HOLLISTER - (INT)- A late Monday night earthquake got a lot of attention in the Bay Area. The M4.7 temblor was centered just outside Pleasant Hill.

Aftershocks continue, but attention is focused southward where another quake near Hollister on Tuesday continues to generate aftershocks. There was an M3.6 Thursday morning that was felt over a more limited area.

USGS seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said Monday's quake near Pleasant Hill occurred deep beneath the earth's surface, estimated at 9 miles, at a point of tension often called a "step-over" between the Calaveras and Concord faults.

Many near the epicenter also said items fell off shelves, but significant damage has not been reported.

"At 4.5, it’s what we used to call a light earthquake," says Don Blakeman, a geophysicist with the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. "But what more people identify with is whether or not a quake causes damage. And while a quake like this might knock some things off shelves and maybe cause some very minor damage, we wouldn't expect any structural damage with a quake of this size, especially in the U.S. where we have better building codes."

Another earthquake felt Tuesday afternoon in the Bay Area was centered southeast of Hollister in the San Andreas Fault Zone. The temblor hit M4.7, but caused no significant damage. (INT)

Story Date: October 19, 2019