The 1948 Desert Hot Springs Earthquake occurred on December 4, 1948 at approximately 3:43 PM Pacific Standard Time. It was a right-lateral strike-slip event on the South Branch of the San Andreas fault

San Andreas Fault

The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...

. The epicenter of temblor, reported as being of various magnitudes between 6.0 and 6.5 in magnitude, was about five miles east of Desert Hot Springs, California

Desert Hot Springs, California

Desert Hot Springs, also known as DHS, is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is located within the Coachella Valley geographic region, sometimes referred to as the Desert Empire. The population was 25,938 at the 2010 census, up from 16,582 at the 2000 United States...

, but the earthquake was felt over a very large area, including locations as far away as central Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, and northern and coastal California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Aftershock

Aftershock

An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...

s were felt into 1957.

The city of Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...

 was hardest hit, with structural damage ranging from minor to the collapse of a furniture store. Several other locations in California suffered significant damage. School buildings were destroyed in Palm Springs and Wildomar, California; significant damage was also reported from Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, San Diego, Escondido

Escondido, California

Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...

, and Corona

Corona, California

Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...

. Several injuries were reported, but no deaths.

External links

• http://moho.ess.ucla.edu/~kagan/calnames.txt Named California Earthquakes (UCLA)
• Southern California Earthquake Data Center Home Southern California Earthquake Data Center
• City of Desert Hot Springs - Earthquake Preparedness City of Desert Hot Springs - Earthquake Preparedness