L.A. rattled by three more small earthquakes north of Malibu

Three small earthquakes struck north of Malibu on Monday morning, just four days after a magnitude 4.7 quake was reported in the same area along the Pacific coast.

The first earthquake Monday, a magnitude 3.76 temblor, was reported at 4:22 a.m. about one mile north of Malibu just west of Kanan Dume Road, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The second quake, at 5:05, registered a magnitude of 1.7, and the third, at 7:05, a magnitude of 2.8, both in the same area as the first.

Monday’s quakes are part of a swarm of nearly 60 aftershocks that have followed since a moderate earthquake struck Thursday, according to a USGS spokesperson. All of those quakes have been centered on the same area north of Malibu and the Pacific coast.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department said the department did not receive any calls for service in response to the earthquakes.

In the last 10 days, there have been eight earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

Thursday’s Malibu earthquake was part of the 14th seismic sequence with at least one magnitude 4 or higher earthquake this year in Southern California, said seismologist Lucy Jones, a Caltech research associate.

The recent shaking does not necessarily indicate that a large, damaging earthquake is around the corner, scientists said. Researchers have offered dueling theories, with some saying that earthquake activity increases in a region before a large earthquake strikes while others insist that seismic activity decreases before a large jolt. In short, the recent activity offers no hint of when the next large, destructive temblor will occur, said USGS seismologist Susan Hough.

An average of five earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in the Greater Los Angeles area, according to a recent three-year data sample.

Monday’s first earthquake occurred at a depth of 6.6 miles and the second at 5.9 miles, according to the available data.

Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.

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This story was initially generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.

Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.