Earthquakes
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Radar

US: Minor Earthquake Rattles Northeast Philadelphia

Robert Moran
Philly.com
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00 UTC
A 0.43-magnitude earthquake gave some Northeast Philadelphia residents a tiny jolt early Wednesday.

The temblor was confirmed by Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network in New York, though seismologist Mitchell Gold said he had to look very hard to find the evidence. It was recorded at 6:37 a.m.

Gold said it was about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) west of Cornwells Heights, close to where a 1.72-magnitude quake struck May 27. The largest earthquakes in the region in recent decades occurred in 1994, when two quakes measuring 4.2 and 4.6 hit Reading on the same day, Gold said.
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Radar

Africa: 4.5 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Mozambique, Eastern Zimbabwe


Times Live
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:39 UTC
An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale rocked the lower Save Valley in Mozambique and was felt in eastern Zimbabwe.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at 12.37PM on Wednesday in an area that has seen more than a dozen quakes in the last 20 years, including two very large ones in 2006 that were felt as far as Harare.

The earthquake was severe in Chipinge where panic-stricken residents scurried for cover.

No deaths or injuries were recorded, Zimbabwe's Herald Online reported on Thursday.

Zimbabwe's Goetz Observatory in Bulawayo said it was still busy putting together all readings.
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Radar

7.6 Pacific Earthquake Sends Tsunamis East and West


sunlive.co.nz
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:04 UTC
Image
© NOAAA GNS plot of the energy dispersal from the 7.6 magnitude earthquake.
Thursday morning's submarine earthquake near the Kermadec trench sent most of its energy east and west, rather than south towards New Zealand say GNS scientists.

The earthquake was magnitude 7.6 and occurred in the Pacific tectonic plate close to the Kermadecs. The epicentre was 160km from Raoul Island and 920km from Tonga.

The orientation of the earthquake's fault rupture was north-south and most of the tsunami energy radiated perpendicular to the fault plane.

The largest observed peak-to-trough wave-height caused by this was 1.9 metres at the two tsunami gauges at Raoul Island, operated by GeoNet. This puts the top of the wave at about one metre above the normal tide level.

GNS Science tsunami scientist Dr William Power says small tsunami arrivals, not much larger than normal 'sea noise', were subsequently observed on tsunami gauges at Great Barrier Island and East Cape.

"The mechanism of the rupture was that of a normal fault, rather than a subduction thrust event, but both can produce a large vertical movement of the seafloor."
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Radar

Japan: Magnitude 5.5 Quake Shakes Northern Wakayama Prefecture


The Mainichi Daily News
Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00 UTC
A fairly strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 shook northern Wakayama Prefecture on Tuesday evening, the Meteorological Agency said, but caused little damage, no reported injuries, and no tsunami warning was issued.

There were no immediate reports of damage, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference after the 7:18 p.m. quake, which measured upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 and was followed by several aftershocks including one with a magnitude of 4.4 that occurred 16 minutes later.

All local train services operated by West Japan Railway Co. in the western prefecture south of Osaka were briefly suspended, but the quake did not affect expressways, bullet train services, or nuclear power plants, according to local officials.

The disaster prevention office of the Wakayama prefectural government said a boulder fell from a hillside in Hidakagawa, and broken windows were discovered in Hirogawa, but added no injuries or substantial damage to property was reported. The temblor registered upper 5 in both towns.
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Radar

7.9 quake near New Zealand


Reuters/Associated Press
Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:13 UTC
Image
© Unknown
A powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck near the Kermadec Islands in the South Pacific Ocean on Thursday, triggering a tsunami alert for New Zealand and Tonga, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quake struck at 7:03 a.m. Its epicenter was 131 miles east of Raoul Island, part of the Kermadec archipelago, and was only 30 miles deep, the USGS said.

The Kermadec Islands are a remote outpost that are generally uninhabited aside from a weather station and a hostel for visiting New Zealand scientists.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Center said that it did not yet know whether an actual tsunami had developed but said that if it had, it would hit East Cape in New Zealand within two hours and Auckland within three hours.
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Alarm Clock

South Korea: Mysterious Tremor Sends Mall Shoppers Scurrying


The Chosun Ilbo
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Some 500 tenants and shoppers fled to safety on Monday morning when the TechnoMart shopping mall in Seoul began to tremble for unknown reasons. The Gwangjin District office ordered all tenants to stay away for three days and began a precision safety check. The mall accommodates about 1,200 small electronic appliance shops, a large shopping center, a multiplex cinema, and restaurants.

