Remembering the Cape Mendocino Quakes of 1992

USGS report

On April 25 at 11:06 a.m. PDT, a major earthquake struck northern California. This magnitude 7.2 earthquake was located about 30 miles (50 km) south-southwest of Eureka. Ninety-five people were injured and considerable damage occurred in southwestern Humboldt County. The preliminary estimate of damage from this earthquake, and two strong aftershocks described below, is 66 million dollars. The observed maximum intensity, VIII, was experienced at Ferndale, Honeydew, Petrolia, Rio Dell, and Scotia. Landslides and rockfalls occurred in the Honeydew-Petrolia area. The quake was felt throughout much of northern California and as far south as San Francisco and southeast to Carson City and Reno, Nevada. It was also felt in many areas of southern Oregon. A tsunami was generated with maximum wave heights (peak-to-trough) of 1.1 meters at Crescent City and 0.2 meters at Point Arena, California, and 0.1 meters on Hawaii.

At 12:42 a.m. PDT on April 26, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit the same area causing some additional damage in the Ferndale, Petrolia, and Fortuna areas. A fire caused by a broken gas main destroyed much of the business district of Scotia. The quake was felt throughout much of northern California.

Less than 4 hours after the second quake, at 4:19 a.m. PDT, the same area experienced a third strong quake. This magnitude 6.7 earthquake caused additional damage in the area of Ferndale, Fortuna, and Petrolia. It was also felt thoughout much of northern California and southern Oregon and to the south as far as Salinas, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco. These earthquakes were accompanied by numerous aftershocks. Many of the aftershocks were in the magnitude 4.0 to 4.8 range. Some of them were strongly felt, but they caused very little damage.

SPECIAL REPORT: Hot Springs, North Carolina

At 11:09 PM local time on August 24, 2005 a minor earthquake struck near the North Carolina and Tennessee border. The quake measured 3.8 on the richter scale. No injuries have been reported, but minor damage has been reported in surrounding counties.

The quake was felt as far away as Atlanta, Georgia, about 170 miles away.

Although this may seem like an unusual location for earthquakes, minor quakes in this area are not uncommon. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that since at least 1776, people living inland in North and South Carolina, and in adjacent parts of Georgia and Tennessee, have felt small earthquakes and suffered damage from infrequent larger ones. The largest earthquake in the area (magnitude 5.1) occurred in 1916 . Moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two.

To be more specific I have looked at an area within a 50 mile radius of this current quake. By looking at the map (1971 - 2005) to the right (click for larger view), you will see that this specific area has had it's share of small quakes.

Since 1971 This 100 mile area has seen 77 earthquakes at or above 2.0. A dozen of these quakes were 3.0 or larger. This most recent quake has been the largest.

CLICK HERE to see the complete list of all quakes shown on our map.