Earthquakes
Earthquake Index
NASA
Map Shows Earth's Tectonic Activity...11/14/99
Most global geologic maps simply define plate boundaries on Earth's crust and
show current seismic or volcanic activity. But a new map developed by NASA shows
the broader architecture of Earth's crust and includes current and past activity
of all geological structures. Since the Digital Tectonic Activity Map (DTAM)
expresses tectonic activity not just at the plate boundaries but at the intra-plate
level (within plates), it provides researchers and educators with a more realistic
picture of the Earth’s crustal dynamics which may lead to a better understanding
of our volatile planet. "The DTAM is different from the 'plate maps' common
in geology textbooks because it shows not only well-recognized features such
as the Pacific Plate, but it also shows broad zones of earthquake and volcanic
activity that are not simply plate boundary features," said principal investigator,
Paul Lowman, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. "For example, the map shows
a belt of earthquakes off the coast of Norway, not usually considered a seismic
zone or a plate boundary. These earthquakes may outline a previously unmapped
fault zone." The new digital tectonic map also provides a tool for researchers
concerned with monitoring and predicting natural hazards such as earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions worldwide. The digital map is published in the November
issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education.
Earthquake Index
Moderate
Quakes Shake S. Taiwan...11/04/99
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Two moderate earthquakes shook southern Taiwan today,
local seismologists said. No damage or injuries were immediately reported. The
first quake, with a magnitude of 5, was centered 17 miles southwest of Alishan,
the Central Weather Bureau said. Alishan is a mountain resort area about 180
miles south of the capital, Taipei.
The epicenter of the second quake, with a magnitude of 4.5, was about 1.5 miles
east of Chiayi, just west of Alishan, the bureau said. Since a 7.6-magnitude
quake devastated parts of central Taiwan on Sept. 21, thousands of smaller tremors
and aftershocks have rattled the island. Only a few have caused damage, most
of it minor.
Earthquake Index
Quake
Rattles Southwestern Greece...11/04/99
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- A strong earthquake shook the seabed off the western
Peloponnese today, but there were no reports of injuries or damages. The undersea
quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9, occurred at 4:08 a.m. (9 p.m. Wednesday
EDT) with an epicenter 156 miles southwest of the capital, the Athens Geodynamic
Institute said. On Sept. 7, a magnitude 5.8 quake centered near Athens claimed
143 lives and left about 100,000 people homeless.
Earthquake Index
Intraslab
Quakes Pose Risk To U.S. Northwest...11/03/99
By John Roach (ENN)
A little understood type of earthquake could cause serious damage to cities
in the Pacific Northwest, according to research published in the Oct. 29 issue
of Science. The earthquakes, known as intraslab, register magnitude 7-7.5 and
occur approximately 30 miles directly below metropolitan areas in the Pacific
Northwest, said Simon Peacock, a geologist at Arizona State University. Intraslab
earthquakes "are the most common to rattle the Seattle area," he said. "The
growth of the Seattle area in the last 30 years makes the risk posed by these
earthquakes much greater."
Like the more feared, and better-understood, great thrust earthquakes, intraslab
earthquakes occur in subduction zones, where oceanic crust dives beneath the
edge of a continent.
Great thrust earthquakes occur at shallow depths of zero to 30 miles along
the sloping boundary between the descending plate and the continental margin.
In contrast, intraslab earthquakes occur within the descending oceanic crust
at depths of 30 to 190 miles beneath the surface and are caused by different
processes.
Earthquake Index
7
Injured In Moderate Turkey Quake...10/26/99
YUKSEKOVA, Turkey (AP) - Seven children were injured Monday when a small earthquake
in southeastern Turkey sent them into a panic, rushing to jump out second-story
windows or squeeze through doors. There were no reports of damage from the quake,
which struck Yuksekova in Hakkari province, bordering Iraq and Iran, with a
preliminary magnitude of 3.9. Information about the injuries to the children
who jumped out the windows was not immediately available. But the children injured
in the stampede through the doors suffered bruises.
