Sunday, January 10, 2010

Ferndale California: Earthquake 6.5 on Richter Scale off the coast (9/1/10)

Earthquake Location in Large Yellow-USGS

The US Geological Survey has stated that a powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern California at at 4:27 p.m.
It is believed that the quake may have occurred along the Russ fault. It occurred at a depth of 7.6 km (4.7 miles)

According to the USGS the the quake occurred:


33 km (20 miles) WNW (288°) from Ferndale, CA


37 km (23 miles) W (259°) from Humboldt Hill, CA


39 km (24 miles) WSW (254°) from Bayview, CA


42 km (26 miles) WSW (251°) from Eureka, CA


359 km (223 miles) NW (312°) from Sacramento, CA

Aftershocks:


A 3.8 quake struck at 4:48 p.m. and was followed by a 3.5 magnitude tremor just 2 minutes later.
At 5:06 p.m., a 3.6 magnitude aftershock shook the same general area, followed by another 3.0 magnitude tremor at 5:48 p.m. according to the USGS reports.

No injuries or fires have been reported from Ferndale. Some damage to the City Hall has been reported. The Los Angeles Times reported the initial jolt was felt as far away as San Francisco.USGS geophysicist Richard Buckmaster said the quake was felt as far south as Capitola in central California, and as far north as Tiller in central Oregon.

Background:

The Cape Mendocino region of California's north coast is one of the most seismically active regions in the US. Offshore of Cape Mendocino lies the Mendocino Triple Junction. Here three tectonic plates come together. The San Andreas Fault, runs south from the junction, separating the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. To the north lies the Cascadia subduction zone, where the Gorda Plate is being subducted under the margin of the North American plate. Running west from the triple junction is the Mendocino Fracture Zone, the transform boundary between the Gorda Plate and the Pacific Plate.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Someday soon, there Could be a really big one in California.

Rory

John Barry said...

I agree. It is only a matter of time until a massive earthquake strikes the San Francisco area. The Pacific and North American Plates are locked together at various points along the San Andreas Fault. Sooner or later the locks in the San Francisco area will snap and a massive earthquake will occur.

Anonymous said...

Ferndale is very near California's Lost Coast.

The Loma Prieta earthquake that collapsed San Francisco's Bay Bridge in 1989 measured 6.9 on the Richter scale and was horribly frightening.