Location:

Period:

20 Dec 2024 06:20:20 - 20 Dec 2024 18:35:44 (12 hours 15 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Salton Buttes(1km), Prieto, Cerro(90km)

Earthquakes:

100 swarms found nearby.

2000

VS20000512.1(1.8km)

11 May

2 days 10 hours

52 earthquakes

2001

S20011113.1(16.5km)

13 Nov

23 hours

99 earthquakes

2002

S20020225.1(1.7km)

24 Feb

1 day 2 hours

31 earthquakes

2003

VS20030413.1(1.3km)

13 Apr

1 day 18 hours

32 earthquakes

S20030524.1(25.7km)

23 May

1 day 22 hours

161 earthquakes

VS20030920.1(1.9km)

20 Sep

1 day 8 hours

31 earthquakes

2004

VS20040316.1(2.2km)

15 Mar

2 days 20 hours

64 earthquakes

2005

VS20050829.1(2.1km)

29 Aug

10 hours

24 earthquakes

VS20050831.1(4.7km)

31 Aug

11 days 21 hours

953 earthquakes

S20050920.1(8.2km)

19 Sep

2 days 11 hours

50 earthquakes

2008

VS20080316.1(2.9km)

15 Mar

5 days 22 hours

111 earthquakes

S20080527.1(6.6km)

27 May

9 hours

47 earthquakes

S20080602.1(13.1km)

2 Jun

2 days 13 hours

145 earthquakes

VS20080929.1(0.4km)

29 Sep

1 day 4 hours

37 earthquakes

S20081030.1(27.8km)

30 Oct

2 days 14 hours

105 earthquakes

2009

S20090321.1(16.2km)

21 Mar

2 days 3 hours

50 earthquakes

S20090324.1(17.3km)

24 Mar

6 days 21 hours

410 earthquakes

VS20090417.1(4.0km)

17 Apr

1 day 13 hours

29 earthquakes

S20090614.1(3.4km)

13 Jun

1 day 5 hours

53 earthquakes

VS20090801.1(4.4km)

1 Aug

3 days 10 hours

106 earthquakes

S20090924.1(20.2km)

24 Sep

19 hours

28 earthquakes

S20091003.1(1.0km)

2 Oct

2 days 23 hours

43 earthquakes

S20091101.1(13.0km)

1 Nov

12 hours

26 earthquakes

VS20091107.1(2.8km)

7 Nov

5 hours

36 earthquakes

VS20091117.1(1.4km)

17 Nov

1 day 19 hours

142 earthquakes

VS20091124.1(1.3km)

23 Nov

4 days 3 hours

69 earthquakes

2010

VS20100111.1(1.3km)

10 Jan

10 days 2 hours

233 earthquakes

VS20100123.1(2.4km)

22 Jan

2 days 3 hours

46 earthquakes

VS20100222.1(1.1km)

21 Feb

1 day 20 hours

28 earthquakes

S20100405.3(1.0km)

4 Apr

6 days 21 hours

132 earthquakes

PS20100405.1(111.7km)

4 Apr

1 hours

5 earthquakes

VS20100423.1(1.1km)

22 Apr

1 day 4 hours

38 earthquakes

VS20100806.1(0.1km)

5 Aug

1 day 0 hours

26 earthquakes

S20100828.1(10.7km)

28 Aug

1 day 2 hours

32 earthquakes

VS20101112.1(5.0km)

11 Nov

1 day 10 hours

28 earthquakes

S20101213.1(12.9km)

13 Dec

12 hours

49 earthquakes

S20101215.1(20.2km)

15 Dec

1 day 4 hours

101 earthquakes

VS20101228.1(1.7km)

27 Dec

11 hours

66 earthquakes

S20110101.1(3.0km)

31 Dec

1 day 14 hours

33 earthquakes

2011

VS20110108.1(2.5km)

7 Jan

2 days 20 hours

94 earthquakes

VS20110328.1(2.6km)

27 Mar

1 day 18 hours

42 earthquakes

VS20110402.1(0.8km)

2 Apr

1 day 12 hours

34 earthquakes

S20110701.1(3.4km)

1 Jul

1 day 2 hours

36 earthquakes

2012

S20120209.1(6.8km)

8 Feb

2 days 0 hours

29 earthquakes

VS20120219.1(8.0km)

19 Feb

1 day 18 hours

86 earthquakes

VS20120226.1(3.3km)

26 Feb

2 days 1 hours

88 earthquakes

S20120229.1(4.2km)

29 Feb

14 hours

34 earthquakes

VS20120304.1(0.9km)

3 Mar

3 days 11 hours

72 earthquakes

VS20120323.1(7.9km)

22 Mar

2 days 22 hours

73 earthquakes

S20120521.1(4.5km)

20 May

2 days 1 hours

33 earthquakes

VS20120608.1(0.8km)

8 Jun

19 hours

95 earthquakes

S20120826.1(21.8km)

26 Aug

11 days 23 hours

972 earthquakes

S20120910.1(14.0km)

9 Sep

1 day 1 hours

28 earthquakes

S20120925.1(1.8km)

24 Sep

1 day 17 hours

51 earthquakes

2013

S20130219.1(3.7km)

18 Feb

4 days 14 hours

57 earthquakes

VS20130404.1(4.9km)

3 Apr

2 days 12 hours

59 earthquakes

S20130429.1(2.9km)

28 Apr

2 days 2 hours

41 earthquakes

VS20130516.1(1.9km)

16 May

5 days 21 hours

135 earthquakes

VS20130603.1(7.6km)

3 Jun

3 days 15 hours

134 earthquakes

S20130820.1(5.0km)

