5.4 earthquake hits Southern California; felt in Los Angeles [Updated]

A 5.9 earthquake rocked Southern California this afternoon and was felt across a wide area.

According to U.S. Geological Survey, the quake hit at 4:53 p.m. near Borrego Springs, about 28 miles south of Palm Springs. It was followed by several small aftershocks.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but some residents said the quake caused glass to break.

Its the latest in a string of powerful of quakes to hit Southern California in the last few months, ever since a 7.2 quake hit the Mexicali area on Easter Sunday.

[Updated at 5:07 p.m.: The USGS downgraded the quake to 5.4 magnitude. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it has not received reports of serious damage or injuries. Residents in Riverside County told The Times they felt a sharp jolt but have not witnessed major damage.

Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz said that he experienced strong jolts at police headquarters but that there was no initial report of serious damage.

“So far everything is OK,” Diaz said. “To me it felt like two separate events. The first felt like a foreshock;  the second one was stronger.”

“It was scary,” said Celina Vega of Borrego Springs. “I can hardly talk because I’m still shaking. “

She said the earthquake hit as she was getting ready to go to work at Kendall’s Cafe. “I screamed. Glasses fell at my house. We’re not used to earthquakes here in Borrego Springs. When we felt it, oh my gosh, scary!”]

[Updated at 5:26 p.m.: The quake swayed skyscrapers in downtown San Diego, but there were no reports of damage there.

A rockslide was reported on a road outside of Palm Springs neat the aerial tramway, accord to the Desert Sun. But someone at the tramway restaurant told The Times there was no major damage. Palm Springs Fire Chief Blake Goetz told The Times that there was a rock slide near the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, but no damage to the Tramway itself.

Mary Jane Laws, an assistant manager at Center Market Grocery Store in Borrego Springs, said that a lot of products fell of the store shelves – but there was no major damage.

“I’ve been here 30 years and it was bigger than any of us have experienced,” Laws said. “It shook up and down really hard. That was the big jolt, then back and forth. It feels like forever, but it was probably only 10 to 15 seconds.”

There weren’t many customers in the store when the quake hit, but Laws said, “The employees, they bolted. The cash registers are right by the door.”

The residents are accustomed to an occasional temblor, but Laws said, “It was a little bit more than we’re comfortable.” At least for the evening, it will give the sleepy town something to chat about in the off season. “This place is going to be just atwitter,” Laws said. “We’ll be in the coffee shop, talking about all kinds of things."]

-- Andrew Blankstein, Rong-Gong Lin II and Kimi Yoshino

Map: USGS

Comments

[Peter]

I felt the earthquake while having lunch at Westfield Topanga. Neighboring tables indeed felt it as well.

[akku]

ohhh ya i felt it n i live in irvine, ca

[netfish]

while earthquake i was drove , i thought my car was broken...lol~

[Carolina]

I felt in the Hall of Records in downtown LA. The building swinged for about 45 seconds or longer. I felt a couple of aftershocks.

[Michelle]

I'm over in San Fernando and I was still able to feel a pretty distinctive and strong jolt. I hope this isn't foreshadowing a larger earthquake for so-cal...

[Captain Jack]

I'm surprised how long the aftershock was. It seemed to pick up again 7 minutes later until a full 20 minutes had past.

[JREEVES]

i felt it here in Diamond Bar

[h]

yes. everyone said they were dizzy at the same time...then we realized it was an earthquake.

Santa Monica, CA

[sf2]

Yes, I felt the quake here in Rancho Santa Margarita, but it was very short and seemed to slide up a bit then slide back down...more like an after shock. My cat definitely felt it and was about to run and hide when it was over leaving him more confused than ever, we got a good laugh LOL!

[Moe]

Hahaha, the best you can report on is someone screaming because a few glasses fell over? How much of this is copy-paste from a hundred other minor earthquake stories. Just go with fewer words next time.

Felt it in Long Beach in an office building. 15 seconds of minor swaying, followed a 20 second pause, then 5 more seconds. Nothing fell.

[Edith]

WOW I'm in the heart of Hollywood and in a 3 story building and we felt it it was like a boat side to side

[Jerry]

Felt it in North Orange County

[Lojiko]

Has anyone suggested that the quakes are propagating northward up the San Andreas? I'm not a seismologist, but ever since the Baja quake, the San Andreas has been alive and well in that region, and the quakes are daily, all the way from the Gulf of California to the site of today's quake.

[Jessica]

I felt it in Woodland Hills.

[day]

OH NO. THIS IS NO GOOD. I have a feeling now. 2012 WILL OCCUR.

[Manuel Rios]

I did feel a slight movement that last about 20 seconds here in Agoura Hills, California

[California]

Ouch.

[Sue H]

Yes I felt it. The building I work in swayed, jolted and swayed again...we just all carried on working!

[SS]

Felt it pretty darn good in Yorba Linda! The water in the pool is still wavy!

[Alec]

There was NO way that was a 5.4. It was more like a 3.5-4.0

[Nancy]

yes omg!!! I live in pasadena, ca and it woke me from a deep sleep... :(

[sa]

I'm on the 16th floor of a very old building in downtown LA and it felt very strong and lasted longer than any earthquakes I remember since 1994.

[rock]

tha big one is "on tha way"

[yikesees]

I am in San Diego near La Jolla. This is like the 4th such noticeable, building-shaking quake that has stricken this general area since the beginning of this year. I hope mother Earth is just releasing tension and is not about to explode with the "Big One". To be on the safe side, when I am shopping tonight, I am stocking up on extra water!

[Hyaena]

I had about fifteen seconds of warning because one of my cats, a purebred Bengal, is sensitive to them. She always pops up her head and fluffs her tail, and gets agitated. I felt a little silly getting down under the table, but she was right! She's done this consistently enough that I figured I'd take her word for it this time. Good kitty! :-)