This morning I reached out to Lori Dengler, Professor Emeritus at Humboldt State University and local seismology expert about this morning’s 6.5 magnitude earthquake.

Dengler was quick to point out that this quake posed no tsunami danger due to its size, distance from the shore and nature of the quake. She described this earthquake as a strike-slip quake, meaning the two sides slipped past each other like traffic on a highway. This type of quake is less likely to generate a tsunami.

When asked if this could be a foreshock to a larger quake, Dengler pointed out that while the chances of that are small, it is always a possibility. We live near the Cascadia subduction zone. It’s been about 300 years since a major quake took place on it.

She pointed out that while there is no reason to expect this morning’s quake could trigger the feared subduction zone quake, it is of course is a possibility. However, that expected quake could occur anytime between today and 200 years from now.

Dengler pointed out that today’s sizable quake should be a wake-up call to all of us living on the North Coast to be prepared. Strap down large items that could fall during the quake, know what to do when a large quake happens,  and have supplies on hand to last you a few days in the event you are cut off.

Audio