4.0 Magnitude Earthquakes Hit Los Angeles

 A swarm of small earthquakes has hit the Los Angeles city in the United States, rattling the nerves of many residents, who were jolted awake by two of the stronger quakes.

A magnitude-4.0 earthquake was reported at 4:44 am on Monday near Inglewood, less than half an hour after two smaller foreshocks hit the same area.

The larger quake was felt across Southern California, according to the US Geological Survey.

A magnitude-3.3 temblor that preceded it hit the same area at 4:15 am, while a magnitude-2.5 shaker struck at the same time about two miles away.

Residents in the Los Angeles area were woken up by the series of earthquakes with the biggest having a 4.0 magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The epicentre was reportedly just southwest of Hollywood Park Casino, at a depth of 11.8 miles. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The main earthquake was centered near Prairie and Century boulevards. It occurred less than a mile from Lennox, less than a mile from Hawthorne and one mile from Los Angeles.

By 8 am, nearly 40 aftershocks had rattled the Inglewood and Lennox area, according to Paul Caruso, a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado.

The main shock was “pretty deep for California,” at about 12 miles down, he said, noting that quakes in the area are typically about three miles deep. Deeper earthquakes are felt less strongly on the surface.

“We cannot predict earthquakes, but certainly there will be more aftershocks,” he added.

Earthquake expert Lucy Jones said on Twitter that the magnitude-4.0 quake was strong enough to be “felt by most people awake in LA.” 

She added it was likely not on any mapped faults.

The foreshock and flurry of aftershocks occurred at about the same depth, Jones said.

According to Los Angeles Magazine, the quake, which struck near Inglewood, hasn’t resulted in any damage that’s been reported.

According to the USGS, people reported feeling week to light shaking as far east as Twentynine Palms and as far south as San Diego.

Earthquake expert, Dr Lucy Jones, tweeted that the quake was “very deep” and “would have been felt by most people awake in L.A.” She added that the movement, which was accompanied by a 3.0-3.3 foreshock approximately a half-hour earlier, was “probably” not on any mapped fault.

According to Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles Fire Department determined there wasn’t any damage.