A magnitude 3.5 earthquake occurred on an offshore fault at 1:22 p.m. Monday, producing light shaking in much of San Diego County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The agency said the temblor began about 7 miles beneath the seafloor, roughly 21 miles west of the border of San Diego and Orange counties. That area is close to the Newport-Inglewood fault.
Scientists say quakes of this magnitude are common offshore and rarely lead to a much larger event.
The USGS said the shaking was felt approximately from Carlsbad to Imperial Beach along the coast and as far east as Escondido, El Cajon and Bonita. Shaking also was reported in parts of Orange County.