California shaken by 4.6 earthquake centered in Santa Cruz Mountains

An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 shook residents awake across the Bay Area at 1:41 a.m. early Thursday morning.

The earthquake was centered near Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Shaking of a few seconds or more was felt in Oakland and San Francisco, with some people reporting a sharp jolt. Residents as far north as Petaluma felt the quake. At a home near the epicenter, a book was knocked off the shelf. Residents in that area generally reported little damage aside from scared pets and, for some, broken dishes, according to social media groups.

People across the Bay Area got earthquake alerts, which go out for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and above. In Boulder Creek, the alerts — unsurprisingly — came after the shaking began.

The quake was originally reported at 5.1 magnitude but quickly revised down to 4.9 and subsequently to 4.6.

Various faults run through the Santa Cruz area, and it was not immediately clear which fault triggered the overnight quake. The 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake that struck in 1989 off the San Andreas Fault was epicentered near Mount Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz Mountains.