Moderate quake rattles Bay Area

(CNN) -- A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 struck Northern California on Tuesday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake's epicenter was about five miles north-northeast of Alum Rock, California, and nine miles northeast of San Jose City Hall, the USGS said. It hit at 8:04 p.m. (11:04 p.m. ET) Tuesday.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Rafael Abreu of the USGS said that a magnitude 5.6 quake was considered moderate but could still deliver "a pretty strong jolt."

The earthquake's epicenter was 5.7 miles below the Earth's surface, which Abreu called relatively shallow.

Earthquakes centered closer to the surface produce stronger shaking and generally can cause more damage than those farther underground.

Alum Rock is 50 miles southeast of San Francisco. Watch Abreu pinpoint the quake's strength and location »

Bay Area Rapid Transit said trains were stopped for five minutes after the quake. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported no power outages, according to affiliate KTVU-TV in Oakland.

The quake was centered in the Diablo Range foothills, not far from the home of San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, The Associated Press reported.

"It was a pretty strong ride here, a lot of shaking but nothing broken," Reed told the AP in a phone interview. "I've talked to a few people, and we have no reports of injuries or damage. There was a lot of shaking, but it wasn't the big one."

Amrit Shergill, a native of India who works at a gasoline station in San Jose, told the AP that some small items were knocked onto the floor.

"My God, I felt like running because the roof might come down on my head," she told the AP. "I've never felt anything like this in 16 years in the United States."

Rod Foo, who resides in southern San Jose, about 10 miles from the quake's center, told the news agency that his home did not lose power or phone service.

"I could hear it coming up the street before it hit the house," Foo told the AP. "I thought it was the kids messing around at first; then I felt the house shaking and I knew it was an earthquake. ... It was rattling for a long time and really loud." E-mail to a friend

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