An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale struck Southern California on Monday afternoon, causing tremors throughout the region.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported the quake as a magnitude 4.7, hitting around 12:20 p.m. approximately 2.5 miles south-southeast of Highland Park near Los Angeles’ Chinatown area.
The quake occurred at a depth of 7.5 miles, and many people across the greater Los Angeles area experienced the shaking, as reported in the USGS “Felt Report.”
According to KTLA viewers, tremors were felt from Los Angeles’ west side to the Inland Empire and beyond.
In Hollywood, KTLA’s Glen Walker reported that the “whole building was shaking pretty good.” He mentioned that the station’s engineering team was inspecting the building and “checking things out.”
Following the quake, the Los Angeles Fire Department went into “earthquake mode,” with personnel from all 106 LAFD stations deployed to check for damage to critical infrastructure and “areas of local concern.”
At 1:45 p.m., no significant damage had been reported within the LAFD’s service area.
Margaret Stewart of the LAFD told KTLA there had been no “reports of extensive damage anywhere.”
However, footage from Sky 5 showed water leaking from the side of Pasadena City Hall, where fire crews were responding to the situation.
The National Weather Service confirmed that the U.S. Tsunami Warning System was not activated and that there had been no tsunami threat since Monday’s quake.
In California, thousands of earthquakes occur yearly, but most are minor. According to the USGS, a few hundred reach a magnitude of 3.0, with only about 15 to 20 exceeding the magnitude of 4.0.
California records more earthquakes annually than any other part of North America except Alaska.
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