Earthquakes

Earthquake swarm after officials confirm eruption at Iceland volcano Katla

ClickGreen.com
Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:24 UTC

Iceland's massive volcano Katla appears on the brink of a major eruption just days after officials confirmed they had detected the start of eruptions over the summer.

Measuring devices this morning have picked up a large earthquake swarm, usually a tell-tale sign of a potential volcanic eruption.

The Icelandic Government last month announced it was increasing monitoring Katla, which is one of Europe's most feared volcanoes, following a consistent and strengthening spike of tremors and quakes.

And last week, officials at the Iceland Meteorological Office confirmed a series of smaller eruptions had occurred in July strengthening fears of an imminent, much larger, eruption.

Evidence gathered by geophysicists showed the magma had risen to the height of the glacier ice above the volcano causing it to melt.

They said the high seismic tremors recorded on July 8 and 9 confirmed Katla had become active and started small eruptions.

Rare Subsea Earthquakes Rattle Bermuda

Mark Dunphy
Irish Weather Online
Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:23 UTC

The western Atlantic Ocean island of Bermuda, which was hit by its first earthquake in over a decade in April, has been rattled by two moderate quakes.

The earthquakes, both measuring 4.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale, struck at 10:18 PM and 10:36 PM local time on Monday.

The subsea quakes, the strongest to be recorded in the region in more than 20 years, were centred about 80 miles (130 km) south of Hamilton, the capital of the British overseas territory.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quakes (1st, 2nd) occurred at depths ranging between 10 and 14 kilometres.

Philippines: Earthquake Magnitude 5.0 - Mindanao

USGS
Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00 UTC

Date-Time:
Sunday, October 02, 2011 at 09:19:25 UTC

Sunday, October 02, 2011 at 05:19:25 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
8.385°N, 126.723°E

Depth:
46.9 km (29.1 miles)

Region:
MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES

Distances:
43 km (26 miles) E of Hinatuan, Mindanao, Philippines

143 km (88 miles) ESE of Butuan, Mindanao, Philippines

864 km (536 miles) W of KOROR, Palau

929 km (577 miles) SE of MANILA, Philippines

Geologists Map Birth Of New Ocean

MyFoxDFW.com
Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:54 UTC

A giant underground reservoir of molten rock has been discovered under the deserts of Ethiopia by British geologists, The (London) Sunday Times reported.

They targeted the Afar region in the Horn of Africa after a recent surge in volcanic activity and earthquakes plus the appearance of giant cracks in the rocky surface. Tectonic plates in the area are pulling apart and gradually creating a new ocean.

Now, the scientists have mapped the colossal underground lake of magma that lies up to 20 miles (32km) below the earth's surface.

"We estimate that there is 3,000 cubic kilometers of molten rock under Afar -- enough to cover all of London ... with around a kilometer of rock," said Kathy Whaler, professor of geophysics at Edinburgh University.

The reservoir is under such pressure that it has forced tongues of molten rock up towards the surface, producing eruptions and earthquakes.

Ohio, US: What's Underlying Cause of Recent Valley Quakes?

Karl Henkel
Vindy.com
Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:11 UTC

Thursday night's earthquake sent shock waves through most of Mahoning County.

The quake wasn't strong enough to create any damage, but it likely felt a lot stronger than a regular magnitude-2.5 rumble, said Michael Hansen, senior geologist at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

That's because rocks underneath the ground of river valley areas are mostly made up of unconsolidated sediments that amplify ground movement.

"That makes it feel higher intensity," Hansen said. That could explain the booming and crashing noises heard by some throughout the Valley. And although the initial magnitude registered a 2.5, Hansen said follow-up data could revise that number slightly higher.

"It may be 2.6 or a little bigger than 2.6, but not by much," he said.

Geologists have recorded earthquakes with epicenters in Mahoning County just six times - and all happened in the past 61/2 months.

All have occurred west of the Mahoning River, in close proximity to Salt Springs Road. The six earthquakes registered magnitudes ranging from 2.2 to 2.6. According to the Mercalli Intensity Scale, earthquakes between magnitudes 2.0 and 3.0 are felt by a few people, especially those on upper floors.

But why, after a lifetime with no earthquakes centered in Mahoning County, is the area averaging a quake per month?

Experts say there are a few reasons.

Canada: Earthquakes could be linked to British Columbia gas drilling, says seismologist

CBC News
Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:23 UTC

Seismologist says 'seismic swarm' should be investigated

B.C.'s energy regulator is investigating a cluster of earthquakes in a busy gas drilling area of the province, CBC News has learned.

Since 2009, more than 30 earthquakes have been registered in the Horn River area, a region that has also seen extensive drilling and a process called hydraulic fracturing used by companies extracting natural gas.

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, involves injecting a pressurized mix of water and other substances into the rock to release trapped natural gas. The B.C. Oil and Gas Commission said it has not identified a direct link between hydraulic fracturing and the seismic activity, but is examining recent data collected from Horn River.

The coincidence of earthquakes and gas exploration warrants further investigation, said University of Calgary seismologist David Eaton.

