6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Northern California – thousands awakened by predawn quake

August 2014 – CALIFRONIA – An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude was detected in the U.S. state of California early on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It said the quake’s epicenter was eight km (five miles northwest of the town of American Canyon. There were no immediate reports of damage. It said the quake’s epicentre was eight kilometres northwest of the town of American Canyon, which is about 60 kilometres northeast of San Francisco. There were no immediate reports of damage. Thousands took to Twitter to register their shock, many tweeting that the quake woke them up.

Nevada rattled by ongoing earthquake swarm: An earthquake swarm has hit the northwest corner of Nevada near the borders of Oregon and California. There have been 87 quakes of magnitude 1 or more since Monday and 96 since Aug. 13 in the area of the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, according to Nevada Seismological Laboratory. The largest was a magnitude 3.6 at 9 p.m. on Monday. In the last two days there have been six of magnitude 3 or greater. The swarm has been happening since mid July but picked up noticeably in the last two days, said Ken Smith, the seismic network manager for the Nevada Seismological Laboratory. Because the population is light, there are fewer earthquake sensors in the area, Smith said. “It is pretty remote and as a result of that, the seismic network is pretty sparse,” Smith said.

“The earthquakes are hard to locate. While these kinds of swarms are not unusual in Nevada, this is the first time he’s seen one in northern Washoe County. It seems to be caused by normal movement of the tectonic plates that make up the surface of the earth and there’s no evidence to suggest a major quake is coming. We’re keeping a close eye on it and keep up with it as much as we can,” Smith said. The quakes are reported felt in Cedarville in northeast California and in the Lakeview area of southeast Oregon. A.J. McQuarrie, deputy director of the Modoc, Calif., County Offices of Emergency Services said people in Surprise Valley felt the quakes but there have been no reports of damage. –RGJ