Earthquakes
S


Bizarro Earth

Best of the Web: Michigan, Texas, Mississippi, California, Idaho and Washington all jolted by significant earthquakes

Michael Snyder
End of The American Dream
Sun, 03 May 2015 02:15 UTC
USA Quakes
© USGS
Did you know that Michigan was just hit by the worst earthquake that state has seen in more than 60 years? In recent days, there has been a series of alarming earthquakes all over the United States. Of course none of these earthquakes was anything like the massively powerful quake that just crippled the entire nation of Nepal, but many are concerned that these earthquakes could be a sign of what is to come.

All over the planet, seismic activity is increasing. In fact, I recently wrote about how the number of volcanoes erupting right now is greater than the 20th century's average for an entire year. At the same time, the surface of the sun has become very, very quiet. As you will see in this article, there are scientists that link the two.

It is believed that times of very low solar activity have something to do with a rise in seismic activity, and there is one scientist that is claiming that solar activity is declining faster "than at any time in the last 9300 years" right now. So what does this mean for the future of our planet?

Before we get to that, let's review some of the very unusual earthquake activity in the U.S. that we have been witnessing lately.

Comment:


Read More...
Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 7.5 - 130km SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea


US Geological Survey
Tue, 05 May 2015 02:07 UTC
Kokopo Quake_050515
© USGS
Time
  1. 2015-05-05 01:44:07 (UTC)
  2. Times in other timezones
Nearby Cities
  1. 133km (83mi) SSW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
  2. 196km (122mi) E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
  3. 346km (215mi) SSE of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea
  4. 408km (254mi) W of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
  5. 680km (423mi) NE of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Scientific Data
Read More...
Attention

New Zealand shaken by 6.0 magnitude earthquake

John Carney
Daily Mail Australia
Mon, 04 May 2015 12:17 UTC
Image
The magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Wanaka (pictured) in New Zealand's South Island
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has struck near Wanaka in New Zealand.

Buildings in Wanaka and Queenstown were reportedly swaying when the quake hit but there are no reports of damage or casualties.

The quake, located 30km northwest of the town, struck at 2.29pm (local time). It was at a depth of 5km and its intensity was 'severe', GeoNet reports. By late Monday afternoon GeoNet had reviewed the quake to a 'moderate' intensity one.

Read More...
Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 4.0 - San Francisco Bay Area


U.S. Geological Survey
Sun, 03 May 2015 23:54 UTC
Image
© USGS
Geographic coordinates:
37.968N, 122.030W

Magnitude: 4.0

Depth: 14 km

Universal Time (UTC): 3 May 2015 22:13:19
Time near the Epicenter: 3 May 2015 15:13:19

Location with respect to nearby cities:
1 km (1 mi) S of Concord, California
3 km (2 mi) NE of Pleasant Hill, California
7 km (4 mi) NNE of Walnut Creek, California
8 km (5 mi) WNW of Clayton, California
82 km (51 mi) SW of Sacramento, California
Read More...
Attention

3.2 magnitude earthquake rattles North Texas


WFAA.com
Sun, 03 May 2015 20:26 UTC
Image
© WFAAA 3.2 magnitude earthquake struck near Las Colinas in Irving on May 3, 2015.
The WFAA newsroom received multiple reports of an earthquake in Irving and Northwest Dallas on Sunday morning shortly after 10 o'clock.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the tremor at 10:11 a.m. and initially measured it as a magnitude 3.1, but later revised the intensity to 3.2.

"We felt it in the middle of 9:30 mass at Christ the King Church in Dallas," Joyce Aldaba said.

Its epicenter was just southwest of the intersection of Highway 114 and Rochelle Boulevard in Northwest Dallas.

"My apartment just shook," tweeted WFAA anchor Marcus Moore. "Not fun!"

WFAA's Facebook page was immediately inundated with comments, like this one from Bruce Crone: "Man, did I feel that one!!! Seems like the biggest one that I have felt!!!!"

The strongest recent quake recorded in North Texas since 2010 was measured at 3.6 magnitude on January 7. There have been four earthquakes from 3.3 to 3.5 magnitude in the same area since 2012, and more than 60 quakes measured since 2010.

But Sunday's tremor clearly raised concerns for a lot of people.
Read More...
Ambulance

Death toll exceeds 7,000 with 14,000 injured; 101-year old man pulled from rubble alive in Nepal


RT
Sun, 03 May 2015 13:45 UTC
Image
© Reuters/Adnan AbidiAn earthquake victim walks past a collapsed temple in Sankhu, on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
The death toll after the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal last week, has reached at least 7,040, officials said.

A spokesperson from the National Emergency Operations Centre confirmed the death toll on Sunday. The number of injured has climbed to 14,123, with 6,512 of theses currently being treated in hospital.

The death toll will be "much higher," warned Nepal's Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat.

"There are still villages where we know that all houses have been destroyed, but haven't yet been able to reach. The aftershocks have not receded and we expect the final casualty numbers to climb much higher," he said.

