Cape Mendocino

Cape Mendocino

Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County, California, USA, is the westernmost point on the coast of California. (Mendocino County lies to the south.) It has been a landmark since the 16th century when the Manila Galleons would reach the coast here following the prevailing westerlies all the way across the Pacific, then make their way down the coast all the way to Acapulco, Mexico. Its first lighthouse was lit December 1, 1868, standing on eight prefabricated panels sent up from San Francisco.

eismology

The Cape Mendocino region of California's north coast is one of the most seismically active regions in the "Lower Forty-eight" United States. Three earthquakes with epicenters nearby at Petrolia and offshore west of Cape Mendocino, 25–26 April, 1992, were outstanding, one reaching 7.2 on the Richter scale; they demonstrated that the Cascadia subduction zone is both capable of producing large earthquakes and generating tsunamis. Many geologists and seismologists believe that the main shock in the 1992 sequence may be a forerunner of a much more powerful earthquake in the Pacific Northwest.

Offshore of Cape Mendocino lies the Mendocino Triple Junction, a geologic triple junction where three tectonic plates come together. The San Andreas Fault, a transform boundary, runs south from the junction, separating the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. To the north lies the Cascadia subduction zone, where the Gorda Plate is being subducted under the margin of the North American plate. Running west from the triple junction is the Mendocino Fracture Zone, the transform boundary between the Gorda Plate and the Pacific Plate.

External links

* [http://www.westofpch.com/lighthouse/mendocino.html Cape Mendocino Lighthouse]
* [http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=25 Cape Mendocino Lighthouse]
* [http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/obs/rmobs_pub/html/mendocino.html Mendocino Triple Junction Offshore Northern California]
* [http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~geodept/earthquakes/shaky2_why.html Cathy Moley, "Why we have earthquakes: a unique geologic setting"]
* [http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/info/faultmaps/fault141.html USGS Mendocino fault zone map]
* [http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/geo_history_wa/Cascade%20Episode.htm Cascadia tectonic history with map]

Cape Mendocino's coordinates are 40 Degrees North and 124 Degrees West


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cape Mendocino — Sp Mendosino kyšulỹs Ap Cape Mendocino L JAV (Kalifornija) …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • Cape Mendocino Light — Infobox Lighthouse caption = Cape Mendocino Light (USCG) location = Shelter Cove, California coordinates = yearlit = 1868 automated = 1951 yeardeactivated = 1970s (Old) foundation = Concrete construction = Cast Iron shape = white 16 sided… …   Wikipedia

  • Mendocino, California — Mendocino   census designated place   Mendocino, California …   Wikipedia

  • Mendocino — may mean: Mendocino County, California, USA Mendocino, California, a town in Mendocino County Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County, California Mendocino Brewing Company, a brewery and brewpub located in the county of the same name Mendocino National …   Wikipedia

  • Mendocino Fracture Zone — The Mendocino Fracture Zone between the Gorda Plate and Pacific Plate The Mendocino Fracture Zone is a fracture zone and transform boundary off the coast of Cape Mendocino in far northern California. It runs westward from a triple junction with… …   Wikipedia

  • Mendocino County — County of Mendocino   County   Seal …   Wikipedia

  • Mendocino Triple Junction — The Mendocino Triple Junction is a geologic triple junction where the San Andreas Fault meets the Mendocino Fault and the Cascadia subduction zone, separating three tectonic plates: the Pacific Plate, the North American Plate and the Gorda Plate …   Wikipedia

  • Mendocino County, California — Infobox U.S. County county = Mendocino County state = California map size = 250 founded = 1850 seat = Ukiah | largest city = Ukiah | area total sq mi =3878 area land sq mi =3509 area water sq mi =369 area percentage = 9.52% census yr = 2000 pop …   Wikipedia

  • Mendocino Fracture Zone — ▪ fracture zone, Pacific Ocean        submarine fracture zone in the eastern Pacific Ocean, defined by one of the major transform faults dissecting the spreading centre of the Gorda Ridges. The Mendocino Fracture Zone extends west from… …   Universalium

  • Mendocino Woodlands State Park — U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”