Magnitude-4.0 Earthquake Rattles The Bay Area: USGS Urges Residents to Prepare For Another

Early Tuesday morning, some California residents were woken early by a magnitude-4.0 earthquake that rattled the Bay Area near Fremont. Scientists pinpointed the epicenter of the quake at just 2 miles northeast of Fremont, along the Hayward Fault. The initial quake was followed by 14 aftershocks that lasted about an hour.

Experts predict that more than 6 million Bay Area residents felt the shaking in an area that spanned from south of Watsonville to north of Fairfield and Vallejo. It hit heavily populated areas like Oakland, Hayward, Berkeley, and Fremont head on. According to officials, no one was hurt, there was no road damage reported, and any other reported damage was minimal.

Several residents of the area reported feeling the earthquake.

“We felt it in Hayward, everything was shaking” – @tori4065

“Felt it here in Dublin” – Ashlyn

“We felt it. Lots of calls coming in from nervous and scared residents, but no reports of damage at this time.” – @FremontPD

Despite several “scared residents,” there were some who didn’t take the quake so seriously.

“Coming from the Bay Area, most people slept through a 4.0 #earthquake” – @VivaMattyVegas

“#bayarea native: I just lied in bed waiting for it to get bigger before I actually got up #earthquake veteran” – @terrarose

But according to the experts, there’s an earthquake coming soon that should be taken much more seriously.

“We keep a close eye on the Hayward Fault because it does sit in the heart of the Bay Area and when we do get a big earthquake on it, it’s going to have a big impact on the entire Bay Area,” says Tom Brocher, a geophysicist at USGS.

The last earthquake to hit on the Hayward Fault was in 1868, and it’s estimated to have been a magnitude of approximately 6.8. The damage was extensive to both roads and properties, and the shake killed approximately 30 people. This earthquake is now known as the Great San Francisco Earthquake.

Researchers are now predicting a 6.7 or greater magnitude earthquake to hit the San Francisco area “any day now,” according to Brocher.

“The past five major earthquakes 1/8 on the fault 3/8 have been about 140 years apart, and now we’re 147 years from that 1868 earthquake, so we definitely feel that could happen any time,” he reports.

Brocher and the USGS are urging residents to prepare for this coming earthquake that’s expected to be just as damaging as the one that happened nearly 150 years ago. They recommend having several days worth of food and supplies, and a plan to take shelter during the quake.

According to scientists, this magnitude-4.0 earthquake that rattled the Bay area is nothing compared to the one that’s coming, and the USGS is warning residents to be prepared.

[Image via UPI]