A powerful magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked the Northern California coast Thursday morning. The quake occurred about 100 miles off the coast of Eureka, near the Oregon border, at about 6:50 a.m. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The quake was about 6.2 miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which issued no tsunami warnings in connection with the temblor. According to USGS mapping, the quake, while strong, did not produce violent shaking on land.The morning jolt was followed by another quake. A magnitude 5.0 temblor hit at 8:32 a.m. about 108 miles west of Ferndale, which is fewer than 20 miles south of Eureka. So far, there have been no reports of damage in the communities of Fortuna or Ferndale, Fortuna Police Lt. Matthew Eberhardt told The Times. Earthquakes occur all over the world, mostly around plate edges, on faults. Here are three things to keep in mind to ensure safety in an earthquake. The quake off Eureka was felt from southern Oregon south into the Bay Area. It was also felt inland in the Sacramento Valley, the USGS said.
As of 8 a.m., nearly 2,000 people reported feeling the quake with light shaking, according to the USGS “Did You Feel It? map. Soon after the quake, Bay Area residents took to social media to report the shaking. Some residents said they were rattled from their sleep. Bay Area Rapid Transit trains ran 10 minutes slower and at reduced speeds in San Francisco because of “seismic activity.” The north coast of California is one of the state’s most seismically active areas, regularly producing major earthquakes. There had been other smaller quakes in the area in recent days.
