Quake closer to San Diego: Minor Quake Rocks Baja Region
Posted: Feb 17, 2008 03:20 PM PST KESQ.com news services Another minor earthquake rattled the Mexicali area Sunday, but this one was epicentered 20 miles closer to San Diego than the others. Automated equipment reports that a 3.7 magnitude earthquake hit at 2:10 p.m. in Baja California, and was epicentered 41 miles due south of Ocotillo, a small town on the San Diego-Imperial county line. That epicenter would be about 38 miles south-southeast of Jacumba, and approximately 82 miles southeast of downtown San Diego. Last week, a rash of earthquakes rattled the area southeast of Mexicali, blacking out power and closing schools in the capital city of Baja California. A 5.1 magnitude quake hit the area Monday, and a 4.2 quake followed up on Tuesday. Those quakes were epicentered about 100 miles from San Diego. Sunday's quake data has not yet been verified by scientists, who have in the past cautioned that automated seismographs in California are not always accurate at locating exact epicenters in Mexico. But if the automated seismograph network operated by California universities is accurate, today's quake was about 20 miles west of the epicenter of last week's swarm. San Diego fire dispatchers and sheriff's officials said the quake was unnoticed by East County residents.