A magnitude 7.0 earthquake in northern California has prompted a brief tsunami warning.

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A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck a large area of ​​Northern California and prompted a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast.

The earthquake occurred at about 10:44 a.m. local time west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 135 miles (209 kilometers) from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The tremors were felt as far south as San Francisco, with residents describing rolling motion for several seconds. This was followed by several small aftershocks.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries from the quake, one of the strongest to hit California since a magnitude 7.1 quake struck Ridgecrest in 2019.

The tsunami warning was in effect for about an hour.

The report, released shortly after the quake, covered nearly 805 kilometers of coastline from the edge of Monterey Bay in California north to Oregon.

“There was a strong earthquake and the building shook, and it’s OK, but it’s a mess that we need to clean up right now,” said Julie Kreitzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, which is stocked with food, merchandise and souvenirs. Ferndale landmarks.

The region was hit by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in 2022, leaving thousands of people without power and water.

California’s northwest corner is the state’s most seismically active region because it is where three tectonic plates meet, seismologist Lucy Jones said on social media platform BlueSky.

Immediately after the earthquake, phones in Northern California rang with tsunami warnings from the National Weather Service. “Continuous strong waves and strong currents may impact nearby coasts. You are at risk. Stay away from coastal waters. Stay away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return to higher ground or inland at this time. There must be.”

Many cities urged people to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution.