3.6 magnitude earthquake jolts the East Bay awake
EL CERRITO -- A magnitude 3.6 earthquake rumbled through the Berkeley hills along the Hayward fault early Saturday, jolting East Bay residents awake.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at 3:39 a.m. and had an epicenter in the Hillside Natural Area in El Cerrito.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
Initially, the USGS measured the quake at 4.0, but it was quickly downgraded. Still the temblor was felt throughout the Bay Area, but it was particularly strong in Berkeley.
"Yup. Wide awake now here in Berkeley after that earthquake and wake up. And hard to go back to sleep," eveblossom posted on the Berkeley Lab twitter page.
"Yes, it was very strong," Pamela Davis posted. "Shook entire house."
"Stuff fell off the shelves at my house," Damian Hayden posted. "First time ever in an earthquake."
Reno felt it in San Francisco.
"Big creek in the door frames in SF on Twin Peaks," he posted. "Wasn't sure if it was an earthquake or not."
"Did I ever!!," Eli Weissman posted about feeling the quake. "Apparently not all 3.6 magnitude quakes are made the same because it was a rockin' and a rollin'!"
"That was so scary and it wasn't even a "bad" one!?!," Aria Stone posted. "The earth must know we just finished finals."
The USGS said reports of feeling the quake were rolling in from across the East Bay, San Francisco and the San Francisco Peninsula into the South Bay.
The quake occurred along the Hayward fault that runs through the East Bay hills, traveling through heavily populated areas and running through the UC Berkeley Campus and under Memorial Stadium.
The last major earthquake on the fault occurred on October 21, 1868 -- destroying downtown Hayward, killing 5 people and injuring 30. With an estimated magnitude of 6.8 it caused damage throughout the area.
Since that quake, millions of homes have been built and residents have moved into neighborhoods spanning the fault line.
