USGS detects 3.4 earthquake in Southern California desert ANZA, Calif., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The Southern California desert was jiggled by a magnitude 3.4 earthquake Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake was centered seven miles from Anza and 21 miles from the resort town of La Quinta. The quake was also fairly shallow, with is epicenter just 7 1/2 miles below the surface, the USGS said in a written statement There were no immediate reports of damage or injury in the rural area, which the Los Angeles Times said was the fourth quake measuring 3.0 or higher to occur in the area in the past 10 days.