19 Aug

3 days 21 hours

47 earthquakes

S20130828.1(3.3km)

27 Aug

1 day 17 hours

37 earthquakes

VS20131009.1(1.5km)

8 Oct

1 day 23 hours

83 earthquakes

S20131014.1(2.1km)

13 Oct

2 days 10 hours

83 earthquakes

S20131016.1(0.6km)

16 Oct

1 day 21 hours

50 earthquakes

VS20131101.1(2.0km)

31 Oct

16 hours

31 earthquakes

S20131127.1(3.2km)

27 Nov

1 day 7 hours

52 earthquakes

VS20131222.1(2.0km)

21 Dec

1 day 8 hours

65 earthquakes

2014

VS20140328.1(2.8km)

28 Mar

1 day 16 hours

34 earthquakes

2015

VS20150521.1(3.9km)

21 May

1 day 13 hours

38 earthquakes

2016

VS20160729.1(2.6km)

29 Jul

1 day 9 hours

30 earthquakes

S20160926.1(10.0km)

26 Sep

6 days 7 hours

322 earthquakes

VS20161031.1(4.8km)

31 Oct

23 hours

39 earthquakes

S20161231.1(24.8km)

31 Dec

3 days 4 hours

317 earthquakes

2018

S20180618.1(5.8km)

17 Jun

1 day 9 hours

26 earthquakes

2019

S20190118.1(3.7km)

17 Jan

4 days 13 hours

71 earthquakes

2020

VS20200506.1(2.1km)

5 May

1 day 14 hours

56 earthquakes

S20200810.1(3.8km)

9 Aug

4 days 12 hours

319 earthquakes

S20200930.1(8.1km)

30 Sep

9 days 1 hours

1724 earthquakes

VS20201022.1(5.5km)

22 Oct

2 days 5 hours

53 earthquakes

VS20201113.1(9.4km)

13 Nov

23 hours

38 earthquakes

VS20201127.1(2.1km)

26 Nov

1 day 10 hours

27 earthquakes

2021

VS20210104.1(2.5km)

4 Jan

21 hours

43 earthquakes

VS20210110.1(0.9km)

10 Jan

6 hours

26 earthquakes

VS20210201.1(1.9km)

31 Jan

23 hours

38 earthquakes

VS20210209.1(2.3km)

8 Feb

3 days 9 hours

117 earthquakes

S20210319.1(2.9km)

18 Mar

14 hours

27 earthquakes

S20210605.1(1.4km)

4 Jun

19 days 4 hours

2347 earthquakes

S20210611.1(26.9km)

11 Jun

4 hours

26 earthquakes

S20210823.1(4.4km)

23 Aug

2 days 11 hours

48 earthquakes

2022

VS20220921.2(1.0km)

20 Sep

23 hours

39 earthquakes

2023

VS20230430.1(2.9km)

30 Apr

17 hours

68 earthquakes

VS20231003.1(6.2km)

3 Oct

1 day 11 hours

29 earthquakes

VS20231209.1(1.2km)

9 Dec

18 hours

34 earthquakes

2024

VS20240211.1(11.0km)

10 Feb

1 day 21 hours

26 earthquakes

S20240214.3(9.8km)

14 Feb

1 day 12 hours

31 earthquakes

S20240518.1(29.4km)

18 May

2 days 19 hours

306 earthquakes

2025

VS20250410.1(1.9km)

10 Apr

1 day 9 hours

64 earthquakes

S20250422.1(5.8km)

22 Apr

10 hours

28 earthquakes

VS20250711.1(2.8km)

11 Jul

1 day 18 hours

132 earthquakes

2026

S20260510.1(24.5km)

9 May

4 days 16 hours

477 earthquakes

AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm VS20241220.1: Activity Near Niland, California

A seismic swarm designated VS20241220.1 was recorded 12 km west-southwest of Niland, California, in the Imperial Valley. The sequence began at 06:20 UTC on 20 December 2024 and concluded at 18:35 UTC the same day, encompassing 48 earthquakes over 12 hours and 15 minutes.

Magnitudes ranged from 1.0 to 3.1, with the largest event occurring at 06:50:28 UTC. Depths were shallow, primarily between 2 km and 7 km, consistent with activity in the upper crust. Multiple events clustered between 06:50 and 09:00 UTC, followed by sporadic smaller shocks through the afternoon. The distribution showed no single dominant mainshock, a hallmark of swarm behavior rather than a typical foreshock-aftershock sequence.

This swarm occurred within the Brawley Seismic Zone, a tectonically active region where the San Andreas Fault system transitions into the Imperial Fault. The area experiences right-lateral strike-slip motion combined with extensional features linked to the Salton Trough. Geothermal fields beneath the Salton Sea contribute to elevated seismicity through fluid migration and minor magmatic influences that facilitate swarm episodes.

Historical records indicate persistent swarm activity in the region. Since 1 January 2000, 96 swarms have been documented near Niland. Annual counts show variability, with notable concentrations in 2009 (11 swarms), 2010 (13), 2012 (11), and 2013 (13). Activity continued at lower rates in subsequent years, including three swarms each in 2023 and 2024 prior to the current event. These patterns reflect ongoing strain accumulation and release along the plate boundary.

Such swarms typically last hours to days and rarely produce significant damage given their modest magnitudes. They nonetheless provide valuable data for monitoring fault behavior and assessing geothermal reservoir dynamics in the Imperial Valley.

References: SeismoSight internal swarm classification records (VS20241220.1 parameters and historical counts) USGS Earthquake Hazards Program – Imperial Valley tectonic framework California Geological Survey – Salton Trough regional geology summaries