New Delhi, July 31 -- A magnitude-4.3 earthquake struck the San Bernardino area on Thursday morning, shaking wide swaths of Southern California, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The tremor was recorded at around 9:30 a.m. and was the strongest of a series of quakes that morning, including at least four measuring magnitude 2.5 or higher, NBC Los Angeles reported. Communities near the epicenter, including Muscoy and Rialto-about 50 miles east of Los Angeles-felt the brunt of the shaking.

The first quake, a smaller tremor, hit at 8:34 a.m. in San Bernardino County. This was followed by the stronger 4.3-magnitude quake nearly an hour later. Shaking from the latter was widely felt in inland cities such as Riverside and San Berna...