"Notable quake, preliminary info: M 4.3 - 1km ESE of Carson", the USGS tweeted.
No damage has been reported so far, Carson authorities and California emergency services said on the Twitter account Ready Carson, adding that "normal safety flaring" was taking place at the city's large crude oil refinery "with no danger to the public".
The earthquake was recorded at 7:58 p.m. on Friday local time (02:58 GMT). The epicentre was located about 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of Carson at a depth of 15 kilometres. Its magnitude was originally estimated at 4.4 and then downgraded to 4.3.