The 7.0 earthquake earlier this month led to a tsunami warning that was quickly canceled by forecasters but officials have warned people not to assume the next event will play out the same way

A tsunami warning for the Bay Area after the earthquake in Northern California might have come as a surprise. Here's why it was sent.

A tsunami warning was issued across Northern California on Thursday morning following a magnitude 7 earthquake. It's a reminder to prepare and know how to respond in case of such emergencies.

Northern California was under a rare and brief tsunami warning alert Thursday that tested local emergency notification systems after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook part of the state.The National Weather Service canceled its alert after roughly an hour and before the tsunami was expected to arrive.

Yet despite the earthquake’s intensity — a magnitude of 7.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey — the shaking caused little damage because of its remote epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, 200 miles north of San Francisco Bay. The tsunami warnings were canceled about an hour after they were issued.

Scientists have warned that the major earthquake that rocked California on Thursday is a wake-up call to prepare for a future tsunami. The magnitude 7.0 quake struck 55 miles off the shore of Eureka.