The region experiences large stand-alone events and earthquake swarms due to its position in an area of complex conditions where faulting transitions from strike-slip movement to the north and divergence to the south.

The Imperial Valley of Southern California is very active seismically and has been subject to numerous destructive earthquakes since communities began to form in this desert area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

[6] The region experiences large stand-alone events and earthquake swarms due to its position in an area of complex faulting where it transitions from the strike-slip movement of the San Andreas Fault system to that of the divergent Gulf of California Rift Zone, which is an area of active seafloor spreading.

The Global Centroid Moment Tensor Database shows a NNW strike on a nearly vertical fault, with a rake angle that is within 45 degrees of being pure strike-slip.

At these locations, roads and house foundations were cracked, interior and exterior walls experienced partial collapse, chimneys fell, windows were broken, and underground water pipes burst.