Earthquake Index
Strong
Quake Shakes New Zealand...10/26/99
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3
shook many parts of New Zealand early Tuesday, but emergency services reported
no serious damage because the temblor struck deep underground. The quake was
centered near Taupo, 235 miles north of the capital, Wellington, according to
the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences. The tremor, striking 100 miles
underground, was felt throughout New Zealand's North Island and as far south
as Christchurch, 210 miles south of Wellington, on the South Island. Earthquakes
of magnitude 6 can cause severe damage, but the strength of the quake was dissipated
because it occurred so far below ground.
Earthquake Index
Earthquake
Strikes Southern Taiwan, More Than 200 Reported Injured...10/22/99
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- A strong earthquake struck southern Taiwan on Friday,
toppling several buidings, setting off fires, and sending a reported 200 people
to hospitals.
The Central Weather Bureau said Friday's quake was unrelated to the massive
7.6-magnitude tremor that struck central Taiwan on September 21 and killed more
than 2,300 people. There were no immediate reports of deaths after the 6.4 magnitude
quake, but newspapers said that at least 200 people were injured.
Friday's quake struck at 10:19 a.m (0219 GMT) and its epicenter was 2.5 kilometers
(1.5 miles) north of the city of Chiayi, the bureau said. About 80 aftershocks
followed but only a few were strong enough to be felt, including 5.1- and 6-magnitude
tremors.
Chiayi, with a population of 263,000 and located 300 kilometers (180 miles)
south of Taipei, has been hit by several strong quakes in the past century,
and seismologists have said it was due for another big one soon.
The National Fire Administration said that no deaths have been reported, but
the quake injured 38 people, toppled 12 houses and sparked 12 fires.
About 200 people were taken to hospitals in the area, according to the United
Evening News and China Times Express, two of the island's largest afternoon
dailies.
Earthquake Index
Small
Quakes Rattle Central Taiwan...10/21/99
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Two small earthquakes rattled central
Taiwan Thursday morning, one month after a larger temblor killed more than 2,300
people. No damage or injuries were immediately reported in the most recent quakes.
The first tremor, with a magnitude of 4.6, struck near the Sun Moon Lake resort
area, the Central Weather Bureau said. Five hours later, a 4.4-magnitude tremor
hit south of Taichung, the island's third largest city. Both quakes were deep
under the ground. The tremors came a month after the 7.6-magnitude quake jolted
central Taiwan. Since the Sept. 21 temblor, there have been more than 12,000
aftershocks and smaller quakes. Located along the earthquake-prone Pacific Rim
and crisscrossed by 51 fault lines, Taiwan is rattled by scores of earthquakes
each year, most harmless.
Earthquake Index
Earthquake
Hits Northern Japan...10/04/99
TOKYO (AP) - A moderately strong earthquake with a preliminary
magnitude of 5.6 shook parts of northern Japan Sunday, but there were no immediate
reports of damage or injuries. The quake was centered about six miles beneath
the floor of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Iwate prefecture (state), the
country's Meteorological Agency said. The earthquake hit at 6:09 a.m. local
time (5:09 p.m. EDT Saturday) at a point about 372 miles northeast of Tokyo.
Masaki Itabashi, a police spokesman in Aomori prefecture, north of Iwate and
where the temblor was felt the strongest, said there was no damage. The Meteorological
Agency said the quake also posed no danger of tsunami, undersea waves triggered
by volcanic activity or earthquakes.
Earthquake Index
Tremors
shake north-central Italy...07/08/99
BOLOGNA, Italy (AP) - At least three earthquakes rattled north-central
Italy late Wednesday, triggering a flurry of phone calls to authorities and cracking walls in one hospital. No injuries were immediately reported. The first
quake had a preliminary magnitude of 4.3, while the next two quakes were less powerful, authorities said. Switchboards at fire departments in several hamlets
in the Emilia Romagna region lit up with calls from worried residents wondering how severe the quake was, but while some buildings swayed, no major damage was
reported.
Earthquake Index
Quakes,
Rains Beset Mexico...07/06/99
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Four earthquakes rumbled through southern
Mexico Monday, while flooding from heavy rains left at least two people dead.
The largest quake, measured at magnitude 5, occurred at 6:31 p.m. near the Pacific
coast resort of Zihautanejo, according to the government's Notimex news agency.
