Buildings shake as earthquake trembles city and people ask 'did you feel that'

01 December 2023 , 09:22

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San Diego skyline viewed from Coronado Island (Image: Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery)

An Magnitude 4.8 with residents reporting buildings shaking.

The epicentre of the quake was around 100 km east of the coastal city close to the border with Mexico. Posting on X, formerly , Abhi Watpade wrote: "It felt like an earthquake in San Diego, about a minute ago. Felt the building shaking a bit."

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake hit 12 km east of Ocotillo, California, at 11.43pm local time (7.43am UTC) at a depth of around 9.6km.

Another user on X, wrote: "Felt it in Mission Valley. My bed shook. It woke me up." Mission Valley is a neighbourhood of San Diego.

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Map shows where the epicentre of the earthquake hit

Other areas where people reported on social media feeling the quake included San Ysidro, Chula Vista, Carmel Valley, Kearny Mesa and North Park. The USGS have so far received 825 reports from people regarding this latest earthquake with some reporting feeling it as far north as Los Angeles.

According to an update from the National Tsunami Warning Center which came minutes after the earthquake hit, there is no risk of a tsunami.

Many took to social media to report what they felt and check if it actually was an earthquake.

One user on X quipped: "I like to check Twitter to make sure it was an actual earthquake and not the glass of wine."

The location of the quake

Another said: "I had surgery today and that earthquake just woke me up on 6th floor of hospital! Love San Diego."

One person commented on the number of people talking about it on social media. They said: "it’s not an earthquake if people from san diego don’t tweet about it"

The epicentre of the earthquake lies not far from the San Andreas Fault, a 1,200 kilometre boundary between two massive tectonic plates. It has been responsible for some of the worst earthquakes in US history including the 1906 San Francisco earthquake which claimed over 3,000 lives.

According to Earthquake Tracker, the biggest quake to ever hit San Diego and its surrounding was in 1952 when a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck 15 km from Frazier Park. Although the epicentre was north of Los Angeles the shockwaves were felt in San Diego.

Scientists fear pressure in the San Andreas fault is building to the point there could be a massive earthquake. A study published in 2006 in the journal Nature by Yuri Fialko found the fault has reached a sufficient stress level for a quake of magnitude greater than 7.0.

Nicknamed 'The next Big One', the feared quake could devastate the region.

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Charlie Jones