Got my first taste of what an earthquake is like last night. Its quite likely that there have been many small ones since I've been out in San Francisco, but they've been so small that I was never sure it was actually the real thing.
No question about it last night though! At first it just started out as a loud rumbling noise that I thought might have just been a truck going by the house. Then I felt a little vibration for a few seconds. After that the house actually started to shake! Not violently enough for anything to fall, but I could definitely see the TV moving. After just a few seconds, the novelty changed into concern that it was going to continue to get worse. Just as I got up out of my chair to go downstairs to get Tracy and the kids, it was over.
When I got down to Lyla's room, she and Tracy were completely oblivious. They didn't feel anything. At a 5.6, it was apparently a decent sized quake, but our neighborhood is sitting on solid bedrock so we didn't feel it as strongly as other people did.
This one was no big deal, but I can see how a stronger one that lasted longer would definitely be a pretty disconcerting experience.
(CNN) -- A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 struck Northern California Tuesday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake's epicenter was about five miles north-northeast of Alum Rock, California, and nine miles northeast of San Jose's City Hall, the USGS said. It hit at 8:04 p.m. (11:04 p.m. ET).
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Rafael Abreu of the USGS said that a 5.6 quake was considered moderate but could provide "a pretty strong jolt."
The earthquake's epicenter was 5.7 miles below the Earth's surface. Earthquakes centered close to the surface produce stronger shaking and generally can cause more damage than those farther underground.
Alum Rock is 50 miles southeast of San Francisco.
The quake was centered in the Diablo Range foothills, not far from the home of the Mayor, Chuck Reed, The Associated Press reported.
"It was a pretty strong ride here, a lot of shaking but nothing broken," Reed told the AP in a phone interview. "I've talked to a few people, and we have no reports of injuries or damage. There was a lot of shaking, but it wasn't the big one."
Rod Foo, who resides in southern San Jose about 10 miles from the quake's center, told the news agency that the his home did not lose power or phone service.
"I could hear it coming up the street before it hit the house," Foo told the AP. "I thought it was the kids messing around at first; then I felt the house shaking and I knew it was an earthquake. ... It was rattling for a long time and really loud."
