Earthquakes around the world

Researchers aim to understand the unexpected, tsunami-like waves that slammed into the Pacific Northwest coast in 2016 and 2018
On January 16, 2016, a sudden swath of large and powerful waves swept through seaside communities along 450 kilometers (280 miles) of Pacific Northwest coastline. From Washington to northern California, water rushed past normal tide lines and filled beaches and streets, stretching hundreds of meters inland.

These “sneaker waves” are aptly named given their unannounced arrival, which occurs when massive waves push extra water onshore—a higher-than-usual water level that scientists refer to as runup. At best, these events take beachgoers by surprise. At worst, they are disastrous and fatal.

Researchers taking interest in these surprise events are starting to understand how they unfold. The data gathered so far suggests distant storms created the swells that drove the 2016 sneaker wave and another that occurred in early 2018, according to Chuan Li, a civil engineering graduate student at Oregon State University who presented his team’s most recent work on the two massive waves last month at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C.

As researchers learn more about what caused these events, Li said they hope to better inform the public about the possibility of an unexpected and powerful sneaker wave.

“The bottom line is we’re trying to better understand these extreme runup events so we can inform the public,” Li said. “This work is motivated by wanting to provide additional safety for beachgoers and ultimately creating more awareness and better warning systems.”

Taking the “sneak” out of “sneaker waves”

Sneaker waves are fairly common in the Pacific Northwest. But the 2016 one was different.

Video footage showed really large wave runup events within two or three hours of each other,” Li said. “The runup was so strong and went so far that people were up to their knees and water went all the way up into an inlet. We saw some pretty unusual phenomenon on this particular day.”

Li and other scientists were confounded: the wave activity measured deep in the ocean and on shore resembled conditions for a small tsunami, but without the triggering earthquake or telltale atmospheric disturbances.

“These long runup signals are often generated by things like earthquakes, submarine landslides, and tsunamis, or sometimes by waves at the surface,” said Ryan Mulligan, a coastal engineer and oceanographer from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario who was not involved in the research. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen effects in the deep ocean and on shore like that unless it’s a tsunami. So if it’s not a tsunami, then what is going on?”

Jan 20, 2016

To get to the bottom of this mystery, a team of researchers at Oregon State University examined the near- and off-shore conditions leading up to and during the sneaker wave. They turned to existing data gathered by sensors and instruments off the Pacific Northwest coast: tide gauges, wave buoys, and bottom sensors on the ocean floor.

Examining the wave patterns around the runup event, Li’s team observed unusually long and rapidly increasing peak wave periods both near the shore and further out at sea, indicating that a large swell may have driven the runup. What exactly caused the swell was not yet clear, but Li suspects distant storms may have been responsible.

As Li and his colleagues began to dive deeper into analyzing the instrumentation data, they learned that the 2016 sneaker wave was not a one-off event.

Two years later—nearly to the day—another massive runup event burst on the scene. It produced similar oddball signals and yielded another wave of attention on social media. But Li says there is still not enough information readily available to protect the public from these occurrences.

Sneaker waves don’t move in a predictable pattern like most wave sets, making them difficult for passersby to anticipate, according to Li.

“Visitors often don’t know much about the dangers of this particular part of the world, where we get very big waves,” Li said. “They might think, I can just stand by the edge of the water and I’ll be okay. But [these events] are the leading cause of death by drowning in this area.”

Li’s team now plans to further explore the possible drivers of this event and better understand potential generation mechanisms.

“We’re hoping to do some numerical modeling and lab work—running some short waves immediately followed by very long waves—to see if we can replicate some of this,” Li said. “We’re going to try to understand as much as possible.”

Earthquake, Magnitude 5.6 - BANDA SEA - 2019 January 04, 06:22:44 UTC
Overall Green Earthquake alert in Indonesia on 04 Jan 2019 06:22 UTC


Earthquake, Magnitude 5.3 - KURIL ISLANDS - 2019 January 03, 20:46:18 UTC

 
Magnitude 5.8 Quake Hits Iranian-Iraqi Border – Seismological Centre

A moderate 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Iranian territory close to the border with Iraq on Sunday afternoon, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

The EMSC registered the tremor 87 kilometers (54 miles) northwest of Ilam, a Kurdish-majority city in western Iran, and 141 kilometers (87 miles) northeast of Iraqi capital Baghdad.


