Earthquake reminder for hikers
A magnitude 4.6 quake jolted Santa Cruz County early April 2 — aftershocks are expected, so check trail closures and rockfall alerts before heading to coastal or ridge routes. (latimes.com) (sandiegouniontribune.com)
The U.S. Geological Survey located the event 1 kilometer east‑southeast of Boulder Creek at 08:41:25 UTC (1:41:25 a.m. Pacific) with a hypocenter about 10.9 km below the surface, according to the agency’s event page. (earthquake.usgs.gov) Seismologists initially reported the shake as a local‑magnitude 4.9 before revising it to a final 4.6 during early morning review, a change noted in local newsroom updates. (nbcbayarea.com) USGS “Did You Feel It?” reports logged more than 25,000 public responses within hours, with felt reports extending from Sacramento to King City, reflecting the shallow focal depth and wide felt area. (slvpost.com) The USGS operational aftershock forecast attached to the sequence gave roughly a 60% probability of at least one magnitude‑3.0+ aftershock in the next seven days, about a 14% chance of M4.0+, and roughly a 2% chance of M5.0+, with the forecast expected to change most rapidly in the first 72 hours. (slvpost.com) CAL FIRE’s CZU unit activated its earthquake response protocol and inspected stations and local structures early Thursday, reporting no structural damage at fire facilities as crews surveyed the Boulder Creek area. (prismnews.com) The epicenter sits amid the Santa Cruz Mountains just off Highway 9, and Big Basin Redwoods State Park is accessed from Boulder Creek via Highway 236 — the park entrance is about nine miles down Highway 236 from Highway 9 — a detail relevant to assessments of ridge and canyon routes that may need spot checks following seismic shaking. (parks.ca.gov)
