SAN FRANCISCO — Northern California was rocked Thursday by a magnitude 7 earthquake off the coast of Humboldt County, triggering a tsunami warning for large swaths of the region.
The earthquake occurred at 10:44 a.m. with its epicenter under the Pacific Ocean about 110 miles southwest of Eureka and 110 miles northwest of Mendocino. U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Elizabeth Cochran said the land shaking was extremely strong in the Eureka area.
The earthquake was felt widely across California’s north coast. State Sen. Mike McGuire said in a social media post that a mandatory evacuation order has been issued in Crescent City due to the tsunami threat.
“All residents should immediately seek higher ground,” McGuire wrote.
A tsunami warning extends from Oregon to just north of Santa Cruz.
“A tsunami warning means that a tsunami with significant flooding is expected or will occur. A warning indicates the possibility of widespread and dangerous coastal flooding with strong currents, resulting in a first wave It may continue for several hours after arrival,” officials said in a bulletin.
Olivia Cobian, innkeeper at the Gingerbread Mansion, a bed and breakfast in the historic town of Ferndale, said the building, built in 1895, “looked like a war zone.”
“The fireplace is flying forward,” she said. “Removed claw foot bathtub” [their mounts] And then it turned over. This is crazy. ”
Kobian said he was showing a third-grade class at a local elementary school around the inn just before the earthquake.
“They were just walking back to school,” she said, adding, “Thank God.”
“This is insane,” she said as she walked through the inn, surveying the damage. Just then, sirens started blaring behind me. Cobian said he had to go and talk to the firefighters who showed up.
Employee Caitlin Graves said the shaking at Petrolia General Store was violent and lasted about 10 seconds.
“It was a big earthquake. It was shaking up and down quite a bit,” Graves said in a phone interview. “It was similar to that annoying feeling you get when you’re in an elevator.”
Graves said the shaking was so violent that several items fell off shelves and several glass items were shattered.
Humboldt County Supervisor Rex Vaughn, whose district includes the earthquake zone, said no major damage has been reported so far.
“I just spoke to one of the health care providers at the local hospital…they seem to be OK,” he said.
“It’s a mess. There’s a lot of stuff on the shelves,” he added, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage at this point. Bourne said the quakes struck in roughly the same location in Scotia and the Rio Dell/Mattle Valley area of Humboldt County. If an earthquake occurs in 2022.
“It was a sudden shock and it spread,” Vaughn said.
A second, smaller magnitude 5.8 earthquake also occurred near Cobb, California. There were no immediate reports of damage.
Preliminary tremor data from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests “very strong” shaking may have been felt in the towns of Petrolia and Ferndale. “Very strong” shaking, as defined by the Modified Mercalli Strength Scale, can cause chimney failure and cause significant damage to poorly constructed or poorly designed structures.
The U.S. Geological Survey said strong shaking may have been felt at Eureka. In general, “strong” shaking can cause heavy furniture to move or plaster to fall.
In the past 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater with epicenters nearby.
California and Nevada experience an average of five earthquakes each year between magnitude 7.0 and 8.0, according to a recent three-year data sample.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10.9 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting your feelings to the USGS.
Sign up for the Unshaken newsletter to learn what to do before and during an earthquake near you. This newsletter provides a step-by-step guide to emergency preparedness over six weeks. For more information on earthquake kits, the apps you need, Lucy Jones’ top advice and more, visit latimes.com/Unshaken.
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