Shake, rattle and roll - 3.7 quake reported
near The Geysers

By Jason Bennert

July 20, 2007

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake that struck near The Geysers on the border of Sonoma and Lake counties shortly before 11 a.m. today is not an aftershock of an earlier 4.2 temblor in the East Bay, according to a U.S. Geological Survey spokeswoman.

The quake struck at 10:50 a.m. and was centered approximately 26 miles northwest of Santa Rosa about six hours after the East Bay quake.

"It's definitely not an aftershock,'' USGS spokeswoman Leslie Gordon said. "It's not out of the question that it could have been triggered,'' by the East Bay quake.

However, Gordon noted that the two quakes are likely unrelated as the area around The Geysers regularly gets seismic activity of this morning's magnitude. "It's very common,'' Gordon said.

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