4.3 Magnitude California Earthquake Strikes Days After Two Magnitude 3 Quakes

A 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck in the Los Angeles area on Friday evening causing shaking in the Los Angeles Basin and Orange County along with the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.

It is the third earthquake of more than magnitude 3 to hit the greater LA area this week though all three have been considered relatively mild. Friday's quake took place just after 8 pm local town in Carson, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There have been no reports of injuries or serious damage resulting from the quake but Carson's Marathon Petroleum refinery lost power and conducted flaring to burn off excess gases. This process sent a flame into the sky and reportedly caused concern among residents.

Marathon Petroleum spokesperson Jamal Kheiry told the Los Angeles Times: "Flares are safety devices and the flares are functioning as intended. There are no injuries or off-site impact."

Though firefighters were initially called to the refinery, company officials later called to cancel.

The quake was centered on Carson and also caused shaking in nearby Torrance, Wilmington, Gardena and Compton.

Two previous earthquakes occurred in the area on September 13 and 14 respectively.

One of the quakes was magnitude 3.6 and struck in Thousand Oaks at 7.59 am PDT on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times' Quakebot.

On Tuesday, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit 14 miles from Coalinga at 12.38 am PDT. Earthquakes of that magnitude are considered relatively mild.

The Los Angeles Police Department tweeted at 9 pm PDT: "Currently there are no significant incidents to report related to the 4.3 magnitude earthquake."

"Be prepared for potential aftershocks & only use 911 for emergencies. You can use 877-ASK-LAPD for non-emergencies in the City of Los Angeles," the LAPD wrote.

"There are currently no disruptions in services and we will continue to protect and serve all Angelenos," they added.

Lucy Jones, a seismologist, told KCBS-TV the quake" doesn't look abnormal at all."

"This size happens on average somewhere in Southern California every couple of months," Jones said. "When it happens to be in the middle of the Los Angeles Basin, then a lot more people feel it and it becomes bigger news," Jones went on.

Friday's earthquake reportedly occurred along the Newport-Inglewood Fault which produced a 6.4 magnitude quake in 1933 that caused the deaths of 120 people, according to CBS 2 evening news anchor Jeff Vaughan.

The California Geological Survey also tweeted about the matter at around 9 pm local time, saying: "Tonight's M4.3 earthquake was centered in Carson, near Long Beach. It was caused by strike-slip motion (side-by-side sliding) on a fault near the Newport-Inglewood fault zone. Small aftershocks can be expected over the next several hours."