The smallest, measured at magnitude 3.9. There were no immediate reports of
injury or damage. A larger threat was posed by a series of storms. In Guerrero
state, Notimex reported one man died when he was dragged away by floodwaters
in Acapulco and 100 families were evacuated Monday afternoon. In the central
state of San Luis Potosi, Notimex said a 50-year-old woman died trying to cross
a flood-swollen river in Tancahuitz de Santos and another was rescued as he
clung to a tree where he had been trapped by rising waters.
Earthquake Index
Update:
Seattle Earthquake has been upgraded to a 5.1 magnitude...07/02/99
by Mitch Battros (ECTV)
The quake occurred deep in the earth measured at 24 miles
deep. The 5.1 quake occurred on the emphasis San Juan de Fuca fault line which
has been witness to deadly earthquakes of the past. The last deadly quake occurred
during the worlds fair which was in Seattle in 1965 which measured a 6.5 . Before
that in 1949 a 7.0 quake occurred.
Not sure of the fatality count of this event.
Stay tuned for updates as they occurr.
Breaking News Page: http://www.earthchangesTV.com/breaking/index.htm
Earthquake Index
Seattle
Hit With 3rd Earthquake Within Last Twelve Hours...07/02/99
by Mitch Battros (ECTV)
I was at my computer terminal pecking away, when the lamps
started to swing from the ceiling. This was the last (so far) of three earthquakes
that hit the northwest area of Washington State. It has now been registered
as a 3.5 mg. I started last night with a large 5.7 quake that hit 125 miles
due west off the coast of Vancouver Island. Then early this morning a 3.3 mg
quake hit near Seattle. And now as of the time of this writing - 7:01 PM (PST)
a third 3.5 mg earthquake just hit. The quake lasted about 30 seconds. It was
a quiet rolling quake which is of course different than the loud sharp edge
type I am more familiar with.
Stay tuned for more as events unfold. I will post immediately
to our breaking news page.
Go to our earthquake page to view via our link to the USGS
current earthquake map. http://www.earthchangesTV.com/quakes/index.htm
Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com
Earthquake Index
Mexico
City rattled by 2nd quake...06/22/99
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's second strong earthquake in a week
destroyed five homes and damaged hundreds of others in southwestern Mexico Monday.
The 5.8-magnitude temblor also swayed buildings in the capital and sent workers
swarming into the streets. There was no report of any widescale damage in Mexico
City. The homes were destroyed in the municipality of Coahuyutla in Guerrero state,
near the quake epicenter, said deputy mayor Lorenzo Deloya Linares. He said 800
others were damaged. Mexico's National Seismological Service placed the temblor's
strength at 5.8 - considerably weaker than the 6.7-magnitude quake that struck
central Mexico June 15, killing 17 and injuring 200.
Earthquake Index
Earthquake
shakes south Philippines...06/08/99
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude
of 5.1 shook the southern Philippines, collapsing buildings and injuring at least
five people, officials said Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of deaths
in Bayugan, the town hardest hit by the earthquake Monday afternoon. Reports from
the region in Agusan del Sur province were delayed because of poor communications.
About 20 buildings and stores were either destroyed or damaged in the agricultural
town of 90,000 people, police said. A school, a hospital and a public market were
among the damaged structures.
Earthquake Index
Azerbaijan
earthquake kills 1...06/04/99
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) - A powerful earthquake with a magnitude
of 7 destroyed several buildings Friday in Azerbaijan, killing at least one person
and injuring 10, officials said. The epicenter of the earthquake was near the
town of Agdash, 135 miles west of the capital, Baku. It struck shortly after 2
p.m. The Azerbaijan Interior Ministry gave the death toll. However, the Turan
news agency reported that 15 people in Agdash were hospitalized, four of them
in serious condition. Turan said several villages around Agdash were also severely
damaged. Tremors up to a magnitude of 3 were registered in Baku.
