A magnitude 3.1 earthquake shook Berkeley and the East Bay Thursday morning, according to preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Its epicenter was in the center of the UC Berkeley campus, just south of the Advanced Light Source building.
The earthquake was recorded at 9:23 a.m., according to the USGS, with a depth of 5.8 miles.
Earthquakes are a good reminder to be prepared. The city of Berkeley provides guidance on what to do before, during, and after an earthquake. Free disaster readiness, basic first aid training Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training classes, funded by FEMA and administered by the Berkeley Fire Department will be held later this year.
Serendipitously, this quake hit an hour before the international Great ShakeOut drill, scheduled for around 10:20 a.m. Thursday. Nearly 500,000 people were registered to participate in Alameda County.
During the drill, participants are urged to practice dropping to the ground, taking cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and holding on until the shaking stops. Those who’ve signed up for MyShake, receive a test drill through the app.
Thursday morning’s quake comes nearly a month after a much stronger 4.3 magnitude quake centered in Elmwood that had force enough to break windows and knock items off shelves.
Did you feel the earthquake in Berkeley? Let us know in the comments. You can also let the USGS know.
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