Earthquakes & volcanoes

[waltky]

Whole lotta shakin' goin' on in Canada...

Magnitude 7.7 quake strikes off western Canada
Oct 28,`12 -- A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the west coast of Canada and a tsunami warning was issued, authorities said, but there were no immediate reports of major damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit the Queen Charlotte Islands just after 8 p.m. local time Saturday at a depth of about 3 miles (5 kilometers) and was centered 96 miles (155 kilometers) south of Masset, British Columbia. It was one of the biggest earthquakes around Canada in decades and was felt across a wide area around British Columbia.

The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas of British Columbia, southern Alaska and Hawaii. The first wave of the small tsunami, about 4 inches (101.6 millimeters), hit the southeast Alaska coastal community of Craig.

Dennis Sinnott of the Canadian Institute of Ocean Science said a 69 centimeter (27 inch) wave was recorded off Langara Island on the northeast tip of Haida Gwaii, formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands. Another 55 centimeter (21 inch) wave hit Winter Harbour on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island. "It appears to be settling down," he said. "It does not mean we won't get another small wave coming through."

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center originally said there was no threat to the islands of Hawaii, but a warning was issued later Saturday and remains in effect until 7 p.m. Sunday. A small craft advisory is in effect until Sunday morning. The center says the first tsunami wave could hit the islands by about 10:30 p.m. local time.

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Canada earthquake rocks British Columbia islands
28 October 2012 - A 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked Canada's western province of British Columbia, but there are no immediate reports of damage.

The quake hit 125 miles (200km) south-west of Prince Rupert at a depth of 11 miles, said the US Geological Survey. It struck around 03:00 GMT and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock. Tsunami warnings were issued locally and for Hawaii. Initial waves prompted calls for precautionary measures on the Canadian and Alaskan coasts.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had at first said it did not expect a threat beyond the immediate area. People in coastal areas of Canada's Haida Gwaii archipelago, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, were reportedly being moved to higher ground as a precaution.

Urs Thomas, operator of the Golden Spruce hotel in Port Clements, close to the epicentre, said the initial quake lasted about three minutes. "It was a pretty good shock," he told Associated Press. "I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving." A resident of the mainland town of Prince Rupert, Grainne Barthe, told AP: "Everything was moving. It was crazy. I've felt earthquakes before but this was the biggest. It was nerve wracking. I thought we should be going under a table."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20113884

[waltky]

possum got his lil surfboard out, headin' fer the beach...

Hawaii hit by tsunami triggered by Canada quake
28 October 2012 - Dr Charles McCreery, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center: "It's mostly a marine threat now"

A tsunami triggered by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake thousands of miles away in Canada has hit the island chain of Hawaii, without causing major damage. Emergency sirens sounded to alert residents late on Saturday, and people were ordered out of of low-lying areas. The first waves were reported to be up to 2.5ft (76cm) in one area, but were generally smaller than expected. Hours later, the tsunami warning was downgraded and the state governor said Hawaii could count its blessings. Wave heights of three to six feet had been predicted in some areas. The quake struck 125 miles (200km) south-west of the Canadian town of Prince Rupert at a depth of 11 miles (18km), said the US Geological Survey.

While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not initially expect a threat beyond the immediate area, it later warned that a tsunami had been generated "that could cause damage along the coastline of all islands in the state of Hawaii." The centre called for urgent action to protect lives and property. People living in areas considered to be at risk were urged to move to higher ground. First waves hit the archipelago, made up of hundreds of islands spread over some 1,500 miles, from around 22:30 local (08:30GMT). A senior scientist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, Gerard Fryer, told journalists that while the tsunami had arrived as predicted, he had been "expecting it to be a little bigger."

A civil defence source tweeted that Wailoa Harbor on Hawaii island was reporting 4ft waves every six minutes. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, in an announcement posted at 00:54 local, that the tsunami warning was cancelled. "Based on all available data, the tsunami threat has decreased and is now at the advisory level and not expected to increase. "Sea level changes and strong currents may still occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbours and marinas. The threat may continue for several hours," it said.

More http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20113884

[Trinnity]

Must be the fracking. LOLOL

[roadmaster]

If we get a big one because of our soil Canada will rock.

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - it's the end times; flames, fire an' vapors o' smoke...

Volcano in central Mexico spews mile-high ash column
March 28, 2016 -- Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano erupted over the weekend, spewing columns of ash up to a mile high.

The most significant of the low-intensity effects occurred on Saturday and Sunday. About 20 minutes worth of tremors were felt in the region, which is southeast of Mexico City.

Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention has warned nearby residents to avoid the area, adding that low-level to intermediate-level explosive activity is expected. Falling ash may affect nearby towns.

