California earthquake hits northern coastline with massive 6.5 magnitude tremor
An alert has been issued by the US Geological Survey
A MASSIVE 6.5 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of northern California.
The shake was recorded at a depth of 7.5 miles and was centered just north west from Sacramento when it struck around 6.50am local time.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no tsunami threat was expected from the event, and there was no specific threat to Hawaii.
It struck along the San Andreas Fault - a meeting of the earth's plates which traverses the California coast.
In recent years scientists have claimed this fault - located on the so-called Ring of Fire - is overdue a "big one" which could cause widespread devastation, particularly in southern California.
However, in Ferndale, which has a population of about 1,300 people, Mayor Don Hindley said he had not heard of any damage from the quake. He said he felt the temblor for about 15 seconds.
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He added: "It wasn't that bad at all."
In the San Francisco Bay area, about 250 miles south of Ferndale, the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency said on Twitter it was running its system with a 10-minute delay and with trains traveling at reduced speeds due to the quake.
Some social media users said they felt the tremor in San Francisco, about 260 miles south.
Bonnie Brower, owner of the Ferndale Pie Company, says she was grabbing something from the fridge in the restaurant's kitchen when the quake happened. She didn't see any damage, but said says felt a "big jolt".
"I just felt this very huge jerk and I didn't know what it was," she said. Afterward, it felt like the ground was rolling "like you were on a boat".
"Felt 20 seconds of very light shaking," tweeted San Francisco resident, Lila LaHodd.
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