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Swarm Of Small Quakes Shake Salton Sea Area

PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — Numerous aftershocks are expected over the next few days after a swarm of small earthquakes struck the Salton Sea area in Imperial County Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quakes ranged from magnitude 1.4 to the 4.3-magnitude quake during the swarm that began at 4:03 a.m., according to a Southern California Seismic Network report written by Jennifer Andrews of the Caltech Seismological Laboratory.

The largest, a magnitude-4.3 quake that struck at 7:31 a.m., was one of more than 35 events measured at the lake, just south of the Riverside County border.

According to Andrews, the swarm also spawned 67 aftershocks throughout the day, with a 3.2-magnitude aftershock as the largest of the group.

She wrote that aftershocks are expected over the next few days, but there is only around a 5 percent chance that one larger than the 3.2-magnitude quake will occur.

The swarm occurred near the southern terminus of the San Andreas Fault, the same location as two previous swarms at the Salton Sea, which occurred in 2009 and 2001, Andrews wrote.

A swarm of small earthquakes have kept the northern Imperial County area trembling throughout the morning on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

More than two dozen earthquakes have struck the area southwest of Niland, near the Salton Sea, since 3:47 a.m. Monday. Most of the temblors have ranged between the 2.0 and 3.2 range.

Monday's largest earthquake was magnitude 4.3 at 7:31 a.m. and was centered 35 miles (58 kilometers) northwest of El Centro.

No one was hurt. There were no reports of damage.

The region of large farms in the desert near the Salton Sea is known for extensive seismic activity.

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