Seismic security

Swarm of earthquakes hit California on New Year’s Eve

Brawley, California residents had a shaky end to 2016, though not on account of any over-exuberant festive celebrations but instead a swarm of earthquakes of between 1.1 and 3.9 in magnitude striking off the coast.

The quakes stretched from San Francisco to Las Vegas and along the border with Mexico. The first quake, with a magnitude of 1.1, struck at 3.30am local time on December 31 in the Californian town of Brawley, with over 100 aftershocks reported afterwards throughout the early morning hours.