Earthquakes rattle Bay Area 6 days before Seahawks’ Super Bowl

A series of small earthquakes rattled the San Francisco Bay Area just as the NFL world descended on the region ahead of the Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Feb 2, 2026, 12:17 PM

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Super Bowl earthquake Seattle Seahawks Levi's Stadium...

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 03: Brady Russell #38 of the Seattle Seahawks walks out of the tunnel before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

SAN RAMON, Calif. — A series of small earthquakes rattled the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday morning, just as the NFL world descended on the region ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

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The most powerful of Monday’s quakes was a magnitude 4.2 that struck shortly after 7 a.m. just south of San Ramon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. San Ramon is roughly 45 minutes north of Santa Clara, where Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, will host the Super Bowl.

At least a dozen other smaller quakes struck in the same area starting around 6:30 a.m. and continuing for more than an hour.

There were no immediate reports of major damage. Bay Area Rapid Transit said delays could result from trains briefly running at reduced speeds during routine track safety inspections.

Shaking was felt more than 30 miles (48 km) away in San Francisco and across the East Bay cities of Oakland and Richmond.

San Ramon has been shaken by multiple recent earthquakes. The Contra Costa County area recorded 87 quakes at magnitude 2 or above in November and December, according to a San Francisco Chronicle analysis of USGS data last month.

The area has a history of earthquake swarms, when quakes repeatedly strike a small area, and don’t follow a typical mainshock-aftershock sequence, according to seismology experts.

In addition to Sunday’s Super Bowl, the Bay Area is hosting the annual Pro Bowl Games on Tuesday and the NFL Honors awards show on Thursday both in San Francisco, as well as numerous concerts and other events leading up to the Seahawks’ matchup with the Patriots.

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This is not the first time the Bay Area has experienced an earthquake around a major sports event. The 1989 World Series between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants was interrupted by a magnitude 6.9 quake that resulted in 63 deaths.

Seattle Sports staff made additions to this post.