Earthquakes
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Bizarro Earth

Trio of US Quakes Includes Largest Ever Recorded in Texas

US Quakes
© USGS
Over the past 48 hours, small earthquakes have rocked various parts of the United States, including the largest ever recorded in Texas by the United States Geological Survey. The quakes, in San Francisco, San Antonio and Hawaii, are unrelated, seismologists said.

No casualties have been reported after the quakes.

"We have lots of earthquakes; it's common, really nothing out of the ordinary. None of the quakes are very big," said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center. "They are totally separate faults and in no way related at all."

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Texas, about 47 miles (76 kilometers) outside San Antonio, at 7:24 a.m. local time (8:24 a.m. EDT) yesterday (Oct. 20). The epicenter of the quake was close to Fashing, Texas, a natural gas and oil mining town.

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Kermadec Islands Region - Earthquake Magnitude 7.4

Kermadec Quake_211011
© USGSEarthquake Location
Date-Time:
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 17:57:17 UTC

Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 05:57:17 AM at epicenter

Location:
28.941°S, 176.046°W

Depth:
39.8 km (24.7 miles)

Region:
KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION

Distances:
180 km (112 miles) E (79°) from Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands

870 km (541 miles) S (185°) from NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga

2978 km (1851 miles) WSW (240°) from PAPEETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia

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Japan: Earthquake Magnitude 6.1 - Hokkaido

Image
© USGS
Date-Time:
Friday, October 21, 2011 at 08:02:37 UTC

Friday, October 21, 2011 at 05:02:37 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
43.889°N, 142.477°E

Depth:
185 km (115.0 miles)

Region:
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION

Distances:
17 km (10 miles) NE of Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan

121 km (75 miles) NNW of Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan

131 km (81 miles) NE of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

941 km (584 miles) NNE of TOKYO, Japan

Bizarro Earth

US: California - 4.0 and 3.8 Magnitude Earthquakes Rattle San Francisco Bay Area

Image
© USGSThis map shows the location of Thursday's earthquakes near Berkeley, Calif. (indicated by blue squares) occuring along the Hayward fault zone (red line running underneath).
A pair of earthquakes shook homes and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday.

The first quake, with a magnitude of 4.0 according to the U.S. Geological Survey, struck at 2:41 p.m. local time about 2 miles southeast of Berkeley.

A 3.8 magnitude aftershock centered a mile east of Berkeley followed more than 5 hours later at 8:16 p.m.

USGS officials estimate that more than 4 million residents of the Bay Area felt the quakes, with the worst shaking impacting the East Bay region.

Berkeley and Oakland police both reported no damage, though many in the area took to social media indicating their dishes were rattled.

Bizarro Earth

Northern Italy Rattled by Second Earthquake Swarm in 2 Months

At least ten earthquakes were recorded in northwestern Italy on Thursday, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

Epicentre of Thursday's earthquake
© Google/IWOEpicentre of Thursday's earthquake.
The largest of the earthquakes measured 4.2 magnitude (mb) on the Richter Scale and occurred at 08:11 AM local time (00:11 AM EDT) at a shallow depth of 10 km. The epicentre was located in the Aveto Natural Regional Park, about 5 km northeast of Borzonasca (pop 2,046), 16 km northeast of Chiavari (pop 27,865), and 39 km east of Genoa (pop 601,951).

It was the strongest earthquake to hit northern Italy since a 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck on 25 July last.

The other nine tremors recorded on Thursday ranged between 2.2 and 3.4 magnitude.

The most significant earthquake to hit the region in recent years occurred on 23 December 2008 when a 5.4 magnitude quake was recorded WNW of Genoa and SW of Parma. Previous to that a 5.4 mb earthquake struck northeast of Verona on 24 November 2004.

Radar

US, California: 3.8 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts San Francisco Area

Image
© USGS
A small earthquake hit the San Francisco area on Thursday afternoon, causing a sharp jolt but no immediate signs of damages or injuries.

The quake, with a preliminary 3.9 magnitude, was centered near Berkeley. San Francisco police and officials at University of California, Berkeley, said they had no reports of injuries or damages.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake hit two miles (3.2 kilometers) southeast of Berkeley at 2:31 p.m.

The quake was felt as a sharp jolt in the East Bay area, and across the bay in San Francisco.

The quake came almost 22 years to the day after the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Bay Area during the 1989 World Series.

It came on the same day Californians took part in an annual earthquake preparedness drill at 10:20 a.m. Thursday. More than 8½ million people signed up to participate in the 2011 Great California ShakeOut.

Bizarro Earth

US: Earthquake Magnitude 4.8 - South Texas

Image
© USGS
Date-Time:
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 12:24:40 UTC

Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 07:24:40 AM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
28.806°N, 98.147°W

Depth:
5 km (3.1 miles)

Region:
SOUTHERN TEXAS

Distances:
60 km (37 miles) NW of Beeville, Texas

76 km (47 miles) SSE of San Antonio, Texas

92 km (57 miles) E of Pearsall, Texas

166 km (103 miles) SSW of AUSTIN, Texas

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US: Earthquake Magnitude 4.5 - Island of Hawaii, numerous aftershocks

Image
© USGS
Date-Time:
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 00:10:04 UTC

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 02:10:04 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
19.883°N, 155.532°W

Depth:
18.8 km (11.7 miles)

Region:
ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII

Distances:
21 km (13 miles) SE (137°) from Waimea, HI

23 km (14 miles) SSW (198°) from Honokaa, HI

25 km (15 miles) SW (224°) from Paauilo, HI

51 km (32 miles) WNW (293°) from Hilo, HI

287 km (178 miles) ESE (123°) from Honolulu, HI

Bizarro Earth

US: Magma Stirring Under Sierraville, Ca. in Ongoing Quake Swarm

reno US map
© n/a
Swarm of 700-plus quakes in Sierra 30 miles west of Reno, but no one's feeling them

A swarm of more than 700 earthquakes have struck near the small Sierra County, Calif., community of Sierraville since August, although there's a good chance few if any of the quakes have been felt.

There have been more than 30 quakes of a magnitude 1 or more in the last week, the largest being about 1.8, said Ken Smith, seismic network manager for the Nevada Seismological Lab.

But the quakes are so deep - most are 18 miles below the surface or more - and so minor Smith thinks they have little chance of being felt at the surface. They are centered about 2 miles west of Sierraville and 31 miles west of Reno.

Seismologists can't say with certainty yet what is happening, but appears the quakes are being caused by moving magma. The earth is basically divided into layers of the crust, the mantle and the core with the temperature getting hotter the deeper the depth. Smith said the ground in this area is constantly in motion, moving about 14 millimeters a year. Because of that motion, it appears magma found a way to flow from the mantle, the middle area, to the crust, the upper area.

Bizarro Earth

Experts Concerned with Abnormal Seismic Activity - Azores

Azores
© n/a
Experts in the Azores have alerted the population of São Miguel Island for seismic activity which they considered to be above normal. The seismic events where located in the system of Fogo and Congro lakes, the central region of the island.

"The situation is ongoing and the number of microseisms is slightly above reference values" said Wednesday João Luís Gaspar from the Center of Volcanology and Geological Risk Assessment (CVARG) of the University of the Azores.

He also said that the seismic activity was the result of "very low magnitude earthquakes" adding that "none of which have been felt by the population."

Declining to comment on what the evolution of the crisis could be João Luís Gaspar recalled that "seismological activity is difficult to predict," but that the possibility could not be eliminated of an earthquake occurrence which may be felt by the population. He said, "It does not mean it will happen; only that one cannot eliminate that possibility."