5.5-magnitude earthquake hits Southern California

 LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A swarm¹ of earthquakes including one of 5.5-magnitude hit Southern California area near the Mexican border around noon Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quakes started to hit the area of Brawley at 11:55 a.m. local time (1855 GMT). One quake of 5.5-magnitude jolt² the area at 13:58 local time (2058 GMT). There were no immediate³ reports of serious damage or injuries.

The quakes, centered near Brawley which is about 40 kilometers north of the Mexican border, could be felt at surrounding counties and cities including San Diego, Temecula, San Clemente, Moreno Valley, National City and Palm Desert.

The depth of the epicenter was from 5 to 10 kilometers, the USGS said.

Two other quakes over 5-magnitude also hit the area during that time.

1 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

2 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。