Early Morning Quake Rattles Petrolia Area, Highlighting Seismic Activity

A M4.1 earthquake rattled North Coast residents awake early Sunday morning, just a few minutes past 6 a.m. The shaker occurred 35 miles off the coast of Petrolia, near the Mendocino Triple Junction—the area where the Gorda, Pacific, and North American plates meet. This region is one of the most seismically active areas in the continental U.S. Although this earthquake was offshore, tsunami alerts are not typically issued unless the earthquake is an M7 or greater.

Earthquakes and tsunamis are inevitable, but damage and injuries can be reduced even in the largest events. Learn how to ‘How to Survive Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Northern California’ by reading Living on Shaky Ground: https://rctwg.humboldt.edu/sites/default/files/interactive_losg_2_20_24.pdf