M4.2 Earthquake Confirmed in Northern California, Set off Quake Alert

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook part of Northern California between the state capital and the San Francisco Bay region on Wednesday, setting off automated quake alerts, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed.

The 9:29 a.m. quake was centered in the agricultural Isleton area about 32 miles (52 kilometers) southwest of Sacramento, according to the USGS. The area is largely occupied by the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services spokesperson Kim Nava said there were no immediate reports of harm from the quake. In particular, Nava said there were no reports of damage to the area’s extensive levees that protect farmland.

The tremor triggered a warning from the West Coast`s ShakeAlert system, which detects the start of a quake and sends alerts to smartphones in areas expected to experience shaking.

In Sacramento, a ShakeAlert arrived before the shaking started. Blinds swayed in The Associated Press’ Sacramento office on the ninth floor of a high-rise building.

The quake initially was estimated at magnitude 5.7 but was downgraded.

The Isleton jolt occurred the day after the 34th anniversary of the destructive Oct. 17, 1989, Loma Prieta earthquake that rocked the San Francisco Bay region, and one day before California`s annual statewide ShakeOut earthquake drill.