Earthquakes
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Seismograph

Geologists: Offshore fault system running from San Diego to Los Angeles could produce magnitude 7.3 quake


Phys Org
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 21:44 UTC
Scripps research vessel
© Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San DiegoIn 2013, Scripps research vessel New Horizon towed a hydrophone array to map the bathymetry of the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon fault zone.
A fault system that runs from San Diego to Los Angeles is capable of producing up to magnitude 7.3 earthquakes if the offshore segments rupture and a 7.4 if the southern onshore segment also ruptures, according to an analysis led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego.

The Newport-Inglewood and Rose Canyon faults had been considered separate systems but the study shows that they are actually one continuous fault system running from San Diego Bay to Seal Beach in Orange County, then on land through the Los Angeles basin.

"This system is mostly offshore but never more than four miles from the San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles County coast," said study lead author Valerie Sahakian, who performed the work during her doctorate at Scripps and is now a postdoctoral fellow with the U.S. Geological Survey. "Even if you have a high 5- or low 6-magnitude earthquake, it can still have a major impact on those regions which are some of the most densely populated in California."

The study, "Seismic constraints on the architecture of the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon fault: Implications for the length and magnitude of future earthquake ruptures," appears in the American Geophysical Union's Journal of Geophysical Research.

Comment: See also:

USGS says 'no getting out of this': Major earthquake 'certain' to hit Southern California

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Seismograph

Earthquake swarm rattles Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii


Big Island Video News
Sun, 05 Mar 2017 08:05 UTC
Kilauea quake swarm
© USGS
A flurry of earthquakes rattled the Kilauea volcano area Sunday morning.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which measures and tracks earthquakes, reports 31 earthquakes were recorded over a period of 42 minutes on Sunday. The activity began just before 6 a.m. on March 5. The swarm is located about 5 miles south of Volcano Village inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (red dots in the USGS map above).

The strongest quake was measured at a magnitude 3.9. Most rest have been measured between magnitude 1.7 and 3.5.

The USGS "Did you feel it?" website received more than 30 felt reports within an hour of the largest earthquake, which occurred at 6:13 a.m. "Weak to light shaking, with maximum Intensity of IV, has been reported," scientists say. "At that intensity, damage to buildings or structures is not expected."

"The earthquakes were concentrated about 5-6 km (3-4 mi) southeast of Kīlauea's summit in an area between Hi'iaka and Koʻokoʻolau Craters on the Chain of Craters Road," reported the USGS HVO in a later media release. "The sequence consisted of 31 earthquakes over a period of about 42 minutes. The eight largest events had magnitudes ranging from 1.7 to 3.9 and depths of about 2-4 km (1-2 mi) beneath the surface."

Comment: There has been increased activity at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano in recent months:

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Seismograph

Shallow 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes off Papua New Guinea


Radio New Zealand
Sun, 05 Mar 2017 23:38 UTC
PNG quake map
© USGS
An earthquake of 6.5 magnitude struck off the south coast of the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea this morning.

According to the US Geological Survey the quake was at a depth of 33 kilometres, and struck struck east of the city Lae.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no Pacific-wide tsunami threat.

Comment: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea a couple of days ago.

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Seismograph

Elderly resident dies during magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Surigao, Philippines


ABS-CBN News
Sun, 05 Mar 2017 15:16 UTC
Socorro Celis (wearing red) died due to cardiac arrest during the magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Surigao City on Sunday
Socorro Celis (wearing red) died due to cardiac arrest during the magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Surigao City on Sunday
A 66-year-old woman died due to cardiac arrest during the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that hit Surigao City Sunday morning.

The victim was identified as Socorro Celis, a resident of Narciso corner Lopez Jaena Street in Surigao City.

"She was shaking so the doctor told us that she suffered from panic and high blood pressure. Her blood pressure may have risen". Nona Celis, the daughter of the victim, said.

The younger Celis explained that her mother also had high blood pressure during the stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake last February. Nona said she was shocked that her mother did not survive Sunday's earthquake.
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Seismograph

USGS: 5.1 magnitude earthquake hits off Papua New Guinea


Sputnik
Sat, 04 Mar 2017 09:01 UTC
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
© Flickr/ Drew DouglasPort Moresby, Papua New Guinea
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake has occurred off the coast of Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reports.

The quake hit at 03:16 GMT on Saturday, at a depth of almost 51 kilometers (about 32 miles) 116 kilometers (72 miles) south of Panguna, a town on Bougainville Island.

