A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern California on Thursday afternoon, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of loss of life or property.
The U.S. Geological Survey maintained that the earthquake struck at 4:19 p.m. and was centered about 2.5 miles southwest of the East Coast community.
Light tremors were also felt in the San Francisco Bay area, but no damage was reported.
USGS ShakeAlert noted on Twitter that “since the earthquake was greater than magnitude 5, #ShakeAlert-triggered alerts were delivered to cell phones.”
Initially, the magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at 5.7, which was later updated to 5.5 by the USGS.
The earthquake was followed by several aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 2.5 to 3.8, the USGS said.
The quake disrupted the agency’s Chico dispatch center and knocked out 911 lines. The agency advised people in the area to call 530-332-1200 as they work to resolve the issue, the California Highway Patrol in Yuba-Ster said.
Due to the earthquake that occurred on Thursday, fear and panic spread among the citizens who expressed their reactions on social media.
The earthquake that people reported was in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, San Joaquin, Solano, Colusa, Nevada, Yolo and Butte counties.
According to seismologist, Dr. Lucy Jones, this 5.5 is the largest earthquake in California since 2019.