United States

Magnitude 3.9 Earthquake Rattles San Jose

An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.9 struck just east of San Jose on Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Society.

The quake hit at 10:32 p.m. and was centered in the Alum Rock area in the foothills east of downtown San Jose, the USGS said. Its depth was just under 6 miles. 

USGS geophysicist Art McGarr said because it was a relatively shallow earthquake, its impact carried.

"It's a pretty typical earthquake for the Calaveras Fault, which tends to produce a lot of salt to moderate magnitude earthquakes," McGarr said.

On Wednesday, two more small quakes were recorded south of Hollister: a magnitude 3.4 at 4:22 p.m. and a magnitude 2.5 at 3:48 p.m.

Earlier Tuesday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.1 struck southeast of San Jose. That temblor hit about 7:20 p.m. and was centered about 8 miles east of Morgan Hill, according to the USGS. It had a depth of 4.4 miles.

The earlier quake's epicenter was not far from Anderson Reservoir and Dam, which is near the Calaveras Fault.

No damage or injuries were reported in either earthquake.

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