Strong Earthquake Rattles Southern California

MALIBU, CA — A magnitude 4.7 quake centered in the Malibu area struck at about 7:28 a.m. Thursday morning, according to the U.S Geological Survey.

The shaking could be felt for several seconds across more than 100 miles. According to the USGS, the quake was centered 3.5 miles northwest of Malibu and was immediately followed by another smaller quake. It was about 6.5 miles deep.

Two minutes later a magnitude 2.8 quake also struck in the Malibu area, according to the U.S Geological Survey. Two hours later, a magnitude 3.5 quake struck in roughly the same area at 9:37 a.m. In between, several quakes between the range of magnitude 2.0 and 3.5 struck in the region, according to the U.S Geological Survey.

The initial quake was originally reported to be 5.1 magnitude, but was quickly downgraded.

The shaking could be felt for several seconds and was felt across Los Angeles and as far south as Temecula.

"Pursuant to protocol, the Los Angeles Fire Department is now in earthquake mode, as personnel from all 106 neighborhood fire stations conduct a strategic survey by land, air and sea of their districts, examining critical infrastructure and areas of local concern across our 470 square mile City of Los Angeles jurisdiction," the LAFD said in a statement.

"Once this process is complete and reports are consolidated, assuming there is no significant damage, LAFD Earthquake Mode will be complete. ... There are currently no initial reports of structural damage or injuries," the LAFD statement said.

The "earthquake mode" was completed by about 8:30 a.m., the LAFD reported."No significant infra/structure damage or injuries have been noted within the City of Los Angeles," the LAFD said in a statement.

There is no tsunami warning following the earthquake, according to the National Weather Service.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told KNX, "All of our departments are on alert. As of right now, everything is looking like it's OK."

Multiple other cities reported that they were conducting surveys, but no damage was immediately detected.

The quake was followed by a series of small aftershocks, the largest registering being the magnitude 3.5 quake.

The Southland's earthquake czar, seismologist Lucy Jones, said it was still uncertain which fault system generated the shaker. She quickly denounced the notion that the recent heat wave played any role in triggering the quake, stressing that weather plays no part in temblors.

Jones tweeted that it was the 12th quake of a magnitude 4.0 or larger to hit Southern California this year.

According to the Southern California Seismic Network, a cooperative project between Caltech and the US Geological Survey, the quake was possibly the largest one to strike in the immediate Malibu area since record-keeping began in 1932. Since then, there have been five quakes larger than a magnitude 4.0 within 7 miles of Thursday's epicenter, according to the network. At 4.7 magnitude, Thursday's was the largest. It's the second quake larger than a magnitude 4.0 to strike in the Malibu area this year.

"More aftershocks may be expected in the next few days, the largest expected is approximately 1 magnitude unit smaller than the mainshock," the network warned. "There is a small chance (about 5%) that a larger quake could occur, with the likelihood decreasing over time."

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.

City News Service contributed to this report.