A small undersea earthquake has struck off Santa Monica and was widely felt in the West Los Angeles area.

The U.S. Geological survey says the 3.6-magnitude temblor hit at 2:17 a.m. PDT Monday and was centered about four miles west of Redondo Beach at a depth of 8 miles.

The USGS website recorded hundreds of hits from respondents saying they felt the quake -- mainly people in oceanfront communities but some from central Los Angeles about 20 miles east.

A Santa Monica police spokesman said he felt a "very brief and mild jolt," but had not received any calls from the public.

Christopher Knight, a Scottsdale, Ariz., resident visiting in Marina del Ray, says the jolt lasted about a second. "It was very short shift from left to right."

Scientists say quakes of this magnitude, while often felt, are generally not strong enough to cause injury or damage