A 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern California in Humboldt County early this afternoon. The quake occurred not far from an area that sustained a larger temblor two years ago.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck at 1:07pm PST (21:07UTC) and was centered at a deep 20.4 miles below the surface. The epicenter has been placed at a location 18 miles east-northeast of Trinidad or 21 miles northeast of Eureka.
Initial reports show the shaking was felt to the north across the Oregon border and to the east beyond Redding. To the south the shaking was felt in Saint Helena and Grass Valley, nearly to Sacramento.
Moderate shaking was reported near the epicenter. In Eureka, residents reported light shaking.
There have been no reports of damage yet. The depth of the quake is likely to have helped to mitigate any effects.
On January 9, 2010 a more powerful magnitude 6.5 temblor occurred just off the coast from Eureka. Power was knocked out to much of the city’s residents with that quake and damage was seen there as well as in Ferndale.
Both quakes occurred near a seismically active area known as the Mendocino Triple Junction. The area marks the meeting of the Mendocino fracture zone, the San Andreas Fault and the Cascadia subduction zone. The area marks where subduction of the Gorda plate under the North American plate is coupled with stresses from the Pacific plate.
It is not known if that fault area was responsible for today's quake.
Two sizeable quakes in the last two decades have occurred in the area, both near Petrolia, south of today's quake. A magnitude 7.2 quake occurred on June 15, 2005 and another 7.2 magnitude temblor on April 4, 1992.
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