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Small Quake Strikes Big Bear Area

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A small earthquake jolted the Big Bear Lake area Monday morning, causing some jitters but no damage or injuries.

The quake had a magnitude of 3.5 and struck at 9:44 a.m., said Katrin Douglas, a researcher at the California Institute of Technology’s Seismology Laboratory in Pasadena. The temblor was centered 16 miles northeast of San Bernardino in the mountains below the lake, Douglas said.

The quake was apparently felt from Lake Arrowhead to Orange County, authorities said. Bill Shackelford, a California Highway Patrol officer in Running Springs, was close to the epicenter.

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“We felt it all right,” Shackelford said. “I was at my desk, writing reports. . . . It was like an explosion, like a sonic boom right over our building. It didn’t last long, but it was powerful.”

Shackelford said the CHP received about half a dozen calls from curious residents, and other law enforcement agencies reported scattered inquiries. Douglas said the quake did not appear related to any other temblor.

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