Earthquakes rattle area between Salinas and Hollister, California

A series of earthquakes struck an area between Salinas and Hollister in central California, with the largest measuring magnitude 4.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The sequence began at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday, when a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded south of San Juan Bautista, according to the USGS. A magnitude 3.9 followed at 1:38 p.m., and the largest quake, a magnitude 4.0, occurred at 1:57 p.m.

The epicenters were located about 3 miles south of San Juan Bautista, in the region between Salinas and Hollister, according to USGS data. The earthquakes were recorded at a shallow depth of approximately 5.1 miles.

Reports submitted to the USGS indicated light shaking was experienced in the immediate epicentral area. Weak shaking was noted as far north as San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area.

“I didn’t feel the first two, but the third one really moved the ground up,” a user in Prunedale reported to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). Another described the earthquake as a “big boom” with the “whole house shaking.”

USGS data notes that this area of California commonly experiences earthquake swarms, and many events occur at shallow depths, making them more strongly felt at lower magnitudes but over limited distances.