Magnitude 5.6 earthquake shakes Northern California, hitting Mendocino County
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An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 has hit Mendocino County, the U.S.Geological Survey said.
The quake occurred at 8:10 a.m.Wednesday.
A person who picked up the phone with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office in the city of Willits said the quake was felt and “we’re taking lots of calls.” “The quake was felt far and wide — from Humboldt County in the north to Sonoma County in the south,” state Sen.Mike McGuire, a North Coast Democrat, said on social media.
“Strong” shaking, as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, was felt in Willits, according to the USGS.In general, that intensity of shaking is strong enough to be felt by everyone and be frightening.
The intensity of shaking was considered “moderate” in Ukiah; “light” in Fort Bragg, Lakeport, Clearlake, and Cloverdale; and “weak” in the Sonoma County cities of santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, and Petaluma, the USGS said.The epicenter was about 7 miles southeast of Willits, 15 miles north of Ukiah, 30 miles southeast of Fort Bragg, 70 miles northwest of Santa Rosa, 90 miles northwest of Napa and 116 miles northwest of San Francisco.
The USGS’ earthquake early warning system was activated, reaching cellphones in the San Francisco Bay Area.The system initially calculated that a magnitude 6 earthquake had occurred.
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