4.4-magnitude quake strikes near San Bernardino

An natural disaster with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck offshore Northern California, 61 miles northwest of Eureka, at 5:35 p.m. local time. The seismic activity was reportedly 42 kilometres deep.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

In Metro Vancouver, SkyTrain temporarily shut down until crews determined it was safe to operate the train on the guideway.

Edmond resident Dawne Sullivan said she felt aftershocks most of the day after her family was awakened by what she described as a loud explosion before sunrise Tuesday.

The Canadian agency says there are no reports of damage and adds none would be expected.

But a USGS seismologist now says more big earthquakes, magnitude 4.0 or even much larger in the same area are likely.

The U.S. Geological Survey pinpointed the quake as originating near the town of Sidney, B.C., which is home to the Victoria International Airport.

Following a series of aftershocks, a 2.7-magnitude quake hit the Devore area Wednesday morning, some 12 hours after a 4.4 temblor rattled many Southern California residents. USGS estimated 12 million people may have felt at least some weak shaking, and said 390,000 of those people may have experienced moderate shaking.

Dan McNamara said Tuesday’s quake reactivated a new fault that runs from the Midwest Boulevard and Covell area toward downtown Oklahoma City. She said the quake was around 60 kilometres below the surface.