WILLITS, 1/29/20 — A small earthquake shook a slumbering Mendocino County this morning*, at about 4:31 a.m. The quake measured 3.5 on the scale, and had its epicenter in Redwood Valley, just a few hundred yards north of the off-ramp to West Rd. from U.S. Route 101. The quake had a depth of 6 km, which is somewhat deeper than other recent quakes. No damage was reported — except for scattered claims of “getting woken up” and insomnia.
Two smaller quakes, a 2.8 and a 2.6, rattled the North Coast today, under the sea off Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County. These quakes occurred near the San Andreas fault (one on either side), very near the Mendocino Triple Junction, a spot off the coast where three tectonic plates converge.
*Editor’s note: The author of this article was woken by the quake, but though it was a dream, or perhaps a large truck driving by.
