September 22, 2025

California’s famous Bay Area woke up in a jolt early morning as a 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit just east-southeast of Berkeley. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the quake struck shortly before 3 AM PDT. Tremors spread far and wide, felt even in San Francisco and as far as Sacramento, which is about 90 miles away! People described a sharp shake that suddenly pulled them from deep sleep. One local shared, "An earthquake just hit about 20 ish minutes ago and I was mid-sleep. Knocked out of my bed, hit the floor. Gotta love Mondays." Another grumbled, "That fckn earthquake woke me up and I can't go back to sleep," while a third said, "Woke me right tf up at 3am." The earthquake had its epicenter just about one mile southeast of Berkeley and was roughly 4.8 miles underground. Initially measured as a 4.6 tremor, the magnitude was later adjusted down to 4.3. The USGS set a green alert, meaning, "There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage," but still, such shaking definitely caused a buzz on social media. The quake triggered the Shake Alert system — a safety net designed to warn people ahead of shaking. Luckily, there are no reports yet of injuries or serious damage. Yet, many residents said the quake shook their entire homes and made it hard to fall back asleep. Why does California shake like this? The area sits near the mighty San Andreas Fault, the notorious crack running about 750 miles from Southern California’s Salton Sea up to Northern California’s Cape Mendocino. This fault line is responsible for many major quakes since it passes close to major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. This recent tremor comes after a busy season of seismic activity. Not long ago, California's coast felt the effects of a gigantic 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia that sent tsunami waves towards the West Coast. Then in December, a powerful magnitude 7 quake hit Northern California, causing chaos in grocery stores and forcing school evacuations amid tsunami warnings. The last truly giant quake California faced was the deadly 1906 Great San Francisco earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.9. It killed around 3,000 people, left 200,000 homeless, and flattened over 80% of San Francisco. For now, Californians can breathe easy knowing no tsunami is expected from this quake, according to the US National Tsunami Warning Center. Yet, this early morning rumble serves as a spicy reminder of the powerful forces lurking beneath the Golden State’s surface.

Read More at Economictimes →

Tags: California earthquake, Bay area tremor, San andreas fault, Usgs alert, Shake alert system, California seismic activity,