4.7-magnitude earthquake centered in Malibu jolts Los Angeles area

The Pacific coastline is shown Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Malibu, Calif., following a 4.7 magnitude earthquake in the area. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

MALIBU, Calif. – A magnitude-4.7 earthquake centered near Malibu rattled a large swath of the Southland Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The earthquake struck at 7:28 a.m., centered 3.5 miles northwest of Malibu and 4.9 miles southwest of Agoura Hills, according to the US Geological Survey. It was about 6.5 miles deep.

The earthquake was felt across a wide area, including Burbank, Santa Clarita, Long Beach, Torrance and Anaheim.

The quake, which was originally reported with a magnitude of 5.1 but quickly downgraded to 4.7, was followed by a series of aftershocks, beginning with a magnitude-2.8 shaker then progressively reducing in strength until 8:40 a.m., when a 3.4-magnitude quake struck.

Police and fire departments across the Southland quickly went into earthquake mode to check for damage.

“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 shortly after the temblor.

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.

The National Weather Service reported there was no tsunami warning generated by the quake.

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 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. (CNS)

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