Earthquake rattles northern California major cities

Published April 2, 2026 6:08am ET



An earthquake hit Northern California early Thursday morning, shaking the ground in several major Northern California cities. 

A earthquake was reported by the U.S. Geological Survey at 1:41 a.m. local time with the epicenter at Boulder Creek, California, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Shaking was reportedly felt, and residents received earthquake alerts in various locations in and around the area, including Monterey, Oakland, Redwood City, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Cruz. It was initially reported as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, before being lowered to a 4.9 magnitude earthquake. Later, it was dropped again to a 4.6 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake had a reported depth of 6.7 miles. 

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