Tremors

"The building rocked up and down right after 10 o'clock in the morning and I felt dizzy, so I rushed to the elevator with about 60 colleagues," said a 35-year-old woman who gave her surname as Lee and works on the 20th floor. The water in plastic bottles and leaves of potted plants shook visibly, she added.

A staffer of Prime Center, the property firm managing the mall, said, "Mild tremors occurred, but we regard them as temporary since there were no signs of further tremors."

The 39-story building complex was built based on an anti-earthquake design so that strong winds can shake the building from side to side.

According to tenants, tremors were felt mainly on floors 18 to 39. But some people on the seventh and ninth floors also said they felt tremors. "I thought it was an earthquake," said an office worker on the 22nd floor who gave his surname as Choi. "At the time, people who were walking fast or talking on the phone didn't feel the tremor, but nearly everyone who was sitting down did."
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Radar

US: Small 3.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southwest of Provo


The Salt Lake Tribune
Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:00 UTC
A small earthquake has hit Utah County, with the 3.3 magnitude temblor striking close to Santaquin.

No damages or injuries have been reported. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, several people in Santaquin immediately reported feeling the quake.

The USGS reports that the quake, which was less than a mile deep, struck at 9:26 p.m. Monday.

The quake was centered 4 miles south-southwest of Santaquin and 23 miles south-southwest of Provo.

Source: The Associated Press
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Radar

New Zealand: No Damage From Strong 6.5 Magnitude Quake


New Zealand Herald
Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:15 UTC
Image
© NZPA/Ross SetfordA 6.5-magnitude quake centered near Lake Taupo is the largest to hit the area in years and was widely felt, but there have been no reports of any damage.
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake west of Taupo this afternoon was felt widely through the North and South islands, but no damage has been reported.

The quake, which struck at 3.36pm, was centred 150km deep, 30km west of Taupo.

The deep rolling earthquake was felt throughout the lower North Island and as far south as Christchurch.

GNS volcanologist Brad Scott said although the earthquake was centred near Taupo it would have been felt more strongly along the East Coast, particularly the Napier through Wellington region, because of its depth.

Today's earthquake was fairly typical movement, he told Radio New Zealand.

"We would typically have maybe two or three events around maybe 5.5 and 6 (magnitude) at about 150-200km depth a year under the North Island. It's slightly larger than average but it's kind of what we really expect."

It would generate some aftershocks "but at that depth and being smaller than the main shock they are very unlikely to be noticed", he said.

Bookshelves swayed but no books were dislodged at Wellington Central Library, while John Key's press secretary, Lesley Hamilton, said the quake was felt strongly on the ninth floor of the Beehive.
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Bizarro Earth

Australia: Korumburra earthquake sparks earth tremors across Melbourne


The Telegraph
Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:52 UTC
australian earthquake melbourne
© Herald Sun
Melbourne has been rocked by a series of earth tremors after a small earthquake hit Korumburra in Gippsland.

Geoscience Australia recorded the 4.4 magnitude quake as hitting at 11.37am.

The tremors, which lasted up to 15 seconds, were felt across Melbourne's southeastern suburbs.

So far there are no reports of damage.

Residents in suburbs including Rowville, Trafalgar, Kilsyth, Hawthorn, Elwood, CBD, Melbourne Airport, South Melbourne, Brunswick, Richmond, Lilydale, Fitzroy, Elsternwick, South Yarra reported feeling the tremors.

Residents told of hearing a loud bang when the quake hit, while tremors were felt across Melbourne.

Michael O'Keefe was in Warragul and said it's the strongest he's ever felt.

"It sounded like a truck was approaching up the street and then it was as if the truck had run into the building. Everything was rattling. It feels a bit like it's not complete, like there is another one to come.''
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Attention

4.7-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan, 7 Injured


International Buisiness Times
Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:14 UTC
Image
© pablogarin.com.arJapan Tsunami: From devastation to hope (Before & After Photos)
A magnitude 4.7 quake hit Eastern Honshu region of Japan on Thursday, injuring seven people.

Around 8.21 a.m. local time, the quake hit Nagano, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The quake was just four kilometers (2.5 miles) deep and no tsunami warning were issued after that, the agency said.
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