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The Cascadia fault system, which sits about 100 miles off shore, runs from California to Vancouver. The subduction zone is believed to have caused a 9.0 earthquake in 1700, the largest known quake ever to have hit the lower 48 states.
But Tuesday night's quake, which would have been the 2nd largest ever to hit the lower 48 states if it struck along our coast, was not the big one seismologists are expecting.
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Next week marks 50 years since a magnitude 9.2 earthquake in Alaska triggered a tsunami that killed 12 people in Northern California. Scientists are mapping five vulnerable harbors, including Santa Cruz and Crescent City, so managers can come up with better emergency plans.
Bay Area residents were marking the third anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident Tuesday with events including a protest outside the Japanese consulate in San Francisco - one of many planned at consulates across the United States.
A cluster of earthquakes around the world hit just before the third anniversary of the devastating 9.0 Kobe earthquake that set off a tsunami causing widespread destruction and triggering a nuclear meltdown in 2011.
A strong 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the Northern California coast Sunday night, with strong shaking felt hundreds of miles away, but no reports of damage, and no risk of a tsunami reported.
The project "Kelp Watch 2014" hopes to determine the extent of radioactive contamination of the state's kelp forest from the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in 2011.
Repair work has been completed on a series of tsunami warning sirens on the San Mateo County Coast, according to the sheriff's office.
If a monster earthquake struck off Alaska's coast, tsunami waves would rush toward California, swamping the nation's largest port complex and causing major economic damage.
Repair work has begun on eight sirens posted along the San Mateo County coast that are designed to alert residents in the event of a tsunami, a sheriff's spokeswoman said Tuesday.
A routine test of tsunami warning sirens along the San Mateo County coast conducted last week showed only three of eight sirens working properly, according to officials.
Federal officials say a fishing boat that washed ashore in Northern California is the first debris to reach the state that's been confirmed as having come from the Japanese tsunami.
Officials at the California Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday night that there were no Tsunami warnings or watches for the state or the rest of the Pacific Coast after a powerful earthquake in the Solomon Islands.
A proposed $60.4 billion federal disaster aid package includes money for marine debris removal. But it's not clear how much might go toward clearing West Coast beaches of debris from the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.
A strong earthquake Friday struck the same Japanese coast devastated by last year's massive quake and tsunami, generating small waves but no immediate reports of heavy damage.
Officials are spending $54 million to build the West Coast's first harbor able to withstand the kind of tsunami expected to hit once every 50 years - the same kind that hit in 2011.
The National Weather Service canceled tsunami advisories for Oregon and northern California Sunday morning after a 7.7 quake struck off the western coast of Canada.
A 7.6-magnitude quake struck off the eastern coast of the Philippines Friday, killing at least one person in a house collapse, knocking out power in several towns and generating negligible tsunami surges.
The Japanese government estimates that 1.5 million tons of debris from last year's tsunami remains in the ocean, with some of it possibly washing onto West Coast shores over the next several years.
In this KCBS Cover Story, reporter Holly Quan visits Minamisanriku, a city still trying to recover from last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Darrin Moffet of Windsor regularly goes looking for shells to make jewelry off the Sonoma Coast and recently made an interesting discovery.
The fish, which were migrate yearly from Japan, were found to have high levels of cesium.
The town's harbor was hit with $40 million in damages.
The tranquility of Santa Cruz Harbor on Friday hides damage the harbor sustained from a tsunami triggered by last year's massive earthquake off the coast of Japan.
Supervisors in San Mateo County are a step closer to calling for a special election to oust embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus, who has been called to resign following multiple allegations.
San Francisco police said a pregnant woman was shot Tuesday afternoon while in the Bret Harte area.
As a series of storms fueled by a strong atmospheric river takes aim at the North Bay, the Napa County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday announced sandbag locations are stocked and ready to go for the bad weather headed to the Bay Area.
The Oakland City Council was presented with a report Tuesday detailing a dire budget predicament that will likely result in millions of dollars in additional cuts to services.
Linda McMahon is a co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and was the Small Business Administrator in his first term.
Supervisors in San Mateo County are a step closer to calling for a special election to oust embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus, who has been called to resign following multiple allegations.
San Francisco police said a pregnant woman was shot Tuesday afternoon while in the Bret Harte area.
As a series of storms fueled by a strong atmospheric river takes aim at the North Bay, the Napa County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday announced sandbag locations are stocked and ready to go for the bad weather headed to the Bay Area.
The Oakland City Council was presented with a report Tuesday detailing a dire budget predicament that will likely result in millions of dollars in additional cuts to services.
Linda McMahon is a co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and was the Small Business Administrator in his first term.
