Earthquakes
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6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes south of Fiji Islands

news.az
Fri, 07 Feb 2025 22:07 UTC

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 jolted south of the Fiji Islands at 22:27 local time on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

There were no immediate reports of casualty or damage, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The epicenter, with a depth of 59.2 km, was determined to be at 23.918 degrees south latitude and 176.143 degrees east longitude, according to the USGS.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately issue any tsunami warning based on the quake.

Pacific island countries such as Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu lie on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones where continental plates collide, producing frequent seismic activities.

Santorini landslides raise alarm after Cyclades earthquakes in Greece

Tasos Kokkinidis
Greek Reporter
Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:03 UTC

The stark image captures the raw power of nature unleashed on the idyllic landscape of Santorini. Credit: Video screenshot, Facebook/Ermoupolis Meteorological news A video capturing landslides

A video capturing landslides on Santorini highlights the potential risks after a series of earthquakes in the Cyclades' sea region, sparking concerns about the possibility of a major quake.

Six tremors whose magnitude exceeded 4 were recorded between 09:36 and 11:29 on Monday, with the largest at 11:29 having a magnitude of 4.9 and an epicenter 25 kilometers south-southwest of Arkesini, Amorgos. This was followed by another quake of magnitude 4.9 at 2:17 p.m. on Monday, with an epicenter 18 km south-southwest of Arkesini, Amorgos, and 231 km southeast of Athens.

A warning from the trees

Spaceweather
Fri, 31 Jan 2025 16:58 UTC

How bad can a solar storm be? Just ask a tree. Unlike human records, which go back hundreds of years, trees can remember solar storms for millennia.

Nagoya University doctoral student Fusa Miyake made the discovery in 2012 while studying rings in the stump of a 1900-year-old Japanese cedar. One ring, in particular, drew her attention. Grown in the year 774-75 AD, it contained a 12% jump in radioactive carbon-14 (14C), about 20 times greater than ordinary fluctuations from cosmic radiation. Other teams confirmed the spike in wood from Germany, Russia, the United States, Finland, and New Zealand. Whatever happened, trees all over the world experienced it.

Most researchers think it was a solar storm — an extraordinary one. Often, we point to the Carrington Event of 1859 as the worst-case scenario for solar storms. The 774-75 AD storm was at least 10 times stronger; if it happened today, it would floor modern technology. Since Miyake's initial discovery, she and others have confirmed five more examples (12,450 BC, 7176 BC, 5259 BC, 664-663 BC, 993 AD). Researchers call them "Miyake Events."

Oceanic plate between Arabian and Eurasian continental plates is breaking away

University of Göttingen
Tue, 28 Jan 2025 02:53 UTC

© Available under Creative Commons 4.0 license from Solid Earth (https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1365-2024) and edited by Renas KoshnawMap of the northern Middle East showing the Arabian and Eurasian plates and their collision zone, as well as the study area, the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has investigated the influence of the forces exerted by the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region of Iraq on how much the surface of the Earth has bent over the last 20 million years. Their research revealed that in the present day, deep below the Earth's surface, the Neotethys oceanic plate - the ocean floor that used to be between the Arabian and Eurasian continents - is breaking off horizontally, with a tear progressively lengthening from southeast Turkey to northwest Iran. Their findings show how the evolution of the Earth's surface is controlled by processes deep within the planet's interior. The research was published in the journal Solid Earth.

When two continents converge over millions of years, the oceanic floor between them slides to great depths beneath the continents. Eventually, the continents collide, and masses of rock from their edges are lifted up into towering mountain ranges. Over millions of years, the immense weight of these mountains causes the Earth's surface around them to bend downward. Over time, sediments eroded from the mountains accumulate in this depression, forming plains such as Mesopotamia in the Middle East. The researchers modelled the downward bend of the Earth's surfaces based on the Zagros Mountain's load where the Arabian continent is colliding with Eurasia. They combined the resulting size of the depression with the computed topography based on the Earth's mantle to reproduce the unusually deep depression in the southeastern segment of the study area. The researchers found that the weight of the mountains alone cannot account for the 3-4 km deep depression that has formed and been filled with sediment over the past 15 million years.

A magnitude 6 earthquake in Taiwan leaves 15 people with minor injuries

MSN
Tue, 21 Jan 2025 09:58 UTC

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 struck southern Taiwan early Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, leaving 15 people with minor injuries.

