A very strong earthquake rattled the Northern California coast and was widely felt across the region, but authorities said early today that there were no reports of any injuries or damages. The magnitude 6.9 quake struck at 10:18pm PDT Sunday and was centered 50 miles west of Eureka and about four miles beneath the Pacific seabed, according to the US Geological Survey. It was followed by about a half-dozen aftershocks, including one of magnitude 4.6.
The quake was felt widely across the region but both fire and sheriff's officials in Humboldt County, which includes most of the populated areas near the epicenter, said more than four hours after the quake hit that they had no reports of any damage or injuries. The National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami danger for the region. But more than 3,000 people reported on the USGS website that they felt the quake. Some reported a long, rolling shake that woke children or knocked items off shelves. Some of those respondents live across the border in Oregon. (More earthquake stories.)