California Earthquake Shakes San Francisco Bay Area

Less than six hours after a 5.8 earthquake in Virginia had east coast citizens in panic-mode and news outlets buzzing, a California earthquake measuring a magnitude of 3.6 rolled through the San Francisco Bay Area garnering far less attention.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the temblor, which struck at 11:36 pm on Tuesday, appeared to be centered on the Hayward Fault – located about six miles south of Oakland. Roughly five minutes later a smaller quake measuring 2.3 followed.

By 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the USGS’s Did You Feel It? map had received several hundred responses to its request for reports from those who felt the late night quake. The majority of those who responded said they felt a sharp jolt which lasted roughly two seconds.

Doug Sovern, a reporter for KCBS 740 AM, described the Bay Area quake in a Twitter post saying:

“Quick hard shake of the house here on Berkeley-Oakland border. Nice adrenaline boost!”

Aftershocks of the midnight Bay Area earthquake were felt this morning as a 2.7 quake was reported near Yorba Linda in Orange County.

While the series of California mini-quakes have reportedly caused no damage, they have given West Coast folks the opportunity to get in a few well timed jabs at the eastern seaboard’s expense.

The best we’ve seen so far was shared by Twitter user Ayelet Waldman who wrote:

Love this: “The collective eye-rolling of everyone in California is probably moving the earth more than the east coast earthquake.”

via LA Times