Dr. Lucy Jones said Thursday’s earthquake moved the land sideways, which doesn’t displace much water. This segment was broadcast during the NBC4 News at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.
It was a strong jolt, but probably not the first for longtime residents.
Northern Californians were rattled Thursday by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake centered off the coast in the most recent unsettling seismic event in the quake-prone region.
The quake struck at 10:44 a.m.Thursday. The shaking reached as far as the San Francisco Bay Area, nearly 270 miles away. People there said they felt both the initial quake and several waves of aftershocks.
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California’s northwest corner has experienced the most seismic activity in the state in recent years – eight magnitude-7.0 or higher earthquakes within the last century.
“Historically this point offshore in Northern California has had more magnitude-7.0 earthquakes than anywhere else in the state,” said seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones. “[That’s] because we have three different tectonic plates that come together there.”
A tsunami warning was issued shortly after the quake struck but was quickly lifted along 500 miles of Bay Area to Southern Oregon coastline.
According to Jones, the quake was a strike slip earthquake, “meaning that the ground moves sideways rather than vertically and moving sideways doesn't displace much water.”
Jone also says a 7.0 is significantly smaller fault than a 8.0 or 9.0 and therefore moves significantly less water.
“We’ve had a couple quiet decades but this is earthquake country,” Jones said. “They will come again.”
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries from the quake. Homes and businesses in the Humboldt area did experience items falling from shelves but no significant structural damage.
The area experienced similar shaking in 2022 from a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. That quake killed two and notably damaged several buildings
