Weather Responsible For Swarm Of East Bay Earthquakes? Nope
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Roberta I heard you on the KCBS Radio today. Tell me again why you do NOT believe in Earthquake Weather. We have had over 20 earthquakes in the San Ramon area in the last 24 hours. Rick Haas; San Ramon
A: I simply do not believe in Earthquake Weather because weather can not penetrate the earth's surface and affect plates miles underground.
Yes there have been a swarm of small tremors for the past 24 hours in the San Ramon area. These earthquakes have been noted along the Calaveras Fault.
Earthquakes happen miles underground and happen in every type of weather. The USGS estimates there are millions of earthquakes each year, but many go undetected because they happen in remote areas.
Earthquakes occur usually when a rock breaks near a fault. This sudden release of energy cause seismic waves, which in turn makes the ground shake. Quakes happen miles underground. Keep in mind, rain, temperatures and barometric pressure affect only the surface subsurface of the earth. The elements causing earthquakes are located much, much deeper underground. The location where quakes originate are well out of reach of any force of weather.
Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!