Earthquake Activity Thread

[john pike]

http://m.emsc.eu/earthquake/earthquake.php?evid=376803

Png. Mag 6 only 2km deep

[john pike]

http://m.emsc.eu/earthquake/earthquake.php?evid=377032

Mexico 6.8. 10km deep

Updates to follow if needed

[Crepuscular Ray]

No tsunami alert issued, thank goodness.

[john pike]

Earthquake in Pakistan on Friday, 09 May, 2014 at 05:12 (05:12 AM) UTC.

 

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 hit Nawabshah and surrounding areas, damaging houses in various areas that left at least one person dead and 50 others injured. The injured people, who include women and children, were shifted to hospitals where emergency has been declared. The quake jolted Nawabshah and its adjoining areas at about 3:55 AM. The epicenter of the earthquake was 27 km North East of Nawabshah with depth of 15 km. The aftershocks continued to shake the quake-hit area, triggering tension in the region. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Irfan Kathia said that all schools would remain closed in the district today.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=EQ-20140509-43678-PAK

[john pike]

An earthquake in South Iceland An earthquake of magnitude 4

9.5.2014

At 23:14 on 8 May, an earthquake of magnitude 4 occurred 10 km ESE of Hestfjall (South Iceland). Reports were received that it was felt in the South Iceland lowland and in Hafnarfjördur, Borgarnes and Reykjavík.

The fault on which the earthquake occurred is the same fault that gave rise to a magnitude 7 earthquake in August 1784.

Yesterday's earthquake was not preceded by foreshocks and only a few aftershocks have been detected. This is the largest earthquake in this area since 2000, and the largest in the South Iceland lowland region (South Iceland seismic zone) since 2008.

It is possible that the earthquake is an aftershock following a strong earthquake in the same region in June 2000. This is because not all the strain in the bedrock was released during the 2000 earthquakes. It cannot be excluded that a similiar-sized earthquake could occur in the same region in the near future.

The lowland in South Iceland is one of the most seismically active regions of the country, where earthquakes have historically reached magnitude 7.  A map of shaking intensity from yesterday's  earthquake is available.

 

http://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/nr/2888

 

info from iceland met office

 

link supplied

[john pike]

In recent weeks, two powerful earthquakes have rocked the Northwest Arctic, leading some to ask why, and if these two are a sign of things to come. On April 18, the first quake rang in at a magnitude of 5.6, while on May 3 a second quake shook the region at 5.5. Before the first one in April, it had been more than 30 years since an earthquake that strong struck the region, said Mike West, a seismologist with the Alaska Earthquake Center. "This got our attention," West said. "It's not unprecedented, but it is unusual." As for whether the Big One is imminent, West said there is no evidence to suggest it, but it's not being ruled out. "It does remain a distant possibility, but we have no reason to believe that there will be a larger earthquake in that area." The center of both quakes was in nearly the same spot -- about 10 miles outside of Noatak, with the effects being felt all the way to Kotzebue and beyond. Seismologists from the center are in Kotzebue and Noatak this week to place instruments so they can more closely monitor the area. They will also address the concerns of community members. Before the most recent events, the last time the region felt a jolt of similar strength was 1981. The vigorous aftershocks that followed both quakes were in the 4- to 4.5-magnitude range and continued from the time the first quake struck until the second was felt two weeks later. "Both were essentially the same magnitude and in the same location; that's different for us," said West, who is also the director of the center.The two quakes were not random occurrences, but were part of the same sequence. Earthquakes happen when pressure builds in the earth and has to be released. A rupture happens and sends seismic waves up through the earth's layers. The first quake in April was not sufficient enough to release all the energy that needed to come out, West said, and thus, there was a second. The instruments being placed this week will feed live data back to the center and give scientists a better understanding of why this happened. The system will be in place for continuing activity that is expected in the form of more aftershocks over the coming weeks and months. Magnitude 5 earthquakes happen often in other parts of the state, especially around Anchorage. In fact, West said, four out of five earthquakes that happen in the U.S. happen in Alaska. No major structural damage or injuries were reported, though some residents did report cracks in various buildings. An earthquake with that force is enough to cause significant damage depending on where it is in vicinity to a community. "These earthquakes happened roughly 10 miles out of town and that is very different than if the town was directly on top of the source," West said. "Residents reported very vigorous shaking; they were unnerved and put on edge by the sequence."These occurrences serve as a good reminder for Alaskans everywhere to prepare their homes. Top-heavy items like full bookcases, heating fuel tanks or water tanks should be secured so they don't tip when the ground starts to shake, said Bob Scher, chair of the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission. "The good news is that wood is an excellent building material as far as being resilient to earthquakes, and a lot of the structures (in the region) are made of wood," Scher said. "It might sway or shake and you might see a crack in a window, or Sheetrock, but it takes a lot to actually break." Scher added that seeing cracks in the ground, ice or snow is normal for that magnitude but does not mean the fault has come to the surface, he said. "I'm not aware that there is an existing fault in the bedrock in the region that these events are occurring on. These are relatively small (earthquakes) but are certainly disturbing. This is occurring in an area of the state that's not typical so it is alarming for people." West suggested concerned community members log on to the center's website for more detailed information and ways to prepare homes for quakes. "Everyone should be prepared," he said. "And this serves as a good reminder that earthquakes occur everywhere in Alaska."

