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Location:
14km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
Period:
5 Oct 2019 10:40:20 - 7 Oct 2019 05:04:42 (1 day 18 hours 24 minutes)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
None
Earthquakes:
26
29 swarms found nearby.
2013
3 May
1 day 22 hours
37 earthquakes
2019
S20190704.1(12.6km)
4 Jul
221 days 12 hours
22493 earthquakes
4 Jul
75 days 9 hours
8149 earthquakes
S20190712.1(29.4km)
11 Jul
16 hours
29 earthquakes
12 Aug
3 days 6 hours
50 earthquakes
8 Sep
1 day 13 hours
47 earthquakes
S20190910.1(24.9km)
10 Sep
3 days 21 hours
145 earthquakes
S20191002.1(11.2km)
1 Oct
4 days 13 hours
127 earthquakes
13 Oct
1 day 23 hours
36 earthquakes
15 Oct
2 days 23 hours
108 earthquakes
30 Nov
2 days 16 hours
49 earthquakes
1 Dec
9 days 6 hours
252 earthquakes
13 Dec
22 hours
27 earthquakes
15 Dec
6 days 12 hours
188 earthquakes
22 Dec
10 days 4 hours
196 earthquakes
2020
10 Jan
22 days 10 hours
422 earthquakes
22 Jan
17 hours
24 earthquakes
S20200208.1(16.4km)
7 Feb
1 day 19 hours
44 earthquakes
S20200213.1(13.2km)
12 Feb
5 days 22 hours
159 earthquakes
21 Feb
5 days 20 hours
94 earthquakes
S20200322.1(21.8km)
21 Mar
10 days 13 hours
140 earthquakes
14 Apr
7 days 19 hours
130 earthquakes
8 May
3 days 21 hours
69 earthquakes
S20200526.1(10.1km)
25 May
1 day 7 hours
31 earthquakes
S20200604.1(11.0km)
3 Jun
9 days 16 hours
525 earthquakes
S20200727.1(19.4km)
27 Jul
13 days 20 hours
183 earthquakes
13 Aug
7 days 2 hours
81 earthquakes
S20200921.1(10.7km)
21 Sep
5 days 2 hours
99 earthquakes
2022
S20220715.1(20.6km)
14 Jul
4 days 3 hours
55 earthquakes
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm S20191006.1: Analysis of Activity Near Searles Valley, California

Seismic swarm S20191006.1 occurred in the Searles Valley region of California, approximately 14 km south-southwest of the valley center. The sequence began at 10:40 UTC on 5 October 2019 and concluded at 05:04 UTC on 7 October 2019, spanning 42 hours and 24 minutes. During this interval, 26 earthquakes were recorded, with magnitudes ranging from 0.0 to 2.1 and focal depths between 0 and 10 km.

The temporal distribution showed the highest event frequency during the first 24 hours, followed by a rapid decline. The largest event reached magnitude 2.1 at 00:15 UTC on 6 October at a depth of 3 km. Multiple events clustered at depths of 4–6 km, consistent with shallow crustal faulting typical of the area. Several magnitude 1.4 events occurred late in the sequence, including one at 02:46 UTC on 7 October at 3 km depth.

Searles Valley lies within the Mojave Desert block of eastern California, part of the broader Basin and Range extensional province. The region experiences distributed strike-slip and normal faulting influenced by the right-lateral shear between the Pacific and North American plates. The nearby Garlock Fault and smaller northwest-trending structures accommodate regional strain. Searles Lake, a Pleistocene-era playa, occupies the valley floor and is underlain by thick lacustrine and evaporite deposits that overlie crystalline basement rocks.

Historical records indicate eight earthquake swarms in the immediate vicinity since 1 January 2000. Prior activity included one swarm in 2013 and seven swarms in 2019. These swarms typically feature low-magnitude events occurring over hours to days without a clear mainshock-aftershock pattern, reflecting fluid migration or aseismic slip on local fault networks rather than large tectonic stress release.

Such swarm behavior aligns with the tectonic setting of the central Mojave, where small faults respond to subtle stress perturbations. Depths predominantly under 10 km indicate activity within the seismogenic upper crust. No damage or felt reports were associated with this sequence, consistent with the modest magnitudes involved.

References

  • SeismoSight internal swarm classification data for S20191006.1
  • USGS Earthquake Catalog (historical swarm statistics 2000–2019)
  • California Geological Survey, Mojave Desert regional fault maps