Earthquake shakes southern California

Southern California was shaken by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Thursday as the US celebrated Independence Day.

The epicentre of the tremor, which struck at around 10.30am local times, was 12km southwest of Searles Valley, some 240km northeast of Los Angeles.

People from the Mojave Desert to the Pacific coast are reported to have felt shaking. Tremors were also felt in Los Angeles but there were no reports of injuries or damage.

There have been several smaller aftershocks.

According to the US Geological Survey the epicentre was in a relatively uninhabited area.