For several months now my research and writing has been laser-focused on the complex and intriguing setting of the Maacama fracture zone in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. My last column explored the Maacama fracture zone as the tectonic heart of Mendocino County’s landscapes, ecosystems and culture.
On the morning of June 24, I had just sat down to wrap up the final edits of a presentation on the mighty Maacama that I will be giving this summer in Ukiah when the earthquake hit.
Wednesday’s Redwood Valley earthquake not only shook close to home and coincidentally occurred within a tectonic setting that I’ve been professionally consumed by, but it was also a rare tectonic event within this fracture zone, measuring at magnitude 5.6, believed to be the largest earthquake occurring on the Maacama recorded in the USGS catalog…