A sudden tremble struck the Los Angeles area Monday morning at 6:25 a.m.

The quake’s epicenter occurred in the Santa Monica Mountains 6 miles north-northwest of Westwood, Calif., and 15 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The quake was initially measured at a 4.7-magnitude, but then was recorded as 4.4 at a depth of 5.3 miles.

Approximately six aftershocks followed the rumbles. Magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 2.6 were felt between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

The quake was felt in Beverly Hills, Universal City, Santa Monica, and Sacramento, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

One of the largest earthquakes to ever strike Los Angeles occurred nearly 20 years ago and claimed the lives of dozens of people. It was reportedly a M6.7.

The most recent earthquake the area experienced happened near Inglewood in 2009 at a 4.7-magnitude.

Experts say that although Monday’s earthquake wasn’t exceptionally damaging, it is still very significant.

“It’s not that large by California terms. It’s the size of earthquake we have across the state once every couple of months,” said Lucy Jones, a USGS seismologist. “But we haven’t had one like this in LA for quite a while.”

No injuries or damages were reported. Yet, the tremors were strong enough to knock down a few household items according to local witnesses.

Geophysicist Paul Caruso told CNN, “damage or casualties generally wouldn’t be expected with earthquakes weaker than a 5.5 magnitude, though results vary by region, often depending on construction codes and types of rock that exist underground.”

However, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told KABC-TV in a statement that this was a wake up call for the city:

Today’s earthquake is a reminder that every L.A. family must be prepared with food, water and other essentials, as well as a plan. While it appears the greatest impact of this temblor was a rude awakening, we are executing our post-earthquake protocols to survey our neighborhoods and critical infrastructure.

Check out the clips below showing KTLA news anchors responding to the earthquake on live TV: 

Image via Wikimedia Commons