Pair of earthquakes strikes near Santa Barbara County coast

A pair of earthquakes rattled the coastal areas of Santa Barbara County late Tuesday, authorities said.

The first temblor was at 9:42 p.m., when a shallow magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck about eight miles west of Isla Vista in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The second earthquake, with a magnitude 3.1, occurred at 9:43 p.m. Its epicenter was along the coast just east of El Capitan State Beach, according to the USGS.

In the last 10 days, there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

Prominent seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said on Twitter that the pair of quakes occurred “in a zone of many small faults,” adding that the faults explained the nearby Santa Ynez Mountains.

According to the USGS, the quakes were felt across Santa Barbara County, from Carpinteria to Lompoc and the Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Read more about Southern California earthquakes.

UPDATES:

10:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the USGS on a second earthquake.

This article was originally published at 9:30 p.m.