Two earthquakes, both centered in Berkeley, struck the Hayward Fault yesterday (Thursday), startling employees and students, but doing little damage.
The first quake, measuring magnitude 4.0, struck at 2:41 p.m. PDT directly under the Clark Kerr Campus. The second quake, a magnitude 3.8 aftershock centered 1 mile east of Berkeley, hit at 8:16 p.m. PDT.
The quakes coincidentally occurred on the same day as the Great California ShakeOut, billed as the largest earthquake drill in the world. Some 8.5 million Californians were expected to participate in the morning event by refilling emergency kits, practicing “duck, cover and hold” and attending local workshops.
After the afternoon quake, one light fixture fell in Unit 3, but a complete survey of the Clark Kerr campus revealed no other damage, according to Marty Takimoto, director of marketing communications for housing and dining.
“It shook pretty well up here and was loud, but other than that, there was no damage. Nothing fell off the shelves,” said Lucy Fayerman, a conference and summer program coordinator who works on the Kerr campus.
No other damage was reported on campus, said Christine Shaff, communications director for Facilities Services.
Peggy Hellweg, a research seismologist in the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory, found time between interviews with KGO radio and KTVU to report that the first event “was a really mild earthquake about six miles deep, but it reinforces the need to be prepared for a bigger quake.”
Related information:
- USGS earthquake event details