A powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 magnitude has struck off the coast of Northern California in the United States.
Immediately after this, local residents were warned of the threat of a tsunami - about 5 million citizens were in the potential danger zone.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted that the tsunami could reach the Californian city of San Francisco, with a population of nearly 874,000, by 11 p.m. (Belarusian time) on December 5.
State of emergency
Because of this threat, the city closed the underwater railway tunnel between the Eastern and Southern bays, which led to a transport collapse.
As reported by MIA "Russia Today" with reference to NOAA, the threat was also relevant for the state of Oregon.
The tsunami warning was later cancelled. However, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.
The rationale for this measure was as follows: to avoid creating unnecessary obstacles to the prompt provision of resources in the event of the elimination of the consequences of the natural disaster and the liquidation of the consequences.
What do scientists say?
The US Geological Survey says the earthquake is typical for this region of the country.
According to the department's scientific director, Stephen DeLong, the epicenter of the cataclysm was in the Pacific Ocean, 80 km southwest of the Californian city of Eureka.
He stated that the tectonic plate in the north had shifted to the right and the plate in the south had shifted to the left.
Because of this strong movement, there were initial concerns about a tsunami, but it is likely that much of the movement was actually horizontal rather than vertical - which is what usually causes tsunamis caused by underwater earthquakes, the scientist said.
Things fell, windows broke
As for the earthquake, there has been no information about damage or casualties to date.
The media writes about its magnitude being 7, but according to some publications, its power was 8 points.
Local residents reported that various objects fell from shelves in their homes, furniture moved, and windows were broken.
