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Although the shaking was strong, it was probably not the first shock for those who had lived there for many years.
Northern California residents were shaken Thursday by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that centered off the coast, the latest unstable earthquake in the earthquake-prone region.
The earthquake occurred at 10:44 a.m. Thursday. The quake was felt as far as the San Francisco Bay Area, nearly 440 miles away. Locals said they felt both the initial quake and several aftershocks.
Northwest California has experienced the most seismic activity in the state in recent years, with eight earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater occurring in the past 100 years.
“Historically, this location off the coast of Northern California has had more magnitude 7.0 earthquakes than anywhere else in the state,” seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said. “[That’s] Because there are three different plates gathered there. ”
A tsunami warning was issued immediately after the earthquake, but was quickly lifted along a 500-mile stretch from the Bay Area to the southern Oregon coastline.
Jones said the quake was a sideslip earthquake, “meaning the ground is moving sideways instead of vertically, and moving sideways doesn’t move as much water.”
Jone also notes that the 7.0 fault is much smaller than the 8.0 and 9.0, so much less water moves through it.
“It’s been quiet for decades, but this is earthquake country,” Jones said. “They will come again.”
There were no reports of major damage or injuries from the earthquake at this time. Homes and businesses in the Humboldt area experienced items falling from shelves, but there was no significant structural damage.
The region experienced similar shaking in 2022 with a magnitude 6.4 earthquake. The earthquake killed two people and severely damaged several buildings.
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