3.5 EARTHQUAKE WIDELY FELT THROUGHOUT S.D. COUNTY

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake occurred at 2:35 p.m. on Monday at a point roughly 15 miles south of Borrego Springs, producing brief shaking that was felt throughout much of the county, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

“This appears to be a pretty random quake, but it happened on a fault that is believed to have produced quakes of 6.0 or larger in 1890 and maybe 1893,” said

SDSU geologist Tom Rockwell, who has dug research trenches on the system.

The USGS says the quake, which began 7 miles beneath the Earth's surface, was felt as far east as the Salton Sea and as far west as downtown San Diego and Oceanside, as well as north of Borrego Springs and south of Tecate.

Earthquakes of this size are common here and rarely lead to larger events.