Strong quake strikes off northern California, no tsunami threat

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Thursday off the coast of northern California, but no major tsunami threat was expected, seismologists said.

The epicenter of the quake, which hit at 6:49 am (1449 GMT), was located 97 miles (157 kilometers) west of Ferndale, California at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers), the US Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no Pacific-wide tsunami threat was expected from the event, and there was no specific threat to Hawaii.

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