Santa Cruz County earthquake jolts Bay Area
The earthquake's epicenter was in Boulder Creek, about 30 minutes north of the city of Santa Cruz.
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake in Santa Cruz County shook Berkeley, Oakland and the broader Bay Area early Thursday morning.
The quake's epicenter was in Boulder Creek, about 30 minutes north of the city of Santa Cruz off Highway 9.
The temblor was recorded at 1:41 a.m. with a depth of 6.7 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Writing on Reddit, Berkeley residents said the earthquake woke them up.
"Shook my whole house," one person wrote.
"I got an alert on my phone for it like 30 seconds before I felt it," wrote another.
Good morning Northern California! Did you feel the magnitude 4.9 quake about 1 mile southeast of Boulder Creek at 1:41 am? The #ShakeAlert system was activated. See: https://t.co/nwxUGkr8S8 @Cal_OES @CAGeoSurvey @USGS_Quakes @FEMARegion9 @sccounty pic.twitter.com/FmhFk0JEG7
— USGS ShakeAlert (@USGS_ShakeAlert) April 2, 2026
UC Berkeley put out an alert about the earthquake at 1:41 a.m.
"An earthquake of initial magnitude 5.1 was detected at or near Boulder Creek, CA, with expected shaking in Berkeley," authorities wrote. "Please drop (lock), cover, and hold on if you feel shaking. This WarnMe message is powered by MyShake."
In an update just before 2:20 a.m., UC announced the "all clear."
"There has been minimal impact on campus, and no damage has been reported. Aftershocks are possible," UC Berkeley wrote.
About an hour after the earthquake, the USGS downgraded it from a 4.9 to a 4.6 magnitude.
Learn more about the MyShake app. This story was updated after publication due to the developing nature of events.
Berkeley earthquakes since 2023
There have been 12 earthquakes in or near Berkeley, of magnitude 2.5 or greater, since Jan. 1, 2023, according to USGS data.
- July 27, 2023: magnitude 2.7 in Berkeley on Roble Road
- Oct. 4, 2023: magnitude 2.5 in Berkeley just east of The Uplands
- Oct. 24, 2023: magnitude 2.5 in Berkeley on Cyclotron Road
- April 6, 2024: magnitude 3.2 in Oakland under the Claremont Hotel
- April 1, 2025: magnitude 2.7 in Oakland east of Grizzly Peak Boulevard
- June 1, 2025: magnitude 2.5 in Oakland just south of Highway 24
- Aug. 31, 2025: magnitude 2.6 in Berkeley at Clark Kerr
- Sept. 22, 2025: magnitude 4.3 near UC Berkeley
- Sept. 22, 2025: magnitude 2.6 near Claremont Avenue and Tunnel Road
- Sept. 22, 2025: magnitude 2.9 on Prince Street near Claremont Avenue
- Sept. 25, 2025: magnitude 2.8 between Tunnel and Alvarado roads
- Oct. 16, 2025: magnitude 3.0 under Calvin Lab at UC Berkeley
More Berkeley earthquake resources
- Learn about quakes in and around Berkeley since 2023
- Read more about Berkeley earthquakes on The Scanner
- Learn more about the Hayward Fault on the USGS website and find out how close you live to it
- Brush up on earthquake preparedness tips from the city of Berkeley
- Share your top earthquake resources in the comments
