SAN FRANCICO (KCBS RADIO) – Following the large earthquake off the coast of Humboldt County Tuesday morning, a geophysicist warns residents should be prepared for aftershocks to continue for days, or even weeks.
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"When you have an earthquake of any size, generally you expect one aftershock approximately one magnitude smaller, so I would not be surprised if we saw something in the five range, but I also wouldn't be surprised if we did not. I do expect that there will be others in the near four range in the next day or so," John Bellini, a geophysicist with the United States Geological Survey, told KCBS Radio.
The 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 2:34 a.m. this morning, 7.5 miles off the coast of Ferndale in Humboldt County, which lies 250 miles north of San Francisco. Five minutes after the main shock, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit the area again, followed by a 4.0 a few hours later and a third 4.6 quake at 2:06 p.m.
Some have questioned if the 6.4 quake was a foreshock to a larger earthquake that would hit in the near future. "There's always a chance for that, but it's very unlikely," Bellini said, putting the concern to rest. "We have seen it in very rare cases in the past, but what people do need to be aware of, there will be a number of aftershocks that they will feel and experience in the coming days to possibly several weeks."
The earthquake occurred on a strike-slip fault, which is a vertical fracture where the earth moves horizontally. According to the USGS earthquake tracker, more than 80 aftershocks have been reported since the initial 6.4.
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