A magnitude 6.3 earthquake off Baja California shook Southern California early Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The temblor struck at 2:36 a.m. at a depth of 7 miles beneath the Pacific Ocean, about 163 miles south-southwest of Avalon in an area of shallow faulting where "the Pacific [tectonic] plate moves to the northwest with respect to the North America plate," according to a USGS statement.
It had been more than 40 years since an earthquake struck in that part of the ocean, according to the USGS.
The quake was felt over a wide area, from Ventura in the north to Ensenada in the south, as well as parts of San Diego and Orange counties, according to the USGS.
