3.1 quake rattles Newport Beach area

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.1 struck the Newport Beach area on Sunday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake, which hit at about 3:22 p.m., was centered about 3 miles east of Newport Beach, 3 miles south southeast of Costa Mesa and 7 miles southwest of Irvine, the USGS incident page stated.

Based on the coordinates provided by USGS, the earthquake struck near the 900 block of North Bayside Drive, in Lower Newport Bay, according to Google Maps.

The location is not far from the Newport Beach Country Club and the Fashion Island mall, mapping showed.

The quake hit at a depth of approximately 4.3 miles.

Weak to light shaking was felt throughout Orange County, USGS reported. Some described the motion as a “big” and “strong” jolt. Daily Pilot readers reported feeling the quake in Newport Heights, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Santa Ana Heights, Laguna Niguel and Garden Grove.

The initial quake was followed seven minutes later by a preliminary magnitude 2.2 quake, according to USGS. The smaller quake was centered in about the same location.

Dr. Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the Geological Survey, said focal mechanism showed the quake was not centered along the Newport-Inglewood Fault, which is the biggest in the area.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The Costa Mesa Fire Department tweeted about 3:45 p.m. that all stations were conducting a “windshield survey” in their areas and later reported the survey complete with no injuries or damage found.

Daily Pilot staff contributed to this report.