2.9M earthquake shakes Piedmont amid string of East Bay quakes

Earthquakes: Where are the Bay Area faults?

KTVU meteorologist Mark Tamayo looks at each fault in the Bay Area, including the San Andreas and Calaveras, and the region's long earthquake history.

PIEDMONT, Calif. - A 2.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Piedmont Monday afternoon, one of many to hit the East Bay within just a matter of hours.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports the small earthquake struck just before 3 p.m. about 1 mile west of Piedmont in Alameda County.

The earthquake was centered along California's Hayward Fault, which has not seen a "major" earthquake since 1868, according to the USGS.

The Piedmont earthquake had a depth of 4.6-kilometers, the USGS reported.

String of earthquakes

The backstory:

Eight smaller earthquakes struck in San Ramon earlier Monday, with the largest measured at 3.6 in magnitude.

The two most recent occurred just before 2 p.m., coming in at 2.9 and 2.6.

The other earthquakes in San Ramon ranged from 2.5 to 3.0. 

Meanwhile, roughly 5,000 miles away, a powerful 7. 6-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan on Monday, triggering a tsunami of up to 40 centimeters in coastal communities in the region, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.