6.5-magnitude quake rolls through northern California town
Shock waves from a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that struck off the north coast of California this morning rolled through a nearby coastal town like waves under a boat, residents say.
The quake struck at around 6:50 a.m. PT Thursday 160 kilometres west of Ferndale at a shallow depth of 12 kilometres, the U.S. Geological Service reported.
Initial estimates put it at 6.8 magnitude, but it was later downgraded to 6.5. It was followed by a 5-magnitude aftershock which occurred about 15 kilometres further west at at 8:32 a.m. PT
Bonnie Brower, owner of the Ferndale Pie Company, says she was grabbing something from the fridge in the restaurant's kitchen when the quake happened. She did not see any damage, but felt a "big jolt."
"I just felt this very huge jerk and I didn't know what it was," she said. Afterward, she said it felt like the ground was rolling "like you were on a boat."
Dennis Gorton, who owns the Francis Creek Inn in Ferndale, said there was no damage and none of the guests panicked.
"It was just kind of a roller," he said. "Nothing was thrown off the shelves or anything like that."
No damage reports or tsunami alert
Despite reports of light shaking along the California and Oregon coasts, no tsunami alert was issued and no damage has been reported.
The quake occurred in a seismically active area where the Juan de Fuca and the Gorda plates meet the much larger Pacific Plate.
"There are many kinds of faults there, because of all the different kinds of stresses, so earthquakes are common," said CBC seismologist Johanna Wagstaffe. "In fact, there had been two magnitude 4 quakes in this same area earlier in the week."
In January 2010, a 6.5 magnitude quake in the Pacific caused about $34 million in property losses in and around the nearby city of Eureka, including partial damage to at least nine buildings.
