Light quake hits Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, May 19 (UPI) -- A light earthquake rattled nerves Tuesday in southern Los Angeles two days after a slightly stronger quake.

Caltech scientists described the new earthquake, which measured 4.1 on the Richter scale, as an aftershock of the 4.7-magnitude quake on Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported. The epicenters of the two quakes were less than a mile apart.

Earthquakes between 4.0 and 4.9 on the Richter scale are considered light, strong enough to rattle items indoors but unlikely to cause any significant damage. The quake Sunday did some minor damage, but there were no reports of any from the second quake.

The Northridge earthquake in January 1994, which killed at least 57 people and injured thousands more, was the last major one in the Los Angeles area. Last year, the 5.4 Chino Hills quake was centered 28 miles east of the city and did some structural damage.