Earthquake Activity Thread

[A.J]

USGS reporting a powerful earthquake mag 7.8 just off the SW tip of New Zealand, triggering a Tsunami alert....As the BBC report mentions, there are however differing reports of the earthquake's strength, with NZIGN suggesting magnitude 6.6..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8151530.stm

[J07]

It was our biggest quake in 78 years. Funny that the night before I said to my flatmate we haven't felt any quakes for a while! He felt it up this way, so did a lot of people, but I didn't.

The quake was centred a long way from any populated places, but was felt all across the South island and lower North Island (except in my bedroom apparently!)

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2598128/So...ted-earthquakes

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has received 223 claims for damage following last night's 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

Did you feel the quake? Click here to send us your photos and videos

More were expected in the coming weeks and months as minor damage was reported, including cracks to wallpaper, bricks and house exteriors, EQC spokesman Lance Dixon said.

Most of the claims were lodged in Invercargill, Dunedin and around Otago, but some came from as far away as Christchurch and Greymouth.

The damage claims come as the shaking continues in Southland with an eighth large aftershock this evening measuring 5.6, 100 km north-west of Tuatapere.

The aftershocks follow the main 7.8-magnitude quake, which struck at 9.22pm, Wednesday, centred 100km northwest of Tuatapere with a focal depth of 12km.

The first aftershock, a 6.1 magnitude quake, struck at 9.41pm, Wednesday. It has been followed today by a magnitude 5.9 shake at 1.50am, a magnitude 5.1 quake at 11.41am, magnitude 5.3 quake at 12.24pm and a magnitude 5.5 at 12.44pm, a magnitude 5.1 at 2.13pm and a 5.6 quake at 6.30pm.

The most recent aftershock this evening was felt in Central Otago and Southland, according to the Geonet website.

GNS technician Matthew Stevens said all aftershocks were shallow at around 5km deep. "They would have been felt quite strongly at the surface," he said.

Geonet spokesman Kevin Fenaughty said there had been hundreds of minor shakes, but only major aftershocks - the ones people would have felt - were being recorded on the agency's website.

[LadyPakal]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8162628.stm

Quake moves NZ towards Australia - no need to panic tho' - it's only around 30cm closer. http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif

[MAF]

Sky news

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake triggered tsunami fears across the Indian Ocean, while a second tremor caused buildings to shake in Japan.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre put India, Burma, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh on alert for a possible tsunami following the first quake off the Andaman Islands. The warning was later lifted.

"Earthquakes of this size have the potential to generate a destructive local tsunami and sometimes a destructive regional tsunami along coasts located usually no more than 1,000km (about 600 miles) from the earthquake epicentre," the centre initially said.

The quake was 20.6 miles (33km) deep and was centred 163 miles (262km) north of Port Blair in the islands, which belong to India, the US Geological Survey reported.

Speaking from Port Blair, Reuters correspondent Sanjit Kumar Roy said: "The room shook for around 20 to 30 seconds, it was quite strong."

People ran out of their houses in panic in the northern part of Andaman Island, he added.

A 7.6 magnitude quake is classified by the USGS as a major earthquake and is capable of widespread, heavy damage.

Edited August 11, 2009 by MAF

[SteveB]

Sky news

Thats a big Quake,

been some major quakes in and around that region. Saw footage last night on the news, of the 2nd quake in Japan. Lucky they have a good in infrastructure to cope with such powerful quakes.

http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

Quite a night of activity last night. 2-3 (?) eathquakes and other activity across Asia Pacific (I think thats right).

[Coast]

Quite a night of activity last night. 2-3 (?) eathquakes and other activity across Asia Pacific (I think thats right).

Yep, AFP now reporting as follows:

Powerful quakes strike Japan, India

(AFP) – 11 hours ago

TOKYO — Powerful earthquakes just over 10 minutes apart rattled Japan and India Tuesday, triggering panic on fears of a tsunami in the Andaman Islands and injuring dozens of people southwest of Tokyo. The unrelated quakes struck in the early hours, shutting down bullet train services in the affected region of Japan and provoking a landslide with the nation already braced for more damage from Typhoon Etau. At least 43 people were injured, mostly by falling objects, with two in a serious condition, said a Shizuoka prefecture official. A nuclear power plant went into automatic shutdown but no incidents were registered.

In an address on Japanese public broadcaster NHK, Shizuoka governor Heita Kawakatsu urged the public to "remain level-headed and gather correct information we provide through TV programmes." The Japanese tremor registered a strong 6.4 while the quake off the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean was a huge 7.6, according to the US Geological Survey. Panic-stricken islanders fled their homes, fearing a repeat of the enormous Asian tsunami that devastated the Andamans in 2004 and killed around 220,000 people in the region as a whole.

"It was very frightening. Everything started shaking and people were running out of their homes," said Mrinal Sarkar, a villager in Diglipur in the northern Andamans. "People are afraid to go back inside," Sarkar told AFP.

But a tsunami alert issued for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh was later cancelled by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the US National Weather Service. "Sea level readings indicate that a significant tsunami was not generated," it said. The police control centre in Port Blair, the main town of the Andamans, said there were no immediate reports of any major damage or casualties. The quake hit at 1:55 am (1955 GMT Monday) around 263 kilometres north of Port Blair, and was around 33 kilometres deep. Mild tremors were felt 1,190 kilometres away in the eastern Indian port city of Chennai.

Mrinal Sarkar, a resident of Diglipur island near the epicentre, told AFP by telephone that the quake had caused panic in the middle of the night. "It was very frightening. Everything started shaking and people were running out of their homes," Sarkar told AFP. "People are afraid to go back inside."

The Japanese quake struck at 5:07 am (2007 GMT Monday) in the Pacific Ocean about 170 kilometres southwest of Tokyo at a depth of 26.8 kilometres. It shook buildings and jolted people from their sleep in Tokyo and areas southwest of the capital. Japan's Meteorological Agency, which measured the quake at a revised 6.5, said there was no risk of a tsunami after initial waves raised the ocean surface by about 40 centimetres (16 inches) at Omaezaki, Shizuoka. A large landslide triggered by the quake damaged a highway in the prefecture at Makinohara, causing long traffic jams, television footage showed. The Meteorological Agency warned that Typhoon Etau -- whose torrential rains have caused at least 13 deaths from flooding and landslides in Japan -- could trigger further landslides as it moved northeast along the coast.

"Please be vigilant," an agency official urged the public.

The typhoon was not forecast to make a direct landfall, but it was predicted to lash the Tokyo region with strong winds and heavy rains. The quake caused power failures in 9,500 households, utility officials said, while Central Japan Railway Co. suspended Shinkansen bullet trains in the quake-hit region before resuming the services several hours later. Prime Minister Taro Aso's office set up an emergency centre shortly after the quake, which was followed by 13 noticeable aftershocks.

Around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan.The Andaman Sea area witnesses frequent tremors caused by the meeting of the Indian tectonic plate with the Burmese microplate.

[Coast]

Quite a night of activity last night. 2-3 (?) eathquakes and other activity across Asia Pacific (I think thats right).

Yep, AFP now reporting as follows:

Powerful quakes strike Japan, India

(AFP) – 11 hours ago

TOKYO — Powerful earthquakes just over 10 minutes apart rattled Japan and India Tuesday, triggering panic on fears of a tsunami in the Andaman Islands and injuring dozens of people southwest of Tokyo. The unrelated quakes struck in the early hours, shutting down bullet train services in the affected region of Japan and provoking a landslide with the nation already braced for more damage from Typhoon Etau. At least 43 people were injured, mostly by falling objects, with two in a serious condition, said a Shizuoka prefecture official. A nuclear power plant went into automatic shutdown but no incidents were registered.

In an address on Japanese public broadcaster NHK, Shizuoka governor Heita Kawakatsu urged the public to "remain level-headed and gather correct information we provide through TV programmes." The Japanese tremor registered a strong 6.4 while the quake off the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean was a huge 7.6, according to the US Geological Survey. Panic-stricken islanders fled their homes, fearing a repeat of the enormous Asian tsunami that devastated the Andamans in 2004 and killed around 220,000 people in the region as a whole.

"It was very frightening. Everything started shaking and people were running out of their homes," said Mrinal Sarkar, a villager in Diglipur in the northern Andamans. "People are afraid to go back inside," Sarkar told AFP.

But a tsunami alert issued for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh was later cancelled by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the US National Weather Service. "Sea level readings indicate that a significant tsunami was not generated," it said. The police control centre in Port Blair, the main town of the Andamans, said there were no immediate reports of any major damage or casualties. The quake hit at 1:55 am (1955 GMT Monday) around 263 kilometres north of Port Blair, and was around 33 kilometres deep. Mild tremors were felt 1,190 kilometres away in the eastern Indian port city of Chennai.

Mrinal Sarkar, a resident of Diglipur island near the epicentre, told AFP by telephone that the quake had caused panic in the middle of the night. "It was very frightening. Everything started shaking and people were running out of their homes," Sarkar told AFP. "People are afraid to go back inside."

The Japanese quake struck at 5:07 am (2007 GMT Monday) in the Pacific Ocean about 170 kilometres southwest of Tokyo at a depth of 26.8 kilometres. It shook buildings and jolted people from their sleep in Tokyo and areas southwest of the capital. Japan's Meteorological Agency, which measured the quake at a revised 6.5, said there was no risk of a tsunami after initial waves raised the ocean surface by about 40 centimetres (16 inches) at Omaezaki, Shizuoka. A large landslide triggered by the quake damaged a highway in the prefecture at Makinohara, causing long traffic jams, television footage showed. The Meteorological Agency warned that Typhoon Etau -- whose torrential rains have caused at least 13 deaths from flooding and landslides in Japan -- could trigger further landslides as it moved northeast along the coast.

"Please be vigilant," an agency official urged the public.

The typhoon was not forecast to make a direct landfall, but it was predicted to lash the Tokyo region with strong winds and heavy rains. The quake caused power failures in 9,500 households, utility officials said, while Central Japan Railway Co. suspended Shinkansen bullet trains in the quake-hit region before resuming the services several hours later. Prime Minister Taro Aso's office set up an emergency centre shortly after the quake, which was followed by 13 noticeable aftershocks.

Around 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes strike Japan.The Andaman Sea area witnesses frequent tremors caused by the meeting of the Indian tectonic plate with the Burmese microplate.

[MAF]

6.9 'quake reported in Taiwan. no other details just yet

[SteveB]

6.1 EarthQuake in the Norwegian sea

http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

http://www.iris.edu/seismon/last30.html

[J07]

A good one here! Biggest I've felt, mildly scary due to the time that it struck, there was the most shaking of any quake I've felt and also the loudest bang.

A large earthquake in Wellington early this morning shook locals out of bed but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The tremor, measuring 5.2 in magnitude, hit at 2.10am, GNS Science reported.

It was centred 20km south of Wellington and was 30km deep.

It was followed by a 4.3 aftershock at 3.52am.

Police were inundated by 111 calls from people wanting more information on the quake but had no reports of damage, a central police communications spokesman said.

GNS Science duty seismologist Ken Gledhill said the first earthquake was felt from the Kapiti Coast to the top of the South Island.

More than 100 reports of shaking were received by the GeoNet website within 25 minutes of the earthquake.

The GeoNet website crashed briefly from heavy traffic following the quake.

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

Magnitude of 7.0 near Java

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8233344.stm

[SteveB]

Quake of the coast of Mexico

6.4 and only 4.8km down.

http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

[Cookie]

another ths time in peru 6.3 I think

sky news

Edited September 30, 2009 by cookie

[Cookie]

6.6 Mw - MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES

[SteveB]

Not likeing the way the North Atlantic ridge has been active over the last week or so.

6 quakes around the 5 magnitude mark, latestest being today at 5.2 magnitude.

One to keep a watch on.

Edited October 6, 2009 by SteveB

[pyrotech]

Quake in pacific, Vanuatu Islands with tsunami warnings and a advisory for as far away as Hawaii.

TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 1

NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI

1218 PM HST WED OCT 07 2009

TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT - TSUNAMI ADVISORY

A TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE

AT 1217 PM HST.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME - 1203 PM HST 07 OCT 2009

COORDINATES - 13.0 SOUTH 166.3 EAST

LOCATION - VANUATU ISLANDS

MAGNITUDE - 8.0 MOMENT

EVALUATION

THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER HAS ISSUED AN EXPANDING

REGIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH FOR PARTS OF THE PACIFIC

LOCATED CLOSER TO THE EARTHQUAKE. AN EVALUATION OF THE PACIFIC

WIDE TSUNAMI THREAT IS UNDERWAY AND THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT

HAWAII COULD BE ELEVATED TO A WATCH OR WARNING STATUS.

IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THEIR ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL

TIME IS

0650 PM HST WED 07 OCT 2009

MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

The solar cycle is supposd to have an effect on earthquakes and other natural disasters. I was fairly sceptical but there were forecasts of lots of earthquakes due to low sunspot cycle.

whats everyone else think, coincidence again or not.

added a link to some info on it but there is lots on the net

http://www.jupitersdance.com/

Interesting theory and seems to be true as we are in a very low sunspot cycle.

