DLNews Staff:

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck the Ojai area Sunday afternoon, rattling nerves as Southern California was hit with pounding rain from Tropical Storm Hilary. The quake was felt across Southern California and hit at 2:41 p.m. It was centered about four miles southeast of Ojai and 10 miles northeast of Ventura in a sparsely populated area of the Sisar fault zone, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Several aftershocks followed the temblor, but no damage or injuries were reported. It was the strongest quake to strike in Southern California since a magnitude 6.9 temblor rocked Ventura County and a southwestern corner of Los Angeles County in 2008, causing widespread power outages and flooding.

Seismologist Lucy Jones with the USGS says Sunday's quake was preceded by a small foreshock sequence, the largest of which had a magnitude of 2.5. Some residents described receiving an earthquake early warning on their cellphone's MyShake app before feeling the shaking.

She says there's no indication that this quake is linked to the weather. "It's a day for everyone to get involved and be prepared," she says.

KERO's Scott Thomsen reports that local firefighters were busy dealing with the soaking rains from Tropical Storm Hilary when the quake hit. They immediately implemented their earthquake plan, which involved getting the trucks out of the firehouses. "The trucks were all in the driveway, and we just had to run out and start moving them," says Ventura County Fire Director Scott Thomsen.

Many people reported feeling the quake on social media, with some saying their vehicle or house was swaying. Others reported a strong jolt that lasted only seconds. Regardless, the temblor was enough to make many people feel uneasy, especially given that Southern California is one of the most seismically active areas in the world.

Jones says The strong tremor was enough to cause minor cracking in some walls. The quake was centered near the Ventura-Santa Barbara county line, but it was widely felt from Santa Maria to Buellton and all across the region.

A stronger quake could be on the way. The USGS says an enormous magnitude 7.9 quake is possible near the San Andreas fault in the coming days, which could cause destructive tsunamis.

Earthquakes are so common in the state that most people don't even notice them, but they can be devastating for those who live in an area prone to them. Southern California, which sits on top of numerous fault lines, is a hotbed for them. Thousands of small quakes occur each year, and about 100 of them are of magnitude 6.0 or greater. Many of those quakes are so small that they go unnoticed, but a few have caused significant damage. The 1933 Long Beach and 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquakes are notable in California for their strength and size. And in addition to the San Andreas fault, more minor faults run throughout the state and produce a lot of little earthquakes.

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