Location:

Period:

22 Jun 2020 08:10:41 - 17 Jul 2020 11:49:31 (25 days 3 hours 38 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Ubehebe Craters(78km)

Earthquakes:

1110

8 swarms found nearby.

2000

S20000426.1(16.6km)

25 Apr

2 days 10 hours

53 earthquakes

S20000517.1(14.9km)

17 May

3 days 15 hours

92 earthquakes

S20000709.1(14.0km)

8 Jul

1 day 22 hours

44 earthquakes

2009

S20090524.1(13.8km)

23 May

6 days 9 hours

88 earthquakes

S20090830.1(11.7km)

30 Aug

2 days 19 hours

47 earthquakes

S20091001.2(14.1km)

30 Sep

19 days 1 hours

636 earthquakes

2011

S20110504.2(11.6km)

3 May

1 day 10 hours

50 earthquakes

2021

S20211018.1(27.0km)

17 Oct

1 day 7 hours

27 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm S20200623.1: Analysis of Activity near Lone Pine, California

The seismic swarm designated S20200623.1 occurred approximately 17 km south-southeast of Lone Pine, California, in Owens Valley. It initiated at 08:10 UTC on 22 June 2020 and concluded at 11:49 UTC on 17 July 2020, spanning 603 hours and 38 minutes. During this interval, 1110 earthquakes were recorded, reflecting a typical swarm sequence driven by fluid migration or aseismic slip along local fault structures rather than a single mainshock-aftershock pattern.

Owens Valley occupies a tectonically active corridor within the Eastern California Shear Zone, accommodating dextral shear between the Pacific and North American plates at rates of 8–12 mm per year. The area features the Owens Valley Fault and subsidiary normal faults linked to the Sierra Nevada frontal fault system. These structures have produced significant historical events, including the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake of estimated magnitude 7.4–7.9, which generated surface rupture exceeding 100 km. Contemporary monitoring indicates persistent microseismicity, with swarms serving as indicators of strain accumulation in this transtensional regime.

Prior swarms in the region since 1 January 2000 total seven episodes: three in 2000, three in 2009, and one in 2011. Swarm S20200623.1 represents continued episodic activity consistent with the area’s long-term behavior.

Examination of the first 100 events reveals an initial phase of low-magnitude earthquakes (mostly 1.0–2.3) at depths of 4–8 km during the first 16 hours. Activity intensified on 23 June with a magnitude 4.6 event at 2 km depth at 00:25 UTC, followed within minutes by a magnitude 3.2 at 7 km and a magnitude 3.8 at 3 km. Subsequent events clustered between 3–8 km depth, with magnitudes predominantly below 2.5 and occasional peaks reaching 3.7 and 3.6. Depths remained shallow overall, rarely exceeding 11 km, while magnitudes declined after the initial peak, consistent with swarm migration along a limited fault patch.

This sequence underscores the value of dense seismic networks in resolving fine-scale fault interactions in the Owens Valley. Continued surveillance supports improved characterization of seismic hazard in this populated corridor of eastern California.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog
California Geological Survey, Quaternary Fault and Fold Database
Southern California Earthquake Data Center archives