Salton Sea earthquake swarm continues in California. Update tues 9/27

over 20 earthquakes today over 2.5 mag. couple of them have been 4.0 or better. still rocking and rolling as we speak.

Maybe it will drain that cesspool.

Watch Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea...

Definitely lots of activity around there, with 9 significant-sized quakes just in the past hour.

[link to earthquake.usgs.gov]


If you expand the map a bit, and access ALL quakes for past day, the entire area seems somewhat unsettled.



.

It's on the San Andreas Fault.

Oh...wow


[link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]

I think you'll like it

Yep.

[link to earthquake.usgs.gov]


If I lived there, I doubt I could get used to it.



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I've been watching these quakes all day. this is the very end of the San Andreas fault line. I haven't seen this mass of activity there before.

I think I'll pass this

"...Once known as the “California Riviera”, the Salton Sea is now called one of America’s worst ecological disasters: a fetid, stagnant, salty lake, that coughs up dead fish and birds by the thousands in frequent die-offs that occur. However, amongst the ruins of this man-made mistake, a few remaining eccentrics (a roadside nudist, a religious folk artist, a Hungarian revolutionary, and real estate speculators) struggle to keep a remodeled version of the original Salton Sea dream alive..."

Especially in an hour's time, almost all above above mag 3.



.

I'm trying to figure out why the activity at the end of the fault instead of elsewhere. I wouldn't think there would be much pressure at either end. Anyone know?

I have no idea, but perhaps this will help:

Activity on the South end of the fault is said to pose a greater risk for Los Angeles, if magnitude activity ever increased.


"... The Salton Sea and surrounding basin sits over the San Andreas Fault, San Jacinto Fault, Imperial Fault Zone, and a "stepover fault" shear zone system.

Geologists have determined that previous flooding episodes from the Colorado River have been linked to earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault. Sonar and other instruments were used to map the Salton Sea's underwater faults during the study.

During the period when the basin was filled by Lake Cahuilla, a much larger inland sea, earthquakes higher than magnitude 7 occurred roughly every 180 years, the last one occurring within decades of 1700.

Computer models suggest the normal faults in the area are most vulnerable to deviatoric stress loading by filling in of water. Currently, a risk still exists for an earthquake of magnitude 7 to 8.

Simulations also showed, in the Los Angeles area, shaking and thus damage would be more severe for a San Andreas earthquake that propagated along the fault from the south, rather than from the north. Such an earthquake also raises the risk for soil liquefaction in the Imperial Valley region... "

[link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]

Dr Lucy Jones on Twitter has said:

M4s near San Andreas increase chance of big EQ by a little bit. But we have swarms without big EQ - most likely nothing more will happen


[link to twitter.com (secure)]

interesting the history of this. i could see a larger earthquake happening in this area very soon.

Excerpt about the current swarm, from yesterday:

"...More than 100 small earthquakes — including three of a magnitude greater than 4 — struck the Salton Sea area Monday.

Swarms of small to moderate earthquakes are fairly common in the area...

The sea sits atop a very thin crust that is being constantly stretched as the North American and Pacific plates grind against each other. The area is also veined by dozens of faults — most notably the San Andreeas -- that run parallel to and crisscross one another... "

More at [link to www.latimes.com]

That sucks, I was thinking about loading up the family and renting a place out there this weekend for a nice beach retreat getaway weekend, some water skiing and maybe check out some of the bars and shopping too.

I'm a little nervous now with the earthquakes.

great info.

I grew up in the area and now live in Escondido.
We have always been concerned about the next big one and know that it will come from the San Andreas fault. The video mentioned about I will watch tonight. Plagues and Pleasure on the Salton Sea. Thanks OP! 5 stares and a pine!

More expected to come!


[link to patch.com]

happening now

[link to earthquake.usgs.gov]

Chart of latest earthquakes.


[link to pasadena.wr.usgs.gov]