3.4 Earthquake Gives Area a Harmless Jolt
ORANGE COUNTY — A small earthquake centered in Costa Mesa delivered a quick, sharp jolt to part of Orange County on Tuesday morning, strong enough to set off car alarms but not to cause any injuries, damage or even missed class time at a high school next to the epicenter.
It was one of three small temblors that shook Southern California on Tuesday.
The magnitude 3.4 quake, which hit at 11:22 a.m. near the Costa Mesa Golf Course and Estancia High School, was felt as far away as Los Angeles.
Caltech seismologist Kate Hutton said the jolt occurred very close to the Newport-Inglewood fault.
A second quake measuring 2.1 struck nearby 22 minutes later, two miles north of Bolsa Chica State Beach. Caltech seismologists have not yet determined if the second jolt was an aftershock or a separate temblor, Hutton said.
A third, unrelated quake rattled the Riverside County desert at 4:39 p.m. The magnitude 3.2 temblor was centered three miles northeast of Desert Hot Springs.
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