3.1M earthquake strikes San Ramon ahead of Christmas Eve

SAN RAMON, Calif. - A 3.1-magnitude earthquake struck near San Ramon on Wednesday morning, the latest in a series of small quakes in the area, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The latest quake struck at 11:36 a.m. about 3 miles southeast of San Ramon and about 3 miles north of Dublin, according to the USGS.

There have been a number of small earthquakes registering 4.0 or lower magnitudes on the Richter scale since early November in the area near the Contra Costa and Alameda county lines. 

The quakes are on the Calaveras Fault, which the USGS said last produced a notable earthquake in October 2007 with a 5.4-magnitude one near San Jose.