A magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook Southern California on Monday, affecting the San Diego County region and surrounding cities including Palm Springs, El Centro and Pine Valley, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake’s epicenter was calculated to be 2.49 miles south of Julian and struck at approximately 10:08 a.m.
Based on reports from the California Department of Conservation, earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 5.0 to 5.9 occur 1,000 times a year on average around the world. In California, however, earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 and higher occur two to three times a year, which is enough to cause “moderate damage to structures.”
No major damage or injuries were reported as a result of the earthquake. Highway patrol officials warned via social media about rockslides and fallen boulders along highways near the epicenter.
Residents of Julian, a small mountain town around 60 miles from San Diego, spoke out about their reactions to the earthquake. Holly, a longtime Julian resident and bartender, described glasses rattling behind the bar and bottles falling off the shelf before she ran for cover.
“I was behind the bar, and the glasses and the bottles started moving a little bit … so I ran out of [there] real quick,” she told KCAL.
Ashley Pinnick reported minor structural damage and hearing cracking in the ceiling at her home in Ramona. Her security camera captured her picking up her 9-month-old baby and rushing out the door in fear of the ceiling falling, according to NBC 7 San Diego news footage.
“It felt like my entire roof was going to collapse … I started screaming for everyone to get out, ‘cause I was terrified,” Pinnick said to NBC 7 San Diego.
Many Southern Californians received a warning alert on their phones moments before the earthquake struck. Capt. Thomas Shoots of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in San Diego County said he got the notification just before the shaking began.
Shoots described the experience of rolling, banging and “a lot of shaking and rattling around” to ABC7.
The alerts are sent out via ShakeAlert, an earthquake early warning system created by USGS. The technology aims to provide people with a few extra seconds to react safely and seek shelter before stronger shaking arrives.
The system works by receiving information from a network of sensors located throughout the West Coast. As soon as sensors detect seismic waves, ShakeAlert receives data and assesses the earthquake’s location and magnitude, automatically sending out an alert if it is deemed threatening enough. The alerts are distributed using Wireless Emergency Alerts, Android alerts, or through the MyShake app.
Further development and expansion of ShakeAlert will rely on continued funding, as the agency now plans to extend its services to Alaska. The implementation plan is currently in Phase 1 and is estimated to cost an additional $60 million.
The Julian earthquake was most likely associated with the typically quiet Elsinore fault, according to CBS news. It was later identified as the mainshock in a series of smaller foreshocks and aftershocks on April 14.
The past year has seen a slightly elevated level of moderate seismic activity in Southern California. In 2024, there were 15 quakes in the area with a magnitude of 4.0 or higher, according to Caltech researcher Lucy Jones.
Maya Icekson is a News Intern for the spring 2025 quarter. She can be reached at micekson@uci.edu.
Edited by Jaheem Conley.