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4.3 Earthquake Strikes Los Angeles Area [Updated]

By Zach Behrens
September 1, 2011
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Image via USGS

An earthquake struck north of Los Angeles Thursday afternoon. It had a magnitude of 4.3 and was located in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Sylmar in L.A. and south of Canyon Country in Santa Clarita (map), according to the USGS.

The moderate quake at 1:47 p.m. was widley felt throughout Los Angeles and as far as San Bernardino and Irvine, according to the USGS' Did You Feel It? website.

There were no initial reports of damage or injuries following the quake, or two aftershocks that registered at 2.0 and 2.6, in Los Angeles, according to L.A. Fire Department spokesperson Matt Spence. The department is in earthquake mode and units are surveying their assigned areas.

Update, 2:35 p.m.: The actual location initially reported online by USGS computers may be incorrect. A 1.4 foreshock at 1:29 p.m. may have mislocated the epicenter, according to a USGS spokesperson. A seismologist is manually checking the location. The quake was in an area with a complex network of faults, which in the past has produced significant events such as the 1971 San Fernando and 1994 Northridge earthquakes.

Update, 2:38 p.m.: A 3.0 earthquake struck at 2:34 p.m.

Update, 3:10 p.m.: Upon completing a city-wide assessment, the L.A. Fire Department says there has been no damage or injuries following the quake.

Previously: 5 Reasons Why the East Coast Earthquake Matters To You

Post updated throughout. It was originally reported as a 4.2, but the USGS upgraded it to a 4.3.

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