Southern California rattled by 5.2 magnitude earthquake

A large swathe of Southern California has been shaken by an earthquake northwest of Los Angeles but there are no immediate reports of damage.

The US Geological Survey said the 5.2 magnitude temblor stuck at 9:09pm on Tuesday and was centred near Mettler, an unincorporated area in Kern County about 137km from downtown Los Angeles.

Authorities in Los Angeles and other affected communities were checking for any damage to infrastructure.

The earthquake was felt at Dodger Stadium in the middle of the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, but the quake garnered no discernible reaction from the crowd.

The Kern County Fire Department said in a social media post that firefighters in the area would survey their districts.