Is Mother Nature Messing With Us On Napa Quake Anniversary?

Photos by Al Francis of NapaSonomaPhotos.com

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A preliminary 3.8 magnitude earthquake this morning shook The Geysers, a geothermal field along the border of Sonoma and Lake counties, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake started at 10:41 a.m. and was centered one kilometer northeast of The Geysers and 13 miles north-northeast of Healdsburg, USGS officials said.

Earthquakes are frequent at The Geysers, according to the USGS. That’s because of activity associated with withdrawing steam for generating electricity, the officials said.

Other quakes recorded in the past day or so in the area:

• 2.3 magnitude earthquake 22 km from Clearlake at 11:09 a.m. today
• 2.0 magnitude earthquake 21 km from Healdsburg at 10:20 p.m. Saturday
• 1.9 magnitude earthquake 20 km from Healdsburg at 2:14 p.m. Saturday
• 1.6 magnitude earthquake 22 km from Clearlake at 3:54 a.m. Saturday

And by the way, Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the 6.0-magnitude quake in Napa County.

See two photo slideshows of shots taken last year and taken from same spots this year with reconstruction underway:

• Then and Now Napa Earthquake: One Year Ago In Photos
• Then and Now Napa Earthquake: Photo Show Of Progress

As for The Geysers activity, meanwhile, it causes or induces small earthquakes, with a 4.5 magnitude quake the largest temblor recorded at The Geysers, according to the USGS. The major seismic hazards in the area are still from large temblors along regional faults, such as the San Andreas Fault, USGS officials said.

--Bay City News contributed to this report