Earthquakes
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Seismograph

Shallow magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes off the coast of Jalisco, Mexico

Douglas Patient
The Star (UK)
Sat, 30 Jun 2018 12:21 UTC
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Mexico
© USGSA 6.1 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Mexico
An earthquake measuring 6.1 magnitude has struck the Pacific coast of Mexico, the United States Geological Survey has reported.

It hit 55 miles south-west offshore from Cihuatlan, in Jalisco state, around 4.55am BST.

The USGS estimated the depth of the tremor at around six miles.

Luis Felipe Puente, head of the country's Civil Protection agency, said on Twitter that the quake had been felt only lightly and that there were no reports of damage so far.
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Seismograph

Second quake in 2 days strikes Surrey, UK - M2.4 rattles houses


Sky News
Fri, 29 Jun 2018 16:09 UTC
surrey cricket
An earthquake has rocked Surrey for the second time this week with reports of a house shaking as if "a truck had crashed into it".

Researchers from the British Geological Survey (BGS) said the tremor, with a magnitude of 2.4, struck shortly before 7am in Newdigate near Dorking, at a depth of three miles.

The organisation said it hit in the same area as the 2.6 magnitude quake on Wednesday.

There were reports of "a loud bang and the whole house shook like a truck had crashed into it" for about two seconds, the BGS said.

Classic car parts owner Roy McNeill and his wife Judy, from nearby Beare Green, both felt the effects of the tremor.

Comment: The UK is considered relatively seismically quiet and yet it seems no where is being spared from the dramatic increase in earth movement:

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Seismograph

Powerful M6.1 quake strikes Port Villa, Vanuatu - Location considered "unusual"


news.com.au
Fri, 22 Jun 2018 09:37 UTC
vanuatu wuake 6.1
A POWERFUL 6.1-magnitude earthquake has hit Vanuatu, US seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake struck at a depth of 21 kilometres some 30 kilometres west of the capital Port Vila, the US Geological Survey said.

USGS said there was low likelihood of casualties and damage although it added that recent earthquakes in the area had caused secondary hazards such as landslides.

"Definitely shaking would have been felt in the area, but we have received no reports yet of any damage," Geoscience Australia duty seismologist Hugh Glanville told AFP.

Comment: Seismic and volcanic activity around the planet appears to be increasing in recent months - just as some scientists predicted:

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Seismograph

Vancouver Island hit with over 150 tremors in 24 hours

Keri Coles
Vancouver Sun
Tue, 19 Jun 2018 15:33 UTC
vancouver tremors
© John Cassidy and pnsn.org
More than 150 tremors have hit Vancouver Island in the last 24 hours, and seismologists are monitoring the situation to see if it turns into an Episodic Tremor and Slip event.

Vancouver Island is normally moving toward the Lower Mainland at a rate of about one centimetre per year.

"Ferry fares keep going up but the distance is actually getting a little bit shorter," jokes John Cassidy, seismologist with the Geological Survey of Canada.

But every 14 months or so there is a Tremor and Slip event - a discovery made by two local scientists Gary Rogers and Herb Dragert - when Vancouver Island slips backwards a few millimetres towards Japan. Seismic recording instruments show Victoria moving in one direction and then changing direction for about two weeks during these episodes. These events add pressure to the locked Cascadian Subduction Zone fault.
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Seismograph

New research suggests risk of California earthquake higher than previously thought


RT
Wed, 20 Jun 2018 20:02 UTC
Aftermath of 6.0 quake in Napa, CA
© Robert Galbraith/ReutersAftermath of magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Napa, California, 2014.
Geophysicists are hypothesizing that the San Andreas fault line in California could be the central point of a massive earthquake after new research suggested that the fault may be at higher risk than previously thought.

Researchers at Arizona State University have published a new study looking at the likelihood of a 7.5-magnitude (or stronger) quake occurring and rupturing the entire fault line.

It has long been thought that the central section of the fault line, which stretches 90 miles from San Juan Bautista southward to Parkfield, was creeping steadily in such a way that provided for the safe release of energy. That "creeping" movement, scientists believed, lessened the chances of a huge quake rupturing the entire fault line - but new research casts doubt over old assumptions.
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Seismograph

At least 3 killed, 200+ injured after 6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Osaka, Japan


RT
Mon, 18 Jun 2018 02:12 UTC
Osaka earthquake
© Kyodo via Reuters
At least three people have been confirmed killed and more casualties are feared, after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit north of Osaka Prefecture in western Japan, local media report.

