Major 6.5-magnitude earthquake rocks California; damage reported

January 10th, 2010 - 12:39 pm ICT by BNO News  

LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) — A major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 struck northern California on Saturday, seismologists said. There were unconfirmed reports of damage and injuries.

The earthquake, which happened at 4.28 pm PST, was located about 15 miles southwest of Eureka, California. “A quake of this size is a very strong event,” a spokesman for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

“The magnitude is such that a tsunami is not expected,” the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement. “However, in coastal areas of intense shaking, locally generated tsunamis can be triggered by underwater landslides.”

The USGS said the quake had been felt as far as Oregon, and said a number of aftershocks had been detected. Four of the aftershocks had preliminary magnitudes of 3.7, 2.7, 3.8 and 3.5.

There were unconfirmed reports of damage from the area, with emergency services reporting power lines down and damage to buildings. “We are still assessing damage,” a dispatcher for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department said. Injuries were reported at a local mall.

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