Earthquakes around the world

[Nienna]

...
Yet another very shallow earthquake though! Interesting that the Chilean geophysicist thought it was a "sonic boom" instead of an earthquake. Could it have been another type of 'boom' below the earth's surface?

Earthquakes looking like a sonic boom happen sometimes.
In the South-West of the Alps we had two booms like that years ago, and no plane in sight.
Actually it was a fault which moved a few millimeters inside the mountain.

Yes, earthquakes can make noises. I was in an earthquake in Washington state in the early 2000s (if I remember correctly) and it sounded like a train right next to us. You could here it coming from the West and going East. It was very surreal.

 

[mabar]

...
Yet another very shallow earthquake though! Interesting that the Chilean geophysicist thought it was a "sonic boom" instead of an earthquake. Could it have been another type of 'boom' below the earth's surface?

Earthquakes looking like a sonic boom happen sometimes.
In the South-West of the Alps we had two booms like that years ago, and no plane in sight.
Actually it was a fault which moved a few millimeters inside the mountain.

Yes, earthquakes can make noises. I was in an earthquake in Washington state in the early 2000s (if I remember correctly) and it sounded like a train right next to us. You could here it coming from the West and going East. It was very surreal.

I thought it might had been something else, but so far, no new info and the authorities in Uruguay had not informed yet from the data from Brazil _http://ogu.fcien.edu.uy/es_ES/ ... I had never heard noises from earthquakes that are not part of the building that is moving ...

 

[Nienna]

...
Yet another very shallow earthquake though! Interesting that the Chilean geophysicist thought it was a "sonic boom" instead of an earthquake. Could it have been another type of 'boom' below the earth's surface?

Earthquakes looking like a sonic boom happen sometimes.
In the South-West of the Alps we had two booms like that years ago, and no plane in sight.
Actually it was a fault which moved a few millimeters inside the mountain.

Yes, earthquakes can make noises. I was in an earthquake in Washington state in the early 2000s (if I remember correctly) and it sounded like a train right next to us. You could here it coming from the West and going East. It was very surreal.

I thought it might had been something else, but so far, no new info and the authorities in Uruguay had not informed yet from the data from Brazil _http://ogu.fcien.edu.uy/es_ES/ ... I had never heard noises from earthquakes that are not part of the building that is moving ...

I don't think it's a common thing. I've been in several earthquakes, both in California and Washington state and the one I describe is the only one I heard a noise from.

But, this doesn't mean that it wasn't caused by something else.

 

[Palinurus]

I've only once been in an earthquake which occurred in the middle of the night (ca. 03.20 hrs.) at about 110 miles distance, and I found myself suddenly fully awake standing next to my bed just moments after it had happened. What had awakened me was not the tremor but the sound, an extremely low sort of thud in the ELF range. Strangely enough I immediately knew something very unusual had occurred but I didn't know any details. Checked around in the house, found nothing strange and went back to sleep.

Only later that day I discovered from the news that we had experienced an earthquake which is a very rare occasion in the Netherlands to begin with; it was also the strongest recorded earthquake in the Netherlands and in Northwestern Europe on top of that.

My tuppence. ;)

 

[angelburst29]

A strong earthquake measuring magnitude 6.5 struck western Indonesia on Wednesday, the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported.

Strong 6.5-Magnitude Quake Hits Indonesia – European Seismological Centre
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201612071048250001-quake-hits-indonesia/

The quake hit 11 miles off the town of Sigli in North Sumatra and was at the depth of 1.2 miles, the independent scientific agency said, adding damage could have been caused.

 

[angelburst29]

A strong earthquake measuring magnitude 6.5 struck western Indonesia on Wednesday, the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported.

Strong 6.5-Magnitude Quake Hits Indonesia – European Seismological Centre
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201612071048250001-quake-hits-indonesia/

The quake hit 11 miles off the town of Sigli in North Sumatra and was at the depth of 1.2 miles, the independent scientific agency said, adding damage could have been caused.

BANDA ACEH: At least 18 people died and dozens were feared trapped in rubble after a strong earthquake struck off Aceh province on Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday (Dec 7), officials said.

