Active SoCal quake area settles down

PASADENA, Calif., April 25 (UPI) -- Seismographs in Southern California were largely quiet Saturday following a spate of shakers in Orange County late this week.

The only activity registered by CalTech in Pasadena as of midday was some small events in the rural mountain and desert areas of Imperial and San Diego Counties.

At least seven small earthquakes occurred in the Yorba Linda area of Orange County between Thursday and Friday night, the largest of which was a magnitude 4 on the Richter scale Thursday. A 3.1 quake was felt Friday evening.

Lucy Jones, a seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, told the Los Angeles Times that Yorba Linda has been relatively active in terms of smaller quakes in recent years, although it appears they are connected to a smaller fault rather than the larger one associated with the big 5.9 Whittier Narrows quake of 1987 and last year's 5.4 quake in Chino Hills.

"It seems like that spot is relatively active, maybe a little more this year," said Jones.