Southern California rocked by FOUR earthquakes

NEW: Southern California Residents Jolted by Earthquake, Several Aftershocks

Cristina Laila

A preliminary 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California on Sunday afternoon.

The temblor hit 6.8 miles southwest of Westlake Village in Los Angeles at 1:03 pm PST.

At least four aftershocks have hit near the epicenter since the first quake. 

Shaking was felt across Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Orange County and Riverside County.

The quake was later downgraded to a 4.1.

No immediate reports of damage or injury.

Although a 4.1 magnitude quake is relatively small for California, residents are on edge because of the record number of temblors over the last year.

2024 was a record-breaking year for 4.0+ magnitude quakes in California, igniting fears of the “big one.”

The “Big One” refers to a large earthquake along the San Andreas fault. Seismologists say California is overdue for a large seismic event.

“The average number of magnitude 4 and above earthquakes for this region is about eight per year, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) seismologist Lucy Jones said in a televised Q&A following the earthquake,” the Daily Mail reported in December.

“So far, we’ve had 14 in Southern California – the largest previous year was 13,” Dr. Lucy Jones said in 2024.

California rocked by FOUR earthquakes

By SONYA GUGLIARA 

Southern California neighborhoods were struck by four earthquakes on Sunday afternoon.

Residents of Westlake Village and Malibu in Los Angeles county felt the jolt of earthquakes ranging from 2.5 magnitude to 4.1, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake tracker. 

The first - and strongest - earthquake rocked West Village from 11 kilometers away just after 1 pm.  

Shortly after that, earthquakes of 2.5, 2.8 and 3.0 intensities struck within 13 kilometers of Malibu.

The most powerful shaking was felt in portions of Malibu, Agoura Hills, Camarillo and Thousand Oaks, according to the USGS. 

Other places including downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oxnard, Ventura, the San Clarita Valley, the San Gabriel Valley and the Simi Valley may have also mildly felt the natural disasters' impact. 

'I’ve never felt the ground shake heavily beneath my feet until now, pretty wild,' one man living in the area wrote on X. 

According to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale that ranks how powerful earthquakes are, even the strongest 4.1 magnitude quake is considered 'light.' 

At this level, it is normal for people inside to feel a small shake, for dishes to rattle and for walls to creak, the scale explains.

There were reports of immediate damage, the Los Angeles Times reported.

People living in the affected areas have voiced their panic on social media - with one X user expressing fears of a tsunami. 

But the US Nation Tsunami Center quickly debunked concerns, stating that no tsunamis are expected as a result of the earthquakes.  

This is a developing story.