Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes offshore northern California region–USGS

earthquake strikes offshore northern California region

FILE PHOTO: The rugged coastline of northern Humboldt County, California is shown April 14, 2010. REUTERS/Alexandria Sage

An earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude struck off the northern California shore on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), causing no reported damage or injuries.

The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 10km (6 miles) and took place 108 km (67 miles) west of Petrolia, a community of about 1,000 people in rural Humboldt County.

A handful of other towns in the sparsely populated region of northern California also reported feeling light shaking, according to the USGS.

Earthquakes are routine in California. The last fatal temblor in the state was a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that hit Northern California only 5 km (3 miles) offshore in December, injuring at least a dozen people and killing two.

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