Strong quake strikes off California coast
0 Comments
A strong earthquake measuring 6.5 magnitude on the Richter scale hit off the coast of Northern California Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake struck at about 4:27 p.m. local time and was centered about 33 miles (53 kilometers) from Eureka, a city along the Northern California coast, according to information posted on the USGS website.
There were no reports of fatalities so far but there were some injuries and damages as well as power outages in several coastal communities, local media reported.
The quake, which lasted for about 30 seconds, leaving much of Eureka without power, reported Times-Standard, a daily newspaper headquartered in the city.
The tremor had power poles waving back and forth along Eureka streets and brought panicked residents out of their homes, the newspaper said in a report on its website.
Employees working at the city's Bayshore Mall also reported light fixtures falling out of the ceiling, floor tiles popping up off the ground and chunks of the ceiling falling onto customers.
There were possible injuries at the mall as one employee said several people were picked up by ambulances.
According to the USGS, the quake hit at a depth of 10.2 miles (about 16.4 kilometers) and was followed by several aftershocks.
"The magnitude is such that a tsunami is not expected. However, in coastal areas of intense shaking, locally generated tsunamis can be triggered by underwater landslides," the U.S. West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement.
USGS experts said the quake was felt as far south as Capitola, a central California coastal city, and as far north as Tiller in the U.S. state of Oregon.
On Thursday and Friday, two light quakes of 4.1 and 3.8 magnitude had rattled the U.S. San Francisco Bay Area.
