No major damage or injuries were reported Tuesday after a 5.2-magnitude rattled the eastern San Diego County highlands, and was felt throughout much of Riverside County.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and officials with the Palm Springs and Indio police departments, along with other emergency agencies in the region, said they had not responded to any earthquake-related incidents.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at 10:08 a.m. Monday about 2.5 miles south of Julian near the Pine Hills area. A series of aftershocks promptly followed in the same general area, most with magnitude readings of less than 3.0, though one near Borrego Springs registered 3.5, and one struck again near Julian around 11:30 a.m. that registered 3.9, the agency reported.
In addition to Riverside, shaking was also reported across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.
Seismologist and Southern California earthquake expert Lucy Jones said the quake appeared to have shaken “a very large area.” But given its size and depth, it was unlikely to have caused any serious damage “to a normal California building,” though it may have knocked around unsecured objects.
“There shouldn’t be structural damage,” she added. “If there is, it’s in a pretty bad building.”