Seismologists: "Wake-up call"

Earth tremor of magnitude 4.4 startles Los Angeles

Seismologists in California have been warning of "The Big One", a feared major earthquake, for some time.(Bild: AP)

A slight earth tremor has startled people in Southern California. According to the USGS earthquake monitoring station, the quake had a magnitude of 4.4 on Monday afternoon (local time).

The epicenter was in the middle of the densely populated Los Angeles area. Numerous residents spoke in TV interviews and on social media of being shocked and nervous after the clearly noticeable shaking.

There were no reports of injuries or major damage, according to the Los Angeles fire department following an earthquake inspection in the metropolis. However, this is a wake-up call for residents to be prepared for larger quakes.

West coast susceptible to quakes
The US west coast state is considered very susceptible to earthquakes: The San Andreas Fault runs for almost 1300 kilometers through California. The Pacific plate pushes northwest along the deep fault in the earth's crust and rubs against the North American continent. This causes enormous tensions to build up in the earth's crust, which can result in earthquakes.