A magnitude 4.7 earthquake north of Malibu shook Southern California on Thursday.

The quake occurred at 7:28 a.m. and was felt throughout the region. No significant damage is expected from an earthquake of this magnitude. Two minutes later, an aftershock of magnitude 2.8 occurred nearby.

The earthquake’s epicenter was closest to the Malibu Trench, said seismologist Lucy Jones, a research associate at Caltech. Initial analyses suggest there is a 40% probability that the quake was related to the Malibu Trench and a 46% probability that the quake was related to the Anacapa Trench.

“Light” shaking, as defined on the modified Mercalli intensity scale, was felt in Malibu, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills and Calabasas. Light shaking causes dishes, windows and doors to shake, causes cracking sounds in walls and can feel like a heavy truck has crashed into a building.

In Thousand Oaks the quake lasted a few seconds.

“Weak” earthquakes were felt in most parts of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, including downtown LA, Santa Monica, Long Beach, the San Fernando, San Gabriel and Antelope valleys, Orange County and the Inland Empire.

People along the Los Angeles County coast felt significant shaking. Some people in Redondo Beach and Long Beach felt shaking for 10 seconds. In Redondo Beach, one person felt shaking that started lightly and then increased in intensity, but nothing fell off shelves. In Long Beach, one resident felt shaking and rolling.

Near Los Angeles International Airport, an apartment building in El Segundo shook and curtains swung.

According to the US Geological Survey map, the epicenter of the earthquake was in Malibu, just east of South Kanan Dume Road.

(USGS)

Earthquakes have been more noticeable recently in densely populated areas of Southern California, but that fact doesn’t help predict whether a larger, destructive earthquake is coming sooner or later, earthquake experts say.

Some residents were warned by the state’s earthquake early warning system.

Shortly after the earthquake, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on X that the city’s fire department had begun its routine surveys in the city to determine the damage. Currently, all fire stations are conducting the surveys and there are no initial reports of damage yet, said Margaret Stewart, a spokeswoman for the fire department.

The epicenter of the quake was in the Malibu Hills off Kanan-Dume Road near Ramirez Canyon.

Times writers Luke Money, Iliana Limon Romero, Ruben Vives, Richard Winton and Steve Henson contributed to this report.