Supervisors in San Mateo County are a step closer to calling for a special election to oust embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus, who has been called to resign following multiple allegations.
San Francisco police said a pregnant woman was shot Tuesday afternoon while in the Bret Harte area.
The high-profile Bob Lee murder trial stretched into its sixth week in a San Francisco courtroom Monday, with jurors getting a chance to pose questions to the defendant accused of fatally stabbing the Cash App founder last year.
In many Indigenous cultures across the Americas, gender is recognized as fluid, contrasting sharply with Western norms.
San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie announced members of his transition team, a group that he described as "shaking up the status quo" which include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and retired Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White.
The Oakland City Council was presented with a report Tuesday detailing a dire budget predicament that will likely result in millions of dollars in additional cuts to services.
Antioch police conducted an enforcement operation Saturday night targeting crime hot spots in the city, resulting in four felony arrests, seven citations, four recovered stolen vehicles, and more than 16 grams of methamphetamine seized.
Officials with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said they have identified a possible bird flu case in a child in Alameda County.
Antioch police are investigating two shootings on Monday which they believe are connected.
A Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer shot and injured a suspect at Union City station Monday night, the agency reported.
Police in San Jose are investigating a hit-and-run Monday night in which a driver fatally struck a man who had been clearing a tree branch on the road.
A mild magnitude 2.7 earthquake struck Tuesday afternoon just north of Mount Hamilton in an area east of San Jose, according to the United States Geological Survey.
An already convicted incarcerated man was found guilty of killing a fellow inmate and stabbing others while in custody over a handful of years, according to Monterey County prosecutors.
A report of a family disturbance in a San Jose neighborhood led to a police shooting Sunday night.
An Alaska Airlines flight into San Jose landed safely after calling for a priority landing Sunday evening, the airliner said.
As a series of storms fueled by a strong atmospheric river takes aim at the North Bay, the Napa County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday announced sandbag locations are stocked and ready to go for the bad weather headed to the Bay Area.
Santa Rosa police arrested two men accused of illegally cultivating and selling psilocybin mushrooms and gun possession.
U.S. Coast Guard crews were kept busy over the weekend, rescuing 16 people in five separate emergencies in the Bay Area and along the Monterey coast.
A postal worker who was doing his rounds of delivering mail was struck and killed by an SUV Monday in Santa Rosa, according to police.
At least one person has died after a boat capsized near Bodega Bay in Sonoma County Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Norman Powell scored 23 points and the Los Angeles Clippers held off the Golden State Warriors 102-99 to win their fifth in a row at home.
The San Francisco 49ers got a taste of what their defense looks like without Nick Bosa in the second half of a loss to Seattle.
The much-hyped fight pitting the 58-year-old Tyson against Paul, 27, shattered records but was marred by tech glitches.
Geno Smith scored on a 13-yard scramble with 12 seconds remaining and the Seattle Seahawks snapped a six-game losing streak against the San Francisco 49ers with a 20-17 victory.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle will miss the game against the Seattle Seahawks with a hamstring injury.
Supervisors in San Mateo County are a step closer to calling for a special election to oust embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus, who has been called to resign following multiple allegations.
San Francisco police said a pregnant woman was shot Tuesday afternoon while in the Bret Harte area.
Police in San Jose are investigating a hit-and-run Monday night in which a driver fatally struck a man who had been clearing a tree branch on the road.
Santa Rosa police arrested two men accused of illegally cultivating and selling psilocybin mushrooms and gun possession.
Antioch police conducted an enforcement operation Saturday night targeting crime hot spots in the city, resulting in four felony arrests, seven citations, four recovered stolen vehicles, and more than 16 grams of methamphetamine seized.
Autonomous vehicle company Cruise LLC agreed to a $500,000 fine Thursday after admitting to a false report following a crash last year in which one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco.
In an online conversation about aging adults, Google's Gemini AI chatbot responded with a threatening message, telling the user to "please die."
The new Stanford Robotics Center, which will be developing machines for future use in medicine, the arts, ocean and space exploration and your own home, recently opened its doors for the first time.
The app crashed the same day Starbucks introduced its holiday menu, preventing customers from placing mobile orders.
"Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on it," says Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanse.
The FDA sent a warning letter flagging "significant violations" of manufacturing regulations for Tom's of Maine toothpaste.
Officials with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said they have identified a possible bird flu case in a child in Alameda County.
The first case in the U.S. of a more severe strain of mpox was reported in San Mateo County, the California Department of Public Health said.
The 65-year-old actor and stand-up comedian, best known for portraying Joey Gladstone on "Full House," said he first noticed symptoms in October.
