Strongest earthquake to hit Bay Area in 8 years strikes near San Jose (2024)

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A 3.6 magnitude aftershock struck near the same area where a magnitude 5.1 earthquake was felt across the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday morning.

This latest aftershock, one of several, was reported around 3:08 p.m. It happened east of Seven Trees with a depth of 7.4km also on the Calaveras fault.

USGS says the main 5.1 quake hit around 11:42 a.m. 12 miles east of San Jose on Calaveras Fault. It initially registered as a 5.0 earthquake but was later upgraded.

VIDEO: USGS experts predict when magnitude 7.5 earthquake could hit Bay Area

Strongest earthquake to hit Bay Area in 8 years strikes near San Jose (1)

As the MyShake app was put to the test during the 5.1 earthquake near San Jose, experts also discuss when a 7.5 quake could rock the Bay Area.

There was a 3.1 aftershock reported in the area at 11:47 a.m., USGS said.

ABC7 News has received reports of shaking all across the Bay Area and as far south as Santa Cruz. Thankfully, there have been reports of any injuries or significant damage.

According to ABC7 News Meteorologist Drew Tuma, 5.0 earthquakes are pretty rare in the Bay Area. He wrote on Twitter, "In the past 30 years, we've only had three others. Back in 2000, a magnitude 5.0 was reported in Yountville, in 2007, a magnitude 5.6 struck Alum rock, and the magnitude 6.0 in Napa in 2014."

VIDEO: Aftershocks as strong as 4.0 possible following 5.1 San Jose earthquake, Dr. Lucy Jones says

Strongest earthquake to hit Bay Area in 8 years strikes near San Jose (2)

Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones says aftershocks possible on Calaveras fault, following 5.1 quake in San Jose.

Numerous moderate earthquakes have occurred along the Calaveras Fault, including the 6.2 Morgan Hill earthquake in 1984, Annemarie Baltay, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said in a video statement posted on Twitter.

Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones joined ABC7 News to break down Tuesday's earthquake and the Calaveras Fault.

"The Calaveras moves more slowly, it has less of the total motion going on there than on the San Andreas, so it moves less often or releases less energy. But it seems to have the smaller earthquakes a lot more often," said Dr. Jones. "It's considered capable of a six and a half or so 6.7. But unlike the San Andreas, it's not going to have, you know, a magnitude eight."

Nearly 100,000 people reported receiving a warning before the shaking started through California's earthquake early warning system, according to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES.

VIDEO: Shaking from SJ quake causes art to swing in SF classroom

Strongest earthquake to hit Bay Area in 8 years strikes near San Jose (3)

Watch as art swings in an elementary school classroom in San Francisco as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattled the Bay Area.

"Advance notice varied from two seconds for those very near the epicenter to 18 seconds for those in San Francisco," the agency said.

MyShake, a statewide cellphone app that went live to the general public in late 2019, relies on an earthquake detection and notification system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners.

"In San Francisco, because the waves had to travel up from south of San Jose, they would have had a decent amount of warning," said Dr. Lucy. "But of course, if you were actually in Alum Rock you're shaking is what allowed the others to know."

Dr. Jones went on to warn that the Bay Area should expect more aftershocks and there is a five percent chance that one could be larger than the original quake.

South Bay

People who live and work in the South Bay, are agreeing with what experts confirmed, that this is the strongest earthquake felt in the last eight years.

South Bay business owner Randy Musterer was driving at the time of the quake.

"I felt the road uneven and I didn't really think anything except "Is there something wrong with my car or tires," he said. "Then a couple minutes after, I got a couple text messages saying 'Did you feel the earthquake?'

Though thankfully there were no reports of injury or major damage, a Campbell restaurant owner said the shaking did cause some minor damage.

VIDEO: Cal students were taking quake exam when 5.1 temblor hit near SJ

Strongest earthquake to hit Bay Area in 8 years strikes near San Jose (4)

Students at UC Berkeley were the middle of taking an earthquake exam when the 5.1 temblor struck the Bay Area.

"We were making the new wine list for our restaurant and we felt a little bit of the shaking," said Annalisa Luongo who co-owns Locando Sorrento. "A few bottles dropped off from the bar and the shelves, we realized it was an earthquake."

Customers in the restaurant at the time struggled to process what was happening in the moment.

"We heard stuff falling off the shelf," one customer told ABC7, "I just thought somebody had dropped something, a plate you know that's what it sounded like."

In addition to the wine in front of the bar, the owners at Locando Sorrento say food on prep tables in the back fell to the ground.

All of this forcing them to re-think their setup in the event of another earthquake.

"We have like a big wine room in the back and we have a lot of wine,"Luongo said, "We need to place the wine in a different way so that if something like that happens, everything can be in place."

East Bay

ABC7 News reporter Leslie Brinkley and her photographer were in the East Bay when the quake hit but did not feel anything.

However, there were a few people who said they felt the shaking and it all depended on where they were.

Carla Ingram was at work in Alameda when the quake struck.

"I was sitting there and I heard a little rolling and I sat there a little and then felt the swaying and was like oh it's an earthquake it's an earthquake," said Ingram. "I was the only one at work that felt it. I told people 'it's an earthquake, it's an earthquake' but they said no it wasn't. I said 'yes it was, yes it was.'"

VIDEO: What to pack in your earthquake emergency kit

Strongest earthquake to hit Bay Area in 8 years strikes near San Jose (5)

If you haven't put together an earthquake kit for your house yet, it's time to get going.

Down in San Leandro Gimberto Garcia was lying in bed with his newborn.

