Magnitude-3.4 earthquake shakes parts of SLO, Monterey counties. Did you feel it?
A magnitude-3.4 earthquake struck about four miles northwest of Cholame on Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Shaking was light to imperceptible in parts of San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties, according to the agency.
Still, 19 people registered so-called “felt reports” with the USGS. Of those, 16 reported light shaking.
The epicenter of Thursday’s temblor was located about half a mile from the San Andreas Fault, which runs the length of the Cholame Valley. In fact, the area is known as the “Earthquake Capital of the World.”
USGS data indicates that the quake occurred on a northwest-southeast oriented strike slip fault — likely a strand of the San Andreas.
Seven moderate-sized quakes have occurred in the region along the San Andreas Fault since 1857.
A total of 38 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and larger have struck the valley between Highway 46 and Parkfield since 2004, when a magnitude-6.0 temblor rattled the region, according to the USGS.
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 5:41 PM.