18 dead in Aceh as 6.5-magnitude quake hits Indonesia
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/18-dead-in-aceh-as-6-5-magnitude-quake-hits-indonesia/3348032.html

"Eighteen have died so far, based on data from the hospital. Some of the fatalities are children," Said Mulyadi, deputy district chief of Pidie Jaya, the region hit hardest by the quake, told AFP.

The USGS upgraded the magnitude to 6.5 from an initial reading of 6.4 and issued a yellow alert for expected fatalities and damage.

Seismologists said the earthquake was felt across much of Aceh province, which was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

At least five aftershocks followed the quake, said Eridawati, local head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

 

[Laura]

A strong earthquake measuring magnitude 6.5 struck western Indonesia on Wednesday, the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported.

Strong 6.5-Magnitude Quake Hits Indonesia – European Seismological Centre
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201612071048250001-quake-hits-indonesia/

The quake hit 11 miles off the town of Sigli in North Sumatra and was at the depth of 1.2 miles, the independent scientific agency said, adding damage could have been caused.

BANDA ACEH: At least 18 people died and dozens were feared trapped in rubble after a strong earthquake struck off Aceh province on Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday (Dec 7), officials said.

18 dead in Aceh as 6.5-magnitude quake hits Indonesia
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/18-dead-in-aceh-as-6-5-magnitude-quake-hits-indonesia/3348032.html

"Eighteen have died so far, based on data from the hospital. Some of the fatalities are children," Said Mulyadi, deputy district chief of Pidie Jaya, the region hit hardest by the quake, told AFP.

The USGS upgraded the magnitude to 6.5 from an initial reading of 6.4 and issued a yellow alert for expected fatalities and damage.

Seismologists said the earthquake was felt across much of Aceh province, which was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

At least five aftershocks followed the quake, said Eridawati, local head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

These earthquakes in this region remind me of the series of earthquakes discussed in the book "Krakatoa", by Simon Winchester, as being precursors to the stupendous eruption of 1883.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa

While seismic activity around the volcano was intense in the years preceding the cataclysmic 1883 eruption, a series of lesser eruptions began on May 20, 1883. The volcano released huge plumes of steam and ash lasting until late August.[22]

On August 27 a series of four huge explosions almost entirely destroyed the island. The explosions were so violent that they were heard 3,110 km (1,930 mi) away in Perth, Western Australia, and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,800 km (3,000 mi) away.[4] The pressure wave from the final explosion was recorded on barographs around the world. Several barographs recorded the wave seven times over the course of five days: four times with the wave travelling away from the volcano to its antipodal point, and three times travelling back to the volcano.[21]:63 Hence, the wave rounded the globe three and a half times. Ash was propelled to a height of 80 km (50 mi). The sound of the eruption was so loud it was reported that if anyone was within ten miles (16 km), they would have gone deaf.

 

[Altair]

These earthquakes in this region remind me of the series of earthquakes discussed in the book "Krakatoa", by Simon Winchester, as being precursors to the stupendous eruption of 1883.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa

While seismic activity around the volcano was intense in the years preceding the cataclysmic 1883 eruption, a series of lesser eruptions began on May 20, 1883. The volcano released huge plumes of steam and ash lasting until late August.[22]

On August 27 a series of four huge explosions almost entirely destroyed the island. The explosions were so violent that they were heard 3,110 km (1,930 mi) away in Perth, Western Australia, and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,800 km (3,000 mi) away.[4] The pressure wave from the final explosion was recorded on barographs around the world. Several barographs recorded the wave seven times over the course of five days: four times with the wave travelling away from the volcano to its antipodal point, and three times travelling back to the volcano.[21]:63 Hence, the wave rounded the globe three and a half times. Ash was propelled to a height of 80 km (50 mi). The sound of the eruption was so loud it was reported that if anyone was within ten miles (16 km), they would have gone deaf.

Interesting. We have the same pattern in Italy in the last months. Precursor of a coming Vesuvius' eruption?

Vesuvius' typical eruptions are very explosive and the slopes of the volcano and immediate area surrounding the volcano are extremely densely populated; even the city of Naples is only about 20 km away from the volcano. In case of a major Plinian eruption, more than 3 million people could be at risk and an incredible value of infrastructure. Vesuvius has been silent since 1944 now, and might remain so for quite a time to come, but it is quite certain that it will wake up again, sooner or later, but on a human timescale (decades to centuries, in contrast to the so-called supervolcanoes). When it does wake up, it tends to start a new eruptive cycle with a large sub-plinian or plinian eruption.

