Moderate quake hits Southern Calif.

LUDLOW, Calif., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- A moderate earthquake shook the Mojave Desert in Southern California Friday evening.

The earthquake measured 5.5 on the Richter scale, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The epicenter was 16 miles west-northwest of Ludlow, Calif., and 116 miles east northeast of the Los Angeles Civic Center.

While the magnitude was great enough to damage poorly constructed buildings near the epicenter, there were no reports of damage or injuries in the lightly inhabited area, KTLA-TV in Los Angeles said. Residents from San Diego to Los Angeles said they felt some shaking.

Jeremy Chestnut was at work at a Ludlow Dairy Queen and service station when the quake hit at 8:18 p.m.

"The ground was rolling underneath but it was very light -- nothing," he said. "I was standing in front of an ice cream machine and it makes the ground shake too."