6.0 Earthquake Rocks Northern California

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Rick wondered what the rumbling he felt under his feet was. The hilltop above the winding creek, and the normally silent forest save for a whistling breeze, was rumbling as the ground shook with a slight rolling motion.

Felt as far north as the Oregon Coast, an originally rated 6.0 (later downgraded to 5.9) magnitude earthquake shook California's Humboldt County. The earthquake is considered moderate, leaving no damage or injuries in its wake. However, this is the second relatively sizable quake to hit the area within a month. A 6.5 magnitude earthquake shook Eureka on January 9, and another significant earthquake struck off the coast of Crescent City last year.

All of these earthquakes occurred on different faults, but one wonders if, considering the increase of significant quakes worldwide, if these recent earthquakes may be a sign of things to come along the California Coast. "The Big One" is always being discussed by Californians, and many speculate Southern California is next for an earthquake of biblical proportions.

Earthquakes happen daily, to be fair, and Northern California is in a zone that has a tendency to have stronger quakes. More often than not these earthquakes are striking in sparsely populated areas, and have drawn little concern, other than the curiosity of when the next "Big One" will hit a populated area like Los Angeles, or San Francisco.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Magnitude 6 Earthquake Reported Off Calif. Coast - CBS 2, Los Angeles