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Abstract We attempt to clarify processes associated with the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence by analyzing space‐time variations of seismicity, potency values, and focal mechanisms of earthquakes leading to and during the sequence. Over the 20 years before theM_w7.1 mainshock, the percentage of normal faulting events decreased gradually from 25% to below 10%, indicating a long‐term increase of shear stress. TheM_w6.4 andM_w7.1 ruptures terminated at areas with strong changes of seismic velocity or intersections with other faults producing arresting barriers. The aftershocks are characterized by highly diverse focal mechanisms and produced volumetric brittle deformation concentrated in a 5–10 km wide zone around the main ruptures. Early aftershocks of theM_w7.1 event extended over a wide area below typical seismogenic depth, consistent with a transient deepening of the brittle‐ductile transition. The Ridgecrest earthquake sequence produced considerable rock damage in the surrounding crust including below the nominal seismogenic zone.