Series of small quakes hits off Southern California coast

Three small earthquakes hit the Channel Islands area on Tuesday morning, less than a month after a 5.3 magnitude temblor was felt across Southern California.

A 3.7 magnitude quake occurred about 4:22 a.m., followed by a 3.4 and a 3.2 quake. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it was felt along some areas of the Southern California coast.

The 5.3 quake on April 6 was the strongest in Southern California in several years, jangling some nerves but causing no major damage because it occurred offshore.

The Santa Barbara area is home to a number of earthquake faults, the largest of which is the Santa Ynez fault, which is 80 miles long and runs just north of the city. That fault is believed to be capable of triggering an earthquake as powerful as magnitude 7.5.