Another quake occurred shortly after about 101 kilometers (around 63 miles) southwest of Chirovanga, Solomon Islands.
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Seismograph

Earthquake swarm recorded under Bardarbunga volcano, Iceland


The Watchers
Thu, 02 Mar 2017 08:05 UTC
earthqauke swarm under Bardargunga volcano
© EMSC
An earthquake swarm started under Bardarbunga volcano, Iceland during the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 1, 2017. The swarm started at 08:57 with M4.1 (the strongest) and ended at 10:24 UTC. There were no additional earthquakes registered over the next 24 hours.

Bryndís Ýr Gísladóttir, a specialist in natural hazards with the Icelandic Met Office told media that five powerful earthquakes were detected in the caldera of Bardarbunga volcano on March 1, 2017.

The sequence started with M4.1 at 08:57 UTC at a very shallow depth of 0.1 km (0.06 miles) and continued with M2.3 at a depth of 2.3 km (1.5 miles) within the first minute. In total, there were 5 earthquakes with magnitude above 3.0.

Bryndís insists that there are currently no signs of magma unrest in the area and that earthquakes have been common since the volcanic eruption in Bárðabunga ended in 2015. A similar incident happened in January 2017.
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Seismograph

Shallow 5.5 quake strikes southeastern Turkey, injuries reported


Belfast Telegraph
Thu, 02 Mar 2017 14:49 UTC
The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 5.6 and said the quake was very shallow at around 10 kilometres (six miles) deep
The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 5.6 and said the quake was very shallow at around 10 kilometres (six miles) deep
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 has hit a town in south-eastern Turkey, causing a number of injuries, officials and news reports said.

The earthquake was centred in the town of Samat in Adiyaman province, the government-run Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said.

It was followed by four more tremors, the strongest measuring 4.4.

At least five people were injured in the quake, which knocked down some buildings in the town, mayor Yusuf Firat told private NTV television.

There was no immediate report of any fatalities.
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Seismograph

Earthquake of 5.6 magnitude strikes off Japan's Fukushima, no tsunami risk


Hindustan Times
Tue, 28 Feb 2017 16:44 UTC
A picture taken on February 10, 2016 shows cranes at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, in Japan.
© AFPA picture taken on February 10, 2016 shows cranes at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, in Japan.
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday struck northeastern Japan near the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant but there was no fear of a tsunami, Japanese and US authorities said.

The quake struck at a depth of 42.3 kilometres (26 miles) in the Pacific Ocean 34 kilometres east-northeast of the town of Namie, the US Geological Survey said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said there was no risk of a tsunami from the quake, which caused some swaying in high-rise buildings in Tokyo.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries though some local service train services stopped, public broadcaster NHK reported.
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Seismograph

Powerful shallow earthquake of 6.0 magnitude hits Pakistan

Dawood Rehman
Daily Pakistan
Tue, 28 Feb 2017 16:37 UTC
GRAPH
An earthquake has hit the upper and central parts of Pakistan.

The epicentre of the 6.0 magnitude quake was located in Tajikistan at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Tremors were felt in Peshawar, Lower Dir, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Azad Kashmir region.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties.

The tremors have reportedly caused panic among residents across the country, where the cities and towns most affected by the quake are located.
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Attention

Mass extinction: Vatican embraces science to battle immense threats to humanity


RT
Sat, 25 Feb 2017 15:55 UTC
Vatican
© Stefano Rellandini / ReutersA general view of Saint Peter's Square, Vatican.
One in five species already face extinction on our planet, population growth projections are bewildering and climate change shows few, if any, signs of abating. Now, a group of experts are meeting to tackle the problem in the unlikeliest of venues.

Leading biologists, ecologists and economists from around the world have been invited to a conference in the Vatican this week, where the impending mass extinction event facing our planet will be addressed and possible solutions formulated.

"By the beginning of the next century we face the prospect of losing half our wildlife... The extinctions we face pose an even greater threat to civilization than climate change - for the simple reason they are irreversible," biology Professor Peter Raven, of the Missouri Botanical Garden told the Observer.

"That the symposia are being held at the Papal Academy is also symbolic. It shows that the ancient hostility between science and the church, at least on the issue of preserving Earth's services, has been quelled," said economist Sir Partha Dasgupta, of Cambridge University.

Comment: To understand what's going on, check out our book explaining how all these events are part of a natural climate shift, and why it's taking place now: Earth Changes and the Human-Cosmic Connection.

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