Belden in Eastern Plumas County was abruptly disrupted by a pair of earthquakes last evening, leaving the town and its surrounding areas rattled. The U.S. Geological Survey says the first quake struck at 6:34 pm with a magnitude of 4.9, followed by another less than a minute later, registering at 4.8 on the Richter scale. A third smaller aftershock struck shortly after the two.
Seismologists called the event rare, a doublet, two similar-sized quakes occurring in the same place, especially given that no large faults run through the county.
Those near the epicenter, located about 3 miles NW of Belden, say walls trembled and windows rattled. Shaking was felt as far away as Chester, Susanville, Paradise, and Reno. Plumas County Office of Emergency Services says initial reports do not indicate that any damage was sustained following the quake.
To get early detection of an earthquake, you can sign up for ShakeAlerts through the MyShake app on your cell phone.
