- Update: The quake has been recategorized as a magnitude-4.2.
A magnitude-4.3 earthquake struck on Thursday afternoon, four miles east-southeast of Newhall, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The magnitude was upgraded from 4.2 with at least eight aftershocks.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The quake hit near the epicenter of the 1971 magnitude-6.6 San Fernando earthquake, also known as the Sylmar earthquake.
In Thursday's temblor, the shaking was felt in areas across the San Fernando Valley, and as far away as Hollywood, Malibu, parts of downtown Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, and even San Bernardino and Irvine, according to the USGS' Did You Feel It? website.
The quake hit at 1:47 p.m. five miles north of Pacoima and five miles southeast of Santa Clarita. It was followed three minutes later by magnitude-2.0, 2.6 and 3.0 aftershocks centered four miles north of San Fernando. Aftershocks totaled at least eight.
Unlike the San Fernando quake, which occurred on a thrust fault, this one appears to have been a strike-slip event, in which rocks on either side of the fault slide past each other, geophysicist Doug Given of the U.S. Geological Survey told the Associated Press.
All Los Angeles Fire Department resources were on radio watch checking their districts.
Rides at the nearby Magic Mountain theme park were temporarily halted so workers could ensure there was no damage, but they were quickly reopened.
The quake was one-tenth of a mile underground, which is relatively shallow, according to the USGS.
The magnitude-6.7 Northridge earthquake of 1994 was felt as far away as Las Vegas, more than 270 miles from the epicenter near Cal State Northridge. At least 33 deaths were attributed to the earthquake, and there were more than 8,700 injured. In addition, the 1994 quake caused an estimated $20 billion in damage.
Last Tuesday, Virginia was hit by a magnitude-5.9 earthquake that was felt as far north as Toronto and shut down nuclear power plants along the East Coast.
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City News Service contributed to this report.
