Chile has been hit by repeated and numerous aftershocks since the 8.8 magnitude earthquake of February 27th. Today a 7.2 aftershock shook large parts of the country.
Earth Observatory has a new image of Chaiten Volcano showing a new lava dome about 2000 meters across that almost completely fills the caldera produced by the 2008 eruption.
A rockfall on Interstate 70 between Glenwood Springs and Dotsero, Colorado left large boulders scattered over the highway and severely damaged the pavement. The largest rock weighed an estimated 66 tons. No injuries were reported.
“U.S. Geological Survey and Southern Methodist University will use infrasound, seismometers, GPS and other methods to monitor lava and ash hazards in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth. The archipelago’s active volcanoes threaten not only residents of the island chain and the U.S. military, but also passenger airlines and cargo ships.” Quoted from the SMU press release.
Mike Blanpied of the United States Geological Survey gives a briefing on the recent Chile earthquake and why that country did not suffer as many deaths as the far less powerful earthquake in Haiti.
A strong winter storm hit France and parts of Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany and England with winds gusting over 100 miles per hour. Many people drowned when they were surprised by a storm surge combined with high tide.
The recent magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile was the fifth most powerful earthquake since 1900. The most powerful earthquake ever recorded was a 9.5 magnitude event that occurred in Chile in 1960.
Early results from the USGS “Did you feel it?” map shows that this morning’s earthquake in Chile was felt across the southern part of the South American continent.
A massive earthquake occurred along the coast of Chile at 3:34 AM local time. This is a very large earthquake that ruptured the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. The USGS instrumental intensity shake map shows severe shaking along the coast of Chile.
The New York Association of Towns has a membership of 900 towns located across New York State. They passed a unanimous resolution calling for increased preparation to protect against an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) event – a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy that can be produced by a solar storm or a human event such as a high-altitude nuclear burst.
Since 1857 over 500 rockfalls in Yosemite Valley have killed 14 people and injured 62. Now over 200 cabins are off limits to visitors because they are in an area with a high incidence of rockfalls.
Heavy rains on the Portuguese island of Madeira have triggered floods and landslides that have caused significant damage and killed at least 30 people.
Sakurajima volcano in southern Japan erupted more than 400 times during 2009, and activity is increasing in early 2010. Gray ash is visible in the plume that extends northeast (towards the lower-right) of the volcano. Ashfall is a regular occurence at the daikon and mandarin farms surrounding the volcano, as well as the nearby cities of Kagoshima and Kirishima. NASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon. Caption by Robert Simmon. Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
At 12:35 p.m. local time on February 11, 2010, Soufrière Hills Volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat experienced a partial dome collapse. Lasting nearly an hour, the event sent a plume 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) skyward, and sent pyroclastic flows—avalanches of hot gas and debris—some 300 to 400 meters (980 to 1,200 feet) out to sea.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on February 11, 2010, the same afternoon that the dome collapsed. more….
This Earth Science Picture of the Day shows mass wasting occurring on some hills close to Cange, Haiti. Although the photo was taken just prior to last month’s earthquake, the limestone hills had long since succumbed to mechanical erosion.
“The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), in partnership with Oregon Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, are enhancing and expanding tsunami preparedness for Oregon coastal communities with a new program called TsunamiReady, TsunamiPrepared.”
The PhotoVolcanica website has an interesting page that presents photos, maps and images of Sakurajima Volcano and its potential impact on surrounding communities – over 400 eruptions were reported in 2009.
Natural disasters are inevitable, but the severe damage that they sometimes cause is not. Information and preparation are the keys to minimizing destruction in areas with known geologic hazards. Haiti could benefit significantly by incorporating knowledge about earthquakes, landslides, and hurricanes in their rebuilding efforts.
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Hobart King
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