Earthquakes
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Target

Canada: Ottawa at risk for big earthquake


CBCNews.ca
Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:35 UTC
ottawa earthquake
© CBC The city of Ottawa is at risk for a big earthquake, experts say. The Val-des-Bois quake that shook the capital in 2010 caused this land collapse in Notre Dame de la Salette, Que.
Seismologists and structural engineers say the city of Ottawa is at risk for a big earthquake.

The Val-des-Bois quake that shook the capital last year reminded people that Ottawa sits in an earthquake zone. And there is a chance it could one day produce a destructive quake far worse than February's deadly magnitude-6.3 tremor in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Claude Blais was at the pharmacy in Gracefield, Que., when last year's quake hit.

"All the lights broke down, and all the shelves emptied themselves. It was just horrible," Blais said. "You kind of think it's the end of the world."

It wasn't like that in Ottawa. That's the difference between being close to the epicentre of a 5.2 earthquake, and being 65 kilometres away.
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Ambulance

Aftershocks continue to hit Christchurch, New Zealand, as fresh quake claims pile in


TVNZ
Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:15 UTC
Image
© Reuters A car trapped in a sink hole caused by liquefaction in Parklands, Christchurch, New Zealand
The Earthquake Commission has received more than 2000 damage claims from Friday's shakes in Christchurch.

Four quakes over magnitude-5 struck on December 23, including a devastating magnitude-6.0 and have been followed by about 170 aftershocks since.

The December shakes were being considered a fresh event for damage claims with people having until March 23 to lodge a claim.

So far, 2210 claims have been lodged. This was a small number compared to previous large shakes but was expected to increase dramatically as people returned home after the holiday period.
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Bizarro Earth

Russia: Earthquake Magnitude 6.6 - Southwestern Russia


US Geological Survey
Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:15 UTC
Image
© USGS
Date-Time:
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 15:21:56 UTC
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 10:21:56 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
51.858°N, 95.825°E

Depth:
6.9 km (4.3 miles)

Region:
SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA

Distances:
96 km (59 miles) E of Kyzyl, Russia

336 km (208 miles) NE of Ulaangom, Mongolia

361 km (224 miles) ESE of Abakan, Russia

3744 km (2326 miles) ENE of MOSCOW, Russia
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Bizarro Earth

Turkey: 2 earthquakes strike near Kuşadası district of Aydın


Today's Zaman
Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:42 UTC
Image
© USGS
Two earthquakes occurring three hours apart caused a short-lived panic in the Kuşadası district of Aydın, a western province in Turkey.

The quakes, which registered 4.3 and 4.0 in magnitude, did not cause any loss of life or property damage. The Kandilli Observatory at Boğaziçi University and the Earthquake Research Institute said that the magnitude 4.3 tremor occurred at 7:59 on Tuesday morning. The second quake occurred at 9:51 a.m.

The tremors were felt in Kuşadası, Selçuk, central Aydın and in the city of İzmir.

"No negative consequences were suffered as a result of the earthquakes," Kuşadası District Governor Mustafa Esen said. He also called on the relevant authorities and the press to refrain from statements that might cause panic in the public.
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Bizarro Earth

Tonga - Earthquake Magnitude 6.0 - 26th Dec 2011


US Geological Survey
Mon, 26 Dec 2011 01:47 UTC
Tonga Quake_261211
© USGS
Date-Time
Monday, December 26, 2011 at 04:48:08 UTC

Monday, December 26, 2011 at 06:48:08 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location
16.155°S, 173.799°W

Depth
78.6 km (48.8 miles)

Region
TONGA

Distances
28 km (17 miles) SSW of Hihifo, Tonga

272 km (169 miles) N of Neiafu, Tonga

346 km (214 miles) SW of APIA, Samoa

2552 km (1585 miles) NNE of Auckland, New Zealand
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Bizarro Earth

New Zealand Christchurch is rocked by yet ANOTHER violent earthquake

Richard Shears and Lee Moran
The Daily Mail
Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:01 UTC
Christchurch is today facing a grim future after being hit by yet another violent earthquake, its third major tremor in 15 months - with scientists predicting many more to come.

