A swarm of at least seven earthquakes rattled Riverside County and were felt as far as Los Angeles Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The largest and first quake was a magnitude 4.9 that hit at about 6:53 p.m., roughly 10 miles southwest of Anza and 16 miles southwest of La Quinta, USGS said.
Another six temblors struck in rapid succession in the same area, ranging in magnitude from 3.6 to 2.6.
People reported feeling the quakes as far away as Santa Clarita, Hollywood, Hesperia, Corona and San Diego.
Shaking at the epicenter was strong, USGS said, after earlier rating it at very strong. The agency did not expect any reports of damage or injury.
Seismologist Lucy Jones said they could have erupted along the San Jacinto fault, which has had many quakes around a magnitude 5 in the last few decades.
San Diego State University scientist Tom Rockwell, who has studied the San Jacinto fault for many years, told the Los Angeles Times that there is a 5% chance that the quake was a foreshock to a larger earthquake that could hit in the next 48 hours.
“But there’s a 95% chance that nothing will happen,” he said.
