5.1 earthquake near Ojai jolts Southern California
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck about 4 miles southeast of the Ventura County city of Ojai on Sunday, Aug. 20, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake happened at 2:41 p.m. and was reported felt in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties, the USGS map shows.
There was a flurry of aftershocks, one registering as high as 3.8.
There were no reports of injuries or damage attributed to the quake. At 2:43 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported a rockslide covering Highway 150, which runs through Ojai. There was no immediate connection known.
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The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a news release that it is examining transportation infrastructure, large public gathering areas, apartment buildings, power lines and other sites for damage.
“There are currently no initial reports of structural damage or injuries,” LAFD said.
Earthquake expert Lucy Jones wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the shaker appeared to have been preceded by a series of foreshocks that began Saturday morning.
Yes, we just had an earthquake. It looks like it was preceded by a small foreshock sequence(largest M2.5) that began Saturday morning https://t.co/xeajLOcUtW
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) August 20, 2023
The quake occurred on a day the remnants of Hurricane Hilary, which weakened into a tropical storm before it made landfall, was bringing heavy rain across Southern California and had first-responders already on high alert.
The National Weather Service said there was not expected to be any threat of a tsunami due to the quake.
City News Service contributed to this report.