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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A moderate, 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook southern California Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey, with no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The tremor hit at 4:55 am (7.55 pm Singapore time), 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) underground, centered some three miles (four kilometers) from Bombay Beach, which is on the Salton Sea, a large lake in the Salton Sink desert basin, the USGS reported.
The town is some 90 miles (144 kilometers) east of San Diego. Geologists say an earthquake capable of causing widespread destruction is 99 percent certain of hitting California within the next 30 years.
A study published last year said a 7.8 magnitude quake could kill 1,800 people, injure 50,000 more and damage 300,000 buildings.
A 6.7 earthquake in Los Angeles in 1994 left at least 60 people dead and caused an estimated 10 billion dollars in damage, while a 6.9 quake in San Francisco in 1989 claimed 67 lives.
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