Tsunami warnings in California and Oregon lifted after 7.0-magnitude earthquake
An earthquake ruptured off California’s coast on Thursday morning, briefly triggering a tsunami warning for the coast of Northern California and southern Oregon.
The earthquake, a magnitude-7.0 temblor, rumbled at around 10:44 a.m., about 62 miles west of Ferndale, California, according to the United States Geological Survey.
A tsunami warning was issued for the coast from Davenport, California, to the border between Douglas and Lane counties in Oregon. The Tsunami Warning Center canceled the warning at about 11:55 a.m.
Humboldt County, the community on land closest to the epicenter, reported no injuries or fatalities, Humboldt County District 2 Supervisor Michelle Bushnell told NBC News. But she said she had heard of broken water mains, broken windows and houses off their foundations.
About 10,000 people were without power in Humboldt County, according to state Sen. Mike McGuire.
The 7.0-magnitude quake is one of roughly 17 events that rattled Northern California on Thursday, with most of the seismic activity concentrated around Humboldt County.
At least four events were recorded in the Ferndale area, with high activity also observed around the town of Petrolia, where at least 10 quakes ranging between 3.1 and 4.2 magnitude broke out.
The office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement on Thursday saying the governor had been briefed on the quakes and tsunami warning. The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has been activated to coordinate the response, the statement said.
Christine Goulet, the director of earthquake science center at USGS based in Los Angeles, said the earthquake initiated less than a mile beneath the earth’s surface, making it uncommonly shallow. More than a dozen aftershocks were reported following the event.
Goulet said USGS analysis suggests there is about a 5% chance that an earthquake greater than magnitude-6.0 could rupture within the next week in the area.
“Following a 7, there could be fairly large aftershocks,” Goulet said. “As time goes by, they’re going to be less frequent and smaller.”
Earthquakes can trigger tsunamis when they displace the seafloor, causing waves that can rush toward shore. A tsunami warning indicates that significant inundation and coastal flooding is expected, based on preliminary information about the quake’s position.
Harold Tobin, the director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, said the temblor was a strike-slip earthquake, which means that two plates slid past each other, causing shaking.
