A preliminary 3.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Clayton in Contra Costa County late Tuesday night, according to the United States Geological Survey.  The quake, which hit at 11:36 p.m., was centered 3.8 miles southwest of Clayton, 4.3 miles northeast of Alamo and 4.5 miles east of Walnut Creek.  Further information was not immediately available. BAY AREA QUAKE CENTRAL You can take steps to plan and prepare for the next big one. Access our Bay Area Quake Tracker, the latest earthquake stories, extensive quake prep checklists, videos and many other disaster preparedness resources all in one place: NBCBAYAREA.COM/QUAKES