CA Quake: Lake Tahoe resident describes 'roller' wave on lake as earthquake hit
TAHOE CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- Kevin Cooper, a former spokesperson for Lake Tahoe ski resorts, was in Tahoe City as an earthquake hit near the California-Nevada border Thursday night.
He said it was one of the "biggest jolts" he's felt in a long time.
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"It literally shook from side to side, took two to three seconds, and second jolt came through, so definitely an impressive hit for Tahoe," Cooper said.
He joined ABC7 by phone Thursday and said he even saw a "roller" wave on the lake, moving from north to south, as the earthquake hit.
"You might've wanted to be on surf board about 20 minutes ago on the South Shore. You might have caught a good wave," he said.
He said quakes in the area tend to be short and fast, but this one was slow and steady.
At the ski slopes, Cooper said trams and lifts at Northstar in Truckee are running this time year, despite the summer season, and when a quake hits, they have to stop running and be inspected.
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"That was a shaker for Lake Tahoe for sure," he said.
The magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit just before 4 p.m. Thursday and was centered near Walker, Calif. in Mono County, near the border of California and Nevada.
Since the quake there have been at least 40 aftershocks near the epicenter.
The aftershocks have ranged from 3.0 to 4.6 in magnitude.
Watch the entire interview with Kevin Cooper in the media player above.
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