Early morning 3.6-magnitude quake rattles Truckee, USGS reports
A 3.6-magnitude earthquake shook the Truckee area near Lake Tahoe early Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
The 4.4-mile deep quake hit the Tahoe National forest 15 miles west of Truckee at 1:25 a.m. Pacific time, according to the USGS. Dozens of people from as far away as Placerville and Grass Valley reported feeling the tremor to the agency.
“Unlike any earthquake I’ve experienced,” wrote one person on Twitter. “Huge jolt — sounded like an explosion or sonic boom — heart still racing.”
Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.
Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech.