A 4.7 magnitude earthquake in Malibu shakes up Southern California.

  Sept. 12, 2024 Updated 8:04 AM PT

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake shook Southern California early Thursday, with its epicenter just north of Malibu. The quake, which hit at 7:28 a.m., was widely felt across the region, though significant damage is not anticipated.

According to seismologist Lucy Jones from Caltech, the tremor originated near the Malibu fault. The shaking was classified as "light" on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, affecting areas such as Malibu, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, and Calabasas. This level of shaking can cause minor disturbances like rattling dishes, windows, and doors, produce cracking sounds in walls, and feel like a heavy truck has hit a building.

 "Light" shaking was felt across much of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, including downtown L.A., Santa Monica, Long Beach, the San Fernando, San Gabriel, and Antelope valleys, as well as Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Recent earthquakes have been more noticeable in densely populated areas of Southern California. However, experts caution that this does not provide any indication of whether a larger, more destructive earthquake is imminent.

Some residents received alerts from the state’s earthquake early warning system.

Following the quake, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on X that the city’s fire department had begun its standard damage assessment. According to Margaret Stewart, a fire department spokesperson, all fire stations are currently conducting surveys, and no initial damage reports have been received.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located in the Malibu hills, near Kanan-Dume Road and Ramirez Canyon.