Earthquakes
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Second quake in two weeks sends Northern California back to response mode

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© Mapbox/CNNThe 5.4 magnitude earthquake was shallow, striking at a depth of about 19 miles on January 2, 2023
Northern California officials are back in clean-up mode after the second earthquake in two weeks struck the region Sunday morning, cracking walls and roads.

The 5.4 magnitude earthquake was shallow, striking at a depth of about 19 miles, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. It was centered about 30 miles south of Eureka and 9 miles southeast of Rio Dell, the USGS said.

A 6.4 earthquake also shook the area, about 125 miles south of the Oregon border, on December 20, resulting in two deaths.

Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes said the December quake also left 27 of the town's homes red-tagged - meaning they were unsafe due to damage - and 73 homes yellow-tagged. Some of the buildings were further damaged Sunday and may need to be torn down, she said.

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Shallow magnitude 6 earthquake strikes south of Vanuatu

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A magnitude 6 earthquake has struck south of Vanuatu, but no tsunami warnings have been issued.

It was downgraded from an initial measurement of magnitude 6.5.

The US Geological Survey gave the quake a green alert rating, meaning there is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

It said the quake struck at 3.34am (local time), 288km southeast of Isangel, on the island of Tanna. It was 10km deep.

An advisory from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu said no action is required "based on earthquake information and historic tsunami records".

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Offshore 6.4 magnitude earthquake in California leaves thousands without power

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A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern California, the US Geological Survey has said, as local authorities and media reported thousands of power outages and bridge damage.

No injuries were immediately reported following Tuesday's earthquake, which occurred at 2:34 am near Ferndale, a small community about 345km (210 miles) northwest of San Francisco and close to the Pacific coast.

It was about 16.1 kilometres (10 miles) deep, USGS said.

There was no risk of a tsunami after the quake, the US tsunami warning system said.


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5.4 magnitude earthquake shakes West Texas

5.4 earthquake midland texas december 2022
The earthquake was recorded about 5:35 p.m., December 16, 2022 with an origin about 12 miles east of Midland and about 3 miles below ground, according to the USGS.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 5.4 earthquake early Friday evening in the Permian Basin between Midland and Big Spring, with residents reporting feeling it as far away as Lubbock, Abilene San Angelo and beyond.

The earthquake was recorded about 5:35 p.m., with an origin about 12 miles east of Midland and about 3 miles below ground, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of damage, but Lubbock residents have reported feeling the earthquake, including A-J reporter Mateo Rosiles. There were also reports of the earthquake being felt by residents in Abilene and San Angelo, according to residents who reached out to the Avalanche-Journal.

Comment: The Associated Press adds:
Geophysicist Jana Pursley at the USGS's National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado said that according to early reports received by the agency, the quake was felt by more than 1,500 people over a large distance from Amarillo and Abilene in Texas to as far west as Carlsbad, New Mexico.

"It's a sizable earthquake for that region," Pursley said, adding, "In that region such an event will be felt for a couple of hundred miles."

The quake was followed shortly after by a less-intense aftershock, and Pursley said there could be more going forward with declining magnitude.

"I haven't received any information about damages but it can crack stucco or driveways close to epicenter," she added.

A quake of similar magnitude struck West Texas last month. That Nov. 16 temblor was measured at 5.3 and had an epicenter about 95 miles (153 kilometers) west of Midland.
Locals tweet:






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Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes offshore near Alaska's Amchitka Island

The earthquake struck near the Rat Islands
The earthquake struck near the Rat Islands archipelago at around 8:40am on Wednesday Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HAST). The epicenter was about 324 km (201 miles) west of Adak, Alaska. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 83 km (51 miles)
A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 struck offshore near Alaska's Amchitka Island and officials have warned aftershocks are likely.

The earthquake struck near the Rat Islands archipelago around 1:40pm (EST) Eastern Standard Time.

The epicenter was about 324 km (201 miles) west of Adak, Alaska and the tremor was recorded at a depth of about 83 km (51 miles).

Moderate to strong shaking was felt near the epicenter while lighter shaking was felt elsewhere in the Rat Islands, according to Crisis 24.

