3.1-magnitude earthquake hits near Berkeley an hour before Great California ShakeOut
Weak to light shaking was reported in parts of the Bay Area.
THE EVENT IS FREE. THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME TO COME. ALSO HAPPENING TODAY. MILLIONS OF CALIFORNIANS WILL DROP, COVER AND HOLD ON. IT’S THE GREAT CALIFORNIA SHAKEOUT. FAMILIES, SCHOOLS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND BUSINESSES WILL BE PART OF THIS DRILL. IT’S IN JUST ALMOST AN HOUR OR SO. AT 1016 EXACTLY THIS MORNING THEY WILL PRACTICE WHAT TO DO DURING AN EARTHQUAKE. 10.4 MILLION PEOPLE ARE REGISTERED ACROSS THE STATE TO TAKE PART. AND IN ABOUT AN HOUR, SACRAMENTO COUNTY RESIDENTS MIGHT GET AN EMERGENCY ALERT NOTIFICATION. NO NEED FOR AN ALARM, THOUGH. IT IS PART OF THE COUNTY’S ANNUAL MASS EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM TEST. SO AT 1016 THIS MORNING, THOSE NOTIFICATIONS WILL BE SENT TO PEOPLE THAT ARE SIGNED UP FOR SACRAMENTO ALERT. IT’S THE 10TH YEAR THE COUNTY HAS DONE THIS TEST TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS WORKING PROPERLY, JUST IN CASE OF
3.1-magnitude earthquake hits near Berkeley an hour before Great California ShakeOut
Weak to light shaking was reported in parts of the Bay Area.
Updated: 10:13 AM PDT Oct 16, 2025
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.1 struck near Berkeley on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.The quake hit at 9:23 a.m. about a mile east of Berkeley with a depth of 5.8 miles. Weak to light shaking was reported in parts of the Bay Area, according to a USGS community map. The earthquake struck about an hour before this year’s Great California ShakeOut drill when millions across the state will practice what to do when a big quake hits. The drill is planned for 10:16 a.m. See a quake tracker from the San Francisco Chronicle below. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
BERKELEY, Calif. —
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.1 struck near Berkeley on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake hit at 9:23 a.m. about a mile east of Berkeley with a depth of 5.8 miles.
Weak to light shaking was reported in parts of the Bay Area, according to a USGS community map.
The earthquake struck about an hour before this year’s Great California ShakeOut drill when millions across the state will practice what to do when a big quake hits. The drill is planned for 10:16 a.m.
See a quake tracker from the San Francisco Chronicle below.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel