Two quakes strike minutes apart in the Coachella Valley in Southern California

A 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck just before midnight Sunday, May 15, in the Coachella Valley of California, followed minutes later by a 2.9-magnitude quake, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The first quake hit 4 miles northeast of Desert Hot Springs at 11:16 p.m. Pacific time, according to the USGS. More than 660 people from as far away as Los Angeles reported feeling the tremor to the agency.

The second earthquake struck at 11:36 p.m. slightly farther northeast of Desert Hot Springs, the USGS reported. About 35 people reported feeling the quake.

Desert Hot Springs is a city of 29,000 people in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, east of Los Angeles.

Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.

Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech. Quakes below 2.5 magnitude are seldom felt by most people.