Northern California area rocked by 5.9-magnitude earthquake

Rattling people in the area, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck near California’s border with Nevada on Thursday, however, there have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Tremors were felt even in the nearby cities, including Sacramento.

The moderate, shallow quake in northern California hit around 50 miles (75 kilometres) away from Carson City in neighbouring Nevada, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, according to AFP reports.

The main tremor was followed by a series of minor tremors felt in parts of both western US states.

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“Feeling an earthquake in Sacramento. This one lasted for probably 20 seconds, blinds and lamp shaking,” tweeted San Francisco Chronicle journalist Dustin Gardiner.

The California governor’s office emergency services division said it was “actively monitoring” the situation.

“While there are no preliminary reports of damage or injuries, this is a rapidly evolving situation and more details will emerge in the coming hours,” it posted on Twitter.

“We are working closely with local officials to ensure they have the resources and support to rapidly respond to these earthquakes.”

Additionally, the USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage from the quake based on its size and location.

Meanwhile, Dr Lucy Jones, seismologist and founder and chief scientist of Dr Lucy Jones Center, said, “The M5.9 this afternoon is a classic normal faulting earthquake for eastern California. As is common in this region, there are a lot of aftershocks – 10 above M3 in the first hour.”

Furthermore, she added that a quake of around 6-magnitude “is usually felt for more than 100 miles so it is not surprising it was felt in the Central Valley.”

While earthquakes registering magnitudes between 5.5 and 6.0 are capable of causing some damage to buildings and other structures