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Location:
7km SW of Ocotillo, CA
Period:
15 Apr 2007 22:57:26 - 2 May 2007 08:59:34 (16 days 10 hours 2 minutes)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
Salton Buttes(68km), Prieto, Cerro(75km)
Earthquakes:
190
15 swarms found nearby.
2006
14 Sep
1 day 19 hours
38 earthquakes
3 Nov
1 day 23 hours
33 earthquakes
S20061129.1(15.6km)
29 Nov
1 day 4 hours
34 earthquakes
2010
S20100404.1(16.6km)
3 Apr
55 days 14 hours
4548 earthquakes
4 Apr
23 days 16 hours
571 earthquakes
PS20100405.1(87.4km)
4 Apr
1 hours
5 earthquakes
S20100504.1(10.0km)
3 May
2 days 2 hours
89 earthquakes
S20100517.2(19.2km)
16 May
3 days 18 hours
47 earthquakes
S20100529.1(27.8km)
28 May
83 days 1 hours
3232 earthquakes
S20100724.2(10.2km)
23 Jul
4 days 12 hours
62 earthquakes
S20101210.1(28.5km)
9 Dec
5 days 20 hours
59 earthquakes
S20101218.1(23.6km)
17 Dec
2 days 1 hours
36 earthquakes
2021
S20210201.1(20.9km)
31 Jan
3 days 21 hours
68 earthquakes
S20210208.1(21.0km)
7 Feb
4 days 3 hours
49 earthquakes
2023
S20231202.1(17.3km)
1 Dec
3 days 16 hours
64 earthquakes
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Earthquake Swarm S20070416.1 Near Ocotillo, California

The April–May 2007 earthquake swarm, internally classified as S20070416.1, occurred 7 km southwest of Ocotillo in Imperial County, California. It began at 22:57 UTC on 15 April 2007 and concluded at 08:59 UTC on 2 May 2007, spanning 394 hours and 2 minutes. During this interval, 190 earthquakes were recorded.

Ocotillo lies within the tectonically active Salton Trough, a pull-apart basin formed by the interaction of the Pacific and North American plates along the San Andreas fault system. The region experiences frequent seismicity due to multiple northwest-trending strike-slip faults and associated normal faults that accommodate dextral shear and extension. Depths of events in this swarm were predominantly between 5 km and 12 km, consistent with the brittle upper crust in this part of the Imperial Valley.

Analysis of the first 100 events reveals a typical swarm pattern: an initial mainshock of magnitude 4.4 at 7 km depth, followed by a rapid sequence of smaller events. Magnitudes ranged from 0.8 to 2.8 after the initial shock, with several events reaching 2.5–2.8 on 19 April. Depths remained shallow, clustering around 8–10 km for the majority of events, though a few shallower (2–6 km) and deeper (up to 12 km) occurrences were noted. Temporal distribution showed highest activity in the first 48 hours, gradually declining over subsequent days.

This swarm represents the second documented sequence in the area since 2000. Historical records indicate three swarms have occurred in the region since 1 January 2000, with the first taking place in 2006. Such episodic clusters are characteristic of the Imperial Valley, where fluid migration and aseismic slip on nearby faults can trigger prolonged seismic sequences without a single dominant mainshock-aftershock relationship.

The 2007 activity underscores the ongoing seismic hazard in this sparsely populated but structurally complex zone near the U.S.–Mexico border. Continuous monitoring by regional networks remains essential for understanding fault interactions in the Salton Trough.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog (queried for regional context)
SeismoSight internal swarm classification records