A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck near Redwood Valley, in Northern California, on Wednesday morning.
The sizeable tremor was felt around 8:10 a.m. Pacific time. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. According to USGS, the quake had a depth of about 5 miles. Three aftershocks were reported between 8 and 9:30 pm. Many residents of the area received an alert on their phones from the Myshake app, alerting them to the earthquake.
At approximately 8:16 a.m., the United States Geological Survey updated the strength of the shake to 5.6, about 6.8 miles north of Redwood Valley. People in areas as far as Modesto also reported feeling the quake. It comes amid fears of a super volcano after large numbers of animals suddenly fled an iconic US location.
Local outlet KCRA reported that the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was assessing any damage caused by the earthquake. Cal Fire's Howard Forest Emergency Command Center had not received any reports of damage a couple of hours after the incident took place.
Some reports have linked Wednesday's earthquake to the Maacama Fault, the northernmost segment of the Hayward Fault, which is a subsystem of the San Andreas Fault.
Scientists have warned that the stress levels along the southern San Andreas Fault are at their highest in 1,000 years, IFL Science reported.
The system is in a critically loaded state and has not been significantly released since the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake, according to Research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.
The high-stress state increases the likelihood of large earthquakes that could cause serious damage to major California cities.
Northern California remains a highly active zone for earthquakes, experiencing hundreds of minor ones every year.
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