 "US issues tsunami warning for coastal California, Oregon after 7.0 magnitude earthquake off coast")
A powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California on Thursday (December 5).
Media reports suggested that the quake had been felt across the region, including in the Bay Area, where some people said they had felt strong shaking and rolling waves underfoot.
US seismologists said that the quake has prompted a tsunami warning for nearby areas.
The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) west-southwest of Ferndale, according to the US Geological Survey.
The National Weather Service’s Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu issued a statement saying, “Based on preliminary earthquake parameters… hazardous tsunami are possible for coasts located within 300 KM of the earthquake epicenter.”
“A tsunami Warning is now in effect which includes the coastal areas of California and Oregon from Davenport, California (10 miles NW of Santa Cruz) to Douglas/Lane Line, Oregon (10 miles SW of Florence),” a notification on the US Tsunami Warning Centers website read.
No tsunami waves had been reported as of yet, but the warning advised people near coastlines to remain alert and prepared for potential danger.
The greatest danger from potential tsunammi waves would be in the area north of San Francisco, around the far northern California coastal communities.
The US West Coast is the confluence of a number of the Earth’s tectonic plates, and tremors are not uncommon.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe area has been struck by a number of major earthquakes, including a 1994 quake that hit Northridge, in the Los Angeles area, killing dozens of people and injuring thousands more, as it wrought billions of dollars of damage to homes and infrastructure.
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which also caused a tsunami, is thought to have killed upwards of 3,000 people, some of whom died in fires that erupted after the powerful tremor.
With inputs from AFP
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