A bit of a scare for the residents of the Cape Mendocino region on the California coast. On this Thursday, December 5, 2024, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred. Although the epicenter of the earthquake at sea raised the possibility of a tsunami, the alert was immediately lifted. An event that reminds us that this region of the United States is constantly at risk of earthquakes. The fear of big is still there.
This Thursday, December 5, 2024, a powerful earthquake shook the California coast. At 10:44 a.m., thousands of residents in the Ferndale area felt the ground shake for a few seconds. As a precaution, schools in the worst-hit area were evacuated, while officials issued a tsunami warning to all 5.3 million residents of the West Coast of the United States.
A tsunami warning was issued, then immediately lifted.
The epicenter of which intensityintensity 7.0 was estimated by the USGS to be located 55 km off the coast of Cape Mendocino. A strong magnitude (it’s only the fourth earthquake of such strength recorded worldwide this year) and a location that initially raised fears of a catastrophic wave. Fortunately, the fault mechanism that caused the earthquake did not generate a tsunami and the alert has now been lifted.
Involves the rupture of a major oceanic fault.
The earthquake is actually associated with a sudden slip along a major fault that cuts 4,000 kilometers of oceanic crust. The Mendocino Fracture Zone acts as a relay between the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which runs along the California coast, and its southern tip. Sea PeakSea Peak The Mendocino Fracture Zone of Gorda therefore lies at the interface between the two. Tectonic platesTectonic plates Seas that run together. speedspeed Different: the Pacific Plate to the south and the Gorda Plate to the north (often associated with the Juan de Fuca Plate). They both subduct beneath the North American continental plate. The movementmovement The separation of the two plates thus induces strong drop-off stress along the Mendocino fault that will regularly release this stress, thus producing more or less intense earthquakes.
Supermarkets upside down
This time the tremors were felt as far as San Francisco, which is 400 km south of the epicenter. In total, 15,000 people reported feeling its effects. EarthquakeEarthquakemore or less intensely. However, no casualty has been reported and the damage recorded is minor. This mainly includes objects falling to the ground. Videos have been circulating, showing supermarket aisles filled with products that have fallen off the shelves, but show the magnitude of the earthquake.
A region that is in constant danger of mega earthquakes.
If the December 5th earthquake had a very limited impact on the population, they are particularly wary of any such event. Because the sword of Damocles is actually hovering over this region, which is a big one. There Zone D SubductionZone D Subduction Cascadia is actually closely monitored because of its potential to produce large earthquakes. South of Cape Mendocino, however, the situation is no better with the silent threat of the San Andreas Fault. These two major tectonic systems are expected to experience catastrophic earthquakes in the short to medium term.
