“This visualization shows the collapse of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, part of Washington’s State Route 99, and adjacent seawall due to a seismic event. The simulated earthquake is similar to the 2001 Nisqually earthquake but lasts longer, is closer to Seattle, or has a slightly greater magnitude.” Quoted from the Washington State Department of Transportation release.
When a tsunami occurs in America’s Pacific Northwest, will cities be prepared? Meetings are underway to determine how and where tsunami shelters should be constructed.
NASA’s Earth Observatory has a satellite image of tsunami damage on the Tongan island of Niuatoputapu associated with the magnitude 8.0 earthquake of September 29th, 2009. Nine people were killed by the wave.
Over the past year a small area in Pennsylvania has experienced over 600 small earthquakes. Many of them are strong enough for humans to feel and they have been cause for considerable concern.
On October 17, 1989 a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the San Francisco area. It killed 63 people and caused over $6 billion in property damage. It was the largest earthquake to occur on the San Andreas fault since the great San Francisco earthquake of April 1906. This article at Time.com asks if the Bay area is better prepared for an earthquake today.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone parallels the Pacific coast of Oregon and has produced five massive earthquakes in the past 1400 years. This article explores the geology of these earthquakes and mitigation strategies.
An article on the Mercury News website reports that many people in California do not buy earthquake insurance. They don’t buy it for a variety of reasons. Some think that their homeowners insurance provides coverage (it usually doesn’t) while others think that it is too expensive or just take a chance on going without it.
On October 8 and 9, 2009, more than a dozen earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater occurred near the island nation of Vanuatu. Earth Observatory has a map of their epicenters and a brief summary of the events.
Another large earthquake in the Vanuatu region… This 7.7 earthquake occurred near the Santa Cruz Islands on Thursday, October 08, 2009 at 09:18:26 AM local time. It was located on the boundary between the Australia and Pacific plates. A tsunami watch was issued but cancelled.
CNN has an article about today’s major earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean. A 7.8 magnitude and a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Vanuatu area within an hour and ten minutes.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Torres Islands, Vanuatu area on Thursday, October 08, 2009 at 09:03:15 AM local time. The earthquake occurred near the boundary between the Australia and Pacific plates. The earthquake’s location, depth, and focal mechanism are consistent with the earthquake having occurred as thrust-faulting associated with subduction along the Australia-Pacific plate boundary.
Two large earthquakes have hit the Pacific. Harley Benz, Scientist-in-Charge at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center, talks about the quakes’ damage, their relationship to one another, and what USGS scientists are doing in the aftermath.
There is broad agreement in the scientific community that a continuing concern exists for a major destructive earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone. Many structures in Memphis, Tenn., St. Louis, Mo., and other communities in the central Mississippi River Valley region are vulnerable and at risk from severe ground shaking.
Dave Petley reports on landslides in Indonesia that were triggered by the recent earthquake.
“It is interesting to note that in all three of the large earthquakes upon which I have worked (1999 Taiwan, 2005 Pakistan, 2008 China), the media has tended to initially focus their coverage upon urban areas, whilst the real story has actually been in the rural hinterland.”
An Associated Press article summarizes the known impact and shares photos of the recent 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia on Thursday morning local time.
Researchers at Rice University have evidence that the world’s largest earthquakes can weaken fault zones worldwide and trigger periods of increased global seismic activity.
A strong earthquake struck offshore Indonesia at about 5:16 PM local time. News articles report that many buildings have collapsed trapping hundreds of people inside.
The potential for a huge Pacific Ocean tsunami on the West Coast of North America may be greater than previously thought. The new study of geological evidence along the Gulf of Alaska coast suggests that future tsunamis could reach a scale far beyond that suffered in the tsunami generated by the great 1964 Alaskan earthquake.
The New York Times has a more complete story on the impact of the tsunami that washed over parts of Samoa and American Samoa after a powerful earthquake this morning. Dozens of people were killed by the waves.
A tsunami is a large ocean wave that is caused by sudden motion of the ocean floor. This sudden motion could be an earthquake, a powerful volcanic eruption, or an underwater landslide. The impact of a large meteorite could also cause a tsunami…. more
USGS reports that a 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred along a plate boundary in the American Samoa Islands area at 6:48 AM local time. A tsunami warming was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. An early news article from the Associated Press reports damage in the islands near the epicenter.
The Utah Geological Survey has released: “PALEOSEISMIC INVESTIGATION OF THE NORTHERN WEBER SEGMENT OF THE WASATCH FAULT ZONE AT THE RICE CREEK TRENCH SITE, NORTH OGDEN, UTAH, Christopher B. DuRoss, Stephen F. Personius, Anthony J. Crone, Greg N. McDonald, David J. Lidke.”
A summary story by the Associated Press reports that large earthquakes (6.5 to 7.0 magnitude) strike the Wasatch Front with an average frequency of about once every 1500 years.
An article and video on the Science Daily website present the idea that the L-waves of large earthquakes can trigger smaller quakes far from their source.
A strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the offshore area of Venezuela, just northwest of Caracas at 6:25 PM local time. The USGS shake map and “did you feel it map” have reports of VI intensity in areas near oil facilities.
The South African International Year of Planet Earth Website has an informative .pdf document that explains the geologic hazards in that country. Earthquakes, sinkholes, unstable soils, coastal erosion, landslides, floods and tsunamis are covered in the report. A quote that I found surprising….
“The rates of seismic activity in South Africa’s gold mining districts are higher than elsewhere in the world (even than California and Japan, which are renowned for earthquakes). A typical deep-level mine records about 1 000 seismic events each day.”
An article on the Earth Magazine website explores the cause of moonquakes (the lunar equivalent of earthquakes). Data from seismic stations left by the Apollo mission is being reevaluated with improved knowledge.
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Hobart King
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