Latest Earthquakes in the World

[Psalm 51:17]

Strong earthquake reported off Nicaragua coast
6/15/13

By: Associated Press MEXICO CITY — A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake was registered off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua around midday Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries after the quake, which was felt at 11:34 a.m. local time (1734 GMT).The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of the Masachapa, a community located on Nicaragua's Pacific coast.Nicaragua's seismological institute measured the temblor's strength as 6.6, and it declared a tsunami alert as a precaution because of the earthquake's strength.

See more at:
http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/international/americas/2013/06/strong_earthquake_reported_off_nicaragua_coast#sthash.N6n3N5UL.dpuf

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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000hrl4#summary
Mag 6.2 - 61km S of Pirgos, Greece 2013-06-15 16:11:00 UTC

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/magnitude-6-0-quake-hits-mexico-tremors-felt-054533464.html
Power outages hit Mexico City after quake in country's center
6/16/13

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Power outages hit the Mexican capital of Mexico City on Sunday after an earthquake struck the center of the country, and officials said there was no other damage reported.

Some restaurants and residential buildings in the capital were evacuated as a precautionary measure, they said.

Buildings shuddered in the city, a Reuters witness said.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) downgraded its initial measurement of the quake to magnitude 5.8 from 6.0.

No one at state oil company Pemex was immediately available to comment but the group has no major installations near the epicenter of the quake, 14 miles west of Jolalpan in southwest Mexico, 76 miles south of Mexico City.

(Reporting by Simon Gardner; Editing by Louise Ireland and Robert Birsel)

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http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/moderate-quake-strikes-central-chile-19440671#.UcN-Fmwo5jp
Magnitude-5.7 Quake Shakes Central Chile
6/20/13

A magnitude-5.7 earthquake shook central Chile on Wednesday, causing buildings to sway in the capital but apparently causing no major damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 17:29 p.m. local time and its epicenter was about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east-north-east of Los Andes, Chile.

Officials discarded the possibility of a tsunami and said there were no immediate reports of deaths or damages.

Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. A magnitude-8.8 quake and the tsunami it unleashed in 2010 killed more than 500 people and destroyed 220,000 homes.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/earthquake-felt-across-north-italy-media-112148284.html
Earthquake felt across northern Italy
6/21/13

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit Tuscany on Friday and was felt across northern Italy from Bologna to Florence, the civil protection agency said, adding that no serious injuries had been reported.

"We are checking to see whether any damage has been caused," a civil protection spokeswoman told AFP, adding that the quake struck at a depth of around 5.0 kilometres (3.1 miles).

The quake hit 2.0 kilometres from the walled city of Fivizzano in the province of Massa and Carrara in Tuscany, sparking panic among residents who rushed out of houses onto the streets.

Seismologist Marco Mucciarelli from the national experimental oceanographic and geophysics institute told SKY Italia television that tremors felt in Venice and across the top of Italy around the same time were not the same quake but aftershocks.

"There are likely more to come," he said, adding that there were "big problems with communication" in the towns and cities near the epicentre of the quake, slowing efforts to check damage caused.

The quake lasted just a few seconds, according to witnesses speaking to local journalists.

There were reports in the Italian media of damage to houses in Lunigiana in Tuscany, and several elderly people suffering from shock, but no reports of serious injuries or collapsed buildings.

In the city of Reggio Emilia, Italy's Equal Opportunities Minister Josepha Idem cut short a speech as the quake hit and the town hall she was in was evacuated.

Local trains across the region were interrupted but the fast train from Milan to Bologna was running without disruption, according to Italy's rail service.

Fear of earthquakes in the region is high after two powerful quakes wrecked homes and businesses in the neighbouring Emilia Romagna region in May 2012, killing 25 people.

[Psalm 51:17]

6/23/13
Seismologists monitor Carson City quake swarm

Nevada seismologists and emergency managers say they're monitoring an earthquake swarm in Carson City that has the potential to result in a major temblor.

But officials from the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, stress they can't predict how the sequence of over 120 minor quakes that began June 1 will play out or if it will result in larger events.

The largest quakes of the swarm have been one of magnitude-2.9 on June 5 and two of magnitude-2.8 on Thursday and June 16. While each has been followed by many smaller quakes, no injuries or major damage have been reported.

UNR seismologists say based on past seismic activity in the region, the probability of larger quakes increases as sequences progress.

They say the swarm is of concern because it may be associated with the Genoa Fault Zone, which is capable of producing major quakes of magnitude-7 or more.

Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the nation behind California and Alaska.


Read more: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jun/23/nv-carson-city-quakes/#ixzz2X6KxoycC

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http://mauinow.com/2013/06/24/6-4-mid-atlantic-ridge-earthquake-no-tsunami-threat-to-hawai%CA%BBi/
6/24/13
6.4 Mid-Atlantic Ridge Earthquake, No Tsunami Threat to Hawaiʻi

By Wendy Osher

There is no widespread tsunami threat after a 6.4 earthquake reported at 12:04 p.m. on Mon. June 24, 2013 in the Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The agency issued the notification saying the determination was based on historical earthquake and tsunami data.

The quake was centered 772 mikes ENE of Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana; 775 miles ENE of Cayenne, French Guiana; 778 miles ENE of Matoury, French Guiana; 786 miles ENE of Kourou, French Guiana; and 844 miles NNE of Salinopolis, Brazil, according to information compiled by the USGS.

The USGS reports the earthquake was located at at depth of 6.2 miles and at the following coordinates: 10.726°N 42.616°W.

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No, it wasn't anything major, but...
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/vp=52312186&#52312186


http://news.yahoo.com/tsunami-may-hit-east-coast-earlier-june-185518026.html
Tsunami may have hit East Coast earlier in June
6/25/13

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A storm that blew through earlier this month might have triggered a rare phenomenon for the East Coast: a tsunami.

Tsunami-like conditions were observed June 13 at more than 30 tide gauges along the East Coast, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The highest peak amplitude was recorded in Newport, R.I, where it reached just under a foot above sea level. Gauges in Kiptopeke, Va., and Atlantic City, N.J., recorded similar peaks, according to NOAA.

"From North Carolina up through Massachusