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Location:
8km SW of Niland, CA
Period:
22 Oct 2020 00:27:23 - 24 Oct 2020 06:18:17 (2 days 5 hours 50 minutes)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
Salton Buttes(6km), Prieto, Cerro(84km)
Earthquakes:
53
102 swarms found nearby.
2000
11 May
2 days 10 hours
52 earthquakes
2001
S20011113.1(21.9km)
13 Nov
23 hours
99 earthquakes
2002
24 Feb
1 day 2 hours
31 earthquakes
2003
S20030301.1(25.2km)
1 Mar
23 hours
52 earthquakes
13 Apr
1 day 18 hours
32 earthquakes
S20030524.1(20.6km)
23 May
1 day 22 hours
161 earthquakes
20 Sep
1 day 8 hours
31 earthquakes
2004
15 Mar
2 days 20 hours
64 earthquakes
2005
29 Aug
10 hours
24 earthquakes
31 Aug
11 days 21 hours
953 earthquakes
19 Sep
2 days 11 hours
50 earthquakes
2008
15 Mar
5 days 22 hours
111 earthquakes
27 May
9 hours
47 earthquakes
2 Jun
2 days 13 hours
145 earthquakes
29 Sep
1 day 4 hours
37 earthquakes
S20081030.1(28.8km)
30 Oct
2 days 14 hours
105 earthquakes
2009
S20090321.1(21.7km)
21 Mar
2 days 3 hours
50 earthquakes
S20090324.1(22.7km)
24 Mar
6 days 21 hours
410 earthquakes
17 Apr
1 day 13 hours
29 earthquakes
13 Jun
1 day 5 hours
53 earthquakes
1 Aug
3 days 10 hours
106 earthquakes
S20090924.1(15.1km)
24 Sep
19 hours
28 earthquakes
2 Oct
2 days 23 hours
43 earthquakes
S20091101.1(16.2km)
1 Nov
12 hours
26 earthquakes
7 Nov
5 hours
36 earthquakes
17 Nov
1 day 19 hours
142 earthquakes
23 Nov
4 days 3 hours
69 earthquakes
2010
10 Jan
10 days 2 hours
233 earthquakes
22 Jan
2 days 3 hours
46 earthquakes
21 Feb
1 day 20 hours
28 earthquakes
4 Apr
6 days 21 hours
132 earthquakes
PS20100405.1(106.5km)
4 Apr
1 hours
5 earthquakes
22 Apr
1 day 4 hours
38 earthquakes
5 Aug
1 day 0 hours
26 earthquakes
S20100828.1(16.2km)
28 Aug
1 day 2 hours
32 earthquakes
VS20101112.1(10.3km)
11 Nov
1 day 10 hours
28 earthquakes
13 Dec
12 hours
49 earthquakes
S20101215.1(14.9km)
15 Dec
1 day 4 hours
101 earthquakes
27 Dec
11 hours
66 earthquakes
31 Dec
1 day 14 hours
33 earthquakes
2011
7 Jan
2 days 20 hours
94 earthquakes
27 Mar
1 day 18 hours
42 earthquakes
2 Apr
1 day 12 hours
34 earthquakes
1 Jul
1 day 2 hours
36 earthquakes
2012
8 Feb
2 days 0 hours
29 earthquakes
19 Feb
1 day 18 hours
86 earthquakes
26 Feb
2 days 1 hours
88 earthquakes
29 Feb
14 hours
34 earthquakes
3 Mar
3 days 11 hours
72 earthquakes
22 Mar
2 days 22 hours
73 earthquakes
20 May
2 days 1 hours
33 earthquakes
8 Jun
19 hours
95 earthquakes
S20120826.1(16.5km)
26 Aug
11 days 23 hours
972 earthquakes
S20120910.1(19.5km)
9 Sep
1 day 1 hours
28 earthquakes
24 Sep
1 day 17 hours
51 earthquakes
2013
18 Feb
4 days 14 hours
57 earthquakes
3 Apr
2 days 12 hours
59 earthquakes
28 Apr
2 days 2 hours
41 earthquakes
16 May
5 days 21 hours
135 earthquakes
3 Jun
3 days 15 hours
134 earthquakes
19 Aug
3 days 21 hours
47 earthquakes
27 Aug
1 day 17 hours
37 earthquakes
8 Oct
1 day 23 hours
83 earthquakes
13 Oct
2 days 10 hours
83 earthquakes
16 Oct
1 day 21 hours
50 earthquakes
31 Oct
16 hours
31 earthquakes
27 Nov
1 day 7 hours
52 earthquakes
21 Dec
1 day 8 hours
65 earthquakes
2014
28 Mar
1 day 16 hours
34 earthquakes
2015
21 May
1 day 13 hours
38 earthquakes
2016
29 Jul
1 day 9 hours
30 earthquakes
S20160926.1(15.4km)
26 Sep
6 days 7 hours
322 earthquakes
31 Oct
23 hours
39 earthquakes
S20161231.1(19.7km)
31 Dec
3 days 4 hours
317 earthquakes
2018
17 Jun
1 day 9 hours
26 earthquakes
2019
17 Jan
4 days 13 hours
71 earthquakes
2020
5 May
1 day 14 hours
56 earthquakes
9 Aug
4 days 12 hours
319 earthquakes
30 Sep
9 days 1 hours
1724 earthquakes
13 Nov
23 hours
38 earthquakes
26 Nov
1 day 10 hours
27 earthquakes
2021
4 Jan
21 hours
43 earthquakes
10 Jan
6 hours
26 earthquakes
31 Jan
23 hours
38 earthquakes
8 Feb
3 days 9 hours
117 earthquakes
18 Mar
14 hours
27 earthquakes
4 Jun
19 days 4 hours
2347 earthquakes
S20210611.1(21.6km)
11 Jun
4 hours
26 earthquakes
23 Aug
2 days 11 hours
48 earthquakes
2022
S20220420.1(25.3km)
19 Apr
3 days 1 hours
71 earthquakes
20 Sep
23 hours
39 earthquakes
2023
30 Apr
17 hours
68 earthquakes
3 Oct
1 day 11 hours
29 earthquakes
9 Dec
18 hours
34 earthquakes
2024
10 Feb
1 day 21 hours
26 earthquakes
14 Feb
1 day 12 hours
31 earthquakes
S20240518.1(24.3km)
18 May
2 days 19 hours
306 earthquakes
20 Dec
12 hours
48 earthquakes
2025
10 Apr
1 day 9 hours
64 earthquakes
22 Apr
10 hours
28 earthquakes
11 Jul
1 day 18 hours
132 earthquakes
2026
S20260510.1(19.4km)
9 May
4 days 16 hours
477 earthquakes
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm VS20201022.1: Analysis of Activity Near Niland, California

