With its epicentre just off the coast and about 10 miles (16 km) deep, the “insane” 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck at 2.34am local time (10.34am UK time), but there was no tsunami threat.
After a powerful earthquake struck northern California, at least two people have died and tens of thousands of homes and businesses are without electricity.
The “insane” 6.4 magnitude earthquake, with its epicentre just off the coast and about 10 miles (16 km) deep, struck on Tuesday at 2.34am local time (10.34am UK time), but there was no tsunami threat.
The shaking reportedly lasted up to 20 seconds, according to the locals.
In Humboldt County, the earthquake occurred close to the town of Ferndale.
More than a dozen smaller quakes appeared to hit parts of the region afterwards, the US Geological Survey said.
Two people, aged 72 and three, died from medical emergencies after the quake, Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal told US media.
Emergency services had been unable to get them to the appropriate facility in time, he said.
Ferndale is home to about 1,400 people and located 261 miles (420km) north of San Francisco.
More than 72,000 homes and businesses were without power there and elsewhere in the county, according to tracking website Poweroutageus.com.
And the California highway patrol was responding to reports of cracks in the Ferndale bridge over the Eel River in and out of Ferndale.
‘That was big’
Caroline Titus, a Ferndale resident, tweeted a video in her darkened home of toppled furniture and smashed dishes.
“Our home is a 140-year-old Victorian. The north-south shaking is very evident in what fell,” she tweeted.
“That was a big one,” she said in another message.
Another Twitter user Jimmy Eller, who said he lived in Humboldt County, wrote: “That earthquake was insane. A good 15-20 seconds of shaking.”
And the sheriff’s office tweeted: “Due to a large earthquake, widespread damages to roads and homes are reported throughout Humboldt County.
“Be prepared for aftershocks. Check gas and water lines for damages or leaks. Exercise caution if travelling.”