Officials said aftershocks are likely to follow and it could take several hours until authorities can check for damage, especially in the more remote areas.

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Shallow magnitude 6.0 earthquake hits southwestern Mexico

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An earthquake hit southwestern Mexico on Sunday causing tremors through parts of the capital, according to residents, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.0 quake struck 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) west-northwest of El Ticui in the state of Guerrero at a depth of 19.8 kilometers (12.3 miles).

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Twitter a flyover of the city had not yielded reports of damage.

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Magnitude 6.7 earthquake off Tonga

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An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 has struck in the sea about 110 kilometres southwest of Hihifo, Tonga, the United States Geological Survey says.

A tsunami advisory was issued for American Samoa and the earthquake could soon impact nearby coasts, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said.

The quake was at a depth of 36 km, the USGS said.

Source: Reuters

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Best of the Web: At least 310 killed on Indonesia's main island of Java after shallow magnitude 5.6 earthquake (UPDATES)

People injured during an earthquake receive medical treatment in a hospital parking lot in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia (
© APPeople injured during an earthquake receive medical treatment in a hospital parking lot in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia
At least 46 people have died and hundreds left injured after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia's main island of Java on Monday.

The head of the country's disaster agency BNPB said up to 700 have been injured from the earthquake.

Earlier, a government official, Herman Suherman, said at least 300 were injured from the earthquake and said this figure was from just one hospital.

He pointed out that there were four hospitals in the area, in comments that indicate the casualties and those injured from the earthquake could rise.

The national disaster agency had earlier reported 14 deaths.


Comment: Update November 22

The Guardian reports:
Indonesia earthquake: rescuers search for survivors as death toll rises to 252

Indonesian rescue workers were racing to reach people still trapped in rubble one day after an earthquake struck the main island of Java, as the death toll rose to 252.

Monday afternoon's quake, centred in the Cianjur region of West Java province, struck at a depth of 6.2 miles (10km), triggering landslides and damaging buildings, including thousands of homes.

The number of people killed is unclear. In an Instagram post on Tuesday the local government said 252 were confirmed dead, with 31 missing, 377 injured and 7,060 displaced.

Ridwan Kamil, the governor of West Java, said the majority of the dead were children, many of them students taking extra lessons. "So many incidents occurred at several Islamic schools," he said. Authorities were operating "under the assumption that the number of injured and [dead] will rise with time".

Provisional data released by the authorities and cited by Save the Children said about 51 education sites were affected, including 30 elementary schools, 12 junior high schools, one high school, five vocational schools and one special school.

At a local hospital, overwhelmed by the number of patients, the injured lay on the floor on mattresses and blankets, or under makeshift tents. On Monday night, victims were treated in the dark, under torchlight, due to widespread power cuts.

Rescuers carry an injured victim of the earthquake at a hospital in Cianjur, Indonesia.
© Adi Weda/EPARescuers carry an injured victim of the earthquake at a hospital in Cianjur, Indonesia.
"Everything collapsed beneath me and I was crushed beneath this child," Cucu, a 48-year-old resident, told Reuters from the crowded hospital parking area. "Two of my kids survived, I dug them up ... Two others I brought here, and one is still missing," she said through tears.

BNPB said at least 25 people were still buried under the rubble in Cianjur as darkness fell on Monday. Efforts to reach victims been complicated by power failures, damaged roads and more than 80 aftershocks.

On Tuesday morning, hundreds of police officers had been deployed to assist in rescue efforts, Dedi Prasetyo, the national police spokesperson, told the Antara state news agency. "Today's main task order for personnel is to focus on evacuating victims," he said.

Officials were working on Tuesday to reach the area of Cugenang, which had been blocked off by a landslide.

The earthquake damaged at least 2,200 homes and displaced more than 5,000 people, the national disaster agency (BNPB) said. It said it had confirmed the deaths of 62 people, but had not verified 100 additional victims.

