Magnitude 5.0 earthquake near The Geysers is strongest in decades

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 4 miles west northwest of Geysers, California at 8:41 this morning. Multiple aftershocks, including one of a magnitude 3.0, have followed the initial quake.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 4 miles west northwest of Geysers, California at 8:41 this morning. Multiple aftershocks, including one of a magnitude 3.0, have followed the initial quake. Photo: USGS Photo: USGS Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Magnitude 5.0 earthquake near The Geysers is strongest in decades 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

The United States Geological Survey says a magnitude 5.0 earthquake near The Geysers Wednesday was the largest recorded quake to hit the seismically-active area in 30 years.

The quake hit at 8:41 AM local time, less than a mile from the surface. A second smaller quake hit five minutes later.

"The earthquake was the largest in the Geysers area in the past 30 years. This magnitude 5.0 earthquake is only marginally larger than previous earthquakes at the Geysers," USGS Research geophysicist J. Ole Kaven wrote to SFGATE. "This earthquake occurred on the western margin of where previous seismicity has been located."

Kaven says eight magnitude 4.5-4.6 earthquakes have hit within 12 miles of the epicenter over the past past 30 years. The area has long been studied by seismologists examining the role of steam power generation in seismic activity.

"The historical record of earthquakes in this area suggests that earthquakes as large as today's are likely to be near the upper magnitude limit," wrote Kaven. "Unlike the Rodgers Creek-Maacama fault to the southwest of the Geysers, there are no mapped, through-going faults in the steam field that are likely to sustain large (greater than magnitude 6.0) quakes. As long as steam production continues at the Geysers, earthquakes will occur."

Thous several people reported feeling the shaking on social media, there were no early reports of significant damage or injury resulting from either earthquake. More information on this earthquake is available on the USGS event page.

See the latest USGS quake alerts, report feeling earthquake activity and tour interactive fault maps in the earthquake section.