3.4 magnitude quake rattles Pleasant Hill, East Bay towns

An earthquake registering 3.4 magnitude shook underneath a town already rattled by yesterday's quakes, the U.S. Geological Survey said Tuesday.

PLEASANT HILL — An earthquake registering 3.4 magnitude shook underneath a town already rattled by recent Northern California quakes, the U.S. Geological Survey said Tuesday.

The quake, centered at Gregory Lane just east of Contra Costa Boulevard, struck at 7:11 p.m. at a depth of 8.6 miles, the USGS said.

There was no immediate report of injuries or property damage.

Residents and visitors were already preparing to observe the 30th anniversary of the lethal Loma Prieta earthquake, a magnitude 6.9 that killed more than 60 people, on Thursday.

Then Monday night’s 4.5 magnitude quake just south of Pleasant Hill, followed by Tuesday’s 4.7 magnitude quake in rural San Benito County, suddenly served as all-too-familiar reminders of the region’s seismic sensitivity.

The USGS logged several smaller quakes, including a magnitude 2.5 at 10:23 p.m., before Monday night’s quake, and Caltech reported more than a dozen smaller quakes in the Pleasant Hill and Pacheco areas in the hour after.

USGS scientists have predicted a 63 percent chance of a magnitude 6.7 or larger quake striking the Bay Area in the next 30 years.  

In a tweet, BART officials said trains were running at reduced speed nearby while tracks were inspected, and that riders should expect residual delays of up to 10 to 15 minutes system-wide.

Attention Passengers: Earlier, an earthquake had been felt within the area serviced by BART. Trains are running at reduced speeds completing track inspections. Please expect residual delays of 10-15 minutes throughout the BART system. Thank you.

— SFBARTalert (@SFBARTalert) October 16, 2019

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Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.