Coastal communities in California and Oregon avoided potential disaster when a powerful earthquake in the Pacific Ocean failed to generate a tsunami on Thursday.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Northern California was relatively rare on a global scale: About 15 of that strength are measured around the world each year, experts say.
The earthquake is even rarer by California standards.
The 7.0 magnitude tremor that hit the Northern California coast on Thursday is the 12th strongest earthquake recorded in the state since 1906.
The strongest registered in the state were:
- On April 18, 1906, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake was recorded in San Francisco.
- On July 21, 1952, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Kern County.
- On January 31, 1922, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Cape Mendocino.
U.S. Geological Survey officials said they had no reports of landslides or other significant damage.
A tsunami warning issued for parts of California and the Oregon coast was canceled by the National Tsunami Warning Center after some residents fled their homes.
Most significant coastal earthquakes trigger warnings because experts have little time to determine the immediate risk, and the result of a tsunami could be disastrous.
The earthquake’s epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean south of Eureka, California, the United States Geological Survey said.
Eureka is the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, and about 300 miles northwest of Sacramento.
This content was originally published in Earthquake in California was one of the strongest ever recorded in the state on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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