Moderate earthquakes continue following big Saturday shaker

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NORTH COAST – In the wake of a large earthquake that occurred off the North Coast Saturday afternoon, numerous smaller quakes continued throughout Sunday.


Saturday's 6.5 quake, reported shortly before 4:30 p.m. 27 miles west of Ferndale in Humboldt County, has appeared to trigger a series of ongoing smaller aftershocks, which began immediately afterward, according to US Geological Survey records.


Those continued when, on Sunday at 3:48 a.m., a 3.9-magnitude quake was reported 23 miles west northwest of Ferndale at a depth of 5.1 miles in the ocean floor, the agency reported.


The US Geological Survey received 37 responses from 18 zip codes around Northern California from people who felt that quake, the power of which was reported at moderate around Eureka and stronger east of the city.


Smaller quakes continued on that west northwest line, moving closer to shore, over the next several hours.


A 2.6-magnitude quake followed at 4:05 a.m. Sunday, 21 miles west northwest of Ferndale, with the epicenter located 9.4 miles down, according to the US Geological Survey. At 8:49 a.m., a 2.7-magnitude quake was reported 18 miles west northwest of Ferndale. That quake was 7.8 miles deep.


Another set of smaller quakes occurred between 20 and 30 miles on a western line from Ferndale, varying between shallower depths of 2.2 miles and deeper, to more than eight miles, based on the geological reports.


Then, at 10:44 p.m., a 4.2-magnitude quake occurred 37 miles west of Ferndale, with a 6-mile-deep epicenter, the US Geological Survey reported. Despite its distance from shore, about half a dozen people from Humboldt County and as far away as Mountain View reported feeling the quake.


The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported late Sunday that the 4.2-magnitude smaller earthquake would not generate a tsunami. The previous day, it had reported that the 6.5-magnitude quake wasn't expected to generate one of the massive waves.


In other earthquake news, a 3.0-magnitude quake was reported at 7:36 a.m. Sunday at The Geysers, five miles west southwest of Cobb and seven miles west northwest of Anderson Springs.


The quake – which was centered 2.3 miles deep – was felt in Lakeport and Kelseyville, and as far away as Placerville, Chico and Redding, the US Geological Survey reported.


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