A series of over 100 earthquakes have struck Northern California's Geysers geothermal steam field, with magnitudes ranging from 0.2 to 4. The largest earthquake, measured at magnitude 4, occurred 10 miles east of Cloverdale. The Geysers area, known for its productive geothermal power facility, commonly experiences small quakes due to steam withdrawal for power generation. Induced earthquakes are attributed to the contraction of surrounding rocks as well as the interaction of pumped cold water with hot rock in the geothermal field.
Small earthquakes are common in the Geysers geothermal steam field, and activities associated with the withdrawal of steam for producing electric power can induce small quakes.
Taking away steam and heat from the steam field can cause the surrounding rock to contract, inducing earthquakes as a result of the contractional stresses.
The interaction with reclaimed cold water from Santa Rosa and Lake County appears to be a significant factor in inducing the earthquakes in the Geysers.
The largest earthquake recorded in the Geysers area was about a magnitude 4.5, with at least 131 earthquakes recorded of varying magnitudes.
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