A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rattled Southern California on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The epicentre was 9.4 kilometres from the town of Ridgcrest, which numbers around 30,000 people, around 180 kilometres north-east of Los Angeles.

Local media, speaking to Ridgcrest residents, reported fierce shaking in the desert town, but the extent of damage remains unclear.

No major damage is reported in the Los Angeles area.

“The fault was at least 10 miles [16 kilometres] long,” Lucy Jones, a seismologist for the USGS, told reporters.

The Los Angeles Police Department said in a tweet it has not received any service calls resulting from the earthquake.

The Los Angeles International Airport said all runways are operating normally.