Earthquake!

We just had an earthquake here in downtown San Jose. I was in my office, on the 5th floor of a 9 story building.

Initially it felt like something heavy was going down the hall, but after that it was more as though King Kong had given the building a good shake. The motion was long and sustained — more than 10 seconds — but never violent.

I don’t know where the epicenter is, but if it was in the Bay Area, my guess was that it was around 5.0.

However, the USGS counts it as a 4.4, centered 16 miles southeast of downtown San Jose. According to KCBS radio, it was apparently felt in downtown San Francisco and as far north as Richmond.

I guess I found it deceptive because it lasted so long — and also because I’ve never been in this 25-year-old building during an earthquake.

Update 3pm: The USGS has downgraded its Richter estimate from the original 4.4 to 4.3.