California Earthquake Updates: Track Seismic Events Near Riverside County

An earthquake rattled parts of Southern California on Tuesday night, sending small aftershocks throughout the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake at about 5:25 p.m. The quake was centered 4.3 miles from Aguanga in Riverside County and approximately 20 miles east of the city Temecula. No damage or injuries have been documented.

According to Don Blakeman, a geophysicist from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center, earthquakes of this size are common in this area and typically pose little threat to people living nearby. "A quake of this size could happen at any time in California," he told Newsweek.

Larger earthquakes can last minutes, but this seismic event most likely only lasted a few seconds, he said.

Quakes smaller than a magnitude 5 can cause bookshelves to rattle or knock items off of shelves, but that's about it, Blakeman said.

Typically, only earthquakes above the magnitude of 5 can cause any significant damage.

Since the event, several aftershocks were detected in the area. Most were earthquakes of a magnitude less than 1, which means they were so subtle that the average person probably would not notice them. "They are very tiny quakes, nothing that could ever be felt," Blakeman said.

Those who want to track earthquake activity in their area can visit the USGS website.