Northern California Shakes
A seismic event unfolded in Northern California on Wednesday as a magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck, leading to the activation of the ShakeAlert system throughout the Bay Area. The quake originated near Isleton, a small community in Sacramento County, around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Fortunately, there have been no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Isleton’s city manager, Chuck Bergson, noted that he felt some tremors at City Hall during the earthquake but confirmed that the local levees along the Delta remained unscathed. He reassured me that the impact of this event was minimal.
Interestingly, this earthquake coincided with the annual Great ShakeOut, a global drill that tests emergency systems for earthquake preparedness. Thousands of users of the MyShake app are set to receive a test earthquake alert on Thursday as part of this event.
It is noteworthy that this earthquake occurred one day after the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which severely affected the San Francisco Bay Area, resulting in 63 fatalities, nearly 3,800 injuries, and approximately $10 billion in damages.
The seismic activity from Wednesday’s earthquake was felt in several suburbs around the San Francisco Bay Area, including Antioch, Concord, Fairfield, Martinez, Orinda, Danville, and even Berkeley, which is home to the University of California. Consequently, a “USGS ShakeAlert” was issued to potentially millions of residents across Northern California, extending from Sacramento in the north to San Jose and Silicon Valley in the south.
The alert displayed the message “Earthquake Detected! Drop, Cover, Hold on. Protect Yourself!” and mentioned that any earthquake above 4.0 magnitude would trigger such alerts, as per the USGS guidelines.
The earthquake also led to a brief suspension of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train services in the affected area. Christine Goulet, the director of the USGS’ Earthquake Science Center in Los Angeles, observed that while the earthquake itself did not cause significant damage, the ShakeAlert certainly garnered significant attention.
Preliminary estimates of the earthquake’s magnitude varied from 5.7 on the MyShake app to an initial report of 4.6 on the USGS website. Goulet explained that the alert was intentionally designed to cover a wider area due to early detection of the shaking, which may have given the impression of a more substantial event. She emphasized that this broader alert was not a mistake but a deliberate element of the system’s design.
Goulet clarified, “This is a tradeoff between accuracy and speed. It’s intended to notify as many people as quickly as possible. Delaying the alert reduces the time available for a response.”
In contrast to other major natural disasters, like wildfires, tropical storms, and hurricanes, which are typically seasonal, the risk of earthquakes is constant, with no specific season or timing. Goulet acknowledged that Wednesday’s alert might have startled more people than anticipated but stressed the importance of prioritizing safety.
She affirmed, “Safety is paramount. While it may cause some stress, the alert is designed to save lives and encourage individuals to take protective measures.”
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