The EMSC said the epicenter was at the depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles). A shallower 4.1-magnitude aftershock was reported closer to the border minutes later.

The agency estimated the population in the area where the quake was felt at around 30 million. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
 
Magnitude 6.6 Earthquake Strikes North-West of Indonesia - USGS

The quake in the archipelago-nation comes mere days after the country was hit by deadly landslides and a tsunami that killed over 430 people, injuring at least 1,500 more.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a massive 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck 173 km north-northwest of the island of Ternate at a depth of 60.5 km on Sunday. Earlier USGS data suggested that the quake measured 7.0 in magnitude.

The disaster comes just a day after a 5.4 earthquake with its epicentre located 180 km south of Ternate.


There are no reports on the possibility of a new tsunami.

Indonesia, located in a seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire, regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes.
 
I post these because, I found them to be in a non usual location in Alaska (I had not seen them there before or I do not recall to see them often. Kaktovik is near Beaufort Sea, at north), from USGS:
3.6 81km SW of Kaktovik, Alaska
2019-01-10 21:51:36 (UTC)
4.8 km


4.1 117km SSW of Kaktovik, Alaska
2019-01-10 19:36:37 (UTC)
14.8 km


3.7 114km SSW of Kaktovik, Alaska
2019-01-10 11:25:23 (UTC)
10.4 km


3.3 117km SSW of Kaktovik, Alaska
2019-01-10 10:49:09 (UTC)
0.0 km


3.4 68km SW of Kaktovik, Alaska
2019-01-10 00:30:57 (UTC)
10.3 km
 
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Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Strikes Near Point Mackenzie, Alaska - USGS

The last quake hit Alaska in November 2018, damaging the US Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a magnitude 5.1 quake has struck Alaska, near Point MacKenzie. The epicentre was located 15 kilometres north-west of Anchorage and at a depth of 33.4 kilometres, according to the USGS. There are no reports of damage or casualties.

The US Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, which is located nearby, experienced a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake on 30 November 2018. Several buildings were damaged, but there were no reports of casualties. F-22 fighter jets stationed at the base were also unscathed.

Anchorage itself was also affected by the quake, which had an epicentre only 14 kilometres away from the city. Several buildings, roads and powerlines were damaged due to the earthquake, but no deaths have been reported.
 
Another hit on the Hayward Fault in Oakland CA. Video below!

Earthquake, Magnitude 5.3 - NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 2019 January 18, 12:46:25 UTC
Location35.88 N ; 140.43 E
Depth 60 km

Translated from Japanese by Microsoft
Data of the observation machine 5. It has a slightly larger reaction. It is much smaller than the response of the earthquake (M6) that occurred off the eastern Kanto Coast on December 24th, and we are paying attention to whether it will rise in the future. The Observation unit 5 captures the earthquake precursors from the Kanto area and the east coast of Kanto. #地震 #地震予測 #地震前兆 #jishin


Big earthquake would topple countless buildings, but many cities ignore the danger
Jan 17, 2019 | 5:00 AM Rong-Gong Lin II 11-14 minute Read
Snip:
The Northridge earthquake that hit 25 years ago offered alarming evidence of how vulnerable many types of buildings are to collapse from major shaking.

Since then, some cities have taken significant steps to make those buildings safer by requiring costly retrofitting aimed at protecting those inside and preserving the housing supply.

But many others have ignored the seismic threat. And that has created an uneven landscape that in the coming years will leave some cities significantly better prepared to withstand a big quake than others.

Other than hospitals, state government has generally not set any mandatory rules for earthquake retrofits, and that has left it up to city and county governments to make decisions about seismic risks.

And because the public generally doesn’t keep tabs on municipal retrofit laws, many could be in the dark about which cities might be more dangerous than others in an earthquake.

And that’s unlikely to change — until a big earthquake hits.

Early morning earthquake strikes East Bay for second day in a row
Thursday, January 17, 2019 :whistle:
For the second morning in a row, East Bay residents were jolted out of bed by an earthquake.

Thursday morning's quake was mercifully a little later, at 6:11 a.m. The USGS gave it a preliminary magnitude of 3.5.

