5.6-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Mendocino County

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 occurred in Mendocino County on Wednesday morning, causing ShakeAlert notifications to be sent throughout Northern California.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake struck at 8:10 a.m. Pacific Time. The epicenter was located approximately seven miles north of Redwood Valley, a sparsely populated area in inland Mendocino County. Residents in the region received notifications from ShakeAlert, a USGS early warning system used in California, Washington, and Oregon.

Following the initial quake, USGS also noted a preliminary 2.5-magnitude earthquake in the same area about seven minutes later, considered a potential aftershock. Additional aftershocks measuring 2.7 and 2.6 occurred about an hour after the main tremor.

Local Impact

Redwood Valley Market’s owner, Alex Chehada, witnessed items falling off shelves due to the shaking. Some injuries have been reported, according to the Mendocino County Executive Office, although the severity is currently unknown. Officials confirmed there have been no fatalities associated with the earthquake.

Shaking was experienced as far as Sacramento. Some power outages occurred in Willits, close to the epicenter. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) indicated that approximately 8,000 customers were affected by outages. PG&E’s map shows that the outages began concurrently with the earthquake. The utility company stated there is no damage to its equipment and has initiated an emergency response plan to address potential gas and electric hazards. PG&E crews are patrolling areas and assessing for any damage.

Additional Reports

USGS placed the earthquake at a depth of approximately five miles. The impact alert level is designated as yellow, suggesting there may be some damage. However, the National Tsunami Warning Center stated there is no tsunami warning, advisory, watch, or threat resulting from the earthquake.

Employees at Testa Coffee & Wine in Redwood Valley are cleaning up after the disturbance.

Police in Fort Bragg, which is about 50 miles west of the epicenter on California’s North Coast, noted they were keeping an eye on the situation, but no damage had been reported in the area. Mendocino County officials reported they are not aware of significant damage but continue to assess the region.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed he has received briefings regarding the earthquake.

Redwood Valley is situated roughly 120 miles north of San Francisco and approximately 140 miles northwest of Sacramento.