A small earthquake hits the San Francisco Bay Area an hour before the annual earthquake drill

Note: The map shows the area with a tremor intensity of 3 or greater, which the USGS defines as “weak,” although the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. All times on the map are Pacific Time. New York Times

A 3.1 magnitude earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake shook the area less than an hour before the annual earthquake drill called World Tremor Day.

The training is held annually on the third Thursday of October of each year. People around the world practice what to do during a major earthquake through drills in schools and offices. In California, more than 10 million people were expected to participate.

The quake struck at 9:23 a.m. PT, about a mile east of Berkeley, California, according to USGS data.

At 10:16 local time, the annual drill, including an alert from the MyShake app announcing an imaginary magnitude 4.5 earthquake, continued in Berkeley as well. The app's warning read: “Drop, dive, and catch.”

At a fire station in downtown San Francisco, where firefighters were participating in drills, some spent the time before the fictional earthquake checking on family members after the real quake.

Julio Escobar, a lieutenant with the San Francisco Fire Department, said he called his daughter at school, his son at work, and another son who was exercising at the gym.

“He's the only one who picked it up,” he said.

Mr. Escobar said the drills were important because they allowed people to adopt good habits in the event of an emergency.

“You have to be prepared for that,” he added.

The quake also occurred a day before the anniversary of the deadly 6.9-magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the Bay Area on October 17, 1989, killing 63 people. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Santa Cruz Mountains, 60 miles southeast of San Francisco. Thousands of buildings were damaged and part of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge collapsed.

Aftershocks in the area

An aftershock is usually a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake in the same general area. Aftershocks are usually minor adjustments along a portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.

Earthquakes and aftershocks within 100 miles

Aftershocks can occur days, weeks, or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be equal to or larger in magnitude than the initial earthquake, and can continue to affect already damaged locations.

When earthquakes and aftershocks occurred

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the magnitude of the initial earthquake reported. Additional information collected about the quake may also prompt USGS scientists to update the tremor intensity map.

Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Vibration classes are based on the modified Mercalli density scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and graphs include earthquakes occurring within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times listed above are Pacific Time. Vibration data as of Thursday, October 16 at 12:37 PM ET. Aftershock data as of Thursday, October 16 at 2:54 PM ET.

Maps: daylight (urban areas); MapLibre(map display); physical terrain (roads, nomenclature, topography); Raw maps (map tiles)

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