A notable earthquake swarm, designated VS20201022.1, occurred 8 km southwest of Niland, California, from 00:27 on 22 October 2020 to 06:18 on 24 October 2020. Over 53 hours and 50 minutes, the swarm produced 53 earthquakes, with magnitudes ranging from 0.5 to 3.9 and focal depths primarily between 1 and 10 km.

The sequence began with a 1.6-magnitude event at 9 km depth, followed rapidly by events of 2.0 and 1.5 magnitude. Activity intensified later on 22 October, culminating in a peak 3.9-magnitude quake at 3 km depth at 20:59:26. Subsequent events included multiple shocks above magnitude 2.0 clustered around 2–3 km depth, before tapering to smaller events by 24 October. Depths remained consistently shallow, indicating activity within the upper crust.

This swarm aligns with the tectonic setting of the Imperial Valley and Salton Trough. The region lies along the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, where right-lateral strike-slip faulting dominates. The nearby Brawley Seismic Zone and extensions of the San Andreas Fault system accommodate much of the regional strain. Geothermal fields and volcanic remnants around the Salton Sea further contribute to elevated seismicity through fluid migration and heat-related crustal weakening.

Historical records since 2000 document 79 swarms in the area, with notable clusters in 2010 (13 events), 2012 (11), and 2013 (13). Earlier years showed lower frequency, such as single swarms in 2000–2002 and 2004. The 2020 total reached three swarms, continuing a pattern of episodic activity that reflects ongoing plate-boundary deformation.

Shallow depths and moderate magnitudes in VS20201022.1 are consistent with swarm behavior in this zone, where sequences often lack a dominant mainshock and instead feature distributed energy release. Such events provide insight into local stress accumulation and fluid dynamics without producing significant surface rupture.

References

  • United States Geological Survey Earthquake Catalog
  • California Geological Survey Regional Fault Maps
  • SeismoSight internal swarm classification data