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.
Researchers have found evidence of four tsunamis in the Mediterranean that occurred within the past 3500 years. One was linked to the eruption of Santorini volcano and others may have been caused by earthquakes or landslides.
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.
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.
People in Asia, Africa and Australia are preparing for tsunamis by practicing a drill, called Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 09. The test was aimed to determine if warning systems are functioning adequately. This article includes a short video.
NASA’s Earth Observatory has before and after satellite images that show obvious damage that occurred on September 29, 2009, when a tsunami struck the southern shoreline of Upolu, the easternmost of the Samoan islands.
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.
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 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 Physorg.com website explains why some scientists believe that a mega-quake of 9.0 or higher magnitude could occur beneath Seattle, causing lots of damage and generating a tsunami that could cause damage around the Pacific Basin.
A 7.6 Magnitude earthquake occurred in the Andaman Islands, located in the Indian Ocean south of Myanmar and about 700 miles east of India. A tsunami watch was issued for countries surrounding the Indian Ocean (India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh) but it was cancelled. The earthquake was felt in all of the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean but no major damage or deaths were reported.
The threat of a large tsunami occurring on the coast of Alaska has been previously underestimated. If two parts of the Yakataga segment ruptured at the same time, a tsunami could be created that affects the entire coastline between Alaska and California.
USGS reports that a 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred along the west coast of South Island, New Zealand at about 8:22 PM local time. A tsunami warning was issued but cancelled. The earthquake was felt across South Island but no major damage is reported in early news articles. The area of the island near the earthquake is sparsely populated.
This article explains the plate tectonics and history of the Nankai Trough region off the coast of Japan. The area produces a large earthquake roughly once a century.
USGS reports a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the Gulf of Honduras. It occurred at 3:24 AM local time on Thursday, May 28, 2009 along a transform fault between the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate. A tsunami is not expected. An early news report of at least one death and building damage can be seen at Yahoo! News.
The Lake Tahoe region, which lies between California and Nevada, is an area where magnitude 7.0 earthquakes have occurred in the past. A recurrence of that magnitude of earthquake could produce a damaging tsunami in Lake Tahoe.
There is a possibility that a large earthquake off Oregon could generate a devastating tsunami. People living near the coast should have a plan in case of emergency. This article includes two videos.
In April 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred near the Solomon Islands, causing a deadly tsunami. This article explores the unusual aspects of the quake.
Dave Petley has an interesting post with informative images titled: “Coastal landslides and tsunami hazards (and the wonder that is Google Earth).” He gives a summary of a recent EOS article by researches at the Geohazard Reserach Centre at Portsmouth University.
A major earthquake has occurred on the Tonga Trench area of the western Pacific Ocean. It occurred at 6:17 AM local time on Friday, March 20. A damaging tsunami was not produced. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and Hawaii Warning Center.
On the Tongan island of Tongatapu, there are some large pieces of coral limestone that have no obvious source. It appears that a tsunami may have carried them onto land.
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Hobart King
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