A Strong Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Hit The Northern San Francisco Bay Area

An earthquake with a reported 6.0 magnitude hit California early Sunday morning, causing damage across the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The U.S. Geological Survey noted that the quake started at around 3:30 am near American Canyon and Napa with a depth of 6.7 miles. It’s the largest tremor to be felt in the area since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which was a 6.9.

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Many hit social media following the quake, posting images of damage and giving personal accounts of the aftermath, a good bit in the Napa area. A 2.0 aftershock has already been felt and others are being predicted to come over the next day. From The New York Times:

More than 28,000 households were reported without power in Napa, about six miles from the epicenter, as well as in other towns and cities in the region, according to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

The utility said crews had been sent out to assess the damage and restore power, and it estimated that electricity would be restored within several hours.

The California Highway Patrol in the San Francisco Bay Area posted on Twitter that it was “checking over crossings and bridges for obvious signs of structural integrity,” and asked residents to report any signs of problems.

It’s the fourth major earthquake globally this weekend, joining quakes in Chile and Iran and another related to the eruption Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano.

(Via KRON4 / Mike Nicco / New York Times / Mashable)