4.0 magnitude earthquake strikes in Los Angeles area

LOS ANGELES – A 4.0 magnitude earthquake gave the Los Angeles area a jolt before dawn Monday.

The 4:44 a.m. quake was centred in the Inglewood area east of Los Angeles International Airport, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

It also was relatively deep, at 12 miles (19.9 kilometres).

The USGS said light shaking was reported across the greater metropolitan area and no significant damage was expected.

“Would have been felt by most people awake in LA,” veteran seismologist Lucy Jones tweeted.

A magnitude 3.3 tremor was the largest of several foreshocks, and a series of small aftershocks followed.

“The aftershocks are normal,” Jones said.