Severe earthquake tremors were felt in California, USA on December 6. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Cape Mendocino, California. Its center was about 100 kilometers southwest of Ferndale. The earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California on December 6 at 12:24 am IST. The National Center for Seismology shared a post on Twitter, writing, “Earthquake magnitude 7.0, Date: 06/12/2024, Bharti Time 00:14:24, Latitude: 40.38 North, Longitude: 124.64 West, Depth: 10 km. , Location: Off the coast of Northern California.”
The epicenter of the earthquake was 10 kilometers below the ground. However, the epicenter of the earthquake was on the sea coast and its intensity was also very high. In such a situation, officials had expressed fear of a tsunami, but later retracted it. The earthquake occurred at the Mendocino triple junction, where the Pacific, North American, and Juan de Fuca/Gorda plates meet, and is believed to have been caused by strike-slip faulting on the Mendocino Fracture Zone.
What did the USG say?
The USGA reported on its official website that on December 5, 2024, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Cape Madocino near the Dochino Fracture Zone off the coast. Its center was about 100 km southwest of Ferndale, California, on the northern California coast. “The earthquake occurred near the Mendocino Triple Junction – the area where the Pacific, North American and Juan de Fuca/Gorda plates meet.”
Occurrence at the Mendocino Fracture Zone
The USGA further stated that the focal mechanism suggests that strike-slip faulting on east-southeast- or north-northeast-sloping faults causes plates to collide and trigger earthquakes. The USGA said the location, depth and faulting mechanisms indicate the event occurred on or near the Mendocino Fracture Zone, which forms the boundary between the Gorda Plate, which strikes between the Pacific Plate to the east-southeast and the Pacific Plate to the north.
There is no danger of tsunami
Tsunami warnings have been canceled for California and Oregon. NWS Tsunami Alert, the US National Tsunami Warning Center shared this information in a post on Twitter. The NWS tsunami warning read, “The tsunami warning has been canceled for coastal areas of California and Oregon. There is currently no tsunami threat for this area. This will be the final US National Tsunami Warning Center message for this event.” (Input-ANI)
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