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At Least 74 Now Reported Killed After Powerful 6.9 Earthquake Strikes Northeastern India and Nepal

09/18/2011 2 comments

Richter Magnitude 6.9 – SIKKIM, INDIA
Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 06:10:48 PM
27.723°N, 88.064°E
Depth: 19.7 km (12.2 miles)

“Rescuers battled heavy rains and cleared dozens of landslides while making their way to Sikkim, the ground zero of Sunday evening’s 6.8 magnitude earthquake that has so far claimed 74 lives across three countries – India, Nepal and China (Tibet). According to late-night reports, at least 58 people were killed and hundreds injured in Sikkim, Bengal and Bihar, in addition to nine deaths in Nepal and seven in Tibet. The toll is likely to rise, say rescuers. In Sikkim, the toll had reached 41. The maximum casualties have been in Rangpo, Dikchu, Singtam and Chungthang in north Sikkim. Ten persons have died in Bengal and seven in Bihar.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes Tags: ,

Deep 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes in Pacific Near Fiji Islands

09/15/2011 Leave a comment

“(CNN) — A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck early Friday in the Fiji islands region of the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

According to the U.S.-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, ‘a destructive tsunami was not generated, based on earthquake and historical tsunami data.’

The quake struck at a depth of 626 kilometers, or about 390 miles below the earth’s surface, the Geological Survey said on its website. Its epicenter was 74 miles south-southwest of Fiji’s Ndoi Island, 281 miles south-southeast of the Fijian capital, Suva, and 264 miles west of Nuku’alofa in Tonga, according to the U.S. agency’s estimations.

It happened just after 7:30 a.m. Friday, or 3:30 p.m. ET. Initially, it was reported as 7.2 magnitude.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes

Magnitude 6.0+ Quakes Strike Off Coasts of Japan, Cuba, New Zealand and the Aleutian Islands

09/15/2011 Leave a comment

“TOKYO – A magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck off Japan’s battered northeastern coast Thursday, but there was no risk of a tsunami and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency said the quake was centered off the coast of Ibaraki, about 140 miles east of Tokyo, at a depth of 6 miles. The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami from the quake…

Also Thursday: The U.S. Geological Survey has registered a magnitude 6.0 earthquake (Edit: Downgraded to 5.1) that hit off the coast of Cuba.

The quake happened early Thursday at 4:43 a.m. local time about 25 miles off Cuba’s coast and 375 miles southeast of Cuba’s capital Havana.

USGS geophysicist Randy Baldwin says earthquakes are common in that area of the sea and no tsunami warnings have been issued. He also said the quake wasn’t expected to cause damage on land, citing its remoteness.” Read more.

Richter Magnitude 6.0 – EAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 07:53:12 PM
35.430°S, 177.878°W
Depth: 13.4 km (8.3 miles)
Read more.

Richter Magnitude 6.1 – NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 09:10:07
53.138°N, 173.022°E
Depth: 1 km (~0.6 mile)
Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes

Alabama: 3.0 Earthquake Rattles Birmingham Area

09/13/2011 Leave a comment

A 3.0 earthquake rattled homes Tuesday evening near Birmingham, AL.  It might be weak compared to what we’ve been seeing lately, but it’s enough to rattle a few nerves as well …

Richter Magnitude 3.0 – BIRMINGHAM URBAN AREA, ALABAMA
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 05:59:23 PM
33.591°N, 86.672°W
Depth: 5 km (3.1 miles)

Categories: Earthquakes

Strong 6.4 Earthquake Strikes Near Vancouver Island Off Canada’s Western Coast, Felt in Seattla WA

09/09/2011 Leave a comment

Richter Magnitude 6.4 – VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
Friday, September 09, 2011 at 12:41:35 PM at epicenter
49.474°N, 126.974°W
Depth: 25.9 km (16.1 miles)

“A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has struck off the west coast of Vancouver Island, with tremors felt as far away as Metro Vancouver. The reading was downgraded from the initial magnitude given as 6.7.

But there is no tsunami warning advisory or warning for the U.S. or Canadian coasts, and local police say there are no reports of injuries or damage. However, there could be aftershocks up to magnitude of 5, seismologists warn.

At 12:42 pm PT, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 occurred under the Pacific Ocean about 90 kilometres south of Port Alice, on Vancouver Island. ‘Based on the earthquake magnitude, location and historic tsunami records, a damaging tsunami is not expected,’ the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center says.

