▲ In Pacifica (image) and other areas of California, a dangerous surf warning prevailed an hour after the earthquake.Anadolu Photo via AFP

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La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, December 6, 2024, p. 22

Los Angeles., A magnitude 7 earthquake shook the northern coast of California and triggered a tsunami warning for a large part of the state’s and Oregon coasts, which was later canceled.

The earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, had its epicenter 63 kilometers west of the city of Ferndale, a sparsely populated area on the northern coast of California, the United States Geological Survey reported.

Shortly after the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued, which remained in effect for one hour, with a warning on almost 805 kilometers of coast, from the edge of California’s Monterey Bay to the north, in Oregon.

It was a big shake, but we’re fine, I just have a mess to clean up right now. We have lost many things, I hope to save material for the holidays because it will be a hard yearsaid the shocked owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, a food, merchandise and souvenir store that is one of the main attractions of Ferndale, California. The phenomenon was also felt in San Francisco, where residents perceived an undulating movement for several seconds that was followed by lower intensity aftershocks, but no major damage or injuries were reported.

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District halted traffic in all directions of the underwater tunnel between Oakland and San Francisco while zoo visitors were evacuated.

Many cities launched lockdowns as a precaution and urged residents to move to higher ground or further away. Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel said her staff would assess the damage.

The earthquake was of the sliding type, which means that it moves horizontally and is less likely to cause tsunamis, unlike more vertical types, said Corina Allen, director of the tsunami program at the National Weather Service, in the state. from Washington.

According to the California Geological Survey, the state’s coasts have been hit by more than 150 tsunamis since 1800, and while most were minor, some have been extremely destructive and deadly.

An example of this was the tsunami caused by an earthquake in Japan in 2011. Repairing the damage caused cost around $100 million along the California coast, much of it in Crescent City.

The governor of California, Democrat Gavin Newsom, issued a state of emergency to reinforce the affected areas.