Heightened earthquake alert issued for Southern California residents

SANTA ANA-Calif. – The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services issued a heightened earthquake alert for Southern California.  Officials said residents should remain on alert both Monday and Tuesday for the increased possibility of a major earthquake. 

The warning was issued after reports were made of a series of small earthquakes under the Salton Sea—along the 800 mile long San Andreas Fault. The last alert was issued when 142 small earthquakes hit Monday near Bombay Beach—at the southern end of the fault—ranging from 1.4 to 4.3 magnitude.

Scientists estimated the probability of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 or higher happening on the southern end of the San Andres fault as low as 1 in 3,000 to as high as 1 in 100. The probability of an earthquake hitting at any moment in a given week is 1 in 6,000.

Geophysicist Morgan Page says earthquakes typically occur along the San Andreas Fault every 300 years but the southernmost end hasn’t seen a rupture since 1690. "There is significant stress stored on the southern end," Page said.