California is hit by 13 earthquakes in just 25 minutes overnight

California is hit by 13 earthquakes in just 25 minutes overnight

California was struck by 13 earthquakes in a span of just 25 minutes overnight, the National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed.

The first quake struck just after midnight on Monday, hitting northwest of El Centro – a city in the southern border region.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake recorded a 4.8 magnitude and reportedly shook much of San Diego County.

The area was hit with a 4.5 aftershock just six minutes later, which was then followed by a series of smaller aftershocks, originating west of the Salton Sea.

The quakes appear to have been caused by the San Jacinto fault system, meteorologists have said. It is one of the most active faults in southern California.

READ ALSO:

• Abduction: Father of slain Anambra lawyer slumps, dies
• EFCC nabs 4 brothers, 30 others for alleged internet fraud
• 20-year-old house wife stab husband to death in Niger State

The first quake struck at 12.36am on Monday. The epicenter of the main shock was 11.7 miles deep, the USGS revealed.

The quake, which was followed by twelve other quakes, triggered a USGS shake alert.

‘Good morning Southern California! Did you feel the magnitude 4.8 earthquake about 2 miles northwest of El Centro at 12:36 am? The #ShakeAlert system was activated,’ the agency wrote on X.

The #ShakeAlert system estimated the quake above magnitude 5.0 so alerts were delivered to cell phones by partners @MyShakeApp, @SanDiegoCounty #ShakeReadySD, @Android and @fema Wireless Emergency Alerts.’

The NWS, sharing a map of the quake online, tweeted: ‘It has been a busy night to our east…several small earthquakes have occurred in El Centro in the past 15 minutes. A couple of them were felt at our office. As of 12:53 am there have been 13!’

California is hit by 13 earthquakes in just 25 minutes overnight

dailymail