A swarm of moderate to powerful earthquakes hit Westmoreland, a city located south of the Salton Sea, on Wednesday, September 30. According to authorities, the biggest earthquake recorded in the area measured 4.9 M on the Richter scale, and it hit the city at 5.PM. Apart from this powerful quake, nearly 45 tremors, measuring more than 3M also hit the area within a timeframe of 2.5 hours.
Minor Quakes Raise Fear
Prominent seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones revealed that this seismic event that jolted the seismic valley on Wednesday was one of the largest swarms the area has ever witnessed. However, she made it clear that the earthquakes that have been happening in the Imperial Valley are anywhere near the San Andreas fault.
"None of the earthquakes that have been happening in the Imperial Valley are anywhere near the San Andreas fault. They are in the Brawley Seismic Zone – a network of small faults that connect the San Andreas and Imperial faults. Historically largest Brawley event was M5.8," said Jones CBS reports.
2020 Wreaking Havoc
The year 2020 has been not so good for mankind, as the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc in all nooks of the planet. As earthquake swarms hit Westmoreland, several people have started claiming that these could be foreshocks before the big one.
Even though these quakes will not impact the San Andreas fault, several seismologists believe that the fault is ripe for a powerful quake. A few months back, Thomas Rockwell, a geology professor at San Diego University, had suggested that the last strong earthquake that hit the area happened around 380 years, and the average recurrent interval in this area is about 180 years. According to Rockwell, the San Andreas fault is now ripe for a powerful quake, and a devastating tremor could hit the area anytime soon.
In the meantime, self-proclaimed seismologist Frank Hoogerbeets had predicted that powerful earthquakes could hit planet earth on September 30 and October 01 due to a lunar geometry. On his website Ditrianum, Hoogerbeets claim that planetary alignments and lunar geometry can destabilize the tectonic plates on the earth, which will result in earthquakes.
