Magnitude-6.9 Earthquake Hits Off Northern California Coast

A magnitude-6.9 earthquake shook the coast of Northern California Sunday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake, centered 50 miles west of Eureka (270 miles northwest of San Francisco) and about four miles beneath the Pacific seabed, was felt across the region, the Associated Press reported. It was then followed by several aftershocks, including one reaching a magnitude 4.6. No injuries were reported. In 2010 a magnitude-6.5 earthquake hit the same area causing damage to power lines and houses.

"This lasted longer than any earthquake I've ever felt," Raquel Maytorena, a resident who lives near the coast, told the Los Angeles Times. "It just kept going and going, very slowly and softly. It was not violent. It almost felt like you were in a boat that was rocking."

Maytorena, who lived in San Jose when the 1989 Loma Preita earthquake happened, said her animals clearly felt this one too. "My two horses were running around out by the barn, and my dogs, six dogs, were ready to get out of the house."

Meanwhile, the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said there were no tsunami warnings. "Based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii," the Center said.