Source: _https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/faq/the_most_dangerous_volcano.html

 

[Gary]

These earthquakes in this region remind me of the series of earthquakes discussed in the book "Krakatoa", by Simon Winchester, as being precursors to the stupendous eruption of 1883.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa

While seismic activity around the volcano was intense in the years preceding the cataclysmic 1883 eruption, a series of lesser eruptions began on May 20, 1883. The volcano released huge plumes of steam and ash lasting until late August.[22]

On August 27 a series of four huge explosions almost entirely destroyed the island. The explosions were so violent that they were heard 3,110 km (1,930 mi) away in Perth, Western Australia, and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,800 km (3,000 mi) away.[4] The pressure wave from the final explosion was recorded on barographs around the world. Several barographs recorded the wave seven times over the course of five days: four times with the wave travelling away from the volcano to its antipodal point, and three times travelling back to the volcano.[21]:63 Hence, the wave rounded the globe three and a half times. Ash was propelled to a height of 80 km (50 mi). The sound of the eruption was so loud it was reported that if anyone was within ten miles (16 km), they would have gone deaf.

Interesting. We have the same pattern in Italy in the last months. Precursor of a coming Vesuvius' eruption?

Vesuvius' typical eruptions are very explosive and the slopes of the volcano and immediate area surrounding the volcano are extremely densely populated; even the city of Naples is only about 20 km away from the volcano. In case of a major Plinian eruption, more than 3 million people could be at risk and an incredible value of infrastructure. Vesuvius has been silent since 1944 now, and might remain so for quite a time to come, but it is quite certain that it will wake up again, sooner or later, but on a human timescale (decades to centuries, in contrast to the so-called supervolcanoes). When it does wake up, it tends to start a new eruptive cycle with a large sub-plinian or plinian eruption.

Source: _https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/faq/the_most_dangerous_volcano.html

Precursor to volcanic eruption in Chile?

Normally, raising the alert status like this is due to an acute change, when the behavior of the volcano shifts suddenly. However, this time, the elevation to Yellow alert status at Cerro Hudson is due to accumulated events over the past month.

Dozens of small earthquakes have occurred since the start of November, none stronger than M3.2. But their location (in geographic space and depth) are similar to those before the last eruption of Hudson in 2011. The number of earthquakes hasn't increased much above the baseline activity at an active volcano like Hudson, but energy released by the largest earthquakes has been increasing over the past few months.

https://www.sott.net/article/335911-Precursor-to-eruption-Dozens-of-earthquakes-rattle-a-Chilean-volcano-alert-status-raised

 

[angelburst29]

Twenty-eight years ago (December 12, 1988), one of the worst disasters in the history of Armenia struck northwest of the country. As result of the devastating earthquake, the town of Spitak was almost completely destroyed within 30 seconds. 25,000 people were killed, while 140,000 more were injured.

Spital Earthquake: How Half of Armenia Was Wiped Out Within 30 Seconds
https://sputniknews.com/art_living/201612071048289990-spital-earthquake-armenia/

The 10-magnitude quake struck on December 7, 1988, at 11.41 am and affected more than 300 Armenian settlements. The town of Spitak which was at the epicenter of the disaster was virtually leveled to the ground within 30 seconds. Other cities like Leninakan (now Gyumri), Stepanavan and Vanadzor were partially destroyed.

"There were people standing in front of each destroyed house with strained expressions on their faces. Grief and hope entwined in their souls, in their faces," former First Secretary of the Armenian Communist Party Suren Harutyunyan recalled the terrible events of that day in an interview with Sputnik Armenia.

The earthquake affected 40% of the territory of Armenia, with 970,000 people living in the disaster area. Most hospitals in the area were destroyed; local medical workers were killed or injured; the electricity supply and water supply systems were also damaged.

All then-USSR republics participated in the rescue operation and the reconstruction of the devastated areas. 111 countries, including Belgium, the UK, Italy, Lebanon, Norway, France, Germany and Switzerland, helped the USSR by providing emergency equipment, specialists, food and medicine.

Over 20,000 soldiers and officers were actively involved in the rescue work, in addition to volunteers. Most of them were in a permanent state of shock. Some were even transferred to mental health facilities to recover from what they had seen during the rescue operation.

"One of the crane workers — who was working at one of the schools — was taken by ambulance to psychiatric facility when he lifted several plates and saw a whole class of dead children. Of course, a rescuer is supposed to have strong nerves and stable psyche. But we're all human. We also had problems with it. The guys could not fully relax after work, they had nightmares at night: one or another jumped up, shouting something," the head of a rescue team Ivan Dusharin said, sharing his memories with Sputnik Armenia.

According to official data, tens of thousands of people were killed by the earthquake. 140,000 people were injured and 500,000 more were left homeless. In the course of 1989-2008, 60,000 people moved into new housing facilities thanks to the financing of local government and international organizations.

In 2008, the government launched a state aid program for the families affected by the disaster. The beneficiaries of the program were 5,381 families. As of November 2016, 4,728 families from this list have new homes.

 

[1984]

A big one (6.5 magnitude) offshore Northern California:

M6.5 - 157km W of Ferndale, California
2016-12-08 14:49:46 UTC
40.507°N 126.118°W 10.0 km depth

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20007z6r#executive

 

[angelburst29]

North California 6.5
Northwestern China 6.2

North California has been hit by a powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

North California Hit by Powerful 6.5-Magnitude Earthquake
https://sputniknews.com/us/201612081048325419-california-powerful-earthquale/

The earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 165 kilometers west from Ferndale, California, the United States. Previously, the USGS said that the magnitude of the earthquake is 6.8.

Earthquake shocks have been recorded at 14:49 UTC. The seismic focus occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers.

"The earthquake's epicenter was identified approximately 180 km from Eureka, CA," the agency noted. According to Richter magnitude scale, a 6.0-6.9-magnitude earthquake is considered to be strong. It can be felt up to hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter. In 2014, North California was hit by a strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake that left hundreds of people injured and damaged dozens of buildings. It was considered the worst in the area since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which claimed 63 lives and caused $10 billion in damage.

According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre, an earthquake of 6.2 magnitude has hit the northwestern China.

6.2 Magnitude Quake Hits Northwestern China - European Seismological Center
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201612081048302921-earthquake-china-center/

An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude has hit the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said Thursday.

According to the center, the quake hit 55 kilometers (34 miles) southeast of the city of Shihezi.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Tsunami warnings after 8.0 quake strikes off Solomon Islands’ coast

https://www.rt.com/news/369685-80-quake-strikes-off-solomon/

A tsunami warning has been issued for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Nauru after an 8.0. magnitude earthquake struck 70km off the Solomon Islands, according to USGS.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

 

[angelburst29]

Tsunami warnings after 8.0 quake strikes off Solomon Islands’ coast

https://www.rt.com/news/369685-80-quake-strikes-off-solomon/

A tsunami warning has been issued for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Nauru after an 8.0. magnitude earthquake struck 70km off the Solomon Islands, according to USGS.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Solomon Islands quake downgraded to 7.8; Tsunami watch for Hawaii canceled
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/34007854/tsunami-watch-issued-for-all-islands-after-80-magnitude-quake-near-solomon-islands

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
The Tsunami Watch has been canceled for all Hawaiian islands after a large earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The quake, which struck around 7:38 a.m. HST, measured at a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, but was later downgraded to 7.8, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter was approximately 40 miles west-southwest of Kirakira.

A watch was initially issued, but later canceled after further analysis indicated no tsunami threat to the state.

A Tsunami Watch usually means an earthquake may have created a tsunami, but data is still being verified. It is issued as a precaution and generally indicates that a tsunami may later impact a watch area, according to the PTWC. It may be changed to a warning, advisory or even cancellation based on further analysis.

This story will be updated.

 

[angelburst29]

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck off the coast of Kirakira, Solomon Islands. The quake's epicenter is 88 kilometers from the city.

Another Earthquake Strikes Off The Solomon Islands
https://sputniknews.com/world/201612091048382304-another-earthquake-strikes-solomon-islands/

This is the latest in a series of earthquakes that have occurred in the region over the last few days. Thursday morning, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit about 43 miles southwest of Kirakira.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has not issues a tsunami warning for the latest quake. At this time there are no reports of casualties or damage.