The volcano is in the states of Puebla and Morelos, 43 miles southeast of Mexico City. A 7-mile exclusion zone has been declared around the volcano, which was relatively quiet Monday.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-Ne...?spt=sec&or=tn

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Alaskan volcano spews ash 20,000 feet in the air
March 28, 2016 -- A volcano has erupted on the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, spewing hot ash 20,000 feet in the air and prompting aviation warnings, authorities said Sunday.

Pavlof Volcano, about 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted at 4:18 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. Tremors also occurred. The volcano "is one of the most consistently active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc," the agency said. Pavlof, about 4.4 miles in diameter, has had 40 known eruptions.

A previous eruption in 2012 spewed ash 27,000 feet, but the Pavlof has produced ash plumes as high as 49,000 feet the Alaska Volcano Observatory said. It's most recent eruption was Nov. 2014.

Aviation warnings remain at their highest level as the volcano alert remained in effect until at least Monday morning, with ash moving north.

Meanwhile, south of the U.S. border, Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano erupted over the weekend, spewing columns of ash up to a mile high. A 7-mile exclusion zone has been declared around the volcano.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2016/...or=3&sn=tn_int

[MisterVeritis]

I blame George Bush. And man-caused global warming. Or George Bush.

[Don]

Gaia is angry!

[waltky]

Vanatu hit by 2 earthquakes in one day...

Vanuatu Coast struck by two strong earthquakes in one day
Saturday 16th April, 2016 - A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, merely hours after another strong tremor was experienced in the same area.

The United States Geological Survey said that the first quake measured 6.5 struck at a depth of 10 kms, about 86 kms from the town of Port Orly. Reports said that there was a 6.0 magnitude foreshock about 9.5 hours before the quake and several aftershocks higher than magnitude 5 were experienced in the same area.

The epicentre of the quake was said to be 135 kms, north-west of the town of Santo. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre have not issued any tsunami alert and no reports of damage or injuries were reported from the region. This is the fourth large temblor that has rocked the Pacific region over the last few days.

Vanuatu was last struck by a major earthquake measuring 7.1 magnitude in October 2015. Reports said that Vanuatu is part of the “Ring of Fire,” a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific that is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/2...kes-in-one-day

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Myanmar, India, China, Nepal affected by Asia’s second strong quake in a week
Thursday 14th April, 2016 - A second strong earthquake was reported from Asia in a single week after the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said that an earthquake measuring 7.0 struck Myanmar.

Merely days after a powerful earthquake rocked parts of South Asia, the earthquake in Myanmar is said to have had wide-spread effects in several parts of the region. USGS said that the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck northwest Myanmar, 396 kms north northwest of the capital city Naypyidaw. The quake struck at a depth of 135 km and tremors were reportedly felt in India, Nepal, China, and Tibet.

Reports also added that Germany’s Research Centre for Geosciences claimed the quake was recorded to be of 7.1 magnitude. Tremors were felt in India’s north-eastern cities Guwahati, Shillong, Kolkata and Patna. Metro train services in Kolkata and Delhi were affected for a short while and trains reportedly ran at a reduced speed after operations resumed.

The quake was also felt in Nepal and Kathmandu, along with Bhutan, Bangladesh, China and Tibet feeling strong tremors. There were no immediate reports of any casualties, but residents who rushed out in panic are said to have noticed several cracks on buildings in various cities that felt the tremors.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/2...uake-in-a-week

[waltky]

Whole lotta shakin' goin' on...

Large earthquake rocks Ecuador, kills 28
Sunday 17 April 2016 - Ecuador's strongest earthquake in decades, a 7.8 magnitude tremor, struck off the Pacific coast on Saturday, killing at least 28 people and causing "considerable damage" near the epicenter as well as in the largest city of Guayaquil. The Andean nation's government recommended people leave coastal areas over concern for rising tides.

Alarmed residents streamed into the streets of the highland capital Quito, hundreds of kilometers (miles) away, and other towns across the nation. "Based on preliminary information, there are 16 people dead in the city of Portoviejo, 10 in Manta and two in the province of Guayas," said Vice President Jorge Glas in a televised address. The country's Geophysics Institute in a bulletin described "considerable damage" in western coastal areas nearest the quake and in Guayaquil, without providing further details. The quake struck at around 8:00 p.m. (0100 GMT) at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles).

President Rafael Correa cut short a trip to Italy to return home, urging Ecuadoreans via Twitter to keep their spirits up. Guayaquil's mayor Jaime Nebot, who was traveling in Spain, said on his Facebook page he would coordinate recovery operations from where he was. Official details on the damage to Guayaquil, a frequent departure point for foreign tourists visiting the Galapagos islands made famous by Charles Darwin, were slow to emerge.

Social media pictures showed a collapsed bridge in the city and minor damage to the lobby of a hotel, as well as images of a collapsed air traffic control tower at an airport in the city of Manta. "I was in my house watching a movie and everything started to shake. I ran out into the street and now I don't know what's going to happen," said Lorena Cazares, 36, a telecommunications worker in Quito. Parts of the capital were without power or telephone service, with many communicating only via Whatsapp. Photos on social media showed cracks in the walls of shopping centers.

