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Location:
13km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
Period:
25 May 2020 02:22:04 - 26 May 2020 09:56:38 (1 day 7 hours 34 minutes)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
None
Earthquakes:
31
37 swarms found nearby.
2013
3 May
1 day 22 hours
37 earthquakes
2015
S20150602.1(27.1km)
1 Jun
1 day 6 hours
36 earthquakes
2019
4 Jul
221 days 12 hours
22493 earthquakes
4 Jul
75 days 9 hours
8149 earthquakes
S20190708.2(25.6km)
7 Jul
4 days 17 hours
70 earthquakes
S20190712.1(19.8km)
11 Jul
16 hours
29 earthquakes
S20190812.1(14.8km)
12 Aug
3 days 6 hours
50 earthquakes
S20190825.1(23.1km)
24 Aug
3 days 7 hours
165 earthquakes
8 Sep
1 day 13 hours
47 earthquakes
S20190910.1(15.3km)
10 Sep
3 days 21 hours
145 earthquakes
1 Oct
4 days 13 hours
127 earthquakes
S20191005.1(24.4km)
5 Oct
3 days 16 hours
147 earthquakes
S20191006.1(10.1km)
5 Oct
1 day 18 hours
26 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
S20200101.1(28.8km)
1 Jan
7 days 0 hours
130 earthquakes
10 Jan
22 days 10 hours
422 earthquakes
22 Jan
17 hours
24 earthquakes
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(12.4km)
21 Mar
10 days 13 hours
140 earthquakes
14 Apr
7 days 19 hours
130 earthquakes
8 May
3 days 21 hours
69 earthquakes
3 Jun
9 days 16 hours
525 earthquakes
S20200708.3(26.8km)
7 Jul
13 days 9 hours
239 earthquakes
S20200727.1(10.5km)
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(24.2km)
3 Apr
11 days 13 hours
124 earthquakes
2022
S20220715.1(10.7km)
14 Jul
4 days 3 hours
55 earthquakes
2023
S20230503.1(27.3km)
2 May
1 day 6 hours
32 earthquakes
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm S20200526.1 in Searles Valley Region

Seismic swarm S20200526.1 was recorded 13 km south-southwest of Searles Valley, California, beginning at 02:22 UTC on 25 May 2020 and concluding at 09:56 UTC on 26 May 2020. Over this 31-hour, 34-minute interval, 31 earthquakes were detected. All events remained small, with magnitudes ranging from 0.3 to 1.8 and focal depths between 1 and 12 km. The sequence exhibited a typical swarm pattern of clustered, low-magnitude activity without a single dominant mainshock.

The events were distributed throughout the period, with the largest shock (M1.8) occurring at 00:45 UTC on 26 May at a depth of 1 km. Multiple events clustered at shallow depths of 1–3 km, while others extended to mid-crustal levels near 10–12 km. This vertical spread is consistent with fluid migration or stress triggering along minor faults in the region.

Searles Valley lies in the western Mojave Desert within the Eastern California Shear Zone, a broad region of distributed right-lateral shear between the San Andreas Fault and the Basin and Range province. The local geology features Quaternary alluvium and playa deposits overlying Mesozoic basement rocks. Active faulting is driven by northwest-directed Pacific–North America plate motion, producing numerous northwest- and northeast-striking faults. The area experienced elevated seismicity following the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence, whose aftershock zone extended southward toward Searles Valley.

Since 1 January 2000, 29 swarms have been identified in this locale. Activity remained low until 2019, when 18 swarms occurred, followed by nine additional swarms in 2020. This increase aligns with post-2019 stress adjustments in the shear zone. Depths and magnitudes recorded in swarm S20200526.1 fall within the typical range for background seismicity in the Mojave block.

Continued monitoring is warranted given the region’s tectonic setting. Small swarms can indicate evolving stress fields that occasionally precede larger events, although most remain minor. Data from regional seismic networks provide the foundation for tracking these patterns and refining hazard assessments.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog
California Geological Survey Fault Database
Southern California Seismic Network Bulletins