On Tuesday night, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the northwest area of Los Angeles, with tremors felt across a large area of Southern California, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.
According to information released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at 9:09 p.m. on Tuesday, with the epicenter near Mettler in California, approximately 85 miles (137 kilometers) away from downtown Los Angeles.
Following the main quake, there were dozens of aftershocks measuring 2.5 and above, including a 4.5 magnitude tremor less than a minute after the initial earthquake, and a 4.1 magnitude tremor at 9:17 p.m. that same night.
USGS initially rated the earthquake as a 5.3 magnitude but later downgraded it to 5.2.
Tracking personnel from the agency reported feeling the shaking from Fresno to as far south as Temecula.
Local governments in Los Angeles and other impacted areas are inspecting infrastructure for damage.
During the earthquake, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies were playing the 7th inning. Despite fans at the Dodgers stadium feeling the tremor, there was no significant disruption.
The Kern County Fire Department announced on social media that firefighters in the area would be surveying their jurisdiction.
The Los Angeles Fire Department stated that about 100 miles southeast of the epicenter, there were no major reports of infrastructure damage or casualties.
USGS assessed that the likelihood of casualties or significant damage from the earthquake was low.
CNN reported that seismologist Lucy Jones from the California Institute of Technology recorded around 60 smaller earthquakes (up to magnitude 4.5) within the following hour.
Jones described the 5.2 magnitude earthquake as relatively strong, noting that aftershocks from most 5 magnitude earthquakes are usually fewer than this event.
“In recent decades, our lives have been relatively calm: Southern California has experienced seven 5 magnitude earthquakes in the past 10 years,” she said. “There is a misconception that smaller earthquakes release energy, thereby reducing the likelihood of larger earthquakes, but this is not the case. I think it’s a good time to remind people that California is earthquake territory in the long run. In the long run, we should expect more earthquakes than in the past 20 years.”