Mojave Desert - M7.0 Earthquake

First Posting | Summary
Posting Date: October 16, 1999, 1:00:00 PM

At 5:46 EDT, Saturday, October 16, 1999, a major earthquake occurred near the town of Joshua Tree, in southern California, or about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. The United States Geological Survey has issued a preliminary moment magnitude of 7.0 and a focal depth of 6 km. These estimates are subject to some adjustment as information from other seismic stations comes in. The earthquake has been followed by a number of aftershocks, including one measuring magnitude 5.8. Two earthquakes occurred in this same region in 1992. The June 28, 1992 Landers earthquake, which occurred about 45 km south-southwest of today’s event, measured 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale. Two months earlier, on April 23, 1992, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred some 25 km further south. Because the quake occurred in a remote part of the Mojave Desert, there is little damage to report and only a handful of injuries. The AIR earthquake modeling team is monitoring information as it becomes available and will post additional information as appropriate.

First Posting | Downloads
Posting Date: October 16, 1999, 1:00:00 PM