Earthquake hits Northern California

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake rattled residents in Northern California on Wednesday, prompting a "ShakeAlert" across the region.

The quake hit near the small community of Isleton in Sacramento County around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Isleton city manager Chuck Bergson told KCRA-TV he felt some rumbling at City Hall during the quake and that some levees along the Delta appeared sound.

"There was nothing major with this one," Bergson said.

There was light shaking across five nearby towns, including Oakley and Discovery Bay, and weak shaking in Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose, the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

An emergency alert instructing people to “Drop, Cover, Hold On” was sent to mobile phones across the area, NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento reported.

The San Francisco Bay Area train service, BART, delayed trains for five to eight minutes to inspect tracks.

Cindy Gollihar, an employee at the sprawling Vieira’s Resort between Isleton and Rio Vista said she was “on the phone with one of our customers, and this is a metal building, so it was a huge jolt, and I’m freaking.”

Gollihar said some items fells from shelves and walls, but there was no major damage to the building. She said she received a ShakeAlert “probably 3 minutes after it happened.”

This is the second noticeable shaker of the week for Northern California. On Monday, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit Humboldt County. It was followed by a series of smaller aftershocks. Wednesday’s quake is also just one day after the 34th anniversary of the the Loma Prieta earthquake on Oct. 17, 1989. Coincidentally, Thursday is the U.S. Geological Survey’s “great shakeout,” a yearly earthquake preparedness drill that the USGS encourages communities and families to partake in.

Although it might seem like “earthquake weather” is in the air, seismologists and meteorologists agree that there’s no correlation between weather and earthquakes. 

According to the California Earthquake Authority, most Californians live within 30 miles of one of the more than 500 active fault lines running across the state.

USGS estimates say there is 75% chance that at least one 7.0-magnitude or greater earthquake will strike Southern California in the next 30 years. 

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Sarah H

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