Not distant from the latest quake, a magnitude-6.4 earthquake offshore near Ferndale in 2022 claimed two lives.
Lori Dengler, an emeritus professor of geology at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, said the latest estimate of damage from that earthquake was close to $100 million.
According to Goulet, the region has had eight earthquakes of a magnitude greater than 7.0 in the last century, including Thursday’s.
The USGS ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System, which automatically issues alerts concerning large earthquakes, was activated by the earthquake.
According to Goulet, residents in a few nearby cities, ranging from Eureka to Fort Bragg, probably got notifications on their phones just before the shaking started.
“It appears that those in close proximity were given multiple seconds’ notice,” she said. According to Dengler, the incident should lead to modifications to the tsunami warning system.