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=UGE-20140512-43716-USA

[john pike]

M 6.5 - SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE - 2014-05-12 18:38:41 UTC

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=377775#map

[john pike]

http://m.emsc.eu/earthquake/earthquake.php?evid=377871

South of panama

6.5 10km deep

Have no reports of damage and happened a few hours ago

[john pike]

M 6.1 - STATE OF YAP, MICRONESIA - 2014-05-14 20:56:13 UTC

10km deep

 

at sea so damage unlikely

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=378212#summary

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/index.php?pageid=tsunami_message&id=1077

tsunami advisory raised but locally only

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/index.php?pageid=tsunami_index&id=1077

note the quake is shown here as 6,5

 

not yet reviewed so likely to amend

 

The Philippine Sea plate is bordered by the larger Pacific and Eurasia plates and the smaller Sunda plate. The Philippine Sea plate is unusual in that its borders are nearly all zones of plate convergence. The Pacific plate is subducted into the mantle, south of Japan, beneath the Izu-Bonin and Mariana island arcs, which extend more than 3,000 km along the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea plate. This subduction zone is characterized by rapid plate convergence and high-level seismicity extending to depths of over 600 km. In spite of this extensive zone of plate convergence, the plate interface has been associated with few great (M>8.0) ‘megathrust’ earthquakes. This low seismic energy release is thought to result from weak coupling along the plate interface (Scholz and Campos, 1995). These convergent plate margins are also associated with unusual zones of back-arc extension (along with resulting seismic activity) that decouple the volcanic island arcs from the remainder of the Philippine Sea Plate (Karig et al., 1978; Klaus et al., 1992).

 

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000qn2z#summary

 

more in link above

Edited May 14, 2014 by john pike

[john pike]

http://m.emsc.eu/earthquake/earthquake.php?evid=378290

Phillipines

6.3. 10km deep

[john pike]

From a little earlier

http://m.emsc.eu/earthquake/earthquake.php?evid=378259

Micronesia

6.3 10km deep

[john pike]

http://m.emsc.eu/earthquake/earthquake.php?evid=378800

6,2. 40km deep

Off the west coast of north sumatra

Damage unlikely

[john pike]

Around 70 houses were damaged in central Germany on Saturday evening when the strongest earthquake for 20 years hit the state of Hesse. The earthquake at 6.46pm was registered as 4.2 on the Richter scale and was the second in the last few weeks to hit south Hesse. "The strength is considerable for our area," said Matthias Kracht from the seismological service. On Sunday the fire service was still securing homes and inspecting cracks in walls in Nieder-Beerbach. All but one family was able to return to their home on Saturday night and nobody was injured, but the damage to the homes was estimated at around €1 million. The area was also hit by an earthquake at the end of March which was 3.2 on the Richter scale.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=EQ-20140519-43803-DEU

[john pike]

