'Notable' earthquake shakes Northern California Tuesday
At 11:42 p.m. PT, the United States Geological Survey team recorded the earthquake about 8 miles east of Seven Trees, California.
Earthquake rattles northern California, felt at NWS Bay Area office
Brian Garcia, a meterologist for the National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area, said he felt the earthquake at their office.
Officials believe that a 5.1 magnitude earthquake rattled Northern California Tuesday afternoon. The earthquake was centered east of San Jose but shook much of the Northern California and the Bay Area.
The United States Geological Survey team recorded the earthquake about 8 miles east of Seven Trees, California, after 11:30 a.m. local time.
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According to the National Earthquake Information Center, California experiences two or three earthquakes each year that can cause sizable damage and register a magnitude of 5.5 and higher.
Initial indications were that the Calaveras Fault, which is part of the San Andreas Fault system, triggered the shaking.
The earthquake was only centered about 4 miles underneath the surface, which is considered to be a shallow quake and likely contributed to millions feeling the shaking.
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Earthquake is captured shaking a chandelier in a Silicon Valley, California home on Tuesday. (@Darla2022/ Twitter)
"The early warning system detected the earthquake and delivered alerts out across the Bay Area before the shaking began," seismologists said.
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The warning system was unveiled within the past couple of years and can give upwards of a minute of lead time.
"There is a one in 100 chance of an aftershock greater than magnitude five in the next day. There could be 10 to 15 aftershocks of magnitude three or greater in the next week. Aftershocks of this magnitude and duration are totally normal for an event of this type. If you do feel strong shaking, don't forget to drop, cover and hold on," said Dr. Annemarie Baltay, a semiologist at the USGS.
Several California residents said the Shake Alert system gave them about five to ten seconds of warning ahead of Tuesday's event.
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A school in San Francisco, California is seen shaking during Tuesday’s earthquake. (@pelotembar/LOCAL NEWS X /TMX)
The 5.1 earthquake was the largest event in the Bay Area since the 2014 Napa quake, which was a magnitude-6.0.
Many across the area felt the earthquake and are going through their earthquake procedures.
Light to moderate shaking was reported from north of the Bay Area southward to outside of Bakersfield, California.
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The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said that they are actively coordinating with local authorities in the region to evaluate any preliminary damage or issues created as a result of this earthquake and provide any assistance that is needed from the state level.
"Yep we felt that earthquake here at the office in Monterey. USGS shows 5.1 with an epicenter south of Mt Hamilton in the hills east of San Jose," the National Weather Service Bay Area said Tuesday afternoon.
San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said they have not received reports of damage or significant impacts in the city.
Several buildings were evacuated as a precaution throughout the Bay Area.
Many residents thought the quake was the "big one," and it immediately brought back memories of the 1989 "World Series earthquake" that was a magnitude of 6.9 and caused billions of dollars in damage in the Bay Area.
No immediate injuries were known from Tuesday's earthquake.