On Thursday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) updated the magnitude of the earthquake that hit near Ferndale, California, raising it to 7.0 from the initial 6.6 estimate. The tremor occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, or about 6.21 miles below the earth's surface. In response to the significant seismic event, the U.S. National Tsunami Center has issued a tsunami warning for the region.
The earthquake was centered 62 miles west-southwest of Ferndale and struck at 10:44 am local time. The warning has prompted tsunami alerts across the U.S. West Coast, including for the city of Eureka, which lies over 250 miles north of San Francisco. The potential for tsunami waves has led to evacuations, particularly in low-lying areas such as the San Francisco Embarcadero waterfront district, where office workers have been seen leaving their buildings for higher ground.
This earthquake surpasses the magnitude of the Loma Prieta quake that rattled the San Francisco Bay Area on October 17, 1989. That event was a 6.9 magnitude quake that resulted in 63 fatalities, widespread power outages, and significant infrastructural damage, including the collapse of an elevated freeway and part of the Bay Bridge.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake near Ferndale also invokes memories of the most devastating earthquake in San Francisco's history, which occurred on April 18, 1906. The San Andreas Fault rupture led to extensive destruction, with fires that burned for days, over 3,000 deaths, around 28,000 buildings destroyed, and more than half of the city's population left homeless. The 1906 catastrophe is a stark reminder of the seismic risks that the region faces.
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