SEISMOLOGISTS NOT RATTLED BY SERIES OF LOW-DESERT EARTHQUAKES

Seismologists say a string of earthquakes that began early Monday near the southern Salton Sea is not likely to trigger any activity on the nearby San Andreas fault. The shakers come about a month after a two-day cluster of quakes rattled the Bombay Beach area that prompted the U.S. Geological Survey to issue an earthquake alert. The recent group of temblors in Niland were too small, and nearly 20 miles from the southern tip of the San Andreas. The quakes ranged in magnitude from 1.4 to 3.5, per the U.S. Geological Survey. The shaking started about 2:30 a.m. and by mid-afternoon Monday, 30 earthquakes had been detected. None was larger than magnitude 3.5, and only six registered over 3.0. The USGS said the series of quakes didn’t qualify as a swarm and by Monday afternoon, the string seemed to be coming to an end. After a 3.0 at 10:26 a.m., there was only one other quake before 4p.m., a 1.8 magnitude shock at 3:23 p.m. The spokesman said, “If they keep happening, we’ll probably identify that as a swarm. It is a pretty common occurrence, the activity they’re having now. But we’re keeping an eye on it.”