An 80-year-old man and a young 9yo girl were killed in Japan, crushed by collapsing walls, public broadcaster NHK reported. Several others are reported in a state of "cardiopulmonary arrest," a condition usually used by Japanese authorities until a formal examination has been conducted to confirm death.

At least 217 people were injured, mainly across the northern Osaka and neighboring prefectures, the broadcaster reports, citing data from local police and fire departments

Some 170,000 households remain without power in Osaka, as well as neighboring Hyogo prefecture, according to local electricity operator Kansai.
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Attention

Volcano in the Galapagos Islands erupts after series of 9 earthquakes


Telesur
Sun, 17 Jun 2018 11:55 UTC
A volcano on the Galapagos Islands has started erupting
© Info5ChileA volcano on the Galapagos Islands has started erupting
Lava flows and a gas column spanning about two to three kilometers high have been a feature of the eruption.

According to the Geophysical Institute (I) of the National Polytechnic School, the Galapagos' La Cumbre volcano - located on Fernandina island - erupted Saturday.

The eruption took place between 11:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. (Galapagos time) and was preceded by a series of nine earthquakes ranging from 2.5-magnitude to 4.1-magnitude. La Cumbre volcano measures 1,476-meter high and occupies almost the entire island. The eruption occurred on the northeastern sector of the volcano.

Lava flows and a gas column spanning about two to three kilometers high have been a feature of the eruption. Reports are that a flow has already reached the sea.

"There are some species that could be affected, however, being a flow (of lava) that is in only one direction, on only one side of the island, the possible impacts that there would be would not have a significant impact on biodiversity," director of the Galapagos National Park (PNG), Jorge Carrion, assured.

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Seismograph

Small earthquake hits western North Carolina with a 'loud boom'


WJBF
Mon, 11 Jun 2018 04:04 UTC
North Carolina earthquake with boom
© USGS/WNCN
A small earthquake hit a county in the North Carolina mountains on Sunday evening, officials said.

The 2.6 magnitude was in Wilkes County less than a mile from the town of Hays, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The earthquake was felt in Blowing Rock, about 40 miles away, officials said.

The quake, which hit around 8 p.m., had a depth of 4.3 kilometers.

A weather website based in the area reported on Facebook that they heard a "loud boom." Others commented on Facebook that they heard two "loud booms."
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Seismograph

M4.4 earthquake shakes part of northern Oklahoma


Yahoo
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 12:00 UTC
ohklahoma quake 4.4 June 9th 2018
The U.S. Geological Survey says a 4.4 magnitude earthquake shook parts of northern Oklahoma and neighboring Kansas.

Geologists say the earthquake was recorded at 8:59 a.m. Saturday about 16 miles (26 kilometers) east of Cherokee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Oklahoma City. The earthquake was recorded at a depth of five miles (8 kilometers).

Comment: Fracking is likely to be a contributor to the quakes but it seems that geologic activity in general is on the rise:

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Seismograph

North of England hit by 3.9 magnitude earthquake


Sky News
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 06:26 UTC
Grimsby earthquake
© British Geological SocietyAn earthquake has been felt in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
Tremors have been felt in the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire areas, the British Geological Survey has confirmed.

The BGS said the 3.9 magnitude quake was felt in the north east and north of Lincolnshire, Kingston-upon-Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire at 11.14pm on Saturday.

It was centred near Grimsby and had a depth of 11 miles.

One Twitter user in Hull said: "Our house moved and the furniture shifted", while another wrote: "(It would) only have lasted seconds but scary nonetheless".


Comment: Following a 4.6 magnitude earthquake in the UK in February this year, the strongest to have hit the UK in 10 years, a British Geological Survey tweet stated that, "Events of this magnitude only happen in the UK every 2-3 years."

Actually, there have been about 7 similar-strength quakes in the UK in the last 3 years alone...

22 May 2015 - A 4.2 magnitude earthquake 'causes homes to shake' in Kent, UK
25 May 2015 - Magnitude 3.0 earthquake recorded in North Wales
29 Jan 2015 - Britain's second earthquake in 48 hours strikes in East Midlands
7 Mar 2016 - Earthquake 'shook houses' in south-east England
3 Jan 2017 - 3.9 magnitude tremor strikes off UK coast - biggest quake for nearly a decade
4 July 2017 - Earthquake recorded off Shetland was largest in UK for nine years
5 Aug 2017 - Scottish Highlands are rocked by their biggest earthquake for 30 years

We are seeing a marked increase in seismic activity around the world lately, could it be related to scientists' predictions that major earthquakes for 2018 due to slowdown in Earth's rotation?

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