4.2 Earthquake Hits San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ A magnitude-4.2 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area Thursday night, rattling residents' nerves but causing no major damage or injuries. <br/><br/>The temblor struck at

Friday, March 2nd 2007, 6:42 am

By: News On 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ A magnitude-4.2 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area Thursday night, rattling residents' nerves but causing no major damage or injuries.

The temblor struck at 8:40 p.m. and was centered a mile northeast of the East Bay town of Lafayette, according to a preliminary report by the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake, which could be felt by residents throughout the region, lasted between 10 to 15 seconds.

Bridges in the area did not sustain any damages, the California Highway Patrol said. Trains on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system were temporarily stopped, but resumed normal service about 30 minutes later, said BART spokesman Lynton Johnson.

Residents told a local television station some items broke in their homes, but there were no major damage.

The earthquake shook basketball fans at Haas Pavilion on the University of California's campus in Berkeley, about 13 miles west of the epicenter. The crowd issued a collective ``Oooh,'' as the building briefly shuddered during a timeout in Cal's game against Arizona, then cheered loudly while officials briefly delayed resuming the game.

Gene Mckinney, 39, owner of Aladinos Pizza in Lafayette said he was taking a nap in the restaurant's office when he felt the earthquake. He said there was no damage to the eatery.

``It was more of a shock, an eye opener to me,'' Mckinney said, noting that it was the first time he felt a quake in his 12 years living in California.

``It makes you marvel at what Mother Nature can do,'' he said.