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Location:
14km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
Period:
15 Oct 2019 10:39:42 - 18 Oct 2019 10:11:39 (2 days 23 hours 31 minutes)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
None
Earthquakes:
108
33 swarms found nearby.
2013
3 May
1 day 22 hours
37 earthquakes
2019
4 Jul
221 days 12 hours
22493 earthquakes
4 Jul
75 days 9 hours
8149 earthquakes
S20190708.2(26.3km)
7 Jul
4 days 17 hours
70 earthquakes
S20190712.1(23.8km)
11 Jul
16 hours
29 earthquakes
S20190812.1(10.4km)
12 Aug
3 days 6 hours
50 earthquakes
S20190825.1(27.0km)
24 Aug
3 days 7 hours
165 earthquakes
8 Sep
1 day 13 hours
47 earthquakes
S20190910.1(19.3km)
10 Sep
3 days 21 hours
145 earthquakes
1 Oct
4 days 13 hours
127 earthquakes
S20191005.1(28.3km)
5 Oct
3 days 16 hours
147 earthquakes
5 Oct
1 day 18 hours
26 earthquakes
13 Oct
1 day 23 hours
36 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(10.9km)
7 Feb
1 day 19 hours
44 earthquakes
12 Feb
5 days 22 hours
159 earthquakes
21 Feb
5 days 20 hours
94 earthquakes
S20200322.1(16.2km)
21 Mar
10 days 13 hours
140 earthquakes
14 Apr
7 days 19 hours
130 earthquakes
8 May
3 days 21 hours
69 earthquakes
25 May
1 day 7 hours
31 earthquakes
3 Jun
9 days 16 hours
525 earthquakes
S20200727.1(13.8km)
27 Jul
13 days 20 hours
183 earthquakes
13 Aug
7 days 2 hours
81 earthquakes
21 Sep
5 days 2 hours
99 earthquakes
2021
S20210404.1(28.1km)
3 Apr
11 days 13 hours
124 earthquakes
2022
S20220715.1(15.2km)
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 S20191016.2 Near Searles Valley, California

Searles Valley lies in the Mojave Desert of southern California, within the Eastern California Shear Zone. This tectonically active region features multiple northwest-trending strike-slip faults that accommodate right-lateral shear between the Pacific and North American plates. The Garlock Fault, a major left-lateral structure, bounds the area to the north and influences local stress regimes. Seismic swarms are common here due to fluid migration and fault interactions in the shallow crust.

The swarm designated S20191016.2 began at 10:39 on 15 October 2019 and concluded at 10:11 on 18 October 2019. It occurred 14 km south-southwest of Searles Valley and produced 108 earthquakes over 71 hours and 31 minutes. Analysis of the first 100 events reveals predominantly low-magnitude activity. Magnitudes ranged from -0.3 to 2.8, with the majority between 0.5 and 1.6. Depths were shallow, concentrated between 1 km and 9 km, consistent with brittle failure in the upper crust.

Temporal distribution showed peak rates during the first 24 hours, followed by a gradual decline. Early events included several above magnitude 1.5, such as the 2.2 at 00:44 on 16 October and the 2.7 at 22:27 on the same day. Later events remained below magnitude 2.0. Depth variations stayed consistent, rarely exceeding 11 km, indicating a compact source volume.

This swarm aligns with regional patterns observed since 2000, during which 13 swarms have occurred. Prior episodes were recorded in 2013 (one swarm) and 2019 (twelve swarms), underscoring elevated activity that year. Such sequences typically reflect aseismic slip or pore-pressure changes rather than mainshock-aftershock sequences.

References

SeismoSight internal swarm classification S20191016.2
USGS regional fault database for Mojave Desert
California Geological Survey seismic history reports