Edited October 7, 2009 by pyrotech

[SteveB]

Several Large Earthquakes

6.935.0SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS08-OCT-2009 01:59:20-11.92165.895.835.0SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS08-OCT-2009 01:38:3630.27-113.954.710.0GULF OF CALIFORNIA08-OCT-2009 01:31:00-13.31166.445.135.0VANUATU ISLANDS08-OCT-2009 01:08:36-12.80166.245.435.0SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS08-OCT-2009 00:22:05-13.28166.145.235.0VANUATU ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 23:48:52-13.49166.415.729.5VANUATU ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 23:38:08-16.64-172.475.310.0SAMOA ISLANDS REGION07-OCT-2009 23:13:49-13.15166.307.133.3VANUATU ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 22:18:43-13.68164.717.335.0VANUATU ISLANDS REGION07-OCT-2009 22:18:26-12.55166.327.735.0SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 22:03:15-13.05166.197.835.0VANUATU ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 21:41:144.04122.586.7582.8CELEBES SEA6.935.0SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS08-OCT-2009 01:59:20-11.92165.895.835.0SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS08-OCT-2009 01:38:3630.27-113.954.710.0GULF OF CALIFORNIA08-OCT-2009 01:31:00-13.31166.445.135.0VANUATU ISLANDS08-OCT-2009 01:08:36-12.80166.245.435.0SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS08-OCT-2009 00:22:05-13.28166.145.235.0VANUATU ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 23:48:52-13.49166.415.729.5VANUATU ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 23:38:08-16.64-172.475.310.0SAMOA ISLANDS REGION07-OCT-2009 23:13:49-13.15166.307.133.3VANUATU ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 22:18:43-13.68164.717.335.0VANUATU ISLANDS REGION07-OCT-2009 22:18:26-12.55166.327.735.0SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 22:03:15-13.05166.197.835.0VANUATU ISLANDS07-OCT-2009 21:41:144.04122.586.7582.8CELEBES SEASanta Cruz & Vanuatu Islands

Very very unstable fault line. Most unusual to get multi large quakes like that.

http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

http://www.iris.edu/...mon/last30.html

Edited October 8, 2009 by SteveB

[Coast]

Panic has swept across the Pacific after two strong undersea earthquakes off the coast off Vanuatu triggered a tsunami warning for the region

Witnesses described scenes of chaos in Vanuatu.

"People are hysterical, trying to find out what's going on and contacting family members. Phone lines are going down as a result," said an official with aid group CARE Australia.

The capital shut down as workers fled and hotels cleared tourists off the beaches, a resort official said. "Shops and offices in the city have been closed and workers have run to higher ground in case of a tsunami," said Arjun Channa, general manager of the luxury Le Meridien resort in Port Vila. "At the hotel, all guests have been cleared off the beaches and we are contacting all cruises to stop those and get the passengers to safer areas, just in case" he said. We have evacuated everyone to higher ground - well above sea-level - and are preventing anyone from going into town," he said, before the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cancelled the warning.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews

[Methuselah]

The solar cycle is supposd to have an effect on earthquakes and other natural disasters. I was fairly sceptical but there were forecasts of lots of earthquakes due to low sunspot cycle.

whats everyone else think, coincidence again or not.

added a link to some info on it but there is lots on the net

http://www.jupitersdance.com/

Interesting theory and seems to be true as we are in a very low sunspot cycle.

Do earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and volcanic eruptions follow an approximately 11-year cycle?

[SteveB]

Another 2 large quakes in the same region.

7.0 & 6.1

That takes it to 7 quakes greater than 6 magnitude, 5 of them greater than 7 magnitude

[Cookie]

been another two since the last post same area, 6.4 and 6.1

[Jane Louise]

Magnitude 6.1 - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION

[Phil UK]

I find it strange that these quakes seem to be occuring more often than not on the same fault line. Maybe a crack in the Earth itself? We all remember the Boxing Day tsunami but this seems to be on a regular basis along that same faultline. 5 quakes in 2 weeks + 1 tsunami??

Maybe I'm being somewhat cynical but something isn't right. California expects "The big one" Well to Californians, might I suggest stop building such massive skyscrapers.

Legend has it that if it does kick off in California or/and San Francisco, that the whole area will be sunk.

Wait and see I guess.

Phil.

[Typhoon John]

The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake was the start of a phase of earthquakes. A lot of what we are seeing in that region are likely to be corrective afterskocks from the massive quake in 2004.

Analysis of this region shows that in the past earthquakes similar to the 2004 quake tend to occur in pairs. Based on this historical record it is expected that there'll be another similarly massive quake within 30-40 years of the first.

Therefore, assuming the pattern repeats, we'll see elevated activity in that area for at least the next three decades.