Magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes in the Channel Islands region off the coast of Southern California

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April 5, 2018 9:13 PM

The 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit about 38 miles southwest of the mainland city of Ventura around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.

A strong earthquake struck the Channel Islands region on Thursday afternoon and rattled much of Southern California.
The US Geological Survey said the quake registered at
It was centered roughly 38 miles southwest of the mainland city of Ventura, and 86 miles west of Los Angeles.

A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the Channel Islands region on Thursday afternoon, about 38 miles southwest of the mainland city of Ventura, California, and about 86 miles west of Los Angeles,the US Geological Survey said.

Local news outlets reported that the temblor was felt from the western San Fernando Valley city of Woodland Hills to West Los Angeles, and further east toward Burbank.

The quake caused Business Insider's offices in West Hollywood to sway for several minutes.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. No tsunami warnings were in effect in the minutes following the quake, the US National Tsunami Warning Center said.

The Channel Islands National Park, one of the destinations closest to the epicenter, reported no immediate damage of injuries, spokeswoman Yvonne Menard said.

The Los Angeles city fire department said it is in "earthquake mode," a strategic posture during which firefighters from the agency's 106 neighborhood stations provide "a complete and strategic survey of over 470 sq miles in the greater Los Angeles area to ensure safety for all," the fire department said in a press release. "We currently have no reports of damage or injuries," fire department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.

Firefighters were also inspecting power lines, large buildings, bridges, and dams as part of their earthquake assessments.

Renowned former USGS seismologist Lucy Jones described the Tuesday afternoon temblor as a "moderate" earthquake, KTLA reported. "The offshore faults that produced today's M5.3 quake are part of the system that moves Southern California around a bend of the San Andreas fault," Jones said on her official Twitter account.

By comparison, the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake registered at a 6.7 magnitude, killing more than 60 people and injuring thousands of others.

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