Magnitude 4.2 earthquake shakes Los Angeles, but no damage

The 4:29 am jolt was centered in the northern San Fernando Valley

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook the Los Angeles region before dawn Thursday but no significant damage was reported. The 4:29 am jolt was centered in the northern San Fernando Valley and occurred at a depth of 5.5 miles (8.9 kilometers), the US Geological Survey said. A magnitude 3.3 aftershock followed.

The Los Angeles Fire Department found no damage or injuries in a survey by ground and air units, a standard procedure after earthquakes in the nation’s second-largest city. The quake was mostly felt in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, according to the USGS citizen reporting system, but a few reports came from more distant locations.

The northern San Fernando Valley is where the much stronger magnitude 6.5 Sylmar earthquake was centered in 1971, causing extensive damage and dozens of deaths.