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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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A map provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows the nearly 600 miles of northern California and southern Oregon coastline under a tsunami warning after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rattled the region on Thursday.
The earthquake hit offshore Cape Mendocino at approximately 10:45 a.m. local time. In the nearly two hours since, at least 34 aftershocks have also occurred in the region. According to USGS data, the strongest aftershock was a 4.3-magnitude earthquakethat hit near Petrolia, California, at around 12:04 p.m. local time.
Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that follow a larger earthquake. Many of the aftershocks felt on Thursday originated off the coast, although some occurred more inland, according to a map from the USGS.
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The aftershocks could occur for weeks or months going forward, USGS Earthquake Science Center research geophysicist Tim Clements told Newsweek.
An aftershock forecast from the USGS anticipates there is a greater than 99 percent chance of additional magnitude 3.0 or higher earthquakes happening. The forecast anticipates an 84 percent chance of magnitude 4.0 or higher earthquakes, a 31 percent chance for magnitude 5.0, a 5 percent chance of magnitude 6.0 and less than 1 percent chance of magnitude 7.0.
The first quake was strong enough to prompt officials from the National Tsunami Warning Center to issue a tsunami alert urging people in affected areas to move to higher ground. The warning included the San Francisco Bay Area, where more than 7 million people live.
"Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring. Tsunamis are a series of waves dangerous many hours after initial arrival time. The first wave may not be the largest," the warning read.
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However, the tsunami threat has since passed, though officials urged people not to return to areas damaged by the quake until it has been deemed safe to do so.
Residents said they felt shaking in populated areas such as Sacramento, Eureka and Monterey, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. However, Eureka city officials said no major damage had been reported as of a few hours after the quake, although officials had little time to assess damage before evacuating because of the tsunami warning.
A tectonic summary of the quake said it occurred around 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, southwest of Ferndale, California. It occurred within the vicinity of the Mendocino Fracture Zone, a common area for earthquakes.
"Earthquakes are common in the region around the Mendocino triple junction," the summary said.
"In the past century, there have been at least 40 other earthquakes of M6 or larger, including five earthquakes M7 or larger, within 250 km of the December 5, 2024, earthquake," the summary added. "These prior earthquakes primarily occurred along the Mendocino transform fault, in the Cascadia subduction zone, or within the Juan de Fuca/Gorda plate."
Although major damage has yet to be reported, around 10,000 residents were without power in Humboldt County, where Ferndale is located.
Update 12/5/24, 4:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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