The Mighty Maacama: Tectonic Fracture Zone and Primary Plate Boundary
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 7PM - Ukiah City Council Chambers

Intriguing land forms, living landscapes, and active tectonics of the very young and lively Maacama Fracture Zone are the program for the Peregrine Audubon Society Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 7PM - Ukiah City Council Chambers.
For several months physical geographer, Rowena Forest, had been researching and reporting on the geomorphology, ecosystems, and latest scientific research concerning the Maacama fault and fracture zone when the June 24th, magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit upper Redwood Valley on a “new’’ strand of this complex tectonic system in Mendocino County. The program was in the final edits of this Mighty Maacama presentation for the Peregrine Audubon Society when the earthquake occurred, this significant event spurred renewed interest, concern, and a deeper dive into the Maacama’s dynamic tectonic, geomorphic, and ecological setting.
Rowena Forest is a physical geographer and science writer for Cal Geographic, with a lifelong personal and professional focus on California’s dynamic coastal land forms, geomorphology, tectonics, and native ecosystems. She holds a B.A. in Physical Geography from San Francisco State University, with a professional background conducting botanical mapping and habitat surveys on the California coast, the Sierra Nevada, the Farallon Islands, and the Northwest Hawaiian Islands; as well as historic ecology and geomorphology research throughout California. Rowena grew up on the Northern California coast in the tectonic landscape of rural West Marin County, on a marine terrace at the southern tip of the Point Reyes Peninsula. You can review her work at Cal Geographic.com, and her monthly geography column in the Mendocino Voice.