7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northern California, Prompting Temporary Tsunami Alert
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Los Angeles, Dec 6 (NationPress) A powerful earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.0 rattled several regions in Northern California, leading to a temporary tsunami alert that resulted in evacuations across certain coastal locations in Northern California and the San Francisco Bay area.
This significant seismic event occurred offshore approximately 100 km northwest of Ferndale, a small city in Humboldt County, which has a population exceeding 1,000. The quake hit at 10:44 a.m. local time on Thursday, as reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Initially assessed as a 6.6 magnitude quake, it was subsequently revised to 7.0 by the USGS. The depth of the epicenter was determined to be 0.6 km, according to reports from the Xinhua news agency.
Over 5.3 million residents in California fell under a tsunami warning issued by the US National Weather Service (NWS) just minutes after the earthquake occurred. Nevertheless, the warning indicated that any damage would be localized and minimal.
The tsunami alert, which spanned from the Oregon state border to the San Francisco Bay Area, was lifted by the NWS around noon local time on Thursday with the announcement that, “No destructive tsunami has been recorded.”
People along the Northern California coastline and extending into the Central Valley reported feeling the tremors.
Following the initial quake, approximately a dozen minor aftershocks were recorded in Northern California; however, there were no immediate reports of damage.
