Wednesday October 31 08:52 AM EST

Quake Rattles Calif. Nerves

By ABCNEWS.com

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake shook southern California, causing minor damage.

A moderately powerful earthquake rattled a sparsely populated region of southern California early this morning, causing minor damage.

The 5.1-magnitude temblor was centered about 9.4 miles east-southeast of Anza, which itself is about 40 miles south of Palm Springs and 40 miles west-southwest of Indio.

Local authorities said they had reports of only minor damage.

However, local residents felt the quake's initial jolt, and the event no doubt rattled some nerves already on edge by the recent terror warning.

"We got a lot of calls from people thinking it may have been a terrorist attack but we reassured them it was only a quake," Cmdr. Gary Jeandron of the Palm Springs Police Department told The Associated Press.

The quake hit at about midnight, local time.

It was followed by several minor quakes that may have been aftershocks.

PERSOMAL NOTE: Slep right through it. Missed the whole thing in Orange County

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), October 31, 2001