Some people in northern San Luis Obispo county felt a 3.5 magnitude earthquake Wednesday morning.
While the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was ready with alerts and immediate information, the agency says self-reporting from local residents also helps provide additional information.
“I think a really important piece of what we gather is the human experience,” said Robert de Groot, USGS Shake Alert System spokesperson.
With advanced instruments and the Shake Alert Earthquake Early Warning System, the science to measure an earthquake in-depth is there, but self-reporting helps the USGS prepare in other ways.
“We can use it to better understand how to craft our messaging around how people should protect themselves," de Groot said. "The other really important piece is that people are in a lot more places than the seismic instruments are.”
For residents of Atascadero, the earthquake that occurred at 6:01 a.m. 17 miles northeast of Paso Robles on Wednesday was strong enough for them to notice.
“I thought initially I was kind of dreaming," said local resident Michael Lowery. "I woke up a little more and I could feel the bed slightly shaking.”
Others heard about it from their coworkers or even pets.
“I didn't feel the earthquake, but I think my dog did because my dog woke me up just around 6:00 this morning," said Phil Dunsmore. "When I came into the office, my staff asked me if I felt the earthquake because they had felt it.”
Many, didn’t feel it at all or even know about it.
“I did not feel the earthquake, and I only heard about it couple minutes ago,” said another Atascadero resident.
De Groot says several factors determine what allows you to feel a weak earthquake.
“You're reading a book or you're studying, you can feel the smallest sort of vibrations, but if you're doing something, you're moving from one place to another, you may not feel a thing,” he said.
Your location can also have an effect, according to de Groot. He says there are 50 earthquakes a day in the state of California, many of which are felt but others are not.
If you felt the earthquake or any in the future, you can self-report your experience on the USGS website.
