A strong earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale struck the San Francisco Bay Area in the early hours of Thursday.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicentre of the quake was 3 kilometres south-east of Berkeley in California.
Tremors were also felt in San Francisco city after residents said they were woken up by a short and strong jerk, followed by a few seconds of shaking.
However, it is yet to be ascertained whether there was any loss of lives or damage to property.
A very strong earthquake had struck San Francisco earlier in 1868. Five people were killed and total property loss reported was worth 3,50,000 US Dollars. This earthquake was also known as the 'great San Francisco earthquake'.
Another earthquake of magnitude 7.9 shook the nearby San Andreas Fault in 1906.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)