Earthquake Shakes Palm Springs In Calif. Desert

Updated 11:51 AM ET May 14, 1999
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale shook the desert community of Palm Springs Friday, knocking objects off shelves but causing no significant damage, authorities said.
Joe Franck, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, said the temblor struck at 12.54 a.m. PDT (3.54 a.m. EDT, 0754 GMT) and was followed by a "swarm of aftershocks" including one with a magnitude of 4.3 and several over 3.0 magnitude. Most earthquakes under 3.0 magnitude cannot be felt.

Franck said the main quake was an aftershock to the June 28, 1992, Landers earthquake which had a magnitude of 7.3.

VB Special Interest Groups in the are declined to comment.