Earthquake Index
Earthquake
shakes central Colombia...06/02/99
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - An earthquake struck just south of Colombia's
capital Tuesday, shaking at least one building as it rattled through several cities.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury. The 5.1 magnitude quake hit
at 4:42 p.m. local time and was centered near Guayabetal, a town 35 miles south
of the capital, said Alvaro Nieto, the government's chief seismologist. "It was
very strong, our building moved like a deck of cards," said Teddy Tornbaum, Colombian
Red Cross director in Villavicencio, a regional capital 6 miles from the epicenter.
Tornbaum said city residents ran into the streets but nobody was reported hurt.
Earthquake Index
Quake
rocks Palm Springs area...05/14/99
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) - A magnitude-5.0 earthquake shook the
desert near Palm Springs early Friday. There were no immediate reports of damage
or injuries from the aftershock to a deadly 1992 temblor. The earthquake was centered
19 miles northeast of Palm Springs, said Joe Franck, a seismologist at the California
Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The initial quake was followed by a swarm
of smaller tremors. Palm Springs is about 110 miles east of Los Angeles. The magnitude-7.3
Landers earthquake struck June 28, 1992, and was followed a few hours later by
a magnitude-6.5 quake hit in the San Bernardino Mountains. One person was killed.
There have been more than 70,000 aftershocks. This is the 24th aftershock with
a magnitude of 5.0 or greater, Franck said.
Earthquake Index
New
Madrid fault not threatening...04/23/99
WASHINGTON (AP) - The threat of major new earthquakes on the New
Madrid fault along the Mississippi River has been overestimated, according to
researchers studying the source of devastating tremors nearly two centuries ago.
A series of great quakes in 1811-12, centered near New Madrid, Mo., shook the
region from present day St. Louis to Memphis, Tenn., and beyond, causing the Mississippi
to run backward for a time. Minor tremors continue to occur and scientists have
been concerned that a repeat of the powerful earlier quakes could cause devastation
in the modern cities that have grown in the region. But that threat may not be
as bad as thought, according to a report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
Earthquake Index
Earthquake
hits India...03/28/99
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
Officials in northern India say at least thirty-five people
are now known to have died after a powerful earthquake hit a remote mountainous
region in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
More than one-hundred people were injured by the quake, which
measured six-point-eight on the Richter scale, and was followed by several aftershocks.
Correspondents say the casualty figures are likely to rise
as more details come in from isolated areas.
All the citizens of several towns in the worst-hit area Chamoli
have left their homes after meteorological officials warned of further tremors.
The army has been placed on alert to help in the relief operation.
The earthquake was centred in the Chamoli and Garhwal districts of Uttar Pradesh
in the Himalayan foothills, but its effect was felt over a wide distance, including
in the capital, Delhi, about three-hundred kilometres away.
Earthquake Index
Strong
earthquake hits Tokyo area...03/26/99
TOKYO (AP) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 shook Tokyo
and neighboring areas Friday, injuring one person slightly and interrupting
operations at a nuclear facility. The mid-morning quake was centered 30 miles
underground in northern Ibaraki prefecture, or state, 80 miles northeast of
Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said. A 61-year-old woman suffered minor injuries
after being hit on the head by a vase that fell from a shelf in her house, said
Ibaraki Prefectural police official Takao Iida. The quake also caused a Japan
Atomic Energy Research Institute testing reactor in the town of Oarai to shut
down, said Masayuki Toda, a spokesman for the institute. The reactor is designed
to automatically stop operating in earthquakes.
Earthquake Index
Sydney
shaken by minor earthquake...03/17/99
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude
of 4.7 shook Sydney for several seconds Wednesday, knocking out power to about
1,000 houses and three coal mines southwest of the city. The New South Wales
Fire Service said it received a flood of calls from people reporting shaking
buildings. There were no reports of major damage or injury, spokesman Ian Krimmer
said. Office workers in downtown Sydney and on the north shore of Sydney Harbor
also felt the quake, with reports of office furniture vibrating. A quake of
magnitude 4 can cause moderate damage in an urban area. BHP Collieries said
power was cut to three of its mines in the area.
