Is this seismic activity normal? Eyewitness News spoke with seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones.
"You'll get one like this one where there have been almost a dozen magnitude three's in the next two days and sometimes... you end up getting something even bigger. So "normal" is a very wide range. No aftershocks at all would be normal, this sequence is normal - we just need to understand it's quite variable," Jones said.
4.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Indio area in Riverside County
The initial quake hit just before 6 p.m. Monday night, knocking items off shelves and sending shockwaves mainly in the Inland Empire. Since then, several aftershocks have followed, including a magnitude 4.2 quake that hit northeast of Indio Hills Wednesday morning.
Experts say a cluster of earthquakes isn't an indication that the Earth is releasing pressure, or that more aftershocks are on the way necessarily.
"So one thing people say, 'hey this is close to the San Andreas - is this going to trigger something?' and that is the right question. Earthquakes trigger very nearby, so if you have a big fault nearby there's more risk. But this is not that close to the San Andreas. It's a good 10 kilometers further away," Jones said.
Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries or significant damage but seismologists say it's an important reminder to stay prepared.
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