However, the centre advised that underwater landslides may cause ‘local tsunamis’ at some coastal locations that experienced strong ground shaking.

In the small coastal community of Zeballos, the quake prompted some residents to ‘throw their cats and dogs into the car and prepared to head out of town,” said Carolyne Withrow, who runs the local fuel dock. “It shook for about 40 seconds, then there was silence, then it went again, a little harder.’

Students were evacuated from the village’s elementary school, and many of the 500 residents quickly gathered at the designated emergency meeting grounds, a large, flat field towards the outskirts, where mayor Ted Lewis and the fire chief assessed whether any further action was required.” Read more.

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Seismic Activity Increases at Iceland’s Most Feared Volcano Katla

09/07/2011 Leave a comment

“An increase in seismic activity with small earthquakes has been reported at Iceland’s one of the largest volcanoes, but scientists on Tuesday said that there were no signs that the activity would trigger eruptions.

‘Although earthquakes in the surrounding area around Katla are common, yet there has been an unusual spike in earthquake swarms in recent days,’ University of Iceland geophysicist Pall Einarsson said.

Iceland’s Civil Protection Department has increased its monitoring of the Katla volcano, according to a statement on its Web site.

‘It’s one of the most feared volcanoes, so we’re closely monitoring it,’ Einarsson told Associated Press.

‘It’s normal for earthquakes to be detected around Katla. What’s a bit unusual is that we’re seeing swarms of small earthquakes, some occurring every 10 minutes or so,’ he said.

Katla is located in the southernmost glacier in Iceland. It is situated to the east of the Eyjafjallajökull, where an eruption in 2010 caused vast destructions.

The increase in seismic activity follows a series of small earthquakes which struck along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on Monday.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes

Magnitude 6.1, 6.3 and 6.6 Earthquakes Strike Vanuatu, Tonga and Indonesia

09/05/2011 Leave a comment

The Pacific ring is on fire after yesterday’s 7.0 Vanuatu shaker:

Richter Magnitude 6.6 – NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 at 12:55:13 AM
2.973°N, 97.997°E
Depth: 110.1 km (68.4 miles)

Richter Magnitude 6.3 – TONGA
Monday, September 05, 2011 at 10:51:59 PM
15.291°S, 173.618°W
Depth: 27.2 km (16.9 miles)

Richter Magnitude 6.1 – VANUATU
Monday, September 05, 2011 at 08:44:21 AM
19.156°S, 168.696°E
Depth: 59.4 km (36.9 miles)

Categories: Earthquakes

Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Shakes Vanuatu, Near Australia

09/03/2011 Leave a comment

“NEW YORK, N.Y. — A magnitude-7.0 earthquake shook the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. No tsunami alert was issued.

The 9:55 a.m. Sunday (10:56 GMT Saturday) quake was deep, some 132 kilometres below the surface, the USGS said.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes

Disasters in US: An Extreme and Exhausting Year

09/03/2011 Leave a comment

By SETH BORENSTEIN – “WASHINGTON (AP) — Nature is pummeling the United States this year with extremes.

Unprecedented triple-digit heat and devastating drought. Deadly tornadoes leveling towns. Massive rivers overflowing. A billion-dollar blizzard. And now, unusual hurricane-caused flooding in Vermont.

If what’s falling from the sky isn’t enough, the ground shook in places that normally seem stable: Colorado and the entire East Coast. On Friday, a strong quake triggered brief tsunami warnings in Alaska. Arizona and New Mexico have broken records for wildfires.

Total weather losses top $35 billion, and that’s not counting Hurricane Irene, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. There have been more than 700 U.S. disaster and weather deaths, most from the tornado outbreaks this spring.

Last year, the world seemed to go wild with natural disasters in the deadliest year in a generation. But 2010 was bad globally, and the United States mostly was spared.

This year, while there have been devastating events elsewhere, such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Australia’s flooding and a drought in Africa, it’s our turn to get smacked. Repeatedly.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes, Famines and Crop Destruction, Natural Disasters

Feds: Earthquake May Have Exceeded Virginia Nuclear Plant’s Safeguards

09/01/2011 Leave a comment

By Andrew Restuccia – “The earthquake that prompted the shutdown of a Virginia nuclear power plant last week may have been more severe than the plant’s reactors were designed to withstand, federal regulators said.

