4.7 quake near LAX is felt across wide area

A 5.0 earthquake struck southeast of Los Angeles International Airport this evening, causing significant shaking across Southern California. [Update: Quake was downgraded to 4.7.]

The temblor hit about 8:30 p.m. a mile from the South Bay community of Lennox. 

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but authorities said they were receiving numerous calls about the temblor.

A 3.0 aftershock occurred a few minutes later near Lennox.

Check out the USGS quake map.

Update at 8:58 p.m.: The temblor started about 8.4 miles below the surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents in the Lennox area said china fell off shelves, but there were no reports of more serious damage. The Los Angeles Fire Department is on "emergency quake mode" as a precaution.

It's unclear what fault the quake struck on. The Newport-Inglewood fault, which has produced several powerful temblors, runs through that general area.

Updated at 9:10 p.m.: An initial assessment by the Los Angeles Fire Department found "no major structural damage, no serious injuries," according to spokesman Brian Humphrey's Twitter feed. 

Updated at 9:20 p.m.: At the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lennox station, deputies said the shaking was brief but intense. "It was pretty strong but over in about 10 seconds," said Lt. Kent Wegener. "There are no [immediate] reports of damage. At this point, we are checking all the critical facilities and getting our ducks in a row." 

Los Angeles County Fire officials also said they had not received damage reports in residential or industrial areas, including the coastal refineries.

Update at 9:35 p.m.:KCAL interviewed moviegoers at a shopping mall in Redondo Beach who said the quake shook the screen and caused some ceiling tiles to fall. But firefighters said there was no serious damage or injuries. KCAL also reported numerous burglar alarms going off and some people cutting themselves on glass.

Updated at 9:50 p.m.: In Hawthorne, firefighters were called to Chadron Avenue, near Crenshaw Boulevard, where a light pole was damaged during the earthquake. One man also suffered a heart attack, but it was unclear whether that was connected. “Luckily, nothing major so far,” said Hawthorne Police Lt. Michael Ishii.

The earthquake was “a bit deep,” said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough – originating 8.4 miles below the surface. “That tends to make it less sharp – less of a jerky, abrupt motion,” Hough said. As a result, most of the region felt the quake largely as a rolling motion, though some closer to the center felt more of a jolt.

Lucy Jones, seismologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, said  the earthquake appears to be consistent with a rupture on the Newport-Inglewood fault. (She said the quake was too small to break the surface, so they can't definitively identify faults.) Jones said this fault isn't typically thought to be capable of producing a major quake like the San Andreas fault. But it was responsible for the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, which measured about 6.3 in magnitude. The Long Beach quake was about as big as seismologists expect from this fault, she said.

"There have been numerous magnitude 3s on it over the years, a cluster of them in the 1980s," she said. "In general, it's an active area."

The quake was initially logged as a magnitude 5 by automatic sensors, but as more data came in, seismologists downgraded it to a magnitude 4.7. It also had an aftershock with a magnitude 3.1 about six minutes later. So far, Jones said, 12,000 people have reported feeling the shaking, including some people in San Diego. She was not surprised at the number of people reporting because the quake shook a pretty densely populated area.

Nothing about the quake or its aftershocks looked unusual, she said. "It’s a real garden variety California earthquake so far."

 What’s notable about it is location with respect to people.

She said the most similar earthquake to this one was a temblor that shook the Inglewood area in 1920, and that one was classified as a "minor damaging shock."

--Shelby Grad, Scott Gold, Jia-Rui Chong and Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Employees of a Starbucks at Hawthorne and Artesia Boulevards clean up broken glass that shattered on the floor and reportedly injured one person who was taken to a nearby hospital. (Jay Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Comments

[kat]

I felt it in Chula Vista, Ca....and we're next to the border (Mexico)

[Sarah E.]

Felt in Rancho Penasquitos in San Diego. Heard sound like truck driving by along with slight rumble.

[linus]

Felt it in Oceanside, near city border with Vista. Sharp, very brief jolt.

[Alex]

We felt it here in Laguna Beach. It only lasted about 5 seconds here.

[Allyson24]

Felt it here in Carlsbad...an east to west jolt for a few seconds

[Biometric locks]

My wife and I felt it down here in Orange County. Lasted 5-10 seconds. Enough for a good startle.

[Ellen]

I'm in the San Fernando Valley, not too bad here. In fact at first I thought it was a truck rumbling by but the extended time convinced me it was an earthquake. An interesting tidbit. I took my dog hiking today at about 4:30 pm in the hills above Glendale. It was hot but we had just walked through the cool Rim of the Valley area where there is water and then up the wooden steps and over a metal bridge. As soon as we crossed over the metal bridge he turned around and tugged on the leash to go back. He was determined not to go any further. We have hiked this trail dozens of times he she has never done that so I went back. I had been looking forward to a long hike. My dog was very happy when we got home which is very unusual. I wonder if he sensed something.

[Ricard]

I'm in Venice, it only lasted a few seconds. Wish it was longer!!! WE WANT MORE!!!

[Jen]

Felt an immediate and strong jolt here in North Manhattan Beach - not like the usual smaller quakes. Definite adrenaline rush - pretty strong aftershock too.

[Heri]

Felt it in Santa Ana and Westminster. No damage, just watched the cat go into hiding.

[CwCmAc]

i thought my apartment was going to fall here in Manhattan Beach...lasted a few minutes...then a few minutes later...an aftershock rumble through...

[Brian]

San Clemente, South Orange County. Felt it here. Had a bunch of collectibles tip over on a few shelves. They were not securely fastened though and wouldnt take much to make them fall over.

[Kathy Courtney]

I live in Laguna Niguel, I was sitting at my computer upstairs and I felt a large jolt. I immediately checked out my dining room chandelier and it was swinging. Can't find any damage.

[Joe]

Torrance - Felt the 5.0 very strong. Whole house shook, nothing fell off the shelves though. Held on for dear life, scared us. Felt the smaller, aftershock too. Telephone line was down. Cell phone was working for awhile then lines were jammed. Probably from so many people calling on their cell phones.

[jim]

i felt it in San Diego and it was only a 5 magnitude???!!!! Scary!!! Hope all is well up north.

[fred]

Very, very strong in Carson with pictures and other items falling off the shelf.

[DJ]

Nothing felt here in Westlake Village/Thousand Oaks.

[C. McCormick]

Rocked Koreatown a bit. Started as a sway and then shook a bit harder. definitely got my attention!

[Jonnie]

Felt it in Loma Linda at 8:39pm/8:40pm rattled the house.

[pussycat pinups]

i felt it in huntington beach my windows rattled

[Bob]

Sharp, hard jolt, lasting about 10 seconds in Rancho Palos Verdes. Didn't feel aftershock.
Probably largest felt since Northridge.

[Susan Humphrey]

Felt earthquake in Lakeside, California, eastern San Diego County. Quick one but did feel a good jolt.

[Susan Fox]

Van Nuys. Didn't feel a bit of it. Only knew something had happened when the "did you feel it?" phone calls started coming. Grateful for good friends and family!

[Stacy]

Was very strong in No. Redondo Beach. Kind of scary but a great way to meet my neighbors. Hope there were no injuries.

[elleneyegreen]

Hardly felt a thing here in Burbank. Our cats, however, went off the Richter right along with our macaw. The cats freaked and the bird nearly fell off of his perch. Born and raised here in SoCal, the slight tremor was neither fun nor exciting unless you were a house pet. Ho hum. ~Yawns~ Can't believe it was a 5.0...