5.6 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Northern California

An earthquake, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, jolted Northern Calfornia, around 8 pm on Tuesday, October 30th. The epicenter was located just south of the Calaveras Reservoir in Santa Clara County.

Described as moderate by scientists, the quake caused no major damage or injuries. It did, however, rattle a lot of nerves. Bay area residents, who have been anticipating the "big one" got very nervous, thinking this might be it. People who were in a Mall near the epicenter said sirens inside the mall urged people to evacuate, causing a clogging at the exit doors. Public trains either stopped for a few minutes or slowed down following the quake. The worst reports of damage, besides frayed nerves, were things rolling off shelves.

Whenever an earthquake occurs and a fault slips, it releases pent-up stress. However, that shaking also triggers changes in the pressure built up along nearby faults. Unfortunately, scientists cannot predict whether this quake helped ease the tension or increase it up further along the fault. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that it was the former.

Check below for an interesting video on the location of the earthquake and the various aftershocks that followed.