Cal Geographic

I’m not normally an earthquake chaser, but the 5.6 earthquake in rural central Mendocino County this morning, June 24, 2026, shook close to home and coincidentally occurred within a tectonic setting that I have been intensively researching for a few months now. It also happens to be the largest earthquake recorded within the Maacama Fracture … More Earthquake on the Maacama Fracture Zone in Upper Redwood Valley This Morning, June 24, 2026

Situated at the southeastern edge of the Northern Coast Range, where subduction complex abuts the Great Valley Sequence, two outlying strands of the broad San Andreas fracture zone cut a striking and majestic tectonic landscape. The picture perfect Cordelia fault, and its more significant fractious neighbor, the Green Valley fault, sculpt plunging walls and scarps, … More Earthquake Country: The Cordelia and Green Valley Faults

Every April 18th I ponder the fateful events my great-great, and great grandparents endured that very early morning, and for months to follow. With toddler in tow, and possibly pregnant, my great grandparents fled their South of Market flat to cross the Bay to join family in Larkspur, Marin County in the north. Their home … More On the Eve of the Great Earthquake

Mendocino Triple Junction Parts 1 and 2: Tectonics, Evolution, and Structure Mother Earth has made it clear that it’s time to talk about the Mendocino Triple Junction. On December 5th, 2024 the most seismically active region in California had its largest earthquake in 20 years*: a magnitude 7.0 along the Mendocino Fracture Zone, approximately 35 … More Mendocino Triple Junction Tectonics