A 4.2 magnitude earthquake has shaken the Lake Tahoe area Friday morning.
According to the
US Geological Survey, the quake struck just before 8:30 a.m. and was centered about 5 miles southeast of the unincorporated community of Dollar Point.
This puts the epicenter of the quake right in the middle of Lake Tahoe.
It appears most of the area around Tahoe should have felt some shaking.
People as far away as the Sacramento Valley - and even the fringes of the East Bay - reported feeling some shaking, the USGS says.
The 4.2-magnitude quake - which was preliminarily rated a 4.1 - was preceded by a 2.9-magnitude earlier in the morning and was also followed by a 2.7 and 3.1-magnitude aftershock.No damage has been reported at this point.
Comment: On the 17th May CBS Sacramento
reported that the increase in quakes appear to reflect the region being in an active period and that it may foreshadow larger quakes:
Frequent earthquakes across Northern California over the last several weeks have sparked questions about the natural disasters ahead.
State Geologist Steve Bohlen with California Geological Survey says the region has recently experienced earthquakes in rapid succession.
"We happen to be in a bit of an active period right now," said Bohlen.
At the end of April, a 3.8-magnitude earthquake hit the center of Lake Tahoe, followed by a 4.7-magnitude earthquake in Truckee, which was felt from Sacramento all the way to Reno.
"That was the biggest one I felt since I was out here. There were some lights and stuff swinging, something fell off the wall," said Ryan Callahan, who was at the Tourist Club in Truckee when the earthquake hit.
Seismologists tracking the activity say there's another, uncommon threat as well.
"There is a Tsunami hazard around Lake Tahoe," said Bohlen, who explains a magnitude-7 earthquake coming from the lake, though unlikely, could cause Tsunami-like waves.
"It would be significant emergency response effort in the Tahoe area if a magnitude-7 were to occur," he said.
How would you know if a Tsunami hit?
"If you feel an earthquake for [an] extended period of time, you really ought to think about moving to higher ground as quickly as possible," he said.
"It's an interesting idea thinking there could be a tsunami in Lake Tahoe," said Logan, who's visiting North Lake Tahoe this week.
But Tsunamis aren't something to sell your lakefront house over. Bohlen says just be prepared.
"Californians should have a safety kit with food, water...have a family plan of how to get together...when cellphones are down," he said.
An early warning system called Shake Alert could give precious extra seconds when an earthquake does hit.
Comment: On the 17th May CBS Sacramento reported that the increase in quakes appear to reflect the region being in an active period and that it may foreshadow larger quakes: