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California Shakes: Quakes Hit San Ramon Again
9 Jan
Summary
- Multiple earthquakes struck near San Ramon, California, on Friday.
- USGS scientists state small quakes do not predict larger events.
- A 72% chance of a major earthquake in the Bay Area exists by 2043.
Multiple earthquakes were detected in California on Friday, occurring within minutes of each other. The seismic activity commenced with a 3.0 magnitude tremor near San Ramon, an area experiencing earthquake clusters since November 2025. The US Geological Survey (USGS) also recorded two smaller quakes, a 2.8 and a 2.6 magnitude, just four minutes later.
Hundreds of people across the San Francisco Bay Area reported feeling the shaking. Despite over 300 earthquakes hitting the region since November, USGS research geophysicist Annemarie Baltay stated that small events do not signal larger ones. She emphasized the importance of ongoing preparedness in "earthquake country."
Baltay noted a 72 percent probability of a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake in the Bay Area by 2043. San Ramon sits atop the Calaveras Fault, an active branch of the San Andreas Fault system, which is capable of producing such significant seismic events.
