Friday’s earthquake felt throughout Tri-Valley, much of Bay Area

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.1 struck east of San Jose Friday afternoon and could be felt throughout much of the Bay Area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake was reported at 4:10 p.m. in an area just south of Mt. Hamilton and 13 miles east-southeast of San Jose City Hall, according to the USGS.

The tremor had a depth of 4.4 miles, the USGS said.

Ther quake was felt in the offices of the Pleasanton Weekly and in many other Tri-Valley locations.

BART briefly shut down service to check for damage from the temblor, but was back up and running within five or 10 minutes, a dispatcher said.

An employee at the Reid-Hillview Airport in Palo Alto, the closest airport to the quake’s epicenter, said operations were continuing as usual there.

“We felt it, but as far as we can tell, nothing fell down, and no aircraft were damaged or buildings were damaged,” he said.

The owner of Ornamental Edibles, which sells vegetable seeds out of San Jose, felt it 5810 Killarney Circle.

“There was a little precursor, a little bit of a shake and then a jolt,” store owner Pam Wiggitt said, adding that nothing was damaged and business wasn’t interrupted.

“By the time we looked at each other it was almost over,” said Margie King, owner of MK Technical Services, a staffing agency at 4349 San Felipe Road in San Jose.

San Francisco residents also felt the quake.

“My cubicle was swaying and it took me a minute to realize it was not me or anyone walking by,” said Pamela Ringer-Britz, a project manager at SFL Data at 100 California St.

“Everyone in my office felt it,” she said.

A few aftershocks have been reported in the same location, including one with a preliminary magnitude of 2.6, according to the USGS.