A magnitude-5.2 earthquake rocked Southern California early Friday, rousing residents out of bed around 1:05 a.m. local time. The quake's center was located about 13 miles north-northwest near Borrego Springs in the desert east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Geological Service reported. On the west side of Los Angeles, about 100 miles from the epicenter, the quake produced a long shaking motion lasting about 30 seconds. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.In USA TODAY's news bureau on the ninth floor of an office tower near Los Angeles International Airport, window blinds shook, and the building rolled in steady waves. The quake was also felt in San Diego. Seismologist Lucy Jones tweeted that quake struck on the San Jacinto fault, one of the most active in the region. She says the same fault produced a magnitude-6 earthquake in 1937 and a 5.3 quake in 1980.
The magnitude 5.1 earthquake was reported in the early hours of today at 1.04am local time, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). It struck 13 miles from Borrego Springs at a depth of just 0.6 miles. The USGS said the epicenter was 16 miles from La Quinta, 19 miles from Palm Desert, and 20 miles from Rancho Mirage. There are fears California, and west-coast America further north, are overdue for a huge earthquake of magnitude 8 or above. Aftershocks were felt across the West Coast of America after the initial quake. Many people fear it could strike any time as seismic activity appears to be increasing. In the past 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher in the same region. On Tuesday, an emergency dry run of how officials will respond to a tsunami-causing earthquake along the west coast began. On the west side of Los Angeles, about 100 miles from the epicenter, the quake produced a long shaking motion lasting about 30 seconds, but there was no hard jolt. Satff in USA Today's news bureau, on the ninth floor of an office building near Los Angeles International Airport, said window shutters shook and the building structure rolled in waves. Seismologist Lucy Jones tweeted that quake struck on the San Jacinto fault, one of the most active in the region. She says the same fault produced a magnitude 6 earthquake in 1937 and a 5.3 quake in 1980.
