Preliminary data: Earthquake was M 4.4 in Yorba Linda

The USGS is reporting a 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit about 11:24 p.m. Tuesday in Yorba Linda.

The earthquake was about 2 miles northeast of Yorba Linda and was about 5 miles deep.

Here’s a link.

The earthquake was very near the Sept. 29, 2008 M 5.5 earthquake that rocked the Carbon Canyon area.

Here’s a link to that quake.

The area near the two earthquakes is a hotbed of faults. The large Elsinore Fault runs along the Santa Ana Mountains and then splits into several smaller faults, all of which can produce decent-sized earthquakes.

Here’s a link to the Elsinore Fault zone.

The knowledge of faults in the area is pretty shaky, experts have told me in the past. We are still learning a lot about what’s going on, seismically speaking, in that area.

 Click here for a super-cool interactive map showing the area’s known faults.