5.6 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Mendocino County

An earthquake measuring 5.6 in magnitude struck Mendocino County on Wednesday morning, resulting in ShakeAlert notifications across Northern California.

The seismic event occurred at 8:10 a.m. Pacific Time, about seven miles north of Redwood Valley, an area with sparse population in inland Mendocino County, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Residents received alerts through ShakeAlert, a USGS early warning system operating in California, Washington, and Oregon.

Approximately seven minutes after the main quake, USGS detected a preliminary aftershock with a magnitude of 2.5 in the same region. Two more aftershocks followed, measuring 2.7 and 2.6, about an hour later.

Local business owner Alex Chehada observed items falling off shelves at the Redwood Valley Market due to the tremors. Although the Mendocino County Executive Office reported some injuries, no fatalities have been confirmed. Shaking extended to remote areas like Sacramento, with power outages occurring in Willits near the quake’s epicenter.

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) reported that approximately 8,000 customers experienced power interruptions. Although their equipment was not damaged, PG&E initiated an emergency response plan to address potential gas and electric hazards. Crews continue to patrol and assess infrastructure for damage.

The USGS placed the earthquake at a depth of about five miles and tagged its impact alert level as yellow, indicating some damage might occur. The National Tsunami Warning Center affirmed there are no current tsunami warnings or threats related to this earthquake.

In Fort Bragg, situated around 50 miles west of the epicenter, local police are monitoring the situation. No damage has been reported in that locality. Mendocino County officials have stated that no major damage has been identified, although assessments are ongoing.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s office has confirmed that he has received updates concerning the seismic event. Redwood Valley is positioned approximately 120 miles north of San Francisco and about 140 miles northwest of Sacramento.