7.0 earthquake strikes off Northern California in US

[gurusforum]

BOOK INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TICKETS LOCAL FLIGHTS HOTELS BOOKINGS WORLDWIDE AND MORE AT CHEAPEST RATE EVER! CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR FLIGHT AND RECEIVE YOUR FLIGHT TICKET INSTANTLY

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items off grocery store shelves, sending school children scrambling under desks, and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast.

The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 209 kilometers (130 miles) from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

It was felt as far south as San Francisco, some 435 kilometers (270 miles) away, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by smaller aftershocks.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or injury.

The tsunami warning was in effect for roughly an hour. It was issued shortly after the temblor struck and covered nearly 805 kilometers (500 miles) of coastline, from the edge of California's Monterey Bay north into Oregon.

"It was a strong quake. Our building shook. We're fine, but I have a mess to clean up right now," said Julie Kreitzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, a store packed with food, wares and souvenirs that is a main attraction in Ferndale.

"We lost a lot of stuff. It's probably worse than two years ago. I have to go, I have to try and salvage something for the holidays, because it's going to be a tough year," Kreitzer said before hanging up.