6.9 earthquake strikes off Northern California; no injuries reported

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Eureka in Northern California on Sunday night, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The temblor hit at 10:18 p.m. 50 miles west of Eureka in Humboldt County. According to the USGS, the earthquake was felt over a large swath of the North Coast as well as other parts of Northern California.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or tsunami warnings.

[Updated, 10:49 p.m. PST March 9: According to the USGS, the quake was felt over a large swath of the North Coast as well as other parts of Northern California. The shaking was felt as far south as the San Francisco Bay Area and as far north as Oregon.

There have also been several smaller quakes, believed to be aftershocks, in the ocean off Eureka.]

[Updated, 10:55 p.m. PST March 9: Eureka police have told several Northern California media outlets that the department has no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.]

[Updated, 11:17 p.m. PST March 9: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department said it has not received any reports of injuries.]

[Updated 11:20 p.m. PST March 9: The North Coast is considered seismically active and experiences large temblors with some regularity.

A 6.5 quake hit the area in 2010, snapping power lines, toppling chimneys, knocking down traffic signals, shattering windows and prompting the evacuation of at least one apartment building.

In 1964, an 8.8 earthquake in Alaska caused catastrophic damage in the area. The March 28 tsunami killed 11 in Crescent City and destroyed the city’s business districts. Accounts from the time reported that fuel tanks erupted in flames while cars and trucks washed down city streets, piling up against building.]

[Updated, 11:30 p.m. PST March 9: The USGS classified the shaking on land to be light to moderate.]

[Updated, 11:40 p.m. PST March 9: A resident of Ferndale near Eureka described the temblor as a “long, slow quake,” according to CBS San Francisco. He said the power remained on and no books fell off the shelves at his home.]