A rare 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck 50 miles south-southeast of San Antonio, Texas, the U.S. Geological Survey reported Thursday. The earthquake was just over 2 miles deep.

The earthquake was felt in Wilson County, Atascosa County and Bexar County, making it the largest to hit the area since 1993, when a 4.3-magnitude quake shook the area, WOAI reported, citing the U.S. Geological Survey.

"I felt the earthquake this morning around 7:20. I was sitting on my love seat in my bedroom reading my Bible. I felt a swaying movement. My husband was in the shower. He felt nothing," Patricia Hardeman, of southeast San Antonio told WOAI. "I lived in California most of my life and knew it was an earthquake."

Employees were briefly evacuated from the a federal building in downtown San Antonio and allowed to return inside just before 9 a.m., the San Antonio Express-News reported, citing Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Fernie Karl.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/20/4-6-earthquake-strikes-near-san-antonio/?hpt=us_c2


Magnitude-3.9 quake hits near downtown San Fran

(CBS/AP) SAN FRANCISCO - A magnitude-3.9 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Thursday afternoon, rattling residents who said it felt much stronger.
The quake, with a preliminary 3.9 magnitude, was centered near Berkeley, much closer to downtown San Francisco and Oakland than most quakes felt in the Bay Area. San Francisco police and officials at University of California, Berkeley, said they had no reports of injuries or damages.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake hit two miles southeast of Berkeley at 2:31 p.m. According to USGS maps, the quake was actually centered directly beneath UC Berkeley's campus.

Officials at UC Berkeley said they had not received any reports of damage or injuries.

Tami Humphrey, director of a preschool just north of Berkeley, was outside with her students when the quake struck.

"We felt it pretty good. It felt like a drop and then a shake," she said. "The kids didn't even notice."

Officials at Bay Area Rapid Transit said the system's trains were delayed about 15 minutes as workers inspected tracks.

The quake was felt as a sharp jolt in the East Bay area and across the bay in San Francisco.

The quake came just hours after an annual, statewide earthquake preparedness drill, the "Great California ShakeOut."

More than 8 million people signed up to participate in the drill, practicing the recommended "drop, cover and hold on" technique for protecting oneself during a quake.

Thursday's jolt also came almost 22 years to the day after the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Bay Area during the 1989 World Series. And it occurred on the same day that more than 8.5 million people signed up to participate in an annual earthquake drill in which people duck under desks and tables.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/20/national/main20123429.shtml?tag=breakingnews

We had two earthquakes today in Berkeley. I was on the 3rd floor for the second one, and it was awesome!

I feel like we have a small earthquake - still large enough to feel - at least once every two or three months. I like it.




Yeah, my employer participated in that drill as well. When the quake hit right afterwards, it had me wondering if it was predicted.

Its so funny, not a single person on site responded to the quake in a way that was at all influenced by the drill. I mean, we just had a drill a few hours previous, but it was like we'd never done it.