There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries following the quake, the epicenter of which was located near the small town of Yucaipa, 114 kilometers (71 miles) east of Los Angeles.

The quake, which struck at 1:53 pm (2053 GMT), rattled homes across southern California, and was initially registered at measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale but was later downgraded.

"It was located .. near the San Andreas fault but not on it," said seismologist Lucy Jones of the US Geological Survey.

"It was felt across the whole Los Angeles area, not surprising for this size of quake," she told reporters.

The temblor came after a quake measuring 7.2 struck Tuesday off the coast of northern California, sparking a brief tsunami alert from Canada to Mexico, and followed a 5.6 shaker that hit 32 kilometers (19 miles) south of the desert resort town of Palm Springs on Sunday.

In addition, two other strong quakes hit other parts of the west coast of the Americas on Tuesday.

A massive 7.9 earthquake jolted northern Chile, killing 11 people, while a 6.8 struck off Alaska's Rat Island later the same day, prompting some experts to question whether there could be a link between the shifting of the earth along the west coast of the Americas.

But seismologist Jones said it was unlikely the events were linked. "This is not a timescale on which you can say the Pacific Rim is getting more active," she said.

"There are enough earthquakes that we should probably have a look, but I'm not looking to Rat Island and Chile and thinking big thoughts here," Jones said.

Residents across Los Angeles and in the southern city of San Diego reported feeling their homes and offices shake intensely, sending items tumbling from shelves following Thursday's shaker.

The quake "just shook you and rocked you," Raven Lopez Workman, who lives near the quake's center, told KCAL9 News.

At least eight aftershocks measuring between 1.6 and 3.5 shook the region following Thursday's earthquake.

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