Magnitude 4.6 earthquake shakes Central California

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck California’s Central Coast early Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 

The quake hit near Boulder Creek, Calif., at 1:41 a.m. PCT, with an initial magnitude of 4.9 and a depth of more than 6.7 miles, USGS said. The town, an unincorporated community in Santa Cruz County with roughly 5,400 people as of the 2020 Census, is about 68 miles south of San Francisco. 

Residents reported moderate shaking in Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Bonny Doon, Ben Lomond, Felton and Mount Hermon regions, light shaking in San Francisco and weak shaking in Concord and Sacramento, according to USGS.

“According to our forecast, there is a less than 1% chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 5, which can be damaging, within the next week,” the USGS forecast reads. “There will likely be smaller aftershocks within the next week, with up to 4 magnitude 3 or higher aftershocks. Magnitude 3 and higher aftershocks are large enough to be felt nearby. 

“The number of aftershocks will decrease over time, but a large aftershock can temporarily increase the number of aftershocks,” officials added.

The Interior Department agency estimates that there is a 38 percent chance that magnitude 3 and above aftershocks will occur within the next week and a 6 percent chance that magnitude 4 and above aftershocks will occur within the next week. 

There is also a 2 percent chance that the quake becomes a foreshock and expands to a larger earthquake, of magnitude 4.59 or greater, within the next week, according to the USGS evaluation.

In the event of an earthquake, the agency recommends dropping onto your hands and knees, covering your neck and head with one arm and using the other to hold onto something until the shaking stops.

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