click to enlarge
A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area early this morning,
according to the US Geological Service and those of us who were awakened at 6:49 a.m. by several seconds of strong, rolling quakes that left us a tad queasy and on edge. The quake was centered in Oakland, between Lake Temescal and the Mountain View Cemetery, according to a
USGS map, and was felt as far away as San Francisco and Vallejo. There were
several small aftershocks.
A deep-bodied quake, with a
depth of 5.4 km, Monday's tremor bore earthy undertones and a rich, loamy bouquet. Unfortunately, there was a slightly acidic aftertaste, perhaps due to the taster's ever-growing awareness of the dangers of the Hayward Fault. The quake's
provenance has been described by USGS geologist Thomas Bocher as a "tectonic time bomb" that "could cause hundreds of deaths, leave thousands homeless, and devastate the region’s economy."
Three Stars.