The quake hit at 12:17 a.m. local time (1600 GMT Monday), with its epicenter 12 kilometers (7 miles) north of Yujing at a preliminary depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), USGS said. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration recorded a magnitude of 6.4.

There were no immediate reports of deaths from the quake, though rescuers were still assessing damage.

Taiwan's fire department said 15 people were sent to hospital for minor injuries. Among them were six people, including one child, who were rescued from a collapsed house in Nanxi District, Tainan city. The Zhuwei bridge on a provincial highway was reported to be damaged.

6.8 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Japan

UPI
Mon, 13 Jan 2025 18:06 UTC

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Miyazaki Prefecture Monday evening in Japan, initially setting off a tsunami warning before it was called off, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was 11 miles southeast of Miyazaki in the Hyuga Nada Sea at a depth of about 19 miles.

Japanese authorities issued a tsunami advisory for Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures with an expected high of up to three feet, warning residents to stay away from the coast before being called off.

6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Mexico

Liam Rivera
kuhinje-ewe.si
Sun, 12 Jan 2025 11:59 UTC

Early Sunday morning, a powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted the coast of Michoacán, Mexico, according to reports from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

National seismic authorities in Mexico reported a slightly different magnitude of 6.1 for the tremor, which had its epicenter located approximately 47 kilometers southwest of Coalcomán. This significant seismic event has raised concerns in the region as communities brace for potential aftershocks and assess any damage.

Residents of nearby areas reported feeling the ground shake, prompting many to leave their homes in fear. Emergency response teams are currently on high alert, ready to assist affected communities.

Best of the Web: At least 126 people killed in China as 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Tibet holy city of Shigatse (UPDATE)

Sky News
Tue, 07 Jan 2025 13:13 UTC

Rescue teams tend to casualties in the aftermath of an earthquake near Shigatse city in Tibet Photograph: Tibet Fire and Rescue

At least 95 people have died and many are feared trapped after a strong earthquake in China, according to state media.

It struck in the autonomous Tibet region, in the west of the country, shortly after 9.05am (1.05am GMT), according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said it was 7.1 magnitude.

State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) put the epicentre in Tingri county, about 240 miles from Tibet's capital Lhasa and about 14 miles from its second-largest city of Shigatse - also known as Xigaze.

At least 130 people have also reportedly been injured.

Comment: Update January 10

Reuters reports:

At least 126 people were killed in Tibet by this week's earthquake of magnitude 6.8, the fifth-deadliest since 2008, data from China's National Earthquake Data Center shows.

Quakes are common in China's areas of Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan, especially on the edges of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau above the plate boundaries where the earth's crust is more prone to movement.

A quake of magnitude 8.0 that killed 69,227 people in May 2008 was one of China's deadliest natural disasters in decades.

El Salvador: Magnitude-6.2 earthquake occurs south of La Paz Department, on Jan. 5

Crisis24.garda.com
Sun, 05 Jan 2025 19:50 UTC

A magnitude-6.2 earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, south of La Paz Department, El Salvador, at around 11:18 on Jan. 5. The epicenter was about 29 km (18 miles) southwest of Playa Costa Del Sol and 68 km (42 miles) south of San Salvador.

The tremor occurred at a depth of about 49 km (30 miles), and shaking was probably felt in most of El Salvador and areas in southeastern Guatemala, including the capital, Guatemala City, western and southern Honduras, and northwestern Nicaragua.

There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Aftershocks are possible over the coming days. The event has not prompted any tsunami advisories.

Shallow earthquake of magnitude 5.8 strikes Ethiopia in area of active volcano

sabcnews.com
Sat, 04 Jan 2025 12:48 UTC

An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck Ethiopia, the United States (US) Geological Survey and the German Research Centre for Geosciences said on Saturday.

The quake's epicenter was located 88 miles (142 km) east of the capital, Addis Ababa, and was at a shallow depth of 10 km(6.2 miles), the USGS said.

The volcano in northeastern Ethiopia was showing signs of starting to erupt on Friday, prompting authorities to move residents to temporary shelters, a state-affiliated broadcaster and a government geological office said.

Reuters

Comment: A day earlier in the region: Dofen mountain (Afar region, Ethiopia): volcano in the area of ongoing quakes starts erupting jets of steam and mud