Earlier, Nepal police spokesman Kamal Singh Bam spoke of 7,056 dead and 14,227 injured.

"We are continuing our search and rescue operations, " Bam said on Saturday.

Nepal's Home Ministry official Laxmi Dhakal added there is little hope of finding any more survivors: "Unless they were caught in an air pocket, there is not much possibility."

About 100 people in neighboring India, China and Bangladesh were also victims of the quake.
Read More...
Arrow Down

Scientists: Mount Everest shrunk about 2.8 centimeters after Nepal earthquake; Nepal region lifted about 1 meter


RT
Sun, 03 May 2015 09:51 UTC
Image
© Reuters/Tim ChongMount Everest (C), the world highest peak, and other peaks of the Himalayan range.
The deadly quake in Nepal not only devastated the country killing thousands but also changed its landscape. Mount Everest shrank a little bit after the disaster, satellite data shows.

According to Europe's Sentinel-1A radar satellite, which passed over the affected area on Wednesday, a day after the 7.8-magnitude quake, Earth's highest mountain is now 2.8 centimeters smaller than it used to be, reports LiveScience.

The lowering is explained by a relief of strain in the Earth's crust, it said citing UNAVCO, a nonprofit geoscience research consortium.

At the same time a region about 120 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide near Nepal's capital Kathmandu lifted about 1 meter, which partially explains the extensive damage the city suffered. The uplift peaked just 17 kilometers from the city.

The satellite data is still raw and will be analyzed by teams of scientists over the next few weeks. Roger Bilham, a professor in geological sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, told the Huffington Post that the shrinking of Mount Everest is probably just about one or two millimeters.
Read More...
Info

Shallow magnitude 3.9 earthquake reported in Los Angeles area

Quakebot
The LA Times
Sun, 03 May 2015 05:48 UTC
Image
© BingA map shows approximate location of the epicenter of Sunday morning's quake near View Park-Windsor Hills.
A shallow magnitude 3.9 earthquake was reported Sunday morning one mile from View Park-Windsor Hills, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 4:07 a.m. PDT at a depth of 5.6 miles.

The quake was classified by the USGS as "light" but was felt over a wide area of the L.A. basin. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it had received no reports of damage.

A 3.5 quake rattled the same general area on April 12. Both quakes were centered on the Baldwin Hills/Inglewood border. The Newport-Inglewood fault runs along that area.

In the aftermath of that quake, some residents asked whether oil production in the area might have been a factor. But Caltech scientist Lucy Jones wrote on Twitter that it was unlikely because the depth of the quake was so far below oil production facilities.

According to the USGS' "Did You Feel It" survey, the quake was felt over a wide area of the Los Angeles basin as well as areas to the east.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was two miles from Inglewood, two miles from Culver City and four miles from Lennox.

In the last 10 days, there has been one earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.
Read More...
Road Cone

Rare earthquake strikes Michigan; 4.2 magnitude

Jennifer Dixon
Detroit Free Press
Sat, 02 May 2015 15:44 UTC
Image
© USGS
No injuries or damages were reported today after a magnitude 4.2 earthquake rattled Michigan and surrounding states shortly after noon today.

John Bellini, a geophysist at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center in Goldon, Colo., said the earthquake's epicenter was roughly five miles south of Galesburg, or nine miles southeast of Kalamazoo in central Michigan.

He said the earthquake at 12:23 p.m. could be felt widely across lower portions of the state and into northern Indiana, northwestern Ohio, eastern Illinois, southeastern Wisconsin, and western Ontario.

Gov. Rick Snyder's office said there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.

Bellini said Michigan has had only one other earthquake of this magnitude, a 4.6 earthquake that shook the state in August 1947. Its epicenter was close to Saturday's - about 30 miles to the southeast.

He said earthquakes of this magnitude are capable of causing minor damages, such as knocking items from shelves, cracking plaster or windows, or damaging brickwork or chimneys on older buildings.

He called today's earthquake "quite uncommon. Michigan doesn't get a lot of large earthquakes."

Since 1973, the state has had only two other recorded earthquakes - one in the western reaches of the Upper Peninsula, the other in central Michigan. He said dates for those quakes were not available.
Read More...
Attention

5.7 magnitude earthquake hits Japan's Hachijo-jima island


RT
Sat, 02 May 2015 17:15 UTC
Image
© USGS
A 5.7-magnitude earthquake has struck 168 km from Japan's Hachijo-jima island, USGS said, adding that the depth of the quake stood at 10 km.

USGS initially placed the magnitude of the quake at 6.1 but later dropped it to 5.7.

Hachijo-jima, a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, has a population of about 8,000 people.

The quake occurred 456 km from the country's capital, Tokyo, which is home to some 13 million inhabitants.It also struck 359km from the towns of Shimoda, home to 23,000 residents, and Tateyama, which has 28,000 people.

In April, southwestern Japan's Miyakojima and Yaeyama areas were placed on high alert with tsunami warnings after a 6.8-magnitude underwater earthquake struck off Taiwan's coast. Waves as high as one meter were expected to hit southwestern territories.
Read More...