My mother just called me on her cell from San Diego to report a large earthquake just moments ago -- she said it was the biggest she's ever personally felt. Centered, she believes, in Baja California. She says the shaking went on for around 60 seconds.
I'm sure there will be many more reports, and once more information is reported I'll either update or take down this diary.
Update: Initial reported epicenter is Calexico, initial Richter reading is 6.9. My mother is at the Hotel Del Coronado listening to music on their Sun Deck -- she says that people there are rattled but otherwise okay.
More updates over the jump.
Update 2 (from the comments - hat tip to DrSpalding):
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/...
6.9 Ml - BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
6.9 Ml
Date-Time
* 4 Apr 2010 22:40:39 UTC
* 4 Apr 2010 15:40:39 near epicenter
* 4 Apr 2010 14:40:39 standard time in your timezone
Location
32.093N 115.249W
Depth
32 km
Distances
* 26 km (16 miles) SSW (211 degrees) of Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico
* 61 km (38 miles) SW (227 degrees) of San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico
* 64 km (40 miles) SW (225 degrees) of San Luis, AZ
* 173 km (108 miles) ESE (106 degrees) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 5.8 km; Vertical 21.1 km
Parameters
Nph = 14; Dmin = 76.0 km; Rmss = 0.20 seconds; Gp = 291°
M-type = Ml; Version = 1
Event ID
CI 14607652
Update 3: Still spotty but more details will be posted as available
http://www.sdnn.com/...
Update 4: More local coverage
http://www.10news.com/...
Preliminary USGS information indicated the epicenter was 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, at an area that has been rocking with magnitude 3.0 quakes all week.
Update 5: A smaller earthquake in Northern California a short while ago.
http://www.ktvu.com/...
Just minutes after the 6.9-magnitude quake hit in the south, a 4.1-magnitude earthquake shook 25 miles north of Santa Rosa, according to the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS).
Update 6: A brief earthquake comparison...
1987 Whittier Narrows - magnitude 5.9
1989 Loma Prieta - 6.9
1994 Northridge - 6.7
2010 Haiti - 7.0 /7.1
Update 7: Aftershock (presumably)
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/...
Earthquake Details
Magnitude
5.1
Date-Time
Sunday, April 04, 2010 at 23:15:20 UTC
Sunday, April 04, 2010 at 04:15:20 PM at epicenter
Location
32.839°N, 115.585°W
Depth
16.9 km (10.5 miles)
Region
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Distances
1 km (1 miles) WSW (250°) from Imperial, CA
6 km (4 miles) NNW (336°) from El Centro, CA
11 km (7 miles) ENE (62°) from Seeley, CA
16 km (10 miles) SSW (197°) from Brawley, CA
139 km (86 miles) ENE (75°) from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 3.6 km (2.2 miles); depth +/- 5.6 km (3.5 miles)
Parameters
Nph=011, Dmin=13 km, Rmss=0.51 sec, Gp=220°,
M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=1
Source
California Integrated Seismic Net:
USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID
ci14607836
Update 8: (from CalTech)
Recent seismic activity in the area of today's quake:
Mag Name/Epicenter Date/Time
3.5 4.4 mi N of Idyllwild, CA Apr 04 2010 23:33:33 UTC
4.3 13.8 mi ENE of Calexico, CA Apr 04 2010 23:33:30 UTC
3.6 10.7 mi ESE of Julian, CA Apr 04 2010 23:27:22 UTC
4.2 6.5 mi SSW of Desert Center, CA Apr 04 2010 23:24:27 UTC
3.5 7.6 mi NE of Julian, CA Apr 04 2010 23:22:04 UTC
3.6 11.6 mi ESE of Ocotillo Wells, CA Apr 04 2010 23:19:44 UTC
3.8 19.8 mi W of Ocotillo, CA Apr 04 2010 23:19:20 UTC
5.1 3.7 mi NNW of El Centro, CA Apr 04 2010 23:15:20 UTC
4.5 20.5 mi S of Ocotillo, CA Apr 04 2010 23:09:49 UTC
4.1 15.5 mi SSE of Desert Center, CA Apr 04 2010 23:01:55 UTC
4.5 4.8 mi NW of Ocotillo, CA Apr 04 2010 22:56:03 UTC
4.1 18.2 mi NW of Ocotillo, CA Apr 04 2010 22:47:57 UTC
6.9 42.2 mi SSE of Calexico, CA Apr 04 2010 22:40:39 UTC
4.3 30.6 mi SSE of Calexico, CA Apr 03 2010 23:03:47 UTC
4.2 26.7 mi SE of Calexico, CA Mar 31 2010 09:20:26 UTC
3.6 29.5 mi SSE of Calexico, CA Mar 27 201015:05:11 UTC
3.5 2.3 mi SSW of San Miguel Is., CA Mar 26 201022:33:53 UTC
Update 9: USGS has revised upward to magnitude 7.2.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/...
Update 10: Info and map available from UC San Diego:
http://eqinfo.ucsd.edu/...
Update 11: more factoid stuff.
Pacific Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire (or sometimes just the Ring of Fire) is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of a Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.[1] It is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt.
About 90% of the world's earthquakes and 80% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. The next most seismic region (5–6% of earthquakes and 17% of the world's largest earthquakes) is the Alpide belt, which extends from Java to Sumatra through the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, and out into the Atlantic. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the third most prominent earthquake belt.[2][3]
Update 12: USGS Earthquake Preparedness
Update 13: Stepping away from 'puter for a while, but peeps please feel free to post updates in the comments. I've been looking for reports of damages/injuries on the Mexican side of the border but so far haven't found anything. I suspect that the US side of the border will come through pretty much unscathed (just got another phone call from my mom, the band's still playing at the Hotel Del Coronado...) but I'm not so sure about Mexico. Please join me in sending good thoughts to our neighbors to the south. I'll be back later....
Update 14: Well, it appears that there wasn't an earthquake in Santa Rosa after all -- KTVU has removed all mention of it from the above-linked article (update 5). I guess someone in Northern CA got a little trigger happy. Or something.