3.6 magnitude earthquake shakes San Francisco Bay Area, followed by aftershocks
The San Francisco Bay Area was rattled by a minor earthquake Friday morning that struck just off the coast, followed by at least two aftershocks.
The 3.6 magnitude quake struck at 7:02 a.m. off the coast of San Francisco, with its epicenter about five miles southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge and two miles west of the Great Highway, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The preliminary measurement from the USGS was a 3.7 magnitude quake before it was slightly downgraded later Friday morning. The quake had a depth of about five miles, the data indicated.
Crowd-sourced data from the USGS indicated weak or light shaking was felt as far north as Santa Rosa, as far south as Santa Cruz, and as far east as Sacramento.
A 2.5-magnitude aftershock struck in the same location at 9:39 a.m. followed by a 3.0 aftershock at 10:48 a.m.
There were no immediate reports of any damages or injuries.
The San Francisco Zoo was close enough to the earthquake's epicenter that the zoo's X account mentioned that there was no damage from it and remained open to the public.
"Animal Care Specialists reported no impact to the health and wellness of our animal residents and no structural damage was found after thorough assessments of the grounds and exhibits," the post read, adding a thanks to those who expressed concern on social media.
The earthquake struck on the San Andreas Fault, which runs from the Cape Mendocino region north of the Bay Area to Baja California, Mexico.
The 6.9-magnitude Loma Prieta Earthquake in October 1989 was the most recent major quake associated with the San Andreas Fault, according to the USGS. That earthquake struck in the Santa Cruz Mountains on a fault that formed as a result of a bend in the San Andreas Fault, the USGS said.
The 7.9-magnitude San Francisco earthquake in April 1906 was the most recent great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault, with an epicenter now estimated to be offshore about 2 miles west of San Francisco, according to the USGS.