Earthquake Index
Earthquake
hits central Japan...03/16/99
TOKYO (AP) - A fairly strong earthquake jolted central Japan
Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake,
with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1, hit the city of Suzuka and its neighboring
areas at 4:43 p.m. local time, the Central Meteorological Agency said. The quake
was centered about 6 miles underground near Suzuka, 185 miles southwest of Tokyo,
the agency said. There was no danger of tsunami, tidal waves that are sometimes
set off by quakes. On Sunday, a string of more than 300 quakes rattled a pair
of Japanese islands south of Tokyo causing minor damage. Japan is one of the
world's most earthquake-prone nations. It sits atop four tectonic plates, slabs
of land that move across the earth's surface.
Earthquake Index
Quakes
rattle Japanese islands...03/15/99
TOKYO (AP) - A string of more than 300 earthquakes hit a pair
of Japanese islands south of Tokyo Sunday, rattling homes and toppling gravestones.
No injuries or major damage were reported. The strongest quake on Niishima and
Kozushima, 100 miles south of Tokyo, had a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 and
struck early Sunday, the Central Meteorological Agency reported. The quake was
centered 12 miles underground. That quake was part of a series of more than
300 quakes, all but a few dozen of them too weak to be felt. The strongest of
those ranged in magnitude from 3.5 to 4.1, and some were as shallow as 6 miles,
the agency said.
Earthquake Index
Geologists
to study eastern Turkey quakes ...03/11/99
(ENN) Geologists hoping to better understand the mechanics
behind earthquakes and the collision of continents are heading to eastern Turkey
to take an in-depth picture of one of the most seismically active regions in
the world.
Scientists from the University of Cornell have received a $400,000
grant from the National Science Foundation to embark on the three-year study
of the Turkish Plateau, the youngestcontinent-to-continent plate boundary region
on Earth. It is also one of the least studied.
"In eastern Turkey, the collision process is only about 10
million years old and depicts what the Tibet plateau looked like 25 million
years ago. In other words, Turkey could have mountains like the Himalayas 20
million years from now," according to Eric Sandvol, a geology department research
associate at Cornell.
Sandvol will spend several months over the next year in Turkey
setting up and monitoring an array of 30 temporary seismic recording stations,
spanning about 300 miles. He will be joined by Cornell research associate Dogan
Seber, Cornell graduate student Ali Al-Lazki and team leader Muawia Barazangi,
a geology professor and associate director of the Institute for the Study of
the Continents. The geologists will collaborate with Turkish scientists at the
Kandilli Seismological Observatory in Istanbul.
The Cornell team will record seismic waves produced by earthquakes
in the region with a portable broad-band instrument -- basically a seismometer
attached to a computer. These recordings will be documented continuously for
a year, giving the geologists a picture of the Earth 250 miles deep, according
to Sandvol. The technique is similar to CAT scan imaging of the body's internal
organs. But instead of sending X-rays through the body, researchers record waves
of energy from earthquakes
The scientists will combine their data with geophysical, geological,
geochronological and geochemical measurements that geologists have collected
from the surface to produce a coherent picture of the geodynamic processes in
the region. This information will help assess the earthquake hazards in the
region and add vital information to what is known about plate tectonics and
the building of mountains.
"Ever since the advent of plate tectonics in the 1960s, earth
scientists have been trying to better understand the nature of continental collision
and deformation. The Anatolian Plateau in eastern Turkey offers a unique and
excellent opportunity to understand the early stages of this process," says
Barazangi. "Understanding these early stages is essential to modeling the later
stages of continental collision."
For more information, contact Susan S. Lang, Cornell University,
(607)255-3613, email: SSL4@cornell.edu
Earthquake Index
Quake
hits southern Philippines...03/04/99
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) - A strong earthquake rocked a
large area of the southern Philippines Thursday, sending panicked people running
out of swaying buildings and breaking windows but causing no major injuries,
officials said. The quake was felt in nine provinces, including a large area
of central Mindanao, the Philippines' second largest island and one of its poorest
regions, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. The quake
was measured with a magnitude of 6.1 when it hit at 4:52 p.m. local time and
was centered in the Moro Gulf about 63 miles southeast of Zamboanga.
