Magnitude-6.5 earthquake shakes Northern California coast

A powerful magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked the Northern California coast on Thursday morning. The quake occurred about 100 miles off the coast of Eureka around 6.50 am. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The depth of the quake was about 6.2 miles, according to the US Geological Survey, which issued no tsunami warnings in connection with the temblor.

According to USGS mapping, the temblor, while strong, did not produce violent shaking on land. So far, there have been no reports of damage in the communities of Fortuna and Ferndale, Fortuna Police Lt. Matthew Eberhardt told The Times. Patrol officers, he said, will be looking for any damage.

“The radio is quiet,” he said.

Eberhart said he felt the quake while he was getting ready for his shift Thursday morning. “It kind of felt like a rolling than a jerking,” he said.

Fortuna and Ferndale are just south of Eureka. The north coast of California is one of the state’s most seismically active areas, regularly producing major earthquakes. There had been other smaller quakes in the area in recent days.