Location:

Period:

7 Jul 2019 15:07:27 - 12 Jul 2019 08:26:00 (4 days 17 hours 18 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

None

Earthquakes:

85 swarms found nearby.

2000

S20000229.1(29.0km)

28 Feb

9 days 21 hours

154 earthquakes

2002

S20020928.1(15.2km)

28 Sep

1 day 21 hours

48 earthquakes

2008

S20081130.1(16.7km)

29 Nov

16 days 16 hours

369 earthquakes

2010

S20101202.1(24.2km)

1 Dec

1 day 12 hours

30 earthquakes

2011

S20110728.1(28.6km)

28 Jul

2 days 6 hours

40 earthquakes

2012

S20121016.1(23.8km)

15 Oct

5 days 7 hours

74 earthquakes

2013

S20130504.1(28.0km)

3 May

1 day 22 hours

37 earthquakes

S20130812.1(27.6km)

11 Aug

2 days 13 hours

64 earthquakes

2014

S20140305.1(15.9km)

4 Mar

4 days 14 hours

79 earthquakes

2015

S20150217.1(28.7km)

16 Feb

11 days 1 hours

139 earthquakes

S20150602.1(22.3km)

1 Jun

1 day 6 hours

36 earthquakes

2016

S20160813.1(24.2km)

12 Aug

2 days 10 hours

46 earthquakes

2019

S20190704.1(22.6km)

4 Jul

221 days 12 hours

22493 earthquakes

S20190705.1(26.9km)

4 Jul

75 days 9 hours

8149 earthquakes

S20190705.2(10.5km)

4 Jul

29 days 2 hours

2446 earthquakes

S20190706.1(16.2km)

5 Jul

39 days 7 hours

2694 earthquakes

S20190706.4(12.3km)

5 Jul

12 days 17 hours

712 earthquakes

S20190706.3(27.2km)

5 Jul

7 days 1 hours

190 earthquakes

S20190706.5(15.3km)

6 Jul

8 days 16 hours

302 earthquakes

S20190712.1(17.4km)

11 Jul

16 hours

29 earthquakes

S20190803.1(26.6km)

2 Aug

2 days 8 hours

77 earthquakes

S20190804.1(27.1km)

4 Aug

41 days 17 hours

1154 earthquakes

S20190815.1(25.9km)

14 Aug

2 days 19 hours

120 earthquakes

S20190819.2(23.5km)

19 Aug

1 day 7 hours

38 earthquakes

S20190821.1(28.4km)

20 Aug

3 days 6 hours

383 earthquakes

S20190825.1(17.4km)

24 Aug

3 days 7 hours

165 earthquakes

S20190902.1(25.7km)

2 Sep

1 day 14 hours

76 earthquakes

S20190905.2(27.4km)

4 Sep

3 days 10 hours

79 earthquakes

S20190909.2(24.9km)

8 Sep

1 day 13 hours

47 earthquakes

S20190910.1(17.4km)

10 Sep

3 days 21 hours

145 earthquakes

S20190915.1(27.2km)

14 Sep

25 days 14 hours

387 earthquakes

S20190918.1(24.4km)

17 Sep

14 days 12 hours

471 earthquakes

S20191002.1(23.0km)

1 Oct

4 days 13 hours

127 earthquakes

S20191005.1(18.3km)

5 Oct

3 days 16 hours

147 earthquakes

S20191007.1(28.6km)

6 Oct

1 day 16 hours

48 earthquakes

S20191011.1(24.0km)

10 Oct

4 days 18 hours

165 earthquakes

S20191016.2(26.3km)

15 Oct

2 days 23 hours

108 earthquakes

S20191018.2(27.8km)

17 Oct

21 days 21 hours

614 earthquakes

S20191108.1(27.1km)

7 Nov

9 days 8 hours

234 earthquakes

S20191119.1(26.1km)

18 Nov

10 days 3 hours

223 earthquakes

S20191201.2(28.2km)

30 Nov

2 days 16 hours

49 earthquakes

S20191202.1(27.2km)

1 Dec

9 days 6 hours

252 earthquakes

S20191211.1(25.9km)

10 Dec

2 days 14 hours

78 earthquakes

S20191214.1(21.7km)

13 Dec

22 hours

27 earthquakes

S20191214.2(26.1km)

14 Dec

1 day 17 hours

43 earthquakes

S20191216.1(24.6km)

15 Dec

6 days 12 hours

188 earthquakes

S20191223.1(26.1km)

22 Dec

10 days 4 hours

196 earthquakes

2020

S20200101.1(18.6km)

1 Jan

7 days 0 hours

130 earthquakes

S20200109.2(23.5km)

8 Jan

23 hours

27 earthquakes

S20200111.1(23.5km)

10 Jan

22 days 10 hours

422 earthquakes

S20200122.3(26.5km)

22 Jan

17 hours

24 earthquakes

S20200208.1(20.1km)

