4.7-magnitude earthquake felt across Los Angles, centered in Malibu, USGS says

MALIBU, Calif. (KABC) — A preliminary 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Malibu area, rattling Southern California Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake struck around 7:28 a.m. at a depth of nearly six miles. It originally registered as a 5.1, but was quickly downgraded.

Several aftershocks rumbled the area over the following hour, including a 3.4 around 8:40 a.m.

The shaking was felt up to 60 miles away across Southern California. People reported feeling shaking as far away as Riverside and Newport Beach.

“I thought it was never going to end. I was getting to think that it was the big one, because we’ve had all these little quakes,” said Joanne Gary of Malibu.

The strong quake shook the ABC7 studio in Glendale, and it was all captured live.

Crews were sent out to assess roadways and buildings in the city, according to a statement from Malibu City Councilman Bruce Silverstein. Some rocks tumbled down onto a portion of Malibu Canyon Road, but the debris was quickly cleared.

No reports of injuries or other damage were reported.

When asked whether the region has been having more earthquakes recently, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said: “Yes. Whether it’s statistically significant is difficult to tell.”

Jones also added that the earthquake was not related to the weather.

She added that the region has had more than an average number of 4.0 magnitude earthquake sequences this year. The average is about eight a year, but Southern California has seen 14. The previous high was 13.

“Notice these numbers are small, however. So yes, we are feeling it but it’s not yet statistically significant.”

“Seismologists look for patterns. Everybody looks for patterns. That’s why we have myths of earthquake weather and animals. All these things are us trying to form a pattern in what is inherently a random distribution,” Jones added.