The 4.5 preliminary magnitude quake was centered 4.1 miles north-northwest of the
suburb of Chatsworth, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was extremely shallow, at only 3 miles deep.Residents reported a strong jolt, followed by a lot of shaking. Some said pictures fell off walls, water sloshed around in toilets, and television sets wobbled on cabinets. A police spokesman said the quake triggered hundreds of alarms.
It was followed by two aftershocks, both with a preliminary 1.6 magnitude.
Chatsworth is just six miles west of Northridge, the epicenter of the magnitude 6.7 quake that killed 57 people and injured more than 9,000 in 1994.