Wednesday morning's 3.4-magnitude quake hit at 4:42 a.m. Three small aftershocks followed: a 1.9-magnitude at 4:45 a.m., a 2.0 at 4:48 a.m., and a 1.1 at 8:52 a.m.

This morning's earthquake, like yesterday's shakers, was centered near Piedmont and the Oakland hills along the Hayward Fault. The USGS pinpointed the epicenter near the intersection State Route 24 and Tunnel Road.

This morning's shaker had a depth of just over 7 miles, exactly the same as the 3.4-magnitude earthquake that hit the area Wednesday.

Locals were even more stirred up on social media, spooked by eerily similar quakes on back-to-back days.


Some noted Thursday marked the 25th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, a 6.7-magnitude that struck the San Fernando Valley at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. The massive quake killed 57 people and injured another 8,700.

There were no initial reports of damage from either Wednesday or Thursday morning's quakes. BART ran trains at reduced speeds to perform track inspections. The agency told early-morning commuters to expect 20-minute delays systemwide.

Published on Jan 17, 2019 / 1:23








 
Re do way to long. OK this is better!

Another hit on the Hayward Fault in Oakland CA. Video below!

Earthquake, Magnitude 5.3 - NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 2019 January 18, 12:46:25 UTC
Location35.88 N ; 140.43 E
Depth 60 km

Translated from Japanese by Microsoft
Data of the observation machine 5. It has a slightly larger reaction. It is much smaller than the response of the earthquake (M6) that occurred off the eastern Kanto Coast on December 24th, and we are paying attention to whether it will rise in the future. The Observation unit 5 captures the earthquake precursors from the Kanto area and the east coast of Kanto. #地震 #地震予測 #地震前兆 #jishin

Early morning earthquake strikes East Bay for second day in a row
Thursday, January 17, 2019 : whistle:
For the second morning in a row, East Bay residents were jolted out of bed by an earthquake.

Thursday morning's quake was mercifully a little later, at 6:11 a.m. The USGS gave it a preliminary magnitude of 3.5.

Wednesday morning's 3.4-magnitude quake hit at 4:42 a.m. Three small aftershocks followed: a 1.9-magnitude at 4:45 a.m., a 2.0 at 4:48 a.m., and a 1.1 at 8:52 a.m.

This morning's earthquake, like yesterday's shakers, was centered near Piedmont and the Oakland hills along the Hayward Fault. The USGS pinpointed the epicenter near the intersection State Route 24 and Tunnel Road.

This morning's shaker had a depth of just over 7 miles, exactly the same as the 3.4-magnitude earthquake that hit the area Wednesday.

Locals were even more stirred up on social media, spooked by eerily similar quakes on back-to-back days.


Some noted Thursday marked the 25th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, a 6.7-magnitude that struck the San Fernando Valley at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. The massive quake killed 57 people and injured another 8,700.

There were no initial reports of damage from either Wednesday or Thursday morning's quakes. BART ran trains at reduced speeds to perform track inspections. The agency told early-morning commuters to expect 20-minute delays systemwide.

Published on Jan 17, 2019 / 1:23
 
About 25 minutes ago here in Chile there was an earthquake that was very strange, relatively "soft", but very long in its duration. Some of the first videos of this moment.


Magnitude 6.8 Quake Strikes Coast of Chile - Pacific Tsunami Center
20.01.2019

There have been no reports on casualties or damage so far, the Pacific Tsunami Center said Sunday.

Seismologists have registered the epicenter at 01:32 UTC 29 kilometers (18 miles) away from the city of Coquimbo at an approximate depth of 54 kilometers (33 miles).


According to the data of the US Geological Survey, the tremor's magnitude was 6.7 while it was detected 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from the city of Coquimbo at a depth of 53 kilometers (32 miles).

There has been no tsunami warning issued so far. Chile is located within the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire with 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occurring in this area. Chile also contains a large number of volcanoes but they are not as active as the volcanoes in the western Pacific.

In 2015, the southern part of the country was affected by the eruption of Calbuco Volcano. The volcano's crater sent a plume of ash and smoke several miles high into the sky, prompting the mass evacuation from the area within a 20-kilometer (12-mile) radius.

An 8.8-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami in 2010 killed 525 people and left 26 missing, according to media reports.
 
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