6.4-magnitude quake hits Southern California: USGS

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Southern California on Thursday at 10:33 am (17:33 GMT) near the Searles Valley in San Bernardino County, the United States Geological Survey said. The shallow quake struck at a depth of 5.4 miles (8.7 kilometers) in the vast desert region, lasting multiple seconds with residents as far away as Los Angeles saying they felt the tremor.

It is not yet clear if the earthquake caused major damage, but the Los Angeles International Airport reported that runways were unharmed, with operations continuing as normal. "At this time, the LAPD has not received any reports of damage or calls for service within the City of Los Angeles related to the #earthquake," the LA Police Department tweeted.

Though California is the most populous state in the US, the quake was located in a sparsely populated portion of the Mojave Desert.