Earthquake California: San Juan Capistrano, Orange County Shaken By 3.9-Magnitude Quake

By Staff Reporter | Apr 23, 2012 05:00 PM EDT

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An earthquake hit California's Orange County on Monday. The 3.9-magnitude quake was centered a mile west of San Juan Capistrano, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The tremblor, which struck southern California two miles below ground at 10:37 a.m. PST, was relatively minor but did cause some alarm as it was described by the Associated Press as delivering "a strong jolt."

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone told the AP that there were no reports of damage in the immediate aftermath of the California quake.

"It might knock a picture crooked on the wall or something like that," Stone said. "It's one of those reminders you should always be prepared in case another one does hit."

And Southern California Edison spokeswoman Jennifer Manfre said the San Onofre nuclear generating station about 10 miles south of San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, California, was not affected, and that both its reactors are shut down, the AP reported.

Mission San Juan Capistrano monument Executive Director Mechelle Lawrence-Adams confirmed to the AP that the quake was minor.

"Not even a painting has fallen off a wall," she told the wire service shortly after the California earthquake on Monday.

Southern California is a hotbed for earthquakes, as fault lines including the Puente Hills and San Joaquin Hills faults run right through Orange County, California, and other areas of the state's southern regions.

As such, a number of catastrophic earthquakes have rocked Orange County, including one in 1812 that reduced Mission San Juan's Great Stone Church to rubble.

The U.S. Geological Survey has indicated that there is a 97.098 percent chance that a major earthquake will strike within 50 kilometers of La Habra, California, located in northern Orange County, within the next 50 years.

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