3.6 earthquake near El Cerrito rattles Bay Area
El Cerrito #ElCerrito
An earthquake struck the Bay Area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
An earthquake has just been felt in the Bay Area. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was a 3.6 magnitude event with an epicenter 1 km northeast of El Cerrito, with a depth of 5.8 km.
It occurred around 3:39 a.m.
In El Cerrito, residents awoke to a sharp jolt that caused beds to rock back and forth and knocked small items from shelves or kitchen islands.
Elsewhere near the epicenter there was no noticeable damage — no fallen items, no pictures askew.
The shaking, which lasted several seconds, was felt across the East Bay and as far south as San Francisco.
The USGS initially reported it as a magnitude 4.0 and then revised it downward to 3.6.
The epicenter was around the Hillside Nature Area near Berkeley Country Club, according to a zoom-in view of the USGS map.
It was the latest minor quake to jolt the Bay Area in recent months. Others include a 5.1-magnitude tremblor in San Jose in October, and a pair of quakes — 3.9 and 4.4 — near Santa Rosa in September.
Chronicle staff writers Rachel Swan and Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this report.