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A long-lost tectonic fragment may be shaking Northern California

Seismic tremors expose a trapped slab linked to the 1992 Mendocino quake

A 1992 photograph of a car crushed by falling bricks from a house, triggered by the magnitude 7.2 Cape Mendocino earthquake. A hidden tectonic plate boundary may have been the source.

The 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquake, a magnitude 7.2 temblor, caused up to $75 million in damage to the region. It triggered landslides and a tsunami, and damaged roads, bridges and buildings. Here, a fallen brick facade crushed a car in Ferndale, Calif.

NOAA

By Carolyn Gramling

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