Hollister
– A light 4.3 magnitude earthquake rattled the shelves and
windows of San Benito County on Monday, according to the United
States Geological Survey.
Hollister – A light 4.3 magnitude earthquake rattled the shelves and windows of San Benito County on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The temblor hit at 12:58pm, with an epicenter one mile east of Aromas and five miles west of San Juan Bautista, according to the USGS. Steve Walter, a USGS seismologist, said the earthquake occurred along the creeping section of the San Andreas Fault.
The creeping section of the fault runs from Parkfield to just north of Aromas, before the Loma Prieta section begins, Walter said.
“This is a fault everyone wishes they had because it produces a lot of small and light earthquakes,” Walter said.
In recent years, the section has been fairly quiet, Walter said. In November 2006, another light earthquake – a 4.0 magnitude temblor – originated between the San Andreas and Calaveras faults.
Last week, there were several 3.0 or greater earthquakes in the area, Walter said.
The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office received no calls or reports of injuries in the 90 minutes after the earthquake, Lt. Roy Iler said.
Many local residents were unfazed by the light quake.
“It wasn’t really that bad,” 17-year-old Hollister resident Eric Macias said while heading into Nob Hill on Monday afternoon.
Gilroy area residents also felt the earthquake.
“It was just like a jet passing,” said Kim Gussenhoven, who was home near the Eagle Ridge Golf Club when the quake occurred. “My wife and little girl got nervous,” he said with a chuckle as his daughter’s cries waned in the background.
Kelly’s Gift Place on the corner of San Benito and Sixth streets escaped the quake without damage, but the store’s merchandise rattled, said Carla Schultz, a saleswoman.
“All the wine glasses were shaking, and the Harley-Davidson mugs were flying around on their little things,” Schultz said.
In light earthquakes, categorized from 4.0 to 4.9, no damage is usually experienced, Walter said.
Although the event was categorized as light and caused no injuries, public safety officials were prepared.
Hollister Interim Fire Chief Fred Cheshire said his department pulled firefighting equipment out of its garage, just in case a larger earthquake were to hit.
The department kept the engines out and ready to roll for an hour, he said.
“If it’s something that we feel, we normally do it,” Cheshire said.
