Waves were made in Butte County this morning after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook off the coast of Northern California.
The quake happened just before 11 a.m., according to United States Geological Services (USGS).
Its epicenter was at a point where three different tectonic plates meet called the Mendocino Triple Junction.
“It's a very seismically active area,” said Ann Bykerk-Kauffman, a professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Chico State. “It is totally expected to get magnitude 7.0s on a regular basis in that area.”
A tsunami warning was issued by USGS shortly after the earthquake but has since been canceled.
Todd Greene is a professor in geology and the chair of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. He said a tsunami happening after an earthquake like the one this morning isn’t something to stress about.
“Was it expected? Yes. Is it a big tsunami threat? Not as big as if one were to happen north of where it occurred,” Greene said.
The communities closest to the epicenter are Ferndale and Rio Dell, located in Humboldt County.
Greene said it’s unlikely this event will have much of a triggering effect on the more dangerous zones northward.
“The big earthquakes along subduction zones have their own clock,” Greene said. “They have their own timing. And when they go, they go.”
