San Fransisco - Four small earthquakes were recorded this morning north of San Francisco, but only one was widely felt, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

A shallow magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit the El Cerrito area at 5:33 a.m.

According to the USGS' "Did You Feel It?" service, the temblor was felt from Santa Cruz to beyond Santa Rosa. It was particularly reported by Oakland, Berkeley and other East Bay communities close to the epicenter.

BART temporarily halted service for track inspection but the transit service quickly resumed.


According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter was a mile from East Richmond Heights, two miles from Richmond, four miles from Berkeley and 13 miles from San Francisco City Hall.

There were several smaller temblors before and after in nearby Richmond.

In the past 10 days, there have been two earthquakes magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.

Seismologists believe the quake occurred along the Hayward Fault.

"We know that the Hayward Fault is the really important fault in the Bay Area," David Schwartz of the USGS told KGO-TV. "These earthquakes, these 4's, are just an indication of ongoing activity, ongoing stress on the fault. They do nothing to relieve the likelihood of something larger happening."

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© USGS
USGS data