The revelation is likely to put increased pressure on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to quickly implement a series of safety recommendations intended in part to protect plants from major natural disasters like earthquakes.

NRC said Monday that its preliminary analysis indicates that the ground motion caused by the magnitude-5.8 earthquake near the North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, Va., exceeded the maximum level the two reactors at the plant were built to handle.

But the commission noted in a statement Monday that ‘data is still being collected and analyzed to determine the precise level of shaking that was experienced at key locations within the North Anna facility.’

NRC decided to send additional inspectors to the North Anna power plant after conducting the analysis, the commission said Monday.” Read more.

Inspectors find that containers holding spent fuel shifted several inches in last week’s earthquake – “In another indication of the power of last week’s magnitude-5.8 earthquake, officials at North Anna Power Station said yesterday that 25 of 27 vertical steel casks that hold highly radioactive spent fuel shifted on their pads. Richard Zuercher, spokesman for Dominion power’s nuclear operations, said none is leaking, all are intact, and there is no danger to the public or plant employees. ‘The earthquake did move, slightly, some of the dry storage casks on the pad,’ he said. The steel casks, which weigh up to 115 tons when loaded, shifted between an inch and 4 inches. ‘We’re evaluating whether we need to move them back,’ Zuercher said.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes, Man-Made Disasters

Irene Reveals More Cracks in Quake-Damaged Washington Monument

09/01/2011 Leave a comment

“Washington (CNN) — Small pools of standing water were found in the Washington Monument during inspections following Hurricane Irene, the National Park Service told CNN Wednesday, indicating undiscovered cracks.

According to spokeswoman Carol Johnson, when crews entered the monument Monday following the weekend’s hurricane, water was pooled in the observatory near the top and in the monument’s interior stairwell. Engineers had inspected the monument and tried to plug the holes before the hurricane, but Johnson said the amount of water found means that some holes were missed.

‘There were some leaks that we were not able to identify or able to plug,’ Johnson said. ‘What happened was a lot of mortar popped out, so much so that you can see sunlight above 450 feet in the monument.’

The Washington Monument, built between 1848 and 1884, is 555 feet, five and one-eighth inches tall. Its walls are 15 feet thick at the base and 18 inches at the top, and are composed primarily of white marble blocks, according to the National Park Service.” Read more.

Strong Quake Aftershock Shakes Virginia – “Central Virginia has been shaken by another aftershock from last week’s earthquake that rattled the East Coast. The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 3.4 magnitude aftershock at 5:09 a.m. Thursday. The epicenter was 4 miles south-southeast of Mineral. Mineral was the epicenter of last Tuesday’s 5.8 magnitude earthquake. More than 20 aftershocks ranging from 4.5 to 1.8 have followed the earthquake.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes

10,000 Earth Tremors Recorded On German-Czech Border

08/27/2011 Leave a comment

By MARK DUNPHY – “The Geophysical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic says it has recorded almost 10,000 earthquakes during the last three days in West Bohemia, a region located close to the Czech Republic’s western border with Germany.

The earthquake swarm started late on Tuesday and continued through Friday. While many have gone unnoticed by the local population some of the larger tremors, including eight quakes exceeding 3 magnitude have been felt in the towns of Chemnitz, Karlovy Vary, Birch, and Luby.

The most recent earthquake measured 3.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale and hit at 0645hrs GMT on Friday at a shallow depth of three miles. The quake epicentre was located 81 miles (129 km) NE of Nürnberg 82 miles (131 km) SW of Dresden, 90 miles (144 km) W of Praha, 128 miles (204 km) NW of Budejovice, 131 miles (210 km) NNW of Schärding, and 227 miles (364 km) NW of Wien.

Commenting on the latest earthquake swarm, the Geophysical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic stated: “The activity started in the evening of 23 August and is almost continuous till now (26 August morning). Almost 10 000 events were recorded in total up to now. Already eight events M>3.0 and 200 M>2.0 occurred. The location of hypocenters directly below the NKC station, so it appears a new patch of the fault plane is being activated”.

In recent years, scientists have noted an increase in the movement of magma towards the earth’s surface in the Cheb Basin, western Czech Republic. They say rising magma could be one of the causes of the earthquake swarms, which regularly occur in the Vogtland, North-West Bohemia, the Fichtelgebirge and the Upper Palatinate. The last earthquake swarm to occur before this week’s activity was in 2008.” Source.

Categories: Earthquakes