"I started feeling a little rattled and I was like oh gosh so I grabbed my baby but it went away as I grabbed my baby. It was a little scary," said Garcia.

Quan Pham was on the 7th floor of a 9-story apartment building in Oakland.

"I just felt my building swaying back and forth. Nothing fell off (the shelves). It only lasted a couple of seconds or so," said Pham.

But everyone agreed it was a bit of a wake-up call.

Several commuter train companies, including Cal Train and BART, held trains to check for damage. BART returned to normal service by early afternoon.

Click here for the latest stories and videos about earthquakes here in the Bay Area and around the world, and click here for more information on disaster preparedness.

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If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Strongest earthquake to hit Bay Area in 8 years strikes near San Jose (2024)

FAQs

What was the worst earthquake in San Jose? ›

It produced the October 30, 2007 Alum Rock earthquake in San Jose. It measured M5. 6 and with a VI (Strong) intensity. At that time, the event was the largest in the San Francisco Bay Area since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which measured M6.

What was the biggest earthquake in the Bay Area? ›

5:12 AM - April 18, 1906

Rupturing the northernmost 296 miles (477 kilometers) of the San Andreas fault from northwest of San Juan Bautista to the triple junction at Cape Mendocino, the earthquake confounded contemporary geologists with its large, horizontal displacements and great rupture length.

How strong was the 1989 Bay Area earthquake? ›

Caused by a slip along the San Andreas Fault, the quake lasted 10–15 seconds and measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, or 6.9 on the open-ended Richter Scale.

Has California ever had a 9.0 earthquake? ›

North Coast

The Cascadia Subduction Zone stretches underneath the Humboldt-Del Norte county region, extending from Cape Mendocino all the way up through the Pacific Northwest. This fault zone is capable of generating a magnitude 9 (or larger) earthquake on average every 500 years. The last such event was in 1700.

What earthquake in California killed the most people? ›

1906 San Francisco earthquake - Wikipedia.

What year was the 7.2 earthquake in California? ›

The 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes struck near Petrolia on April 25, 1992. The first quake, a magnitude 7.2, was followed the next day by two aftershocks of approximately magnitudes 6.5 and 6.7. The shaking caused severe damage, massive landslides, a tsunami, and injured hundreds of people.

Has there ever been a 10.0 earthquake? ›

No fault long enough to generate a magnitude 10 earthquake is known to exist, and if it did, it would extend around most of the planet. The largest earthquake ever recorded was a magnitude 9.5 on May 22, 1960 in Chile on a fault that is almost 1,000 miles long…a “megaquake” in its own right.

How likely is a big earthquake in the Bay Area? ›

There is a 3 out of 4 chance of a damaging earthquake in the Bay Area in the next 30 years.

How many people died on the Bay Bridge during the 1989 earthquake? ›

A section of the two-story Bay Bridge also collapsed onto the lower level. So easy to see from a helicopter, but drivers on the bridge had no idea what to suspect 190 feet above the water. Only one person died on the Bay Bridge, but the quake claimed 63 lives in total across the area.

Was the Golden Gate Bridge damaged by the earthquake? ›

Loma Prieta Earthquake, October 17, 1989

Although the Golden Gate Bridge suffered no observed damage from the Loma Prieta quake, since the epicenter was located some 60 miles to the south, the earthquake became a catalyst for the extensive seismic retrofit program that the historic structure is undergoing today.

What was the most violent earthquake in history? ›

1 – Valdivia, Chile, 1960

The biggest earthquake ever recorded occurred in 1960 near the city of Valdivia, Chile. With a magnitude of 9.5, it was one of the deadliest earthquakes in history, killing an estimated 5,700. The quake struck at around 15:00 local time and lasted for 10 minutes.

Has there been a 7.8 earthquake in California? ›

What history tells us. The last California seismic event that reached magnitude 7.8 was the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. In Southern California, a magnitude 7.8 quake struck in 1857.

Where is the safest place in California from earthquakes? ›

Identifying the safest place in California for earthquakes involves examining geological stability. Cities like Sacramento, Fresno, and San Diego often top the list due to their geographical locations which are relatively distant from the San Andreas Fault.

What would happen if a 9.0 earthquake hit Los Angeles? ›

Effects & damage of a major Los Angeles earthquake

According to a USGS ShakeOut scenario, a major earthquake could cause: 1,800 deaths. 1,600 fires. 750 people trapped inside buildings.

What is the number 1 worst earthquake? ›

1 – Valdivia, Chile, 1960

The biggest earthquake ever recorded occurred in 1960 near the city of Valdivia, Chile. With a magnitude of 9.5, it was one of the deadliest earthquakes in history, killing an estimated 5,700. The quake struck at around 15:00 local time and lasted for 10 minutes.

Where was the 4.5 earthquake in California? ›

The quake registered as a 4.5 magnitude and was mainly felt in Sonoma County, but the shockwaves show that shaking could have possibly been felt by people as far east as Sacramento and as far south as San Jose. No injuries and no structural damage has been reported so far.

Is a 3.4 earthquake bad? ›

Earthquakes that fall between 3.0 to 3.9 on the scale are considered minor. We can feel the earthquake, and objects inside are going to shake around, but there very rarely is damage. Recorded by seismographs but not felt by people.

What was the 2nd worst earthquake in history? ›

Probably the second deadliest earthquake in recorded history and the worst of the past 100 years also occurred in China. At 3:42 local time on July 28, 1976, a 7.1 magnitude quake almost destroyed the city of Tangshan, which today has a population of over 7 million.

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