4.2 earthquake felt throughout the greater Bay Area
MONTEREY COUNTY — A magnitude 4.2 earthquake near the border of Monterey and San Benito counties was felt throughout the greater Bay Area on Saturday night.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at 8:01 p.m. just east of Aromas, near where Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Santa Clara counties converge.
“At first we thought someone drove into the side of the building,” said Dalton Haines Scrodin, who was working the night shift at the Mobil gas station in Aromas. “I haven’t felt one like that for a long time.”
“There were about three or four customers at the time,” he said. “They all ran outside. It got my heart pumping.”
About five minutes later, a 3.0 temblor was reported in the same area. At least four smaller earthquakes, ranging in magnitudes from 2.1 to 1.4, were reported in the 20 minutes after the 4.2 earthquake.
Social media activity indicates that the earthquake was strongly felt in the four counties near where it was centered, but it was felt in pockets throughout the region. A USGS intensity map indicates that some shaking was felt in the Central Valley and even as far north as Santa Rosa and the Sacramento region.
The larger quake’s epicenter was 4.9 miles underground, according to the USGS, and occurred about half a mile north of Highway 101, in the rural hills near the 101-Highway 156 intersection about 4 miles northwest of San Juan Bautista.
There were no immediate reports of any major injuries or damage.
“I heard the house crackling. But nothing fell,” said Scott Freels, a retired firefighter who lives in San Juan Bautista near the epicenter. “We’re used to earthquakes. I live just a stone’s throw from the fault. But as soon as it hit, my mom texted me and said that was a good one.”
BART tweeted that it was reducing train speeds to conduct track inspections and that riders can expect delays of up to 20 minutes as a result.
The initial quake was the second-biggest earthquake in California this year. A 4.3 earthquake was reported Jan. 2 near Pinnacles National Park.
Check back for updates.