Earthquake: 5.1 quake shakes Los Angeles, Southern California

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake was reported Friday evening one mile from La Habra, California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 9:09 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 0.6 miles.

Updated at 9:44 p.m.

The 5.1 magnitude earthquake that rattled Southern California Friday night raises the possibility that a larger quake is on the way, seismologists said. (It was originally listed as 5.3 magnitude).

The swarm of earthquakes began at 8:03 p.m., when a 3.6 earthquake hit. That ended up being a foreshock of the largest earthquake to hit, a magnitude 5.1 at 9:09 p.m. At least two more aftershocks hit in the 3 range, a 3.4 at 9:11 p.m. and a 3.6 at 9:30 p.m.

U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones said the 5.1 quake has a 5% chance of being a foreshock of an even larger quake.

'There could be even a larger earthquake in the next few hours or the next few days,' Jones said at Caltech.

Updated at 9:33 p.m.

A 3.6 aftershock was just reported in La Habra, according to the USGS.

Updated at 9:32 p.m.

Many Disneyland guests have said on social media that rides have been stopped as a precaution. The park is south of the epicenter.

Updated at 9:29 p.m.

In Hacienda Heights, a few miles west of the epicenter, some items fell off the walls at one home. But there were no reports of more serious damage.

Updated at 9:26 p.m.

In Orange, a few miles to the east of the epicenter, patrons at BJs Brewery went from boisterous conversation to tense silence. The suspended LED lights swayed. The vodka behind the bar stayed where it was. When it was over, the room erupted in applause.

Updated at 9:23 p.m.

The 5.3 magitude quake occurred a few minutes after two smaller quakes, which appear to have been foreshocks.

Updated at 9:22 p.m.

Residents in Orange County reported the quake lasted for about 10 seconds. They said they felt gradual shaking.

Updated at 9:16 p.m.

The quake was felt across a large swath of Southern California. There were no immediate reports of damage. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it is going into emergency mode and looking for signs of damage or injuries.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was one mile from Brea, California, three miles from Rowland Heights, California, three miles from Fullerton, California and 337 miles from Phoenix, Arizona.

In the past ten days, there has been one earthquake magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.

This information comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and this post was created by an algorithm written by the author.

Read more about Southern California earthquakes.

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