Sharp offshore earthquake rattles North Coast near Eureka
EUREKA -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 struck about 16 miles southwest of Cape Mendocino on Saturday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The offshore temblor happened just before 12:30 p.m. and there were no reports of significant damage in nearby communities which include Ferndale, Fortuna and Eureka. However dozens of coastal residents reported feeling the quake, according to a report in the Eureka Times-Standard.
The National Weather Service said there was no threat of a tsunami.
The quake occurred at a depth of 8 miles at a point along a seismically active zone known to scientists as the Mendocino Triple Junction where three crustal plates converge off the northern California coast.
The region has produced more than 80 earthquakes magnitude 3.0 or greater each year since 1983.