Quake Shakes Up Palm Springs

A magnitude-5.0 earthquake, an aftershock to the deadly 1992 Landers temblor, shook the desert near Palm Springs early Friday. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The 12:54 a.m. PT quake was centered 5 miles southeast of Yucca Valley and 19 miles north-northeast of Palm Springs, said Joe Franck, seismologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The initial quake was followed by a swarm of smaller tremors, he said.

Gail Richardson, a clerk at the Joshua Tree sheriff's station said deputies were fielding many calls from anxious residents. No one reported damage or injuries, she said.

"It was felt throughout the entire basin, it was a pretty good one," Richardson said.

Palm Springs is about 110 miles east of Los Angeles.

The magnitude-7.3 Landers earthquake struck June 28, 1992. A few hours later, a magnitude-6.5 quake hit in the San Bernardino Mountains. The earthquakes killed one person and caused massive damage.

There have been more than 70,000 aftershocks to the Landers quake. This is the 24th aftershock with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater, Franck said.