San Francisco Bay Area Rattled by Two Back-to-Back Earthquakes

The San Francisco Bay Area was rattled Monday morning by two back-to-back earthquakes, but there have been no reports of any damage or injuries as a result of the quakes.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s report, a magnitude-3.5 earthquake struck about 8 miles northeast of San Francisco at 5:33 a.m., which was followed by a 4.0-magnitude quake only about eight seconds later near the city of El Cerrito.

USA Today reports that the San Francisco earthquakes were felt within a 60-mile radius, with reports of minor rattling from Santa Rosa in the north all the way to Santa Cruz in the south.

According to seismologists, the two San Francisco earthquakes took place along the Hayward Fault, which some scientists consider to be the most dangerous fault lines in California. In 2003, the USGS said that there’s a 27 percent likelihood of a 6.7-magnitude in the Hayward Fault within the next 30 years.

While the latest earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay Area shouldn’t be taken as a sign that a significant earthquake is imminent, it does show that the Hayward Fault remains highly active.

“We know that the Hayward fault is the really important fault in the Bay Area,” David Schwartz of the U.S. Geological Survey told KQED. “These earthquakes, these 4’s, are just an indication of ongoing activity, ongoing stress on the fault. They do nothing to relieve the likelihood of something larger happening.”