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Calaveras Fault Swarm Rattles East Bay as Dozens of Small Quakes Follow M3.8 Near San Ramon

Seismologists describe a localized swarm on the Calaveras fault with activity tapering after more than 40 shallow events.

Overview

  • USGS recorded a preliminary magnitude 3.8 at 9:38 a.m. Sunday near San Ramon, followed within minutes by quakes of 3.7, 3.0 and 2.9, plus later events including a 2.5 and a 3.2.
  • More than 40 earthquakes ranging from about M0.6 to M3.8 occurred between November 9 and 10 along a roughly 3–4 km stretch of the northern Calaveras fault.
  • Hypocenters clustered at shallow depths of roughly 5 to 10 km, contributing to widespread light shaking reports in San Ramon, Dublin, Danville, Pleasanton and nearby communities.
  • No injuries or damage have been reported by local authorities or via USGS Did You Feel It submissions, and most subsequent tremors declined to M1–M2 through Monday.
  • Experts note the swarm’s tight clustering and “staccato” pattern fit past San Ramon sequences; agencies continue monitoring even as long‑term studies show the Calaveras fault can produce larger quakes.