10 Earthquakes Hit the NorCal Coast in just 24 Hours

Off the coast of Humboldt County saw a bevy geological activity this weekend, with ten earthquakes between the size of 3.0 and 4.5 striking the coast on Saturday and Sunday. The quakes hit between 3 and 27 miles off the coast in the Pacific Ocean.

There was no damage, injuries or tsunami warning caused by the quakes, but the strikes were felt by hundreds of people from Mendocino to McKinleyville.

The earthquakes began on Saturday morning with a 4.3 magnitude rumble, followed by a 3.2 magnitude earthquake just 30 minutes later. Three more quakes between the size of 2.9 and 3.6 magnitude hit between 4:30 pm and 5:38 pm, with another 3.0 striking at 11:38 pm on Saturday.

The activity continued on Sunday afternoon with four quakes ranging in magnitude from 3.4 to 4.5 magnitude between 2:18 pm and 4:05 pm. The 4.5 earthquake that hit at 2:18 pm just off the coast of Petrolia was the strike that most residents in the area felt.

Although ocean earthquakes typically don’t cause immediate damage on land, the quakes can cause deadly tsunamis. Crescent City experienced a tidal wave in 1964 that killed 11 people and destroyed the town’s entire business district. Humboldt communities have warning signals and sirens to alerts residents in case of tsunami.

Luckily, that was not the case in this scenario.

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

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