In Reply to: 4.9 Earthquake near San Clemente Island Today posted by Elaine on October 16, 2005 at 16:58:20:

SAN DIEGO – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck Sunday in the ocean 29 miles south southeast of San Clemente Island, according to a Caltech seismologist.

The temblor, which hit at 2:11 p.m., was felt as far away as West Los Angeles.

San Clemente Island – which is 21 miles long – is about 75 miles northwest of San Diego.

San Diego police and fire reported no injuries or damage from the quake, which was felt in Vista and in Rancho Bernardo.

"I was sitting down and I felt the chair move," Vista resident Cynthia Buckwalter said.

In San Diego, a fire dispatcher said she and her coworkers felt a few seconds of shaking.

"We all kind of looked at each other and at first we thought it was a sonic boom from Miramar Air Station, but no, it was an earthquake," the dispatcher said.

In Rancho Bernardo, where the National Weather Service is based, Meteorologist Mike Lavis said "we felt it here," adding that the shake lasted for less than 5 seconds.

In the North County, there were no calls whatsoever about the quake, a Rancho fire dispatcher and an Oceanside fire Battalion Chief said.

"The girl sitting next to me felt it but I didn't," the Rancho dispatcher said.

"I was taking a call and I felt nothing."

San Diego police said the first they learned about the quake was through a call from a reporter.

• San Diego Union article

• USGS quake info w/ maps 22:04:56 10/16/05 (0)