth of roughly 7 miles underground.
There was immediate activation of ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System, signaling Southern California that the quake had hit. Information from Patch reveals that residents across a breadth of counties including Orange, Riverside, and San Diego felt the rumble. Places like Aliso Viejo, Chula Vista, and as far as Temecula reported the sensation, adding to the scores of citizens startled by the shake.
After the seismic event, many locals turned to the USGS's "Did You Feel It?" map to detail their experiences. Despite the widespread alarm, no immediate reports of damage or injuries were reported, suggesting that the quake's effects were relatively mild. The Southern California Seismic Network, in a statement obtained by Patch, warned that "Aftershocks may be expected in the next few days," with the largest of these projected to be "approximately 1 magnitude unit smaller than the mainshock."
This seismic activity isn't isolated. Just hours earlier, a smaller quake with a 3.1 magnitude was reported near Brawley in Imperial County, as FOX 5/KUSI detailed. A swarm of quakes had already plagued the same region Saturday. The recent uptick in tremors underscores the volatility of the San Andreas Fault and surrounding networks, capturing the attention of seismologists and residents alike.
While no major threats loom in the immediate aftermath of Monday's shakeup, the chance for a larger quake always lingers. The Southern California Seismic Network estimates this possibility at around 5 percent, but they note that such chances decrease as time progresses.