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Magnitude 4.2 earthquake hits Aromas near San Andreas Fault, third one felt in California in 'last 7 minutes'

The quake was centered in Aromas, California and hit at 8:01 pm. Meteorologist Drew Tuma said the earthquake was likely on the San Andreas fault, which is why it was felt so far

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake hit near Santa Cruz on January 16, Saturday night and tremors were felt across the Bay Area from San Jose to San Francisco. The quake was centered in Aromas, California and hit at 8:01 pm, according to the US Geological Survey.

Meteorologist Rob Meyeda posted on Twitter, “Preliminary magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Aromas, CA at 8:01 pm. Note: it shook the lights and (well anchored) large plasma screens on set at @nbcbayarea”. The earthquake was reported with an initial magnitude of 4.5 by the United States Geological Survey, but was later adjusted to 4.2. No damage or injuries were immediately reported.

He also tweeted, “Shaking intensity map from tonight's 4.5 preliminary magnitude earthquake near Aromas, CA felt northward through much of the Bay Area,” with a picture of a CISN ShakeMap showing the exact location of the disaster.

Aromas Fire District Capt. Steven Baumeister, said his team did a quick check of the situation. “Everything was in order. We did a quick check around the area and there are no reports of damage or injuries,” said Baumeister. “We received a few calls, but that’s it.” In the San Francisco Bay Area, BART trains ran at reduced speeds and tracks were checked for any damage. The site later updated their account stating no damages were found.

A social media user commented, “If the big one happens now, it’s gotta be the fuckin end of the world lol” 

The official site of EMSC tweeted, "Felt #earthquake (#sismo) M4.5 strikes 58 km SE of San Jose (#California) 4 min ago." The earthquake also came with a 3.0 aftershock as the meteorologist wrote, “Revised magnitude to 4.2 for the earthquake felt through much of the South Bay, centered near Aromas, CA at 8:01 pm. One aftershock of 3.0 so far at 8:06 pm #CAquake #earthquake” EMSC wrote, "This is the 3rd felt #earthquake in Central California in the last 07 minutes https://emsc-csem.org"

Investigative reporter Stephen Stock confirmed on Twitter that the initial earthquake was felt in South San Francisco, “We felt initial quake in South San Jose but not the aftershocks.” 

This marks the second earthquake of the year 2021 in San Jose as the city experienced an earthquake on January 2 as well. According to the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER), the quake hit on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at 5:15 pm local time at a shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface.

Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Puerto San José located 88 km from the epicenter, Iztapa 91 km away and La Gomera 104 km away.

The January 16 earthquake had a depth of 7.9 km says the USGS. Meteorologist Drew Tuma says the earthquake was likely on the San Andreas fault, which is why it was felt so far.  He wrote, “Likely the reason we felt this earthquake in San Francisco even though we are 70+ miles away from the epicenter is because it looked to occur on the San Andreas Fault. Which then rippled north into the City.” There’s a 20% chance of a magnitude 7 or larger quake on this part of the San Andreas fault over the next 30 years, reports LA Times.