A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Northern California this afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This moderate-sized temblor was located close to the state's border with Oregon and close to the Pacific coast. The epicenter was close to the rural community of Weitchpec, which is just more than 200 miles northwest of Sacramento and 31 miles north of Eureka.
* The depth of this quake was 20.4 miles.
* It struck at 1:07 p.m. PST and less than an hour later, the official USGS Twitter account said the "Did you feel it?" reporting function on the agency's website had received more than 2,000 reports.
* The Associated Press reported sheriff's deputies from Humboldt County and officers from the Eureka Police Department checked on residents and looked for damage. There were no initial reports of damage, although some residents felt shaking or swaying, and one small store experienced goods being knocked from shelves.
* The USGS issued a warning that gave a 28 percent probability that aftershocks measuring 5.0 in magnitude or above could occur within the next seven days in the same location. The warning also stated that most likely the 5.6 magnitude quake was the main earthquake; there was a 5 percent to 10 percent possibility an earthquake measuring equal to or greater could occur within the next seven days in the same location.
* Northern California has seen numerous large and dangerous earthquakes over the years. According to the USGS, an earthquake that struck in Humboldt County on Nov. 8, 1980, measured 7.3 in magnitude and injured six people. That quake resulted in $2 million in damages that included a collapsed highway overpass and broken sewer, gas and water lines.
* The most recent 7.0 magnitude or greater earthquake listed by the USGS in the same region occurred on June 15, 2005, with an epicenter about 100 miles northwest of Eureka, in the Pacific Ocean. This 7.2 magnitude quake generated a very small tsunami with wave heights measured in centimeters.
Tammy Lee Morris is certified as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member and is a trained Skywarn Storm Spotter through the National Weather Service. She has received interpretive training regarding the New Madrid Seismic Zone through EarthScope -- a program of the National Science Foundation. She researches and writes about earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, weather and other natural phenomena.
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