Four offshore earthquakes rumble west of Oregon and California

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      A rapid succession of four undersea earthquakes have struck off the coast of Southern Oregon and Northern California.

      The first one hit at 12:52 a.m. today (June 4).

      The U.S. Geological Survey reported it as a 5.9-magnitude quake, with a depth of nine kilometres (six miles).

      The epicentre was positioned 158 kilometres (98 miles) west of Gold Beach, Oregon; 210 kilometres (130 miles) southwest of Coos Bay, Oregon; 246 kilometres (152 miles) northwest of Eureka, California; and 396 kilometres (246 miles) southwest of Salem, Oregon.

      A second quake, measured as 3.9-magnitude, struck at 1:13 a.m.

      At a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), the epicentre of this temblor was close to the previous quake's epicentre.

      Shortly thereafter, a third quake, in the same area, followed at 1:17 a.m. 

      This one also registered as 5.9-magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

      This one was at a depth of 14 kilometres (nine miles), with an epicentre located 143 kilometres (89 miles) west of Gold Beach, Oregon; 201 kilometres (124 miles) southwest of Coos Bay, Oregon; and 391 kilometres (242 miles) southwest of Salem, Oregon.

      In response to this seismic activity, the U.S. Tsunami Warning System stated that a tsunami is not expected for the North American West Coast, including B.C.

      The fourth quake, which occurred at 1:37 a.m., was measured as 4.2-magnitude by the U.S. Geological Survey, at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles). The epicentre for this one was near the epicentre of the third earthquake.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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