7 Feb

1 day 19 hours

44 earthquakes

S20200212.1(25.9km)

11 Feb

230 days 17 hours

4310 earthquakes

S20200213.1(21.5km)

12 Feb

5 days 22 hours

159 earthquakes

S20200219.2(25.1km)

18 Feb

3 days 4 hours

87 earthquakes

S20200222.1(25.7km)

21 Feb

5 days 20 hours

94 earthquakes

S20200309.1(24.3km)

8 Mar

12 days 22 hours

242 earthquakes

S20200322.1(17.3km)

21 Mar

10 days 13 hours

140 earthquakes

S20200323.1(13.4km)

23 Mar

4 days 2 hours

52 earthquakes

S20200403.1(24.2km)

2 Apr

3 days 6 hours

67 earthquakes

S20200415.1(27.0km)

14 Apr

7 days 19 hours

130 earthquakes

S20200423.1(29.3km)

22 Apr

2 days 13 hours

45 earthquakes

S20200509.1(24.5km)

8 May

3 days 21 hours

69 earthquakes

S20200521.1(26.1km)

20 May

4 days 3 hours

97 earthquakes

S20200526.1(25.6km)

25 May

1 day 7 hours

31 earthquakes

S20200527.1(23.7km)

26 May

3 days 23 hours

82 earthquakes

S20200604.1(21.3km)

3 Jun

9 days 16 hours

525 earthquakes

S20200613.1(26.1km)

12 Jun

15 days 8 hours

334 earthquakes

S20200708.3(21.2km)

7 Jul

13 days 9 hours

239 earthquakes

S20200727.1(16.8km)

27 Jul

13 days 20 hours

183 earthquakes

S20200814.1(29.1km)

13 Aug

7 days 2 hours

81 earthquakes

S20200822.1(26.5km)

21 Aug

4 days 6 hours

66 earthquakes

S20200827.1(23.8km)

26 Aug

25 days 23 hours

356 earthquakes

S20200921.1(20.7km)

21 Sep

5 days 2 hours

99 earthquakes

S20201003.1(23.1km)

2 Oct

25 days 20 hours

320 earthquakes

S20201010.1(26.3km)

9 Oct

3 days 6 hours

59 earthquakes

S20201113.2(22.5km)

12 Nov

13 days 17 hours

181 earthquakes

2021

S20210404.1(17.9km)

3 Apr

11 days 13 hours

124 earthquakes

S20210820.2(26.4km)

19 Aug

19 days 14 hours

212 earthquakes

2022

S20220126.1(25.8km)

25 Jan

2 days 8 hours

59 earthquakes

S20220204.1(25.2km)

3 Feb

3 days 0 hours

45 earthquakes

S20220608.1(27.2km)

7 Jun

1 day 20 hours

34 earthquakes

S20220715.1(20.7km)

14 Jul

4 days 3 hours

55 earthquakes

2023

S20230503.1(21.3km)

2 May

1 day 6 hours

32 earthquakes

2024

S20240811.1(24.3km)

10 Aug

5 days 16 hours

78 earthquakes

AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm S20190708.2 Near Searles Valley, California

Seismic swarm S20190708.2 was recorded 21 km north of Searles Valley in the Mojave Desert region of California. The sequence began at 15:07 on 7 July 2019 and concluded at 08:26 on 12 July 2019, spanning 113 hours and 18 minutes during which 70 earthquakes were detected.

The events exhibited predominantly low to moderate magnitudes, with the largest reaching 3.6. Depths remained generally shallow, concentrated between 0 and 10 km, although a small number extended to 26 km. Activity showed clustering in the initial 48 hours, followed by a gradual decline, consistent with swarm behavior rather than a classic mainshock-aftershock pattern.

Searles Valley occupies a tectonically active portion of the Eastern California Shear Zone, where northwest-trending right-lateral faults accommodate a fraction of the Pacific-North American plate motion. The local geology features Quaternary alluvial deposits overlying older metamorphic and igneous basement rocks, with Searles Lake basin preserving a long record of pluvial lake fluctuations tied to Pleistocene climate cycles. Regional fault systems, including strands of the Garlock Fault to the south and elements of the Walker Lane belt to the north, contribute to elevated seismicity.

Historical data indicate 19 swarms have occurred in the area since 1 January 2000. Yearly counts include single swarms in 2000, 2002, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016; two swarms each in 2013 and 2015; and seven swarms in 2019. This distribution underscores the recurrent nature of swarm activity within the broader Ridgecrest-Searles Valley seismic corridor.

The July 2019 swarm occurred shortly after the magnitude 6.4 and 7.1 Ridgecrest mainshocks of 4–5 July, suggesting possible stress triggering within the same fault network. Most events remained below the threshold for felt shaking in nearby communities, yet the sequence contributed to ongoing monitoring of post-mainshock relaxation in the region.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog (earthquake.usgs.gov)
California Geological Survey Regional Fault Maps
SeismoSight internal swarm classification records