PATTERSON, Calif. — A preliminary magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck near Patterson on Monday.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck around 9:15 p.m.
It was centered about 3 miles north of Diablo Grande and about 9 miles west southwest of Patterson in Stanislaus County.
People reported feeling it in Modesto, Stockton, Lodi and parts of the Bay Area. There are no immediate reports of damage. A map of where the earthquake was likely felt can be found HERE.
The earthquake was the biggest of the six felt in the area over a span of hours Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday.
Monday
- 5:15 p.m. - M4.0
- 8:45 p.m. - M3.5
- 9:15 p.m. - M4.5
- 9:40 p.m. - M3.2
- 10:25 p.m. - M3.2
Tuesday
- 3:21 a.m. - M3.1
Dr. Angie Lux, project scientist with the Berkeley Seismology Lab, said this "swarm" of earthquakes is not too uncommon to see, and so far, everything appears to be status quo.
"We have a number of earthquakes that are happening down in the area. But so far, everything seems to be more or less normal. I would say nothing unexpected," said Lux.
As far as future earthquakes and their size, that's to be determined. She said the size of an earthquake isn't something people can predict until the quakes actually happen.
Lux said there hasn't been a lot of seismic activity happening near the Patterson area over the last 10 years, but the faults can sometimes become more active.
"We do live in California, there are lots of little faults, and sometimes they may become more active, and then they stop for a while, and then they become more active again later," said Lux.
As far as this swarm of earthquakes possibly releasing pressure on the fault, it's not really enough energy to make that kind of difference if a very big earthquake occurs.
"These smaller earthquakes, they don't release enough pressure or enough energy on the fault that would prevent a large earthquake from happening," said Lux.
Despite the uncommon shaking some in the area might have felt, Lux emphasized that for now, it's business as usual.
"These earthquakes, they can serve as a reminder to make sure that you have an earthquake safety kit put together, make sure you have a plan for if there's a bigger earthquake, and you know how to contact people and you have that plan in place to be prepared for the next big earthquake," she said.
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- How vulnerable is California to tsunamis? | Earthquake Ready or Not
WATCH MORE: Earthquakes come without warning and if you aren’t prepared by the time the big one hits, you will be too late. The 2019 earthquake near Ridgecrest, California shined a spotlight on the need to be prepared with a disaster kit and a plan. A little work now could help you survive the next quake.