"This would fall within the descriptor of a seismic swarm," Eaton told CBC News. "I think, you know, any links to hydrocarbon extraction of fluid injection would be really interesting."

Chile: Earthquake Magnitude 5.6 - Offshore Bio-Bio

US Geological Survey
Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:34 UTC

Date-Time:
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 22:40:13 UTC

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 06:40:13 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
37.963°S, 73.903°W

Depth:
12.9 km (8.0 miles)

Region:
OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE

Distances:
43 km (26 miles) SSW of Lebu, Bio-Bio, Chile

42 km (88 miles) NW of Temuco, Araucania, Chile

145 km (90 miles) SSW of Concepcion, Bio-Bio, Chile

580 km (360 miles) SSW of SANTIAGO, Region Metropolitana, Chile

Increasing Indications of a Potential Eruption at El Hierro?

Wired.com
Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:13 UTC

We've been closely watching the earthquake swarm at the Canary Island's El Hierro since the middle of the summer and it looks like there has been a dramatic increase in the number and intensity of the seismicity at the volcano. Since mid-July, the small island, which is the top of a shield volcano built by the Canary Hotspot, has registered over 8,000 earthquakes - check out the excellent video of the changing depth and location of seismicity put together by Eruptions reader Lurking (or is it GeoLurking now?) Until recently, the earthquakes have not been noticeable to the people living on El Hierro, but since Monday, multiple ~M3-4 earthquakes have occurred, with 30 earthquakes alone on Monday*.

Interestingly, if you look at the distribution of the earthquakes (see below), the earthquakes over the last few days are deeper than those 4 days ago or older. Many are centered 14-16 km below the surface of the volcano, putting them into the upper mantle, the likely source of the magma in the Canary Hotspot plume. The increasing seismicity and intensity might suggest that an eruption is in the cards, but you would really expect the earthquakes should be getting shallower as magma nears the surface and right now, it doesn't appear to be the case. Maria Jose Blanco, director of the National Geographic Institute on the Canaries puts the chances of an eruption in the near future at ~10%, although carbon dioxide emissions are steadily rising (spanish), another clue on new magma degassing under the volcano.

Comment: For additional data see Canary Islands Government Raises El Hierro Volcanic Risk Level.

Greece: Earthquake Magnitude 5.1 - Crete

US Geological Survey
Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:09 UTC

Date-Time:
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 12:08:21 UTC

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 03:08:21 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
34.413°N, 23.677°E

Depth:
19.1 km (11.9 miles)

Region:
CRETE, GREECE

Distances:
126 km (78 miles) SSW of Chania, Crete, Greece

167 km (103 miles) SW of Iraklion, Crete, Greece

259 km (160 miles) N of Tobruk (Tubruq), Libya

396 km (246 miles) S of ATHENS, Greece

Canary Islands Government Raises El Hierro Volcanic Risk Level

Mark Dunphy
Irish Weather Online
Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:19 UTC

The Canary Islands Government has raised the alert level for the El Hierro volcano in the Canary Islands (Spain) to 'Yellow', the highest alert status since an unprecedented earthquake swarm commenced in mid-July.

Spanish seismologists, accompanied by the President of the Cabildo de El Hierro and the Minister of Security and Emergency Area, held a press conference on Sunday to reassure the 10,000 residents of the smallest of the Canary Islands that the raising of the alert level does not indicate that an eruption is imminent. They indicated, however, that the number of volcanic earthquakes detected beneath El Hierro continues to increase.

Hierro, a shield volcano, has had a single historic eruption from the Volcan de Lomo Negro vent in 1793. The eruption lasted approximately one month and produced lava flows.

The Canary Islands Government commenced an in-depth geological survey of El Hierro earlier this month in an effort to determine the source of an earthquake swarm.

It is high time for a large Solar mass ejection or flare that will cripple information systems world wide.

Baybars

The Biden Admin seems to be going out of their way to antagonize the military and something bout that don’t add up…

Buffalo_Ken

Pope Francis was vaccinated in January and has advocated ...." I doubt it very much. He's evil, not stupid.

ROEL

"What I'm calling for is a rip your face off, weeping bitter tears over the grave of the speculative wealth that you thought was forever crash."...

ROEL

Rex Murphy. Why did I read this column thinking that he might actually have something new to say? All he does in re-enforce the 'covid' story...

Baybars

Earthquakes

Earthquake swarm after officials confirm eruption at Iceland volcano Katla

Rare Subsea Earthquakes Rattle Bermuda

Philippines: Earthquake Magnitude 5.0 - Mindanao

Geologists Map Birth Of New Ocean

Ohio, US: What's Underlying Cause of Recent Valley Quakes?

Canada: Earthquakes could be linked to British Columbia gas drilling, says seismologist

Chile: Earthquake Magnitude 5.6 - Offshore Bio-Bio

Increasing Indications of a Potential Eruption at El Hierro?

Greece: Earthquake Magnitude 5.1 - Crete

Canary Islands Government Raises El Hierro Volcanic Risk Level

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