The power of music is comforting patients undergoing palliative care, helping them and their loved ones through an extremely emotional and difficult time.
Supervisors in San Mateo County are a step closer to calling for a special election to oust embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus, who has been called to resign following multiple allegations.
The Oakland City Council was presented with a report Tuesday detailing a dire budget predicament that will likely result in millions of dollars in additional cuts to services.
Linda McMahon is a co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and was the Small Business Administrator in his first term.
Dr. Mehmet Oz unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022. Now he's Trump's choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
As House Democrats conduct the leadership elections Tuesday, the party is still reeling from the results of the 2024 elections — and reckoning with the path forward.
In many Indigenous cultures across the Americas, gender is recognized as fluid, contrasting sharply with Western norms. Jose Martinez reports.
In many Indigenous cultures across the Americas, gender is recognized as fluid, contrasting sharply with Western norms.
As San Jose State University women's volleyball team gears up for their final games of the regular season, a new lawsuit is challenging their post-season eligibility.
Festivities began Friday for Dia de los Muertos -- or Day of the Dead, with those who celebrate preparing altars to honor family members who have passed.
A jury in Santa Clara County on Wednesday convicted a Milpitas man of murder for killing his transgender partner in 2021, prosecutors said.
Anchored by the McDonald brothers Steven and Jeff for 45 years, Redd Kross brings its mix of punk energy and pop hooks to the Chapel Sunday night, showcasing songs from their acclaimed new self-titled album.
The much-hyped fight pitting the 58-year-old Tyson against Paul, 27, shattered records but was marred by tech glitches.
Popular Brian Eno tribute band Enorchestra plays a show marking the 50th anniversary of the renowned experimentalist's groundbreaking album "Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)" at the Make-Out Room Saturday.
With the release of part one of her new memoir, Cher talks about her relationship - on stage and off - with Sonny Bono, and why their TV partnership survived beyond their marriage.
One of the great voices in modern metal returns to the Bay Area the day before Thanksgiving when King Diamond headlines the Fox Theater in Oakland with support from thrash veterans Overkill and SoCal metal trio Night Demon.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oakland Unified School District has seen an alarming spike in the number of unhoused students in the school system who deal with a host of challenges far beyond what most children face.
Meteorologist and CBS News Bay Area's resident pilot Lt. Jessica Burch got a treat during Fleet Week, taking to the skies with one of the Blue Angels.
A Bay Area man discovered his devastating loss left him with a new opportunity to rethink how he lives -- follow his journey in virtual reality, 360-degree video.
A groundbreaking medical study involving the UCSF Medical Center has shown some colorectal cancer patients can safely skip radiation treatment and enjoy a potentially higher quality of life.
Every day, San Francisco bar pilot Captain Zach Kellerman goes through what might just be the world's most dangerous commute.
San Jose police spokesperson Stacie Shih holds a briefing on the city's 45th traffic fatality of 2024, in which a man clearing a tree from a roadway was fatally struck by a driver Monday night.
CBS News Bay Area afternoon headlines for Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. Watch full newscasts streamed at the CBS SF website or on the app.
Jessica Burch gives details on the storm system set to arrive in the Bay Area Wednesday morning.
Veronica Macias reports on "pantry coordinators" who collaborate with the Alameda County Food Bank to distribute food to needy Bay Area families.
Cristian Benavides reports on new details from the ethics investigation into Matt Gaetz as he pursues nomination to become U.S. Attorney General.
An Oakland woman has brought the joy of dance and an appreciation for African American culture to performers and audiences for 52 years.
This week's Jefferson Award winner is a Berkeley woman who has promoted child literacy for four decades, as host of a community TV show encouraging young poets.
With hate crimes on the rise in the U.S., a pair of Oakland women have been equipping people with self-defense tools for free.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what are two million photos worth? A history of Asian Americans in the Bay Area, for this week's Jefferson Award winner.
While stroke rehabilitation is often a difficult road, a South Bay couple is providing local patients some valuable support.
A Bay Area man who overcame tremendous obstacles to excel in school has made it his mission to gear up other students for success in the classroom and in life.
For Students Rising Above scholar Josh Collins it took moving across the country to realize the value of his Bay Area family.
Samir Hooker had to grow up fast after his stepfather was shot dead 12 years ago. Now he is watching over his mom and sister while attending UC Berkeley.
It's hard enough to graduate from one of the most prestigious schools in the country when you're the first in your family to go to college. Imagine doing that while you're also trying to protect your parents from being deported?
Some students who are the first in their families to go to college face the challenge of balancing a rigorous academic load while still working to help support their family back home.