Earthquake in Southern California Felt from Borrego Springs to San Fernando Valley

Earthquake Shaking
I sat in my study at 4:56 when I felt a strong shaking side-to-side while writing in my house in Altadena. I looked on my Twitter account and saw users Tweeting "Earthquake in SD" and "Mega Earthquake."

Initial reports came in at a 5.7 to 5.9 temblor at 22 miles north/northwest of Borrego Springs. But within 20 minutes it was downgraded to a 5.4. There were no reports of building damage or deaths in the first half hour of news reports.

Borrego Springs is south and west of Salton Sea. It is east of Ramona in San Diego County.

In my house in Altadena, right next to Pasadena, I felt it fairly strong in my home office while my kids on the east side of the house did not feel anything.

Felt over Southern California

The quake was felt over a widespread area stretching from San Diego County, to Palm Springs to the east and the San Fernando Valley to the north and west.

The U.S. Geological Society has a fascinating site called ShakeMaps. "ShakeMap sites provide near-real-time maps of ground motion and shaking intensity following significant earthquakes."

The CalTech Seismological Lab has a tremendous amount of earthquake related information, too. Click here for earthquake related resources.

The shaking was similar to the Mexicali earthquake felt over a similarly large area on April 4. The earthquake struck near Mexicali at a 7.2 magnitude according to reports. One person was reported dead. Shockwaves from the quake spread across Southern California.

Buildings swayed in San Diego and a sheriff deputy said the rolling lasted about 30 seconds. In Los Angeles water splashed out of pools while a store sign fell at a Barnes and Noble in Palm Desert - about 100 miles east of Los Angeles near Palm Springs.

Log on to the ShakeMap site here at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/shakemap

Earthquake Safety

Families living in earthquake zones should keep plenty of extra water on hand and know how to turn off their natural gas connection. Stand in doorways or hide under desks to remain safe from falling objects.

Know where flash lights are located in homes and office buildings. Have a designated place for family members to gather - one that is away from power lines.