Northern California Hit By 5.6-Magnitude Earthquake
By Ria Novosti
A moderate quake jolted Northern California on Monday with no casualties or damages reported so far, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its website.
The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 01:07 p.m. local time (21:07 GMT) on Monday, was located at a depth of 32.9 km (20.4 miles) in a rural area on the Pacific Coast, 352 km (218 miles) northwest of the capital of California, Sacramento.
Earthquakes in California are common occurrences as the state is located on the San Andreas Fault, which cuts across California and forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific and the North American Plate.
The largest recorded earthquake in California was the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 8.0, while the most destructive earthquake to date was the 7.9-magnitude 1906 San Francisco earthquake, in which over 3,000 people died.
More recently, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which affected the San Francisco bay area and the 1994 Northridge earthquake which hit the Greater Los Angeles area, caused widespread damage and deaths in their respective regions.
