The 2000 Yountville earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 5 on a previously unmapped fault, about south southwest of
Yountville, California
Yountville ( or ) is a city in Napa County, in the Wine Country of California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the population was 3,436 at the 2020 census. Almost a third of the town's population lives at the Ve ...
in the
Mayacamas Mountain Range under Mount Veeder and about south northwest of
Napa, California
Napa is the largest city and county seat of Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the city had a population of 77,480 as of the end of 2021. Napa is a major t ...
. It occurred at 01:36
PDT (08:36
UTC) on September 3.
Earthquake
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 9.4 km on a northwest-oriented fault and with a right-lateral strike-slip motion. The epicenter of the earthquake was near the
West Napa Fault
The West Napa Fault is a long geologic fault in Napa County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. It is believed to be the northern extension of the Calaveras Fault in th ...
, a previously unmarked fault.
Damage
Several unreinforced masonry buildings in downtown
Napa suffered exterior damage as a result of the earthquake. Sixteen buildings were red tagged following the event and 168 were yellow tagged. Although the magnitude of the primary event was considered moderate, shaking was intensified in the city of Napa and surrounding area due to the sedimentary soil on the floor of the valley. The earthquake caused an interruption of power to approximately 10,000
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 milli ...
customers. Several hundred houses suffered toppled or cracked chimneys and several instances of broken plumbing due to toppled water heaters were reported. Transportation infrastructure in the affected area did not suffer any significant damage from the earthquake.
See also
*
List of earthquakes in 2000
This is a list of earthquakes in 2000. Only earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above are included, unless they result in damage and/or casualties, or are notable for some other reason. All dates are listed according to UTC time.
Compared to other y ...
*
List of earthquakes in California
The earliest known California earthquake was documented in 1769 by the Spanish explorers and Catholic missionaries of the Portolá expedition as they traveled northward from San Diego along the Santa Ana River near the present site of Los Angeles ...
*
List of earthquakes in the United States
The following is a list of notable earthquakes and tsunamis which had their epicenter in areas that are now part of the United States with the latter affecting areas of the United States. Those in ''italics'' were not part of the United States whe ...
References
External links
USGS The September 3, 2000 Yountville EarthquakeUSGS Shakemap
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yountville Earthquake, 2000
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
2000 earthquakes
2000 in California
Geology of Napa County, California
History of Napa County, California
Mayacamas Mountains
Yountville, California
2000 natural disasters in the United States