3.7 magnitude earthquake jolts California overnight, experts say

That midnight rumbling in central California early Monday wasn’t your stomach. It was a 3.7-magnitude earthquake, geologists say.

The temblor was centered about 15 miles southwest of Los Banos and rocked the area around 12:55 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey says. A magnitude 2.5 quake struck 13 minutes earlier in the same location.

Weak shaking was reported as far east as Fresno and west near Salinas, but USGS data characterizes the earthquake’s intensity as moderate near the epicenter.

Fifteen minutes after the Los Banos temblor, a 3.3 magnitude quake rattled the Geysers roughly 185 miles from Los Banos, according to the USGS. Weak shaking was reported near Uklah.

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake is considered to be level II-III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, according to the USGS. Magnitude “measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake” while intensity is determined by the quake’s effect on buildings and people.

Level II intensity tends to be felt by people “at rest” or on upper floors of buildings, the USGS says. Level III is described as being “quite noticeable by persons indoors,” though others might “not recognize it as an earthquake,” likening the vibrations to that of a passing truck.

This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 7:33 AM with the headline "3.7 magnitude earthquake jolts California overnight, experts say."