Dozens of small to moderate earthquakes struck the south eastern corner of California, causing minor damages to structures and rattling nerves in a small farming town east of San Diego.

The largest quake registered at a magnitude 5.5 and was centred about three miles north west of the town of Brawley, said Robert Graves, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey.

Another quake registered at magnitude 5.3.

More than 30 additional earthquakes with magnitudes of at least 3.5 jiggled the same area near the southern end of the Salton Sea, Mr Graves said.

"The type of activity that we're seeing could possibly continue for several hours or even days," Mr Graves said.

At the El Sol Market in Brawley, food packages fell from the shelves, littering aisle ways.

Several glasses and a bottle of wine crashed to the floor and shattered at Assaggio, an Italian restaurant in Brawley, said owner Jerry Ma. The shaking was short-lived but intense, he said.

"It felt like there was quake every 15 minutes. One after another. My kids are small and they're scared and don't want to come back inside," said Mike Patel, who manages Townhouse Inn & Suites in Brawley.

A TV came crashing down and a few light fixtures broke inside the motel, Mr Patel said.