Earthquake Index
Earthquakes
shake part of Siberia...02/26/99
MOSCOW (AP) - A series of earthquakes shook Siberia's southern
Baikal region early Friday, cracking home foundations and snapping water pipes,
the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. No casualties were reported in the quakes,
the strongest of which had a preliminary magnitude of 7. Still, the temblors
caused broken windows and damage to slate roofs in villages near the thinly
populated epicenter in the Irkutsk region, 2,600 miles east of Moscow, ITAR-Tass
said.
Earthquake Index
An
Earthquake MAG 3.8 Hits MAINE...02/26/99
Hi Folks,
This just came through. Who would have thought...
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION CENTER
World Data Center A for Seismology The following is from the United States Geological
Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: Preliminary hypocenter for earthquake
of 1999 Feb 26, MAINE: latitude 44.5 degrees north, longitude 69.6 degrees west,
origin time 03 38 43.3 utc, depth shallow, magnitude 3.8 mbLg. Felt in parts
of Kennebec, Lincoln, Penobscot and Somerset Counties, Maine. There have been
no reports of damage or casualties at this time.
Earthquake Index
Mt.
Hood has 40 + quakes in past few days...01/14/99
Dear Mitch,
Rather timely wouldn't you say? Mt Hood just had 40 quakes.
I believe on the show we said it was the one to watch next.
Not sure of the wording but know it was mentioned a couple of times as the next
one or the one to watch. I believe it is going to become much more active with
an eventual eruption within the next two years.
Very interesting timing.
Smile -- James Gilliland
Self-Mastery Earth Institute
PO Box 281
Hood River, Oregon 97031
(509) 395-2092
http://www.cazekiel.org
Mitch Battros wrote:
Yes James, that's just what you said.
Great hit. I will find something on it and post. If you have
an article on indicating 40 quakes, please send.
Mitch
James A Gilliland wrote:
Dear Mitch,
The 40 quakes were on the major news networks, coin TV came
on twice. Although they said 40 quakes and looks like magma is moving underneath
they down played the possibility of an eruption.
I feel definitly before the year 2000 is over Hood will erupt.
James Gilliland
Self-Mastery Earth Institute
PO Box 281
Hood River, Oregon 97031
(509) 395-2092
http://www.cazekiel.org
Note:
As of this posting Mt. Hood is still having many quakes. Prior
to noon (Central Time) on Jan 14, there have been 4 more recorded. This will
be watched closely and postings made accordingly.
You can watch the activity at: http://www.geophys.washington.edu/SEIS/PNSN/HOOD/hoodrec_eqs.html
Earthquake Index
New
rumblings at Mount St. Helens 01/06/99
Many small earthquakes have been logged at Mount St. Helens
in the past month.
Go to: http://www.geophys.washington.edu/SEIS/PNSN/HELENS/mshrec_eqs.html
to see the USGS daily reports. As of this writing there have been 15 small quakes
in the area of Mount St. Helens since December 25, 1998.
You will also find a live web cam from the Johnston Ridge Observatory
at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/volcanocam/
Earthquake Index
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - A moderate earthquake struck in the
Atlantic Ocean just north of Cuba early today. The magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit
at 3:23 a.m. (2:23 a.m. ET) and was centered 60 miles north of Guantanamo, in
the Atlantic off eastern Cuba, according to the U.S. National Earthquake Information
Center in Golden, Colo. Quakes of such strength can cause moderate damage. No
details from Cuba on the effects of the quake were immediately available.
Earthquake Index
BEIJING (AP) - Five children seriously injured when schools
collapsed were among 84 people hurt in last week's earthquake in southwest China,
an official newspaper reported Monday. The magnitude-5.1 quake in Xuanwei, a
county in Yunnan province with 1.3 million people, damaged 472 schools and 21,400
houses Tuesday, the China Daily reported. The quake caused $22.5 million in
damage. Officials previously had said there were few injuries. China Daily said
Liu Shunhua, a city official, reported the 84 injuries and noted 21 aftershocks
could be felt throughout the area.
