2007 Alum Rock earthquake
 | |
| UTC time | ?? |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 5.6 Mw |
| Depth | 5.7 miles (9 km) |
| Epicenter | 37°432′N 121°776′W / 44.200°N 133.933°W Coordinates: latitude minutes >= 60 Coordinates: longitude minutes >= 60 {{#coordinates:}}: invalid latitude |
| Areas affected |  United States |
| Tsunami | none |
| Casualties | none |
The 2007 Alum Rock earthquake occurred on October 30, 2007 at approximately 8:04 p.m.[1] in the San Jose area in California. It was a 5.6 on the moment magnitude scale and had a depth of 5.7 miles.[2]
Geology
The quake occurred about 8-9 kilometers (about 5 miles) underground on the Calaveras Fault. The event caused moderate shaking in the epicentral region with over 60,000 reports, existing far beyond Santa Rosa. Based on the distance between aftershocks to the hypocenter, focal mechanisms, and moment tensor solutions, the earthquake ruptured an area of the fault for a length of about 5 kilometers (3 miles), starting at the hypocenter and extending southeast. However, scientists found no trace of the earthquake along the fault.[3]
Damage
The earthquake caused minor damage, such as knocking things off of shelves, but caused no casualties. The shaking was felt as far north as Eugene, Oregon. Some parts of the area felt the rupture for up to 15 seconds. David Oppenheimer, a seismographer at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said that although the quake was felt as a strong jolt over a wide region, it was more significant because it caused stress changes in the Calaveras Fault and the nearby Hayward Fault.[4]
References
- ^ Staff. "The Alum Rock Earthquake of October 30, 2007, 08:04 pm PDT". Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ Associated Press (2007-10-31). "Moderate quake rattles Bay Area". CNN. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ Staff (2008-09-23). "Magnitude 5.6 - SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA". USGS. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ Perlman, David (2007-10-31). "Quake raises danger of more action on volatile Hayward Fault". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-10-10.