COBB, Calif. – A 3.8-magnitude earthquake recorded near The Geysers geothermal steamfield on Tuesday night gave quite a shake to a number of Lake County residents.
The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 9:43 p.m.
It was centered two miles east southeast of The Geysers, 13 miles south southwest of Clearlake and 13 miles northeast of Healdsburg, at a depth of just over one mile, the US Geological Survey reported.
Originally the quake was reported as a 3.6-magnitude, before it was upgraded to 4.1 and then rolled back to 3.8, based on US Geological Survey records.
The main quake was immediately followed by a number of aftershocks, including a 2.1-magnitude quake just minutes later, according to survey data.
Len Neft, who lives on Rose Anderson Road in Anderson Springs, said the quake was “very, very violent,” and one of the strongest he's felt in the more than 20 years he's lived there.
“This one knocked stuff over in every room of the house,” he said, noting some items were broken after falling from shelves and the walls.
Neft said he felt two of the aftershocks after the “monster” temblor hit.
Readers from Clearlake, Lower Lake, Hidden Valley, Middletown and Cobb reported on Lake County News' Facebook page that they also felt the quake.
Erica Torrey in Lower Lake said it moved a chair and Middletown resident Bill Davis said it was “the loudest earthquake I've ever heard.”
Lynne Norton said it “was the biggest and strongest shake” she'd ever felt in her Middletown home and Anderson Springs resident Sheila Roseneau said it knocked her CDs off the bookcase and rattled the dishes and glasses.
Rose Knudsen of Anderson Springs said the quake was the most violent she's felt in her nine years in that community, which is frequently shaken by quakes attributed to the nearby geothermal plants.
By 10:30 p.m., the US Geological Survey had received 34 shake reports from five zip codes, including Calistoga, Healdsburg, Hidden Valley Lake, Lower Lake and Middletown.
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