Magnitude 2.7 earthquake felt in Los Angeles area

A magnitude 2.7 earthquake was felt in parts of Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon, according to seismologists. Despite its relatively weak magnitude, shaking was reported in the epicenter near Van Nuys.

The quake struck at 12:22 p.m. local time and was centered in the Greater Los Angeles area, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported. It had a shallow depth of approximately 3.2 miles below the surface.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, about 1.7 miles from Van Nuys and 3.5 miles from North Hollywood.

Residents near the epicenter described the quake as a strong but brief jolt. “That was such a sudden jolt, I was legit confused if something hit the building or not,” user Victoria Righthand said in a social media post.

Felt reports submitted to the USGS indicate the quake was also experienced in areas as far as downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica, including neighborhoods such as West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Glendale, Burbank, and others nearby.

Los Angeles sits atop a complex network of active fault lines and experiences frequent minor earthquakes. Most of these events go unnoticed or cause only light shaking, but they are closely monitored by seismologists due to the region’s history of larger, damaging quakes.