The USGS reports that a 5.3-magnitude earthquake has struck near the Channel Islands Beach in Ventura County Thursday. People across Southern California reported feeling the long, rolling quake that was the largest to hit the Southland in four years.
The ground began shaking around 12:29 p.m. PT about 57 KM southwest of Santa Cruz Island according to the USGS's website. The quake was initially rated at 5.0 in magnitude, but was upgraded by the USGS to a 5.3 a short time later.
Seismologist Lucy Jones tweeted the quake happened on a slip fault and was relatively small, so there was no danger of a tsunami.
The Los Angeles Fire Department activated its "earthquake mode" following the shaking, but operations returned to normal once a survey of the city was complete.
Listeners tweeted to KFI they felt the shaking all across the Southland. Listeners in downtown Los Angeles, Redondo Beach and Thousand Oaks all reported feeling strong to moderate shaking with many describing the motion as rolling in nature.
Seismologists at the California Institute of Technology got a ten-second warning before the shaking began thanks to an early warning system. The U.S. Geological Survey is developing the earthquake early-warning system in partnership with a limited amount of testers. The program is set to be expanded to a larger audience later this year.
There were no reports of injuries or major damage.
LAPD suggest locals should take precaution and prepare for any unexpected natural disasters.
Following the quake, the Ventura County Public Information Officer posted a tweet and photo showing the dust rolling off the cliffs on Santa Cruz Island.
"View of cliffs along Santa Cruz Island during today’s earthquake. Dust rolls off cliffs as the temblor hit close to the Island, photo taken by a private fishing boat on scene during the quake. @VCFD"