A magnitude 3.7 earthquake with an epicenter at the San Francisco International Airport shook up the Bay Area on Friday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The San Francisco International Airport, located between the San Andreas fault on the west and the Hayward fault on the right, is prone to earthquakes, according to Robert de Groot, a Shake Alert operations team lead with the Geological Survey. The airport conducted runway inspections following the 6:38 p.m. earthquake and found no damage. Within 20 minutes, normal operations resumed.
The impact of the earthquake was felt from San Rafael down past San Jose. People in San Leandro and Oakland reported feeling a strong jolt, while others in San Francisco described a rolling motion followed by shaking. However, some said they felt nothing.
Ercan Vural, owner of Millbrae Kebabs & Gyros, located just under a mile from the epicenter, was unaware of the earthquake due to the busy Friday dinner rush. He only learned about it half an hour later when a customer informed him.
Distance from the epicenter plays a major role in who feels an earthquake, but the type of ground also affects the intensity of the shaking. Standing on hard rock, like below Fort Mason, makes it less likely to feel the quake compared to being in the Marina District, which was built on artificial fill.
BART ran trains at reduced speeds for inspection while San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency also checked for damage.
According to the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, there were no reports of damage within the city following the quake.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 3.7, did not trigger an alert through the MyShake app as it only sends alerts for quakes registering higher than 4.5. Although California experiences high magnitude 3 and magnitude 4 earthquakes daily, Robert de Groot believes it is unlikely that this quake is a sign of something bigger to come.
Less than two hours after the SFO earthquake, a 2.9 magnitude quake was recorded east of San Jose. At 10:40 p.m., a magnitude 4.2 quake hit Mono County, near Walker, followed by a 3.4 aftershock nine minutes later in the same area, according to USGS.
“This is basically your typical earthquake,” de Groot commented on the SFO quake. He emphasized the importance of being prepared for earthquakes at all times by creating emergency supply kits, formulating response plans, and downloading the MyShake app for strong earthquake alerts.
“All of California is earthquake country, so it’s not a matter of if there’s going to be another earthquake, it’s a matter of when,” de Groot said.
Contact Megan Fan Munce at [email protected]
