Sputtering Caliente, CA earthquake swarm kicks out a M 4.2 quake

Seismo-Watch

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Saturday, January 25, 2003

An earthquake registering M 4.3 occurred early this morning in the Tehachapi Mountains of South-Central California, rattling windows and jolting people from sleep, but there have been no reports damage or injuries at this time.

Notice: Due to an internet virus that effected USGS servers in Southern California, Seismo-Watch EQ Flash! Alert Bulletins subscribers were notified of this event later in the morning. Seismo-Watch internet security measures prevented the virus from effecting their system.

According to the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN), the earthquake measured M 4.2 occurred at 1:19 a.m. PST (or 09:16:09 GMT), January 25, about 20 miles east of Bakersfield, 17 miles northwest of Tehachapi and 13 miles northeast of Arvin, in the Tehachapi Mountains near the small town of Caliente. See a Topozone topographic map or a MapQuest street map.

The focal depth was 7.5 km and we do not have a fault plane solution for this event as of yet.

Foreshocks and aftershocks

The earthquake was the largest in a robust earthquake swarm that has plagued the area for four or five weeks. See previous swarm report.

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