US-SWAY
Earthquakes rock US as 5.9-magnitude tremors spark rockfall in California while quakes strike Nevada and Alaska
EARTHQUAKES hit the US as a 5.9 magnitude tremor and at least 60 aftershocks rattled California on Thursday, sparking rockfall.
Impacts were felt across Nevada while a separate 4.4 magnitude earthquake shook homes in Juneau, Alaska.
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The quake was six miles deep according to the US Geological Survey and happened around 20 miles from Smith Valley Nevada – which is located near the Nevada-California border.
Social media footage captured the moment the quake sparked rockfall as boulders were hurled onto interstates.
Motorists were forced to swerve around them after a rockslide near the Nevada-California border.
One driver was even seen trying to move the huge rocks from the road as traffic came to a standstill.
Several boulders were seen along the side of the interstate near Coleville.
Rockslides closed around 40miles of the interstate in the Sierra Nevada valley but it later reopened.
Residents in Fresno and Las Vegas also felt the effects of the quakes.
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Sheriff Ingrid Braun was in her office when the building started shaking.
She told the : “It just kept rolling and you could see the door frame swaying back and forth.”
There were no reports of any immediate injuries.
Sheriff Braun said it reminded her of the 6.7 magnitude Northridge Earthquake which killed 57 people and injured more than 8,700.
Property damage in the 1994 quake was estimated to be in the region of $50billion.
Seismologist Lucy Jones said: “The M5.9 this afternoon is a classic normal faulting earthquake for eastern California.
“As is common in this region, there are a lot of aftershocks.”
Carolina Estrada, a manager at a coffee shop in Walker, told the AP: "The ground was shaking pretty bad and then everything started falling."
She said syrup bottles broke, plates fell to the ground and part of the roof caved in.
Jason Ballman, of the Southern California Earthquake Center, told ABC that residents should expect aftershocks for “days”.
Several small quakes with magnitudes ranging from 2.2-2.8 were reported near Walker and Benton in the aftermath.
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Meanwhile. a 4.4 magnitude quake happened in Alaska as social media users were quick to report feeling its effects.
The Alaska Earthquake Center confirmed the event took place just after noon in a tweet.
"Good afternoon, Alaska! We have reviewed a magnitude 4.4 event at 12:40 PM, 4 miles deep and 20 miles SW of Klukwan.
"This earthquake was felt across Southeast Alaska."
One social media user joked: "Does Juneau get to join in on earthquake Twitter today."
Another took to Twitter to say they "felt" the quake.
The quake was located about 20 miles southwest of Klukwan, 29 miles west of Haines, and 89 miles northwest of Juneau.
Earthquakes are common in Alaska, with the noting that the state has more quakes than any other region in the US.
According to a Federal Emergency Management Agency report, the state has one "great" earthquake, with a magnitude of 8 or higher, every 13 years.
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It's reported that Alaska records at least one quake that has a magnitude of between seven and eight on the Richter Scale.
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The state tends to log up to six quakes that have a magnitude ranging between six and seven.
More than 300 4-to-5 magnitude earthquakes are also expected every year.
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