An earthquake measured at 4.8 centered near Farmington rocked the Central Valley shortly before 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 8. The quake hit at 3:50 p.m. according to the USGS.

Reports of the shaker came in from many corners; people reported feeling the back and forth motion of the quake for several seconds.

Farmington Fire Chief Conni Bailey, who was at the fire station at the corner of Highway 4 and Escalon-Bellota Road, said it definitely took her by surprise.

“It rocked us, we felt it for about 15 to 16 seconds,” Bailey said.

She added that her first thought was that it must have been a major quake in the Bay Area, but then she learned it was centered much closer to her location.

“The pendulum on my clock was swinging,” she explained, adding that personnel at the station heard an unusual noise and were able to determine it was the water stored in water tender sloshing back and forth.

“It was a pretty strong one,” the chief said.

She said a number of people called in to the station asking whether the area had been hit by an earthquake, but no one reported any significant problems or damage.

The quake was felt in a wide area of the Central Valley, from Sonora to Oakdale, Farmington to Escalon and more.

Officials later said the Farmington quake was likely related to a 5.9 earthquake recorded in Smith Valley, Nevada and may have been a shock wave from that one as opposed to a smaller, separate quake.