Major magnitude 5.1 earthquake strikes outside of San Jose, California

Quake is largest to hit San Francisco Bay Area in eight years

A major magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattled northern California on Tuesday morning, according to the US Geological Survey, with the epicentre about 12 miles east of the city of San Jose.

“Additional shaking from aftershocks can be expected in the region,” the USGS said in a statement on Twitter. “We are continuing to monitor this region.”

The quake occured at 11.42am and is thought to have taken place near the Calaveras Fault, with the epicentre near Joseph D Grant Ranch County Park, a remote rural area.

It’s the largest earthquake in the region in the last eight years, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

“It was pretty strong. I’ve been in earthquakes before. It was a pretty good shake,” a park ranger told the paper. “It was a rolling  shake, not a jarring shake. It lasted about seven seconds. I didn’t see any damage. No broken windows, nothing off the shelves. But I’m still checking around.”

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The worst shaking occured in sparsely populated areas, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The earthquake was felt throughout the Bay Area and beyond, on south through Monterey County, 75 miles away.

Californians received an emergency alert seconds before the quake hit.

The San Jose Earthquakes pro soccer team jokingly announced its presence soon after the quake was felt.

The epicenter of Tuesday’s earthquake has seen seismic activity in the past.

Two earthquakes, a 4.1 in 2017 and a 6.2 in 1984, occured nearby in a similar spot.

The USGS estimates there’s a 7.4 per cent chance of a 6.7 magnitude earthquake or higher in the next 30 years.

California is also about 80 years overdue for “The Big One”, the kind of massive earthquake that periodically rocks the state as tectonic plates slide past each other along the 800-mile long San Andreas fault.

“This is a good reminder to always have a plan to evacuate safely and reunite with loved ones,” San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement on Tuesday on Twitter.