The earthquake struck at 2.39am PT (10.39am GMT) and was originally reported as 4.7 magnitude but was later downgraded to 4.4 by the US Geological Survey.
Tremors centred along the Oakland-Berkeley border, north of the Claremont Hotel in the East Bay Hills and about a mile away from Cal’s Memorial Stadium.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in the area of the Hayward fault, which is directly underneath heavily populated areas.
The Hayward Fault runs from the San Pablo Bay in the north to Fremont in the south, passing through the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, Hayward and Fremont and other East Bay cities.
It is considered to be one of the nation’s most dangerous faults as it is located directly underneath the urban centres of the East Bay, including Memorial Stadium at US Berkeley.
The earthquake could be felt as far away as San Francisco, Marin County, Sonoma Country and Silicon Valley.
The California Department of Emergency Services said there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
USGS seismologist Robert Sanders told the Los Angeles Times: “There’s always a possibility of some minor damage to older structures in the area.”
Many people took to Twitter to report experiencing the earthquake in cities along the Hayward Fault.
Doug Sovern said: “I can’t remember the last time an earthquake woke me up from a deep sleep, which means it had to be 4+ and on the Hayward fault.
“No damage, no car alarms, no dogs barking, kids still asleep. Just a quick shake, rattle and roll.”
The Hayward fault is part of the San Andreas fault system and there is a 31 percent chance of an earthquake occurring in the next 30 years.
The most recent major earthquake happened in October 1868 which was estimated to have a magnitude of 6.8.
The earthquake was one of the most destructive in California history and remains the nation’s 12th most lethal earthquake.
It killed about 30 people and caused major property damage. At the time the Bay Area had the largest population on the west coast of 260,000 residents.
The earthquake was known as the “great San Francisco earthquake” until the magnitude of 7.9 shock on the San Andreas fault in 1906.