LA shaken by an earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 4.7 near Malibu

This story will continue to develop. We will share more details shortly.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 occurred near Malibu at about 7:28 a.m. The depth was 6.8 miles.

It is unclear if there was any damage, but given the magnitude of the quake and its proximity to densely populated areas, minor damage is possible. Moderate shaking occurred in nearby towns, including Agoura Hills, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's ShakeMap. Weak shaking was recorded in Santa Clarita and Los Angeles.

“Moderate or significant damage only occurs at magnitudes of five or more,” said seismologist Lucy Jones during a Caltech press conference shortly after the quake.

An early warning was issued by the US Geological Survey's ShakeAlert system, which initially reported the quake at magnitude 5.0.

Just two minutes later, an aftershock measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale followed.

Tremors felt widely

According to the USGS's “Did You Feel It” tool, people reported feeling tremors as far north as Bakersfield and San Diego to the south.

The US Tsunami Warning Center has not issued a tsunami warning.

An early warning was issued by the US Geological Survey's ShakeAlert system, which initially reported the quake at magnitude 5.0.

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Courtesy of Jenn Baughman

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Just two minutes later, an aftershock measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale followed.

What happens next?

There is a 5 percent chance that a major quake will occur in the coming days, although this probability will decrease over time.

We have resources on earthquakes

We don't want to scare you, but the Big Quake is coming. We don't know when, but we do know it will be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest quakes in 2019. To help you prepare, we've put together a handy reading list:

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