A major earthquake, which struck off the northern coast of California on Tuesday night did not bring damage, but it caused a tsunami scare among coast-dwellers that sent them climbing to higher grounds.

After the 7.0 magnitude quake hit at around 7:50p.m., a tsunami warning was briefly issued, which covered the region from the California-Mexico border up until British Columbia. In California, emergency workers went to beaches to alert potential victims that they should move to higher ground.

In the northern California coastal town of Crescent City, about 90 miles from the offshore quake, residents heard a siren near the harbor announce the tsunami warning. People quickly made their way up toward a nearby hill.

"Everything was quite orderly. People were just grabbing what few things they needed and just leaving the property, and there was just a steady stream of traffic going up the hill," said Crescent Beach Motel manager Norma Baker to KCAL-TV, according to the Associated Press.

Caltech Seismologist Kate Hutton told the L.A. Times that a tsunami warning made by the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Network in Palmer, Alaska was issued as a precaution.

"I’m not sure about their thinking, but probably the reason they issued it is because it’s so close to shore," she said. "There was no time. They didn’t take any chances."

The reason that the quake did not trigger a large tsunami was because earth movement along the quake fault did not cause a change in the level of the ocean floor. This is known as a quake "strike slip," according to scientists. Actually, a tsunami about 1 centimetre high was generated, and was detected by a pressure-measuring buoy located about 350 miles off the California coast.

Emergency managers in coastal communities said that tsunami warning helped them test their systems better than any planned drill ever could, according to AP.

An Oregon emergency management coordinator said that if an actual tsunami had struck, it would have taken about 20 minutes to hit the land. Reminded of the disastrous Indonesian quake, he said it was important to quickly inform the public.

"Based on everything that we saw in the Indian Ocean, it is critical to get the message out to the people," said Jay Wilson, and Earthquake and Tsunami Program Coordinator.

Greg Romano, a spokesman for the National Weather service said that even a few minutes counted in such emergency situations. He said warnings had to be issued "even without knowing specifically whether a tsunami will be created," according to AP.

At 7:59, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning for coastal Hawaii. However, by 9:09 PDT, the West Coast warning and watch were cancelled, according to AP.





Francis Helguero
Christian Today Correspondent