WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck east of Los Angeles on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, with no reports of major damage or injuries.

The quake was shallow at only 5km below the earth's surface and was centered 3km northwest of Devore, about 80km east of Los Angeles, with smaller aftershocks following shortly afterwards, according to the USGS.

Quakes are frequent in the area that lies near the intersection of the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults but the quake startled some residents nevertheless, local media said.

"It was a good shaker," Toni Cousino, a waitress at a local diner, told the San Bernardino County Sun.

The 1,300km San Andreas fault runs roughly north-south through California. Nine earthquakes above magnitude 4 have hit the region over the past decade, the USGS said.