Earthquakes
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Bizarro Earth

New Zealand's Biggest Quake in 100 years

NZ Quake
© Thinkstock
Last night's magnitude 7.0 earthquake in the South Taranaki Bight is the largest to strike the region in more than 100 years, GNS Science says.

The quake struck at 10.36pm, 60km south-west of Opunake in Taranaki, at a depth of 230km.

It was felt strongly around the west coast of the lower North Island, and was widely felt from the Bay of Plenty to Canterbury.

No tsunami was generated by the quake.

Waiouru resident Adrienne Murphy told the Herald it was the "biggest shake we have felt in years".

Residents in Wellington reported being startled by shakes, which lasted for about 15 seconds.

Some said the shakes were strong enough to topple household appliances, but the central Fire Service communications centre said it had received no reports of earthquake-related damage.

Wellington resident Sam Rowe said he felt the walls of his house shaking.

"It shook for about 5 to 10 seconds - things rattled but nothing was knocked over. It wasn't that severe ... and our power's still on."

Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.2 - Off West Coast of New Zealand

Image
© USGS
Date-Time
Tuesday, July 03, 2012 at 10:36:16 UTC
Tuesday, July 03, 2012 at 10:36:16 PM at epicenterTime of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location
39.963°S, 173.705°E

Depth
236.1 km (146.7 miles) Region
OFF WEST COAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, N.Z.

Distances
57 km (35 miles) SSW of Opunake, New Zealand
64 km (39 miles) SW of Hawera, New Zealand
104 km (64 miles) SSW of New Plymouth, New Zealand
115 km (71 miles) W of Wanganui, New Zealand

New Zealand GeoNet lists the earthquake at 7.0

Radar

Another Earthquake Jolts China

Image
© ReutersUighur residents carry a temporary tent being distributed by the rescue team after an earthquake, in Nalati township, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region June 30, 2012.
China state media reports an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 6.6 jolted northwest China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region early Saturday.

State television reports the quake lasted for more than 20 seconds, damaging buildings and residences.

Bizarro Earth

Overnight quakes felt in California

San Diego - The shaking from a magnitude 4.6 earthquake in northern Mexico was lightly felt in the San Diego area, seismologists said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 8:25 p.m. PDT Saturday about 100 miles east-southeast of Tijuana, Mexico and was felt throughout San Diego County as far north as the Orange County line.

U-T San Diego said the epicenter was along the Laguna Salada fault in a sparsely populated area of Baja California.

Better Earth

Stunning Map Reveals World's Earthquakes Since 1898

If you've ever wondered where - and why - earthquakes happen the most, look no further than a new map, which plots more than a century's worth of nearly every recorded earthquake strong enough to at least rattle the bookshelves.
Image
© John Nelson/IDV SolutionsMore than 100 years of earthquakes glow on a world map.
The map shows earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater since 1898; each is marked in a lightning-bug hue that glows brighter with increasing magnitude.

The overall effect is both beautiful and arresting, revealing the silhouettes of Earth's tectonic boundaries in stark, luminous swarms of color.

The map's maker, John Nelson, the user experience and mapping manager for IDV Solutions, a data visualization company, said the project offered several surprises.

"First, I was surprised by the sheer amount of earthquakes that have been recorded," Nelson told OurAmazingPlanet. "It's almost like you could walk from Seattle to Wellington [New Zealand] if these things were floating in the ocean, and I wouldn't have expected that."

In all, 203,186 earthquakes are marked on the map, which is current through 2003. And it reveals the story of plate tectonics itself.

Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.3 - Northern Xinjiang, China

Xinjiang Quake_290612
© USGS
Date-Time
Friday, June 29, 2012 at 21:07:32 UTC

Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 05:07:32 AM at epicenterTime of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location
43.444°N, 84.725°E

Depth
18 km (11.2 miles)

Region
NORTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA

Distances
99 km (61 miles) S of Dushanzi, China

141 km (87 miles) SW of Shihezi, China

218 km (135 miles) WSW of Changji, China

219 km (136 miles) NNW of Korla, China

Better Earth

Quake Hits Northwestern Iran

Image
© Unknown
An earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale jolted the County of Nahavand in Hamedan province, Northwestern Iran, on Wednesday.

The Seismological center of Hamedan province affiliated to the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 06:55 hours local time (0225 GMT).

The epicenter of the quake was located in an area 48.4 degrees in longitude and 34.1 degrees in latitude.

There are yet no reports on the number of possible casualties or damage to properties by the quake.

Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.

The worst in recent times hit Bam in southeastern Kerman province in December 2003, killing 31,000 people - about a quarter of its population - and destroying the city's ancient mud-built citadel.

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 27 towns and about 1,870 villages.

Tehran alone sits on two major fault lines, and the capital's 14 million residents fear a major quake.

Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.1 - Near The East Coast of Kamchatka, Russia

Kamachatka Quake_240612
© USGS
Date-Time
Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 03:15:02 UTC

Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 04:15:02 PM at epicenter

Location

57.601°N, 163.218°E

Depth
17.4 km (10.8 miles)

Region

NEAR THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA

Distances
268 km (166 miles) SSW (192°) from Il'pyrskiy, Russia

317 km (197 miles) NNW (329°) from Nikol'skoye, Komandorskiye Ostrova, Rus.

586 km (364 miles) NNE (28°) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia

2994 km (1860 miles) NNE (28°) from TOKYO, Japan

Bizarro Earth

Indonesia jolted with 5.9 quake

Sumatra quake
Jakarta - A 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit the north of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Saturday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but there were no reports of damage or casualties.

The quake struck at 11.34am (0434 GMT), 66 kilometres west-southwest of Kabanjahe at a depth of 97 kilometres, the USGS said.

Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.0 - MacQuarie Island Region

MacQuarie Quake_220612
© USGSEarthquake Location
Date-Time

Friday, June 22, 2012 at 04:31:17 UTC

Friday, June 22, 2012 at 03:31:17 PM at epicenter

Location
54.302°S, 158.727°E

Depth
9.9 km (6.2 miles)

Region

MACQUARIE ISLAND REGION

Distances
24 km (14 miles) NW of Macquarie Island, Australia

1111 km (690 miles) SW of Invercargill, New Zealand

1165 km (723 miles) SW of Gore, New Zealand

1253 km (778 miles) SSW of Queenstown, New Zealand