Magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits near Eureka
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake with its epicenter off the coast of Northern California struck at 4:27 PM today, about 27 miles from Eureka, a city with a population of about 26,000. The USGS map centered at 40 degrees N, 124 degrees W shows the quake and its aftershocks.
There have been no reports to the California Emergency Management Agency of injuries or major damage. Several people received minor cuts and scrapes from broken glass at the Bayshore Mall in Eureka, and an elderly person fell and broke a hip, authorities said. Arcata, a small town that is home to Humboldt State University, had its electrical power knocked out, and many people had objects knocked over, moved, and broken (including TVs and refrigerators). Sandra Hall, who owns an antique store in Eureka, has almost no unbroken glassware in the store. She said that, “It was shaking for a very long time.”
A Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) spokesperson said that power outages were widespread in Humboldt County, and they affected about 25,000 customers. Almost 10,000 customers remained without power five hours after the quake, and some could remain without power through Sunday.
(Note added January 10, 2010: PG&E restored electrical power to all customers by Sunday afternoon. CNN has addiitional follow-up coverage, including videos.)
NOAA said that there was no threat of the quake generating a tsunami. Although the San Jose Mercury News article states that aftershocks were no larger than 3.8, the USGS map shows aftershocks of magnitude 4.2 and 4.5.
According to an LA Times article, Caifornia Highway Patrol reported no major damage to roads and bridges. Roads are open. Some gas mains were affected.
Eureka Mayor Virginia Bass said that there was no smoke or sirens in her area, that the phones were working, and the power was on.
A newly installed tsunami warning system was NOT activated.
Richard Allen, a University of California, Berkeley seismologist, said that the earthquake occurred in the Mendocino Triple Junction, where three tectonic plates collide, which is one of the most seismically active regions of the San Andreas transform system.
The quake was felt as far south as Capitola.
(Note added January 12, 2010: The damage estimate for this quake has climbed to $28 million in the city of Eureka ALONE.)
-Bill at
Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”
You can view higher-resolution photos (*generally* 7-30 megabytes, compressed) at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. Apparel and other gifts decorated with some of our most popular photos can be ordered from the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Store on CafePress®. Both Shutterfly™ and CafePress® ship to most international locations worldwide! Framed prints and prints on canvas can be ordered from our galleries on imagekind® and redbubble®. All four locations are accessible from here. If you don’t see what you want or would like to receive an email when new photos are up on the site, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.
©2010 William F. Hackett. All Rights Reserved.
