Magnitude 4.6 earthquake shakes near Fortuna in Northern California

 Magnitude 4.6 earthquake shakes near Fortuna in Northern California

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake was reported Tuesday afternoon at 4:18 p.m. Pacific time seven miles from Fortuna, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake occurred 16 miles from Eureka, 23 miles from Arcata, 28 miles from McKinleyville and 96 miles from Redding.

There have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby in the last 10 days.

An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.0 to 5.0 occur each year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.

Tuesday’s earthquake occurred at a depth of 9.6 miles. If you could feel it, consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.

A preliminary magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 4.3 miles west-southwest of Ferndale at 4:18 p.m., according the USGS.

The temblor struck at a depth of 9.6 miles, the initial report states. The quake is one of the largest to hit our actively seismic area since the 6.4 Dec. 20 quake and 5.4 New Year's Day aftershock.

"Today's M4.6 is an aftershock of the Dec 20 M6.4 Ferndale earthquake. It is the third largest aftershock recorded to date. It is not unusual for aftershocks to continue for months and to die down and then pick up again," a post on the Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group's Facebook page states.