An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale shook the Shabankareh district in the southern province of Bushehr in Iran on May 21. The tremor occurred at 14:16 local time, according to the report of the seismography center affiliated with Tehran University Geophysics Institute, Iran's IRNA news agency reported. The earthquake's epicenter was located at 50.83 degrees longitude and 29.61 degrees latitude. There was no immediate report on possible casualties or damage. Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating. The deadliest quake in the country was in June 1990 and measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the northwestern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. It devastated around 27 towns and 1,870 villages.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=EQ-20140521-43831-IRN

[john pike]

M6.0 - 275km SE of Paradip Garh, India

40km deep

 

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000qy82#summary

 

will update if any damage

[john pike]

M 5.7 - MYANMAR-CHINA BORDER REGION - 2014-05-23 20:49:24 UTC

15km deep

 

 

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=379829#summary

 

i have a feeling there may be updates

[john pike]

M6.9 - 19km S of Kamariotissa, Greece

10km deep

 

 

The Mediterranean region is seismically active due to the northward convergence (from 4 mm/yr at the Strait of Gibraltar to 10 mm/yr near western Turkey) of the Africa (AF) plate with respect to the Eurasia (EU) plate, along an east-west trending boundary. This plate boundary is complex, comprising segments of subduction and associated back-arc extension, continental collision, and transform faults. AF-EU convergence began at approximately 50 Ma and was associated with the closure of the Tethys Sea as it subducted northward beneath Eurasia; the Mediterranean Sea is the modern remnant of the Tethys.

The westernmost part of the Mediterranean region (in the eastern Atlantic Ocean) is traversed by the Azores-Gibraltar segment of the AF-EU boundary, a predominantly right lateral transform boundary. The Azores-Gibraltar segment is capable of hosting great earthquakes: a mate.2 earthquake occurred on November 25, 1941. A M7.9 earthquake ruptured 200 km to the south of the plate boundary on May 26, 1975, generating tsunamis on nearby islands up to 2 meters high, and leading some authors to suggest the present boundary is unstable.  The most notorious historical (pre-instrumental) earthquake within this region was the November 1, 1755, Lisbon earthquake, estimated at mate.0, which generated a tsunami that swept up the Portuguese coast inundating coastal villages and Lisbon, and killed over 60,000 people. The location of the 1755 earthquake with respect to currently mapped tectonic structures is uncertain.

 

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000r2hc

 

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/Testimonies/comments.php?id=379935

 

 

http://www.euronews.com/2014/05/24/huge-earthquake-hits-greece-and-turkey/

Edited May 24, 2014 by john pike

[john pike]

An earthquake beneath the sea shook northern Greece and western Turkey Saturday, with more than 100 people reportedly injured in Turkey. The quake struck at 12:25 p.m. local (0925 GMT) southwest of the Greek island of Samothraki, 210 kilometers (130 miles) east of Thessaloniki and 296 kilometers (185 miles) northeast of the capital Athens. It was also close to the Turkish island of Gokceada and the Greek island of Lemnos. Ahmet Cinar, the governor for Canakkale province in northwest Turkey which includes Gokceada island, told private NTV television that more than 100 people sought treatment at hospitals for minor injuries, both on the island and the mainland. Most of them were hurt trying to get out of buildings in panic, including jumping from balconies. At least one woman was hurt by falling bricks. The quake caused damage to some buildings in the province, including two mosques, but there were no reports of any structures collapsing. Also in Canakkale, patients were evacuated from a state hospital whose walls cracked. Authorities were setting up a field hospital to take care of patients, the Dogan news agency reported. A duty officer at the Lemnos police precinct said a female British tourist was slightly injured at the airport when part of the ceiling fell. She was treated at the scene and did not require hospitalization. No other damage or injuries had been reported. The Institute of Geophysics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki announced a magnitude of 6.3; the U.S. Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude of 6.4, later revised to 6.9. There were divergences as to the depth, as well. The USGS reported a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) but the Athens Geodynamics Institute has reported 27 kilometers (17 miles). The temblor was widely felt, including in Thessaloniki, the west coast of Turkey and as far away as Bulgaria and Istanbul. Several strong aftershocks, of yet undetermined magnitude, have taken place. "The earthquake has occurred in an area with especially high seismic activity, which, in the past, has given earthquakes up to 7 magnitude (in 1982)," Manolis Skordilis of the Institute of Geophysics told The Associated Press. "We are currently analyzing the aftershocks and are on alert," he added.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=EQ-20140524-43879-MLC

[john pike]

Thessaloniki - An earthquake beneath the sea shook northern Greece and western Turkey Saturday, with 266 people reportedly injured in Turkey.