Experts predict the quakes will continue to hit New Zealand's second city for the next four years as residents rapidly lose the will to stay with the cost of making good after each disaster spiralling upwards.
nz earthquake december 2011
© GNSDevastation: A seismograph shows the effect of the Christchurch earthquake
The latest quake was registered at 5.8 magnitude, and although no lives were lost fears are growing that Christchurch could soon become a 'ghost town'.
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Bizarro Earth

Pakistan: Earthquake Magnitude 5.0 Near Jacobabad


US Geological Survey
Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:12 UTC
Image
© USGS
Date-Time:
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 12:02:06 UTC

Friday, December 23, 2011 at 05:02:06 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
28.933°N, 68.332°E

Depth:
34 km (21.1 miles)

Region:
PAKISTAN

Distances:
72 km (44 miles) N of Jacobabad, Pakistan

146 km (90 miles) NNW of Sukkur, Pakistan

170 km (105 miles) E of Kalat, Pakistan

698 km (433 miles) SW of ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
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Bizarro Earth

Series of strong quakes hits New Zealand city still recovering from killer quake


MSNBC
Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:00 UTC
Christchurch - A series of strong earthquakes struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Friday, rattling buildings, sending goods tumbling from shelves and prompting terrified holiday shoppers to flee into the streets. There was no tsunami alert issued and the city appeared to have been spared major damage.

Initial reports said one person was injured at a city mall and was taken to a hospital, and four people had to be rescued after being trapped by a rock fall. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or widespread damage in the city, which is still recovering from a devastating February earthquake that killed 182 people and destroyed much of the downtown area.

Image
© Stringer/New Zealand/ReutersDust rises from rocks falling from a cliff in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner moments after the earthquake struck.
The first 5.8-magnitude quake struck Friday afternoon, 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of Christchurch and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Minutes later, a 5.3-magnitude aftershock hit. About an hour after that, the city was shaken by another 5.8-magnitude temblor, the U.S.G.S. said, though New Zealand's geological agency GNS Science recorded that aftershock as a magnitude-6.0. Both aftershocks were less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) deep.

Updated: USGS aftershock data here
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Bizarro Earth

US: Two Centuries After New Madrid Quakes

Adrian Sainz
ClaimsJournal.com
Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:26 UTC
Image
© Unknown
The United States was still a young nation when three major earthquakes rocked the central Mississippi River valley in the winter of 1811-1812.

Chimneys fell, the earth heaved and church bells rang hundreds of miles away, set off by the powerful vibrations from what is now called the New Madrid Seismic Zone. As farmland rolled and shuddered, the shock waves spread as far as New York and the Carolinas.

Now on the 200th anniversary of those devastating quakes, some seismologists are warning that the region should be on guard because of the risk that another "Big One" could strike the region within the next 50 years.

"There have been past big earthquakes, there will be future big earthquakes," said California-based seismologist Mary Lou Zoback, who released a report Dec. 7 on the "seismic hazard" inherent in the New Madrid fault. "It's a reminder that we need to keep this in mind and do what we can to prepare."

The quakes on Dec. 16, 1811, and Jan. 23 and Feb. 7 of 1812 were among the strongest in U.S. history. Their magnitudes have been estimated to have ranged from 7.7 to 8.1, though some seismologists have suggested the magnitudes should be lower, closer to the 7 to 7.6 range.

They centered around the New Madrid Seismic Zone, a 150-mile stretch of land between Memphis and St. Louis that crosses parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. The zone produced major earthquakes dating to around 1450 A.D., 900 A.D., 300 A.D. and even further back.
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Clock

Minor quakes hit Puerto Rico, no report of damage


The Star
Sat, 17 Dec 2011 20:05 UTC
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake and a slightly weaker one shook Puerto Rico early on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The epicentre of the stronger quake was 8 miles (13 km) westnorthwest of Puerto Real on the Caribbean island's west coast at a depth of 14.4 miles (23.2 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said. A weaker quake of 5.1 magnitude struck the same area three minutes earlier.

The tremor was felt at a hotel on the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico, said Jose Caro, an employee at Marriott Courtyard Aguadilla.
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