Earthquake Index
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A moderate earthquake shook the San Francisco
Bay area early Friday, waking people and disrupting some transit trains. There
were no reports of damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude
of the 4:16 a.m. quake at 4.1. It said the epicenter was about three miles east-southeast
of Richmond, which is about 10 miles northeast of San Francisco. Service on
Bay Area Rapid Transit system trains from Richmond was halted because of an
electrical problem caused by the quake, but it was quickly restored. Other lines
were running slowly while engineers checked tracks for damage. In Oakland, Police
Officer Jason Kaiser said the department had not received any calls for assistance.
"It felt pretty strong," he said. "But it was really quick. A
good little shake".
Earthquake Index
BEIJING (Reuters) - Two earthquakes in China's southwestern
Yunnan province have injured 300 and destroyed more than 200 homes, officials
said Friday. Of the injured, 63 were in serious condition, according to a foreign
affairs official in Yunnan. "A section of road in Ninglang county was damaged
and there were a number of landslides," the official said. "Some 223
homes were destroyed." The earthquakes, one measuring 6.2 on the Richter
scale, jolted the border of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces Thursday evening. The
stronger quake struck at 7.38 p.m., seven minutes after another tremor that
registered 5.0, the Xinhua news agency said.
Earthquake Index
BEIJING (Reuters) - China, bracing for a major earthquake in
or around Beijing, will spend 544 million yuan (US$65.5 million) to shore up
key buildings, the China Daily reported Monday. Buildings housing central government
ministries, Communist Party offices and army units would be strengthened using
rubber cushioning and other techniques, the paper said. It quoted the director
of the Anti-Earthquake Office under the Ministry of Construction as saying structures
in Beijing and nine surrounding cities - including Tianjin, Chengde and Tangshan
- would be buttressed. Chinese scientists have warned that several destructive
earthquakes could hit northern China during a seismically active period from
1996 to 2000.
Earthquake Index
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A strong earthquake rocked eastern Indonesian
Monday, the second in two days, the Hong Kong Observatory said. The quake, measuring
seven on the Richter scale, was recorded at 1:45 p.m., its epicenter in the
Banda Sea about 500 miles east-northeast of Ende, Flores. There were no immediate
reports of damage. An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale rocked Flores
Sunday. There were no reports of damage or casualties, meteorology officials
said Monday.
Earthquake Index
A long-held dream of seismologists -- to be able to predict
earthquakes -- may be a bit closer to coming true, thanks to the work of Marek
Zreda at The University of Arizona in Tucson. A new method of dating past earthquakes
can provide information that may help predict future quakes on certain types
of faults, according to a paper published tomorrow (Nov. 6) in the journal Science
by Zreda and his colleague, Jay S. Noller of Vanderbilt University.
Zreda, a cosmogenic isotope geochemist and assistant professor
in the department of hydrology and water resources, and Noller, a seismologist,
measured trace amounts of the chlorine isotope chlorine-36 (36Cl) on surfaces
of bedrock exposed by faulting action at a site in Montana in order to date
earthquake events there. The 36Cl results from chemical changes in surface elements
that react with neutrons and muons produced by cosmic rays that enter the Earth's
atmosphere.
These cosmic rays, produced in deep space and deflected into
Earth's atmosphere by its magnetic field, bombard our planet at a rate that
is known and predictable, Zreda says, for any given site's latitude and altitude.
The longer a rock surface has been exposed to the air, the more 36Cl accumulates.
By measuring the amount of 36Cl at different heights on a scarp, or vertical
surface of rock exposed by a fault, and calibrating for geographic position,
rock type, and erosion history, the researchers were able to calculate the time
each portion of rock had been exposed.
They found that six earthquakes had struck the site in the
last 24,000 years, and were able to date them to 400, 1,700, 2,600, 7,000, 20,300
and 23,800 years ago. The estimates are accurate to within 400-3,000 years.
Knowing the pattern of timing of past earthquakes at a particular fault may
help in predicting when the next one will hit. "This approach has the potential
for predicting large earthquakes along major faults, especially if the earthquakes
are not very frequent, and many major faults fall into this category,"
Zreda says.
(From Jay Withgott for University of Arizona News Services)
(Contact: Marek Zreda, 520-621-4072, marek@hwr.arizona.edu)
Earthquake Index
LinkExchange Member
