3.6-magnitude earthquake shakes Central California, geologists say

[George II]

Source: Sacramento Bee

BY MADDIE CAPRON
UPDATED FEBRUARY 21, 2022 7:16 AM

A 3.6-magnitude earthquake shook part of Central California on Sunday, Feb. 20, geologists say.

The earthquake rattled Tres Pinos, about 6 miles southeast of Hollister shortly after 9 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Light shaking could be felt along the California coast near Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay, USGS reported.

A 3.6-magnitude earthquake is weaker than some Californians may be used to. Some people on social media were asking if they were the only ones who felt the earthquake.


Read more: https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article258614723.html

[Richard D]

1. Must be . .

a really slow news day in Sacramento.

[moriah]

2. We feel 3.6s in AR a little further away, but our geology is totally different.

I lived in Fayetteville when the Guy earthquake swarm hit its max with either a 5 or just below/above it (4.9 or 5.1). (I was in the top corner of the state, there were the Ozarks between me and them). I was in my waterbed, and felt something like a "push" (closest thing I can say) -- like something had just barely pushed the waterbed in one direction.

Then all my relatives in Guy started posting/calling people, cuz they were right over it when it happened. My mom's cousin's house had some damage (older house and none built here are built for earthquakes), and her other cousin who lives in the old farmhouse had to have work done as well and inspection of the entire very old structure to make sure they didn't miss anything. (That house is apparently a historical landmark).

People in LR (about 40 miles away) felt it far more strongly than I did in Fayetteville.

A 3.6 in Cali is probably quite boring unless it's right underneath people.

[NullTuples]

3. Many areas of California have 3.5's monthly or so; it's like a truck driving by & hardly noticeable.

Last edited Mon Feb 21, 2022, 07:39 PM - Edit history (2)

Mina, NV had one yesterday. Alaska had several 4.x's.

All in all, Ca & Nv had 9 in the 3.1-4.7 range just yesterday.

https://scedc.caltech.edu/recent/Quakes/quakes.big.html

Update: I just realized how blasé that seemed when I read it back. My apologies.

For perspective - and please note that the scale is not linear:
3.5 usually isn't noticed by most people especially if it's quick and/or they're walking or driving
4.0 will make waves in your coffee. Pets usually notice.
4.5 will be noticed & leave things like hanging lamps swinging.
5.0 is definitely noticed & may leave cracks in walls or knock over things that were precariously balanced.
5.5 furniture starts to move, some objects may fall to the floor.
6.0 buildings get damaged if the quake lasts*
6.5 substantial damage in certain areas
7.0 some buildings collapse in some areas, some infrastructure damage
7.5+ major infrastructure damage, many buildings collapse

* It's not just how hard a quake hits, but also what kind of motion, in what direction(s), and how long that lasts that usually determines how much damage is done.