Earthquakes
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Bizarro Earth

Ohio, US: Ohio finishes the year with earthquake as fears grow it was caused by oil drilling

Ohio Nearby
© CNNNearby: Officials are saying that the 10 earthquakes in Ohio this year- including Saturday's 4.0 one- are likely caused by drilling for oil and gas
The latest in a series of minor earthquakes in northeast Ohio hit on Saturday, this time reaching a magnitude of 4.0 on the Richter scale.

The tremor sent some stunned residents running for cover as bookshelves shook and pictures and lamps fell from tables.

The quake struck Saturday afternoon in McDonald, outside of Youngstown, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Area residents said a loud boom accompanied the shaking, but sheriff's dispatchers from several counties in the area said there were no immediate reports of damage.

A few miles from the epicenter, Charles Kihm said he was preparing food in his kitchen when he heard a noise and thought a vehicle had hit his Austintown home.

'It really shook, and it rumbled, like there was a sound,' said Mr Kihm, 82.

'It was loud. It didn't last long. But it really scared me.'

Bizarro Earth

US: 4.0 earthquake strikes in northeast Ohio

McDonald - Officials said Saturday they believe the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is related to the injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line, creating enough pressure to cause seismic activity.

The brine wastewater comes from drilling operations that use the so-called fracking process to extract gas from underground shale. But Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Jim Zehringer said during a news teleconference that fracking is not causing the quakes.

"The seismic events are not a direct result of fracking," he said.

Environmentalists and property owners who live near gas drilling wells have questioned the safety of fracking to the environment and public health. Federal regulators have declared the technology safe, however.

Bizarro Earth

Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Japan

Tokyo - A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck under the sea south of Japan on Sunday, shaking buildings in the capital but causing no apparent damage or tsunami.

The quake struck near the uninhabited island of Torishima in the Pacific Ocean, about 370 miles south of Tokyo, and its epicenter was about 230 miles below the sea, the Meterological Agency said. It did not generate a tsunami.

Buildings in the Tokyo area shook, but no damage or injuries were reported. Express trains in northern and central Japan were suspended temporarily for safety checks but later resumed.

No abnormalities were reported at power plants, including the crippled nuclear power plant in northeast Japan hit by the March earthquake and tsunami, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Bizarro Earth

Japan - Earthquake Magnitude 6.8 - Izu Islands

Japan Quake_010112
© USGS
Date-Time
Sunday, January 01, 2012 at 05:27:54 UTC

Sunday, January 01, 2012 at 02:27:54 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location
31.416°N, 138.155°E

Depth
348.5 km (216.6 miles)

Region
IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION

Distances
242 km (150 miles) SW of Hachijo-jima, Izu Islands, Japan

365 km (226 miles) S of Hamamatsu, Honshu, Japan

393 km (244 miles) S of Shizuoka, Honshu, Japan

495 km (307 miles) SSW of TOKYO, Japan

Bell

California, US: Small earthquake hits near Desert Hot Springs

A small earthquake struck northern Riverside County today -- between Joshua Tree and Desert Hot Springs -- the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The 3.1-magnitude temblor hit at 4:32 a.m. at a depth of 5.6 miles near the San Bernardino County line. Its epicenter was eight miles south of Joshua Tree in San Bernardino County and 11 miles east-northeast of Desert Hot Springs, according to the USGS website.

Evil Rays

New Zealand: Another earthquake strikes near Christchurch

Image
© Reuters/ Simon BakerLast week, the area was hit by three powerful aftershocks, measuring 5.3-5.8 on the Richter scale.
An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale stroke on Saturday near the city of Christchurch, which sustained serous damage in a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in February.

First tremors were registered at 13:44 Saturday local time [0:44 GMT]. The epicenter was located at the depth of some 10 km, only 14 km from Christchurch.

Target

Canada: Ottawa at risk for big earthquake

ottawa earthquake
© CBC The city of Ottawa is at risk for a big earthquake, experts say. The Val-des-Bois quake that shook the capital in 2010 caused this land collapse in Notre Dame de la Salette, Que.
Seismologists and structural engineers say the city of Ottawa is at risk for a big earthquake.

The Val-des-Bois quake that shook the capital last year reminded people that Ottawa sits in an earthquake zone. And there is a chance it could one day produce a destructive quake far worse than February's deadly magnitude-6.3 tremor in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Claude Blais was at the pharmacy in Gracefield, Que., when last year's quake hit.

"All the lights broke down, and all the shelves emptied themselves. It was just horrible," Blais said. "You kind of think it's the end of the world."

It wasn't like that in Ottawa. That's the difference between being close to the epicentre of a 5.2 earthquake, and being 65 kilometres away.

Ambulance

Aftershocks continue to hit Christchurch, New Zealand, as fresh quake claims pile in

Image
© Reuters A car trapped in a sink hole caused by liquefaction in Parklands, Christchurch, New Zealand
The Earthquake Commission has received more than 2000 damage claims from Friday's shakes in Christchurch.

Four quakes over magnitude-5 struck on December 23, including a devastating magnitude-6.0 and have been followed by about 170 aftershocks since.

The December shakes were being considered a fresh event for damage claims with people having until March 23 to lodge a claim.

So far, 2210 claims have been lodged. This was a small number compared to previous large shakes but was expected to increase dramatically as people returned home after the holiday period.

Bizarro Earth

Russia: Earthquake Magnitude 6.6 - Southwestern Russia

Image
© USGS
Date-Time:
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 15:21:56 UTC
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 10:21:56 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
51.858°N, 95.825°E

Depth:
6.9 km (4.3 miles)

Region:
SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA

Distances:
96 km (59 miles) E of Kyzyl, Russia

336 km (208 miles) NE of Ulaangom, Mongolia

361 km (224 miles) ESE of Abakan, Russia

3744 km (2326 miles) ENE of MOSCOW, Russia

Bizarro Earth

Turkey: 2 earthquakes strike near Kuşadası district of Aydın

Image
© USGS
Two earthquakes occurring three hours apart caused a short-lived panic in the Kuşadası district of Aydın, a western province in Turkey.

The quakes, which registered 4.3 and 4.0 in magnitude, did not cause any loss of life or property damage. The Kandilli Observatory at Boğaziçi University and the Earthquake Research Institute said that the magnitude 4.3 tremor occurred at 7:59 on Tuesday morning. The second quake occurred at 9:51 a.m.

The tremors were felt in Kuşadası, Selçuk, central Aydın and in the city of İzmir.

"No negative consequences were suffered as a result of the earthquakes," Kuşadası District Governor Mustafa Esen said. He also called on the relevant authorities and the press to refrain from statements that might cause panic in the public.