 

The quake struck at 12:25 local time southwest of the Greek island of Samothraki, 210km east of Thessaloniki and 296km northeast of the capital Athens. It was also close to the Turkish island of Gokceada and the Greek island of Lemnos.

 

The quake caused 266 injuries in Turkey, including one person who was in serious condition, according to the government's emergency and disaster management agency. The injuries were mostly the result of panic, caused as people tried to rush out of buildings.

 

The Institute of Geophysics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki said the magnitude of the quake was 6.3. The US Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude of 6.4, later revised to 6.9.

 

The temblor was widely felt, including in Thessaloniki, the west coast of Turkey and as far away as Bulgaria and Istanbul. Turkey's emergency and disaster management agency said there were close to 70 aftershocks, the strongest measuring 5.5.

 

http://www.news24.com/World/News/266-hurt-as-quake-rattles-Greece-Turkey-20140524

 

more in link above

[john pike]

Twenty-nine people were injured, with five in serious condition, after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China close to the border with Myanmar this morning. Tremors were strongly felt in Yingjiang county, where residents rushed to open areas when the quake hit at around 9.20am, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre. It was the secondquake in a week to hit the area. The US Geological Survey said the shaking would have been "very strong" and that the epicentre was 27 kilometres north of Pingyuan in Yunnan province, and 65 kilometres southeast of Myitkyina, capital of Kachin state in northern Myanmar. The USGS said the quake was 10 kilometres deep. Shallow earthquakes can often cause greater damage than more powerful deep ones. Many people posting on Weibo said the shaking lasted between six and eight seconds. A picture posted online showed people in the centre of Mang, in Yingjiang county, standing in the street, with the poster saying they had run out of an eight-storey building because of the tremors. USGS graded it as a seven on its "Shakemap" scale, saying that shaking would have been "very strong" and expecting "moderate" damage. State news agency Xinhua put the magnitude at 6.1, citing China's earthquake authorities. "Tremors were strongly felt in the county seat, where local residents rushed to open areas," the official Xinhua news agency said. "Police have been sent to the township of Kachang, which is close to the epicentre," it added, citing local publicity officials. More than 50 relief workers have been sent to the region for surveying, investigation and disaster evaluation, it said.

 

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=EQ-20140530-43955-CHN

[john pike]

[john pike]

6.2-magnitude earthquake hits near Mexico resort area

http://rt.com/news/162788-mexico-earthquake-resort-area/

 

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000r9g2#summary

Edited May 31, 2014 by john pike

[john pike]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Series-of-moderate-earthquakes-strike-Philippines/articleshow/35866151.cms

 

MANILA: A series of moderate earthquakes and aftershocks hit the Philippines early Sunday, with US geologists estimating the shallowest - a magnitude-5.1 tremor - at just one kilometre deep, but there were no initial reports of damage.

[john pike]

Earthquakes Swarm the Brooks Range

An “earthquake swarm†is hitting the Brooks Range. Seismologists do not know why it is occurring or if it will continue.

Friday night a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck 20 miles northeast of Noatak. This is the third 5.5 quake that has struck the same area in the past two months.

Michael West is the Director of the Alaska Earthquake Information Center and said, “We are now referring to this as an ‘earthquake swarm.’ That is there’s something in the earth that is causing a whole series of earthquakes of similar size. It really is quite unusual to have this in that kind of setting.â€

http://www.alaskapublic.org/2014/06/09/earthquakes-swarm-the-brooks-range/

[john pike]

UO earthquake expert testifies on need to enhance early warning capability

UO scientist Douglas Toomey told a House oversight panel today that the Pacific Northwest is "in the window" of geologic time for a catastrophic Cascadia-fault earthquake and that an early warning system is needed to save lives and preserve the region's economic infrastructure.

http://around.uoregon.edu/content/uo-earthquake-expert-testifies-need-enhance-early-warning-capability