Earthquake Strikes Christmas Day In Contra Costa County

CLAYTON, CA— A magnitude 3.0 earthquake rattled Contra Costa County shortly after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The Christmas Day quake struck 3.8 miles southwest of Clayton, 4.4 miles northwest of Alamo, 4.5 miles east of Walnut Creek and 4.7 northwest of Diablo, the USGS said.

Residents of multiple East Bay communities, including Walnut Creek, Concord, Antioch, Berkeley, Richmond, Oakland, Lamorinda, Fremont, Castro Valley and Danville, reported feeling the quake. It was also felt in Vallejo and Stockton— almost 48 miles away from the epicenter, according to responses reported by the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries or damages.

The USGS produced a map of ZIP codes where residents reported experiencing Wednesday's quake — Did YOU feel it? Here's an online form to let the USGS know.

Quake Strikes Concord-Green Valley Fault

The earthquake struck the Concord-Green Valley Fault, which lies south of the Green Valley Fault and directly continues the Concord Fault north of Carquinez Strait.

A complex set of faults under Mount Diablo, including the Mount Diablo Thrust may connect the Concord and Green Valley faults. The USGS said the Concord Fault may also be connected to the northern Calaveras Fault through a complex set of faults south of Walnut Creek.

The 2003 Working Group for California Earthquake Probability assigned a 4 percent probability that the Concord-Green Valley Fault system would produce an earthquake of 6.7-magnitude or greater in the next 30 years (by the year 2036).

Recent East Bay Quakes

Earlier Christmas Day, the USGS recorded a 1.7-magnitude temblor near Clayton. The smaller quake struck at 10:06 a.m. and was centered 3.5 miles southwest of Clayton, 4.4 miles southeast of Concord and 4.4 miles east of Walnut Creek.

Earlier in the week, a 2.8-magnitude temblor rattled the East Bay. It was centered just over 1 mile from Castro Valley.

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