Small quake jolts area, but that’s all

--Deepa Bharath

A mild temblor centered four miles northeast of Newport Beach gave the

area a quick jolt Monday afternoon but caused virtually no damage.

The magnitude 2.8 earthquake rattled Newport-Mesa around 3 p.m.,

lasting only a couple seconds. Officials at Caltech’s seismology

department in Pasadena said it was not an aftershock, but a “new quake.”

Authorities in both cities said no emergency responses were prompted

by the quake, which resembled a sonic “boom.” Costa Mesa police officials

said they felt the jolt, but did not receive any calls reporting injuries

or damage.

Costa Mesa Fire Department officials said a few people called

immediately afterward to find out if it was an earthquake.

Officials at the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol said they

“didn’t feel a thing.”

Newport Beach Police said they neither felt the quake nor received

calls about it.

“We haven’t had any related incidents so far,” said Newport Beach Fire

and Marine Lt. John Blauer. “The effect was very limited.”