KTLA

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes off NorCal coast: USGS

(USGS)

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake was recorded off the coast of Northern California early Monday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The temblor, which hit around 12:10 p.m., was centered in the Pacific Ocean, about 24 miles west of Petrolia and 44 miles southwest of Eureka, according to USGS.


Multiple aftershocks with magnitudes in the 2.5 and 4.0 range are impacting the area, state officials say. They urged residents along the North Coast to stay vigilant, citing the possibility for “sizable aftershocks” over the next few days.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries or major damage, but the California Governor’s Office is still “working closely with local first responders and emergency managers evaluating damages to roads, bridges, medical facilities and other infrastructure and coordinating on impacts to the communities,” an early evening news release from Cal OES stated.

The quake’s preliminary magnitude was measured at 5.8 before it was upgraded by the Geological Survey a short time later.

Shaking was felt throughout the northern part of the state and as far south as the Bay Area, USGS’s website showed.

“Moderate to strong shaking was recorded by the seismic network along the coast. The earthquake was felt in San Francisco by this CGS geologist!” the California Geological Survey tweeted.

San Francisco is about 250 miles from Petrolia.

Cal OES said that more than 2,500 people who used the MyShake earthquake early warning technology were notified in advance of the shaking, including some who received a notice at least 15 seconds before the jolt.

The quake’s location was off Cape Mendocino in the Mendocino Fracture Zone, which marks the southern boundary between the Juan de Fuca and Pacific plates, according to seismologist Lucy Jones.

A tsunami is not expected an no warning has been issued.

As Jones explained: “It is a transform fault, meaning the motion is sideways. No vertical motion so little water is displaced and thus no tsunami warning.”