Series of earthquakes shakes the Imperial Valley for more than an hour
December 30, 2009 @ 10:58 am
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered south of Mexicali rocked the Imperial and Mexicali valleys at 10:48 Wednesday morning and lasted about 20 seconds with several smaller but substantial temblors following.
A second earthquake moments later registered 4.9 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and a few moments after that a 3.4 and a 4.0.
News media in Phoenix also reported feeling the shakers in that city. And along the coast, in Laguna Niguel, about 170 miles west of the epicenter, people reported “buildings rolling.” In Rancho Bernardo, 130 miles away, ivnews.INFO blogger Ross Simmons said, “It was just rolling for about 10, 15 seconds. There was a sudden jolt and then the ground rolled and pitched.”
The 1979 quake that tumbled the old county building in El Centro measured 6.5 on the Richter scale. Historical USGS documents note that earthquake injured 91 people, destroyed two homes and 11 commercial buildings and caused $30 million damage.
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