At least two people were injured and tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power after a powerful earthquake rocked northern California.
The “crazy” 6.4-magnitude quake, which struck at 2.34am local time (10.34am UK time) on Tuesday, was centered near the coast at a depth of about 10 miles (16km), but there was no tsunami threat.
Residents reported shaking for up to 20 seconds.
The quake struck near the town of Ferndale in Humboldt County.
A dozen smaller quakes appeared to have struck parts of the region since then, the USGS said.
main earthquake There was extensive damage to roads and houses, as well as a bridge, while power lines were snapped and there were numerous gas leaks.
Ferndale, where two people were injured, is home to about 1,400 people and is 261 miles (420 kilometers) north of San Francisco.
One suffered a fractured hip and the other sustained a head injury, the sheriff’s office said.
More than 72,000 homes and businesses were without power there and elsewhere in the county, according to the tracking website Poweroutageus.com.
The California Highway Patrol is responding to reports of a crack in the Ferndale Bridge over the Eel River entering and leaving Ferndale.
“That’s big”
Ferndale resident Caroline Titus tweeted a video of furniture collapsing and plates smashed in her dimly lit home.
“Our home is a 140-year-old Victorian building. The north-south shaking is very evident where it has collapsed,” she tweeted.
“That’s a big deal,” she said in another message.
Another Twitter user, Jimmy Eller, who said he lived in Humboldt County, wrote: “That quake was insane. Shaking for 15 to 20 seconds.”
The sheriff’s office tweeted: “Extensive damage to roads and homes has been reported throughout Humboldt County due to a major earthquake.
“Be prepared for aftershocks. Check gas and water lines for damage or leaks. Travel carefully.”