Magnitude 3.8 earthquake strikes San Francisco Bay Area

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake rattled the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday morning, August 13, 2026, striking near the Oakland-San Leandro border and prompting brief disruptions to transit service before authorities confirmed no major damage or injuries occurred. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake hit at 8:30 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located near the Oakland Zoo, about 2.5 miles from San Leandro at a shallow depth of approximately 5.2 kilometers.

The initial tremor was followed by at least two aftershocks, measuring magnitude 3.0 and 2.8, which struck at 9:07 a.m. local time. The USGS initially registered the main quake at magnitude 4.1 before later downgrading it to 3.8 as more data became available. Nearly 7,000 people from across the region, including areas as far as Clearlake and Sebastopol, reported feeling the shaking.

Bay Area Rapid Transit officials immediately halted trains as a safety precaution when the shaking began. Crews then conducted track inspections for any signs of damage before resuming service, which ran at reduced speeds for a period. BART later reported that normal service had been restored.

The Oakland Zoo, located near the epicenter,...