4.3-magnitude earthquake rattles Southern California overnight, geologists say

A 4.3-magnitude earthquake rattled Southern California overnight, geologist said.

The earthquake near Ridgecrest shook the area at about 2:23 a.m. on Thursday, May 26, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was about 2 miles deep.

Although the earthquake is smaller than some California residents are used to, hundreds of people reported feeling the earthquake. As of 5:15 a.m., more than 230 people reported feeling the earthquake to the USGS.

Light shaking could be felt in Los Angeles, about 150 miles southeast of the quake, USGS reported. Some people on social media said the earthquake rattled them awake.

“Earthquake just woke me clean up out of my sleep,” one person said on Twitter.

Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.

Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech. Quakes below 2.5 magnitude are seldom felt by most people.