Location:

Period:

3 Apr 2010 19:38:51 - 29 May 2010 09:58:07 (55 days 14 hours 19 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Salton Buttes(64km), Prieto, Cerro(89km)

Earthquakes:

4548

15 swarms found nearby.

2006

S20060914.1(15.1km)

14 Sep

1 day 19 hours

38 earthquakes

S20061104.1(14.6km)

3 Nov

1 day 23 hours

33 earthquakes

S20061129.1(15.0km)

29 Nov

1 day 4 hours

34 earthquakes

2007

S20070117.1(24.0km)

17 Jan

3 days 20 hours

64 earthquakes

S20070416.1(16.6km)

15 Apr

16 days 10 hours

190 earthquakes

2010

S20100314.1(27.4km)

13 Mar

2 days 5 hours

39 earthquakes

S20100405.5(10.2km)

4 Apr

23 days 16 hours

571 earthquakes

PS20100405.1(103.1km)

4 Apr

1 hours

5 earthquakes

S20100504.1(22.6km)

3 May

2 days 2 hours

89 earthquakes

S20100517.2(14.7km)

16 May

3 days 18 hours

47 earthquakes

S20100724.2(23.7km)

23 Jul

4 days 12 hours

62 earthquakes

2020

S20200510.1(23.9km)

10 May

5 days 22 hours

133 earthquakes

2021

S20210201.1(29.6km)

31 Jan

3 days 21 hours

68 earthquakes

S20210208.1(29.8km)

7 Feb

4 days 3 hours

49 earthquakes

2023

S20231202.1(26.7km)

1 Dec

3 days 16 hours

64 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm S20100404.1 in Baja California: Geological Context and Event Analysis

The region surrounding Alberto Oviedo Mota in Baja California, Mexico, lies along the active boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. This area experiences frequent seismicity due to right-lateral strike-slip faulting, primarily associated with the Laguna Salada fault system and related structures within the broader Gulf of California rift zone. The geology features Quaternary alluvial deposits overlying older metamorphic and igneous basement rocks, with the landscape shaped by extensional tectonics and transform faulting that accommodates oblique plate motion.

Seismic swarms have occurred intermittently in this zone, reflecting episodic strain release along segmented faults. Historical records since 2000 document six such swarms, with three in 2006 and two in 2007 preceding the 2010 sequence. These events highlight the region's persistent low-to-moderate background seismicity punctuated by clustered activity.

Swarm S20100404.1 initiated at 19:38 on 3 April 2010 and concluded at 09:58 on 29 May 2010, spanning 1334 hours and 19 minutes. During this period, 4548 earthquakes were recorded, centered 13 km west of Alberto Oviedo Mota. The initial 100 events, spanning 3–5 April, displayed a clear escalation in magnitude. Early shocks remained below 3.0 with focal depths predominantly at 9 km. Magnitudes increased progressively, reaching 4.3 by late 3 April. On 4 April, activity intensified, culminating in the 7.2 mainshock at 22:40:42, also at 9 km depth. Subsequent events in the first 100 included aftershocks up to 5.4, with depths ranging from 5 km to 14 km, indicating rupture propagation across multiple fault segments.

This sequence aligns with the 4 April 2010 El Mayor–Cucapah earthquake, whose mainshock nucleated on the Laguna Salada fault and triggered widespread surface rupture exceeding 120 km. Post-mainshock activity through May reflected afterslip and triggered seismicity on adjacent structures. Depths clustered near 9–10 km, consistent with the brittle-ductile transition in this continental crust.

The swarm underscores the potential for foreshock sequences to precede major ruptures in this tectonically active corridor. Continued monitoring remains essential given the proximity to populated areas in northern Baja California and southern California.