Cluster of small quakes rattles Big Sur on California coast, USGS reports

A cluster of at least four small earthquakes reaching up to 3.7 magnitude rattled Big Sur on the California coast early Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The other quakes in the swarm ranged from 3.0 to 3.2 magnitude, according to the USGS.

The 5-mile deep 3.7-magnitude quake hit at 12:45 a.m., according to the USGS. More followed over the next several hours, with the most recent striking at 6:18 a.m.

Few people reported feeling any of the quakes, which struck around 15 miles offshore near Lopez Point in Big Sur, which stretches from Monterey to San Simeon.

Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.

Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech.

This story was originally published February 28, 2021 at 8:56 AM with the headline "Cluster of small quakes rattles Big Sur on California coast, USGS reports."