5.8 magnitude earthquake rocks San Diego and northern Mexico

Thursday, December 31, 2009

At 10:49 PST (18:49 UTC) yesterday the United States Geological Survey reported that a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in {{w|San Diego, California|San Diego]] and southern California down to Tijuana, Mexico. There was also a 4.8 magnitude aftershock recorded at 10:53 PST. The epicenter of the quake is believed to be near the Mexican city of Mexicali.

The Southern California area had been experiencing lesser magnitude earthquakes for the past week, ranging in magnitude from 2 to 3. The earthquake occurred about 4.3 miles into the earths crust, which is considered shallow. Shallow earthquakes often cause more damage than deeper ones.

No major damage has been reported at this time, and the California Highway Patrol has not reported any major disruptions on local roads. Minor damage to the Imperial County Administration Building in El Centro, California has been reported. The San Diego City Hall building shook for about 30 seconds after the quake, according to the XETV. In Mexicali, buildings were evacuated, and some traffic lights are not working, said Mexicali journalist Sergio Haro.

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Sources

Lizbeth Diaz. "Moderate quake jolts Mexican border city" — Reuters, December 30, 2009
"5.8 Magnitude Earthquake Felt in San Diego" — XETV, December 30, 2009
Carroll Buckley. "More Earthquake" — KXO-FM, December 30, 2009

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Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.