A magnitude 4.6 earthquake hit off the coast of Northern California Thursday morning at 9:24 a.m. about eight miles west of Humboldt Hill and roughly 11 miles away from Eureka. It was followed by a M4.7 earthquake Thursday evening at 8:09 p.m. about 29 miles southwest of Eureka. A tsunami was not expected as a result of the quakes. Meanwhile, a series of tremors is currently swarming The Geysers, again in California.
Both larger earthquakes were felt by over 1200 people across California. The map below shows the earthquake series – M0.6 to M2.4 -currently swarming The Geysers, in California again:
California earthquakes are a geologic inevitability. The state straddles the North American and Pacific tectonic plates and is crisscrossed by the San Andreas and other active fault systems. For major events, with magnitudes of 7 or greater, California is actually in an earthquake drought. Multiple segments of the expansive San Andreas Fault system are now sufficiently stressed to produce large and damaging events. According to current forecasts, California has a 93% chance of an earthquake of magnitude 7 or greater occurring by 2045.