Two Magnitude 5.0+ Earthquakes strike off Northern California Coast

Two moderate earthquakes struck off the coast of Northern California within an hour of each other Thursday morning.

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck 100 miles (164 kilometers) off the coast of Humboldt County. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake in the Pacific Ocean was centered about 100 miles (164 kilometers) west of Capetown, California.

The USGS reported that it struck at 8:39 a.m. at a depth of 3 miles (5 kilometers).

John Bellini, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, says the area where the quakes struck is an active seismic region but that the quakes are rarely felt because they are so far from the coat.

The Ferndale Enterprise reported on Twitter the rolling quake was felt in Ferndale, a city in Humboldt County that has many well-preserved Victorian homes.

A second earthquake, a magnitude 5.0, struck the same area at 9:24 a.m.

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A light earthquake also shook up Southern California early Thursday, and authorities said there have been no reports of damage or injury.

The United States Geological Survey reports that the quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.0 occurred just after 2 a.m. It was centered about eight miles (12 kilometers) northeast of Trabuco Canyon, California, which is located 31 miles (49 kilometers) southeast of Anaheim. The quake had a depth of about 6 miles (10 kilometers).

Thursday’s earthquakes comes two days after a magnitude 7.9 quake in the Gulf of Alaska triggered a tsunami warning for Alaska’s coastal communities.