Did you feel it? 4.0 magnitude earthquake jostles parts of Ventura County

Staff reports
·2 min read
An orange dot shows the site of earthquake roughly 6 miles northwest of Santa Paula on Saturday evening, Feb. 26, 2022. Preliminary estimates measured it around magnitude 4.0.
An orange dot shows the site of earthquake roughly 6 miles northwest of Santa Paula on Saturday evening, Feb. 26, 2022. Preliminary estimates measured it around magnitude 4.0.

An earthquake shook parts of Ventura County Saturday evening, with initial reports indicating the 4.0 magnitude quake was centered about 6 miles northwest of Santa Paula.

The quake was recorded at 5:44 p.m., according to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center.

Initial reports pegged the size at 3.9. An update from the U.S. Geological Survey soon boosted the estimate to magnitude 4.1. It was later revised to 4.0. Such estimates often fluctuate as the agency analyzes data.

An interactive USGS map indicated people felt light shaking from the coast to Santa Clarita, and from Santa Barbara to Glendale and beyond.

Authorities measured the depth at 16.1 miles. The size and location are similar to a 3.9 magnitude quake in the same area on Feb. 10.

"Both are very deep for Southern California," said seismologist Lucy Jones on her Twitter account, noting the similarity between Saturday's quake and the earlier February event.

She encouraged people to report what they felt at the USGS interactive site at earthquake.usgs.gov. The site had received more than 1,600 responses as of 7:15 p.m.

"Very deep quakes will be felt in a different pattern than shallow ones," Jones wrote. "If you enter your felt report, we will have more data to compare the deep to shallow quakes."

Santa Paula police dispatchers heard from callers wanting to confirm there had been an earthquake, but heard no reports of damage.

Authorities at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's station in Lost Hills tweeted about the quake.

"We felt a little rumble at the station," the tweet said. "We have no reports of any damage or injuries in our area."

A Ventura County Sheriff's watch commander said the agency hadn't received any calls about the quake.

Some other smaller quakes were felt in the area later, including one measuring about magnitude 3.1 at 8:45 p.m.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 4.0 magnitude earthquake felt in Ventura County