Magnitude 4.9 earthquake rattles Southern California

After the initial earthquake, four smaller aftershocks occurred in the area.

Residents in Southern California were rattled by a magnitude 4.9 earthquake on Monday evening. 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake struck about 12 miles northeast of Indio, CA, in Riverside County at 5:56 p.m. PST.

The earthquake, which had a depth of almost 2 miles, triggered a ShakeAlert warning throughout the region.

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People in Palm Desert, Coachella Valley, San Diego, Orange County and the Inland Empire took to social media to announce that they had felt the shakes of the earthquake.

According to the USGS, the initial earthquake had an estimated intensity of V on the Mercalli intensity scale, meaning that the shakes were strong enough to overturn unstable objects, break dishes, windows and possibly even cause pendulum clocks to stop.

After the initial quake, four smaller aftershocks occurred in a similar area. The USGS reported aftershocks of magnitudes 3.3, 3.4, 2.9 and 3.0.

The last aftershock took place almost 25 minutes after the first quake.

So far, no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

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Per the California Department of Conservation, every year, California generally gets two or three earthquakes that are magnitude 5.5 or higher, which can cause moderate damage to structures.