A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Eureka in Humboldt County Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake hit around 12:10 p.m. 23 miles west of Petrolia and was felt as far north as Medord, Ore., and as far south as Carmel.
It was in the Mendocino triple junction region, “a complex zone of faults and deformation” where three major fault systems and three large plates meet, said Lori Dengler, Humbldt State University emeritus professor of geology.
The last time an earthquake of this size occurred in the region was when three shakers, magnitudes 7.2, 6.5 and 6.7, occurred over an 18-hour period on April 25 and 26 of 1992.
“Those earthquakes were felt from Salinas to south Oregon and caused over $60 million in damages and about 400 injuries,” Dengler said.
The National Weather Service Eureka tweeted that there was no threat of tsunami due to the shaker but the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reported aftershocks had been taking place.
Ferndale resident Caroline Titus, an area journalist, said she initially thought a strong windstorm had developed before she and her husband “watched our car jump up and down.”
“Overall, it was the kind of earthquake you took notice. It was frightening, but compared to 1992, we’re in pretty good shape,” she said.
The jolt was brief, but violent and forced stuff from their shelves and cupboards, according to Titus.
Damage was even worse elsewhere in Ferndale, a small town about 20 miles south of Eureka and barely five miles east of the Pacific Ocean.
