5.2-Magnitude Quake Shakes California Desert Area
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) - A moderate earthquake hit the Palm Springs area early Friday and was felt across parts of Southern California, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 5.2 temblor struck at 1:04 a.m. PDT and was centered about 20 miles south of Rancho Mirage.
USGS geophysicist Amy Vaughan says that the shallow quake touched off a series of smaller aftershocks, registering between 2.6 to 3.6.
She says that the initial tremblor was strong enough to likely have woken people up.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Riverside County Sheriff's office said they had no reports of damage.
Facebook and other social media sites carried posts from people in San Diego and Los Angeles, about 100 miles to the west, reporting that they felt it.
Rancho Mirage is in Riverside County about 10 miles south of Palm Springs.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
