3.2 magnitude earthquake, 4 aftershocks hit Berkeley

Five small earthquakes rattled Berkeley early Tuesday morning. Image: U.S. Geological Survey

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 3.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Berkeley awake at 1:07 a.m. It was followed by two smaller aftershocks in the area within 20 minutes, a third aftershock at 2:06 a.m., and another at 2:15 a.m.

Initial reports placed the epicenter of the first temblor in Tilden Regional Park near Seaview Trail and Vollmer Peak Road, with a quake depth of 4.5 miles.

Numerous Berkeley residents on Twitter said it woke them up. Said Seth Candin: “Whole building jumped and shook.” Added Robert Gordon: “Apartment definitely just shook!”

Some called it scary, and others described it as small, but many noted that they most certainly felt it.

Accounts poured in on Twitter and Facebook in the minutes following the quake.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported two aftershocks, a magnitude-1.0 rumble at 1:24 a.m. northwest of the first jolt, and a magnitude-1.7 temblor, at 1:27 a.m., northeast of the first event. The third aftershock, at 2:06 a.m., registered a magnitude-2.7 southeast of the first quake. A fourth, at 2:15 a.m., registered a magnitude-2.6.

A 1.7-magnitude earthquake also shook roughly the same area, slightly further east than the others, nearly two hours prior to the 3.2-magnitude main quake. (It is not pictured on the map above to avoid confusion.)

Earlier this month, on Oct. 6, Berkeley experienced a 3.0-magnitude earthquake at nearly the exact same location in Tilden Park.

According to a message on the U.S. Geological Survey website, “Due to a lapse in Federal funding, the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program has suspended most of its operations. While the USGS will continue to monitor and report on earthquake activity, the accuracy or timeliness of some earthquake information products, as well as the availability or functionality of some web pages, could be affected by our reduced level of operation.”

Members of the public may report feeling the earthquake to the U.S. Geological Survey here.

As of about 1:50 a.m., more than 200 people in Berkeley had reported the quake — most with the 94704 area code; another 23 reported feeling it in Albany, and a smattering of responses had come in from Alameda and Tiburon.

Learn about the city of Berkeley’s emergency preparedness program here. This story was updated in line with emerging information.

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Emilie Raguso