Mus Mustopa, who lives in Padaluyu, a village in Cianjur, told Indonesia's Kompas TV he helped a family recover the body of an 80-year-old woman who had died in the quake. It happened suddenly, he said. "I wasn't prepared and saw houses reduced to rubble ... Some 50 houses are damaged, with around 10 being heavily damaged."

Several landslides were reported across Cianjur.

Ima Mafazah, a volunteer with the Indonesian Red Cross, said tremors continued late into the evening on Monday. "Until now, the earthquake still happens, but not as big as before. A minute ago it happened again. Many people don't want to stay at their homes," she said, adding that people were traumatised, afraid and sleeping outside.

Homes had been damaged across a wide area and access was difficult due to cracked roads, said Mafazah. Nurses had been sent by the Indonesian Red Cross on motorbikes to reach the injured in four of the worst-affected areas, about one hour from the main town, that were otherwise inaccessible.

The US Geological Surveys's Pager system estimated that up to 242,000 people were exposed to "very strong shaking" and up to 978,000 people to "strong shaking". The quake was felt 60 miles (100km) away in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, where high-rise buildings swayed.

Mayadita Waluyo, a 22-year-old lawyer, told Agence France-Presse that panicked workers ran for the exits of their building in Jakarta as the quake struck. "I was working when the floor under me was shaking. I could feel the tremor clearly," she said.

Indonesia is especially vulnerable to earthquakes because of its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", the most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world.

In February, a magnitude-6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people and injured more than 460 others in West Sumatra province. In January 2021, a quake of similar magnitude killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
Update November 25

AP reports:
Indonesia earthquake toll reaches 310 as more bodies found

The death toll from an earthquake that struck Indonesia's Java island early this week rose to 310 after rescuers found more bodies under landslides, an official said. At least 24 people remain missing.

In devastated towns in western Java, residents gathered near badly damaged mosques for Friday prayers. Others held prayers along with rescuers between the tents at evacuation centers.

Bodies were recovered Friday in two areas of mountainous Cianjur district where landslides triggered by Monday's quake brought tons of mud, rocks and broken trees, said Henri Alfiandi, chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency.

More than 1,400 rescuers have been searching through the rubble since the magnitude 5.6 quake, which injured more than 2,000 people.

The head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Suharyanto, who uses one name, said rescuers will continue searching until rebuilding begins.

"We will do it up to the last person. There is no reduction whatsoever, in strength, enthusiasm, or the equipment," Suharyanto said.

He said distribution of food and other aid is improving and is reaching more people in 110 evacuation locations.

The disaster agency said the earthquake damaged at least 56,000 houses and displaced at least 36,000 people. Hundreds of public facilities were destroyed, including 363 schools.

An earthquake of that strength would not typically cause such serious damage. But Monday's quake was shallow and shook a densely populated area that lacks earthquake-resistant infrastructure.

Indonesia is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin known as the "Ring of Fire."



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50 injured after shallow 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey

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A magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck northwest Turkey during Wednesday's early hours, injuring at least 50 people.

The shallow tremor struck about 170 kilometres (105 miles) east of Istanbul, the country's largest city, where it was strongly felt.

National authorities said the quake was at a magnitude of 5.9 -- lower than the 6.1 given by the US Geological Survey -- and its epicentre was in Duzce province's Golyaka district, though it also shook other nearby cities.

"We were woken up with a big noise and tremor," Duzce resident Fatma Colak told AFP.


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Southern California feels effect of shallow 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck off Mexican coast

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A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck near the coast of Mexico's Baja California on Tuesday morning, with impacts felt over 150 miles away in Southern California.

The United States Geological Survey says the quake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, about 125 miles south of the U.S. border.

A tsunami is not expected, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center.

USGS reports indicate the earthquake could be felt as far as 200 miles away near Palm Desert, California. A USA TODAY journalist observed a small amount of shaking at an apartment building near Del Mar, California.

The USGS considers a 6.0 earthquake to be moderate and likely to cause property damage. In contrast, a 7.0 earthquake is considered strong, likely to be deadly and expected to cause billions in damage.

Comment: In addition the United States Geological Survey has the depth of the quake as 10 kms.