A great earthquake struck the north California coast on Thursday morning, alerting communities and raising emergency alerts for both earthquake and tsunami risk by 11 local time.
Recorded at magnitude 7.0 and originating near the historic and picturesque town of Ferndale in Humboldt County, the quake could be felt in San Francisco more than 260 miles (418km) away. Ten thousand people felt the shock, according to initial estimates from the US Geological Survey (USGS), which also He reported that the dangers to human life remained low.
Some impacted areas, especially those that hug the coast and have been recently saturated by rain, may be prone to landslides. At the height of the tsunami there were also warnings of large waves, strong currents and coastal flooding that could continue for several hours.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but the USGS has issued a “warning alert” indicating that “some damage is possible and the impact is relatively localized.”
This is the unfolding story.