Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes offshore northern California region -USGS

[May 22, 2023]  (Reuters) -An earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude struck off the northern California shore on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), causing no reported damage or injuries.

The rugged coastline of northern Humboldt County, California is shown April 14, 2010. REUTERS/Alexandria Sage

The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 10km (6 miles) and took place 108 km (67 miles) west of Petrolia, a community of about 1,000 people in rural Humboldt County.

A handful of other towns in the sparsely populated region of northern California also reported feeling light shaking, according to the USGS.

Earthquakes are routine in California. The last fatal temblor in the state was a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that hit Northern California only 5 km (3 miles) offshore in December, injuring at least a dozen people and killing two.

(Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Chris Reese)

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.