What we know about today’s San Jose earthquake

Zach Schonfeld
·2 min read
55

Story at a glance

  • The 5.1 magnitude quake struck near San Jose late Tuesday morning

  • The quake is the area’s largest since 2014

  • Local authorities say they have no reports of damage or injuries


An earthquake took place near San Jose, Calif., late Tuesday morning, causing ground shakes for Silicon Valley and Bay Area residents, though apparently not inflicting major damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) preliminarily reported a 5.1 magnitude quake about 9 miles east of Seven Trees, Calif., at 11:42 a.m. local time.

The agency reported the shaking spanned hundreds of square miles, recorded as far east as Nevada and as far south as Santa Paula, Calif.

“Additional shaking from aftershocks can be expected in the region,” the California Geological Survey tweeted. “We are continuing to monitor this region.”

The USGS recorded a second 2.9 magnitude quake nearby five minutes after the initial report.

The governor’s Office of Emergency Services indicated they were assessing any preliminary damage, but local authorities have reported minimal impacts.

“We’re happy to report no emergency calls related to this morning’s quake,” the San Jose Fire Department tweeted.

The San Jose Police Department similarly said they received no reports of damage or injuries.

Northern California is no stranger to earthquakes.

The state government indicates California generally gets between two and three earthquakes per year large enough to cause moderate structural damage, measured as any quake with a magnitude of 5.5 or higher.

But seismologist Lucy Jones indicated that Tuesday’s quake was the largest in the Bay Area since 2014, when a 6.0 magnitude earthquake took place near Napa, Calif., which is located north of San Francisco.

Tuesday’s earthquake took place along the Calaveras Fault, a branch of the San Andreas Fault, which runs roughly 750 miles through California along the boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates.

The Calaveras Fault has caused multiple earthquakes in recent decades, including the 1984 Morgan Hill earthquake, which clocked in with a magnitude of 6.2, and a 5.6 magnitude quake near Alum Rock, Calif., in 2007.

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