Moderate M 4.3 earthquake shakes Hollister, CA

Seismo-Watch

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Tuesday, January 7, 2003

An earthquake registering M 4.3 occurred this afternoon along Central California Coast Range near Hollister. Early reports indicate it was widely felt in the region, but there have been no reports injuries at this time.

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According to the Northern California Seismic Network (NCSN) the earthquake measured M 4.3 occurred at 22:29:27 GMT or 2:29 p.m. PST, January 7, about three south of Hollister along the hills near the County Hospital. See a Topozone topographic map or a MapQuest street map.

The focal depth was 8.5 km, a typical depth for earthquakes in this location. A preliminary fault plane solution indicated strike-slip motion along a northwest trending plane.

UC Berkeley determined a Moment magnitude (Mw) of 4.4. See solution.

The earthquake was centered in an area where the Calaveras Fault splays away from the San Andreas Fault. Several smaller faults are mapped in the area and preliminary data suggests the earthquake occurred along the Pacines Fault.

Earthquake activity in Central California near Hollister was relaxed the previous week See the latest Seismo-Watch Central California earthquake report. or visit the report archive.

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