April 6 (UPI) — Emergency officials reported no serious damage or injuries Thursday when a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Los Angeles.
The temblor’s epicenter was located about 6 miles below the surface of the earth and 23 miles east-southeast of the Channel Islands. It was about 85 miles due west of Los Angeles.
California Institute of Technology seismologist Egill Hauksson told the Los Angeles Times that the last time an earthquake this big hit the area was in 1981 and was a 6-magnitude. It was near the Eastern Santa Cruz Basin Fault Zone.
“Earthquakes happen out there now and again. There’s a major offshore fault system,” Hauksson said.
A U.S. Geological Survey map indicated people felt the shaking as far north as San Luis Obispo to as far south as San Diego. Inland, residents reported feeling the earthquake in Bakersfield, Victorville and Palmdale.
The Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning in response to the quake.