The capital's municipal government later said power had been restored and there were no reports of casualties in the city. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 meter (one to three feet) above tide level were possible for some coastal areas of Ecuador. State officials said the OPEC nation's oil production was not affected by the quake but that the principal refinery of Esmeraldas, located near the epicenter, had been halted as a precaution.

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Japan quake breaches the historic walls of 400-year old Kumamoto Castle
Sunday 17th April, 2016 - The deadly earthquakes that struck the southern Japanese island of Kyushu on Thursday and Saturday breached the walls of Kumamoto Castle which had previously withstood bombardment and fire in its four centuries of existence.

The fortification in the city of Kumamoto has stood as one of Kyushu's icons ever since it was built in 1607 by Kiyomasa Kato. He was a veteran military campaigner and feudal lord who took part in the reunification of Japan, which had been ravaged by a century of war. Television footage on Saturday showed a large section of the stone wall housing the castle collapsed in a dusty heap.

A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan early on Saturday, killing at least 20 people, injuring more than 1,000 and trapping people in collapsed buildings, barely a day after Thursday's quake killed nine people in the same region. While the castle keep, which has so far withstood the series of quakes, is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, many of the stone walls are originals from the 17th century. Sections of the outer stone walls had already been damaged by Thursday's earthquake.

Long after advancements in firearms made such fortifications obsolete, the castle withstood artillery fire when it came under siege from a rebel samurai army during the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. Much of the castle structure later burned down during the conflict, although the walls managed to stand firm. Now a popular tourist attraction, the castle's administrative office has closed the structure to the public. "Please do not go close to the stone walls as aftershocks continue," the office said on its Facebook page.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...e/2701596.html

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"Life is in limbo" after pair of deadly earthquakes in Japan
April 16, 2016 -- The wooden home barely withstood the first earthquake. An even stronger one the next night dealt what might have been the final blow -- if not to the house, then to the Tanaka family's peace of mind.

The Tanakas joined about 50 other residents of the southern Japanese town of Ozu who were planning to sleep in their cars at a public park Saturday after two nights of increasingly terrifying earthquakes that have killed at least 41 people and injured about 1,500, flattened houses and triggered major landslides. "I don't think we can go back there. Our life is in limbo," said 62-year-old Yoshiaki Tanaka, as other evacuees served rice balls for dinner. He, his wife and his 85-year-old mother fled their home after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck Saturday at 1:25 a.m., just 28 hours after a magnitude-6.5 quake hit the same area.

Army troops and other rescuers, using military helicopters to reach some stranded at a mountain resort, rushed Saturday to try to reach scores of trapped residents in hard-hit communities near Kumamoto, a city of 740,000 on the southwestern island of Kyushu. Heavy rain started falling Saturday night, threatening to complicate the relief operation and set off more mudslides. "Daytime today is the big test" for rescue efforts, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said early Saturday. Landslides had already cut off roads and destroyed bridges, slowing down rescuers.

Nearly 200,000 homes were without electricity, Japanese media reported, and an estimated 400,000 households were without running water. Kumamoto prefectural official Riho Tajima said that more than 200 houses and other buildings had been either destroyed or damaged, and that 91,000 people had evacuated from their homes. Hundreds of people lined up for rations at distribution points before nightfall, bracing for the rain and strong winds that were expected. Local stores quickly ran out of stock and shuttered their doors, and people said they were worried about running out of food.

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[waltky]

Shallow usually means a lot of movement felt at the surface...

Powerful Earthquake Kills 77 in Ecuador
April 17, 2016 - The death toll from the powerful earthquake in Ecuador has risen to 77.

Vice President Jorge Glas says the toll is likely to rise as reports from around the country continue to come in. "It's very important that Ecuadorians remain calm during this emergency," Glas said. The U.S. Geological Survey says the shallow 7.8 magnitude quake struck late Saturday along the South American country's coast.

It was felt 170 kilometers away in Quito, the capital, where it knocked out electricity and cell phone coverage in several neighborhoods. Quito buildings swayed for about 40 seconds, causing people to rush into the streets. A bridge collapsed in the port city of Guayaquil.

Police look at a car crushed under a collapsed overpass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Saturday April 16, 2016. The strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in decades flattened buildings and buckled highways along the country's coast, killing scores of people and causing damage hundreds of kilometers away from the epicenter in the capital and other major cities

In Manta, the airport was closed after the control tower was damaged. Glas says the national guard has been mobilized to maintain public order. A tsunami warning has been issued, but there were no immediate reports of waves.

President Rafael Correa was not in Ecuador at the time of the quake. He was in Rome after attending a Vatican conference Friday. He said the earliest he could return to Ecuador is Sunday afternoon.

http://www.voanews.com/content/power...t/3289171.html