An earthquake hit the Channel Islands region Thursday, April 5.

The earthquake measured a 5.3 on the Richter scale –– the strongest Southern California quake in several years –– and was felt throughout most of the region. The earthquake’s epicenter was at a depth of about eleven miles underground, about 38 miles southwest of Ventura and 86 miles west of Los Angeles.

According to the Richter Scale, a 5.3 earthquake falls under the category of a moderate earthquake. A 5.3 can be felt on the surface and has the potential to cause minor damage.

While many Oak Park residents said they felt the earthquake, others did not.

“I didn’t even feel the earthquake. I was just sitting in my living room and my friend called me and asked me if I felt it,” junior Carly Friedlander said. “I wasn’t even aware there was an earthquake until she called me.”

Junior Sylvie van Cott said that the earthquake was mild enough to mistake for something else.

“I thought it was my crazy cats running up the stairs but then when it kept going I realized it wasn’t,” van Cott said.