Most people in the San Francisco Bay Area were still sleeping early Monday when the ground started to shake. A strong earthquake woke them up. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake was a 4.3 on the Richter scale. It started near Berkeley. People in Berkeley, San Francisco, and other cities nearby felt it
The quake hit at about 3 a.m. and woke up thousands of people. Over 22,000 people said they felt the quake on the USGS’s “Did You Feel It?” website. This shows how strong the quake was and how it affected people. The event shows again that earthquakes in California are a real danger. It also reminds us that we need to be ready for them.
A 4.3 earthquake is seen as a “mild to moderate” one. This kind of quake does not usually lead to a big loss of life or damage to property, but it can frighten people. People felt the shaking more during the quiet night.
People went online and posted about what happened. Many people said that their homes shook, windows moved, and things in their house shook too. For a moment, people got very scared. Hashtags like #earthquake and #bayarea started to trend. Even though the earthquake did not do any big damage, it made people in the Bay Area think again about how earthquakes are a real part of their lives.
Local leaders got to work right away after the earthquake. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said there were a lot of calls made to 911 after the quake. It said no one was hurt, and there was no big damage in any part of the city.
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is the main way people get around in this area. They chose to make the trains go slower to keep everyone safe. Safety teams started to check the tracks to find out if the earthquake made any problems. Because of this, people who use the trains may have to wait up to 20 minutes longer, as reported.
San Francisco Mayor Dan Lurie also gave an update on social media. He said, “The city’s first responders are now checking on the effects of the earthquake. We will share more information soon.” This quick answer from the team helped people feel a little better.
Geographic context and earthquake preparedness
The San Francisco Bay Area shakes a lot because of the earth moving deep below. This place sits right on big cracks in the ground. These are known as the Hayward Fault and the San Andreas Fault. Because of this, both small and big earthquakes happen here often.