A series of earthquakes struck near a Southern California community overnight Monday after a preliminary magnitude 4.8 rattled the area.
The initial — and largest — earthquake was recorded just after 12:30 a.m. at a depth of about three kilometers near downtown El Centro in Imperial County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It set off nearly two dozen additional quakes, most ranging in magnitude from about 2.5 to 3.9 with one hitting a 4.5. The latest to strike, a magnitude 2.5, was reported by USGS near the 8 Freeway just after 9:30 a.m.
However, the first earthquake, USGS says, did trigger the Shake Alert system as it was initially detected as a magnitude 5.0, sending out notifications to the cell phones of those living in around the epicenter.
According to the USGS “Did You Feel It?” survey, the strongest shaking with the earthquakes was reported in the communities of Calexico and Brawley in addition to El Centro.
Some San Diego County residents also reported experiencing some light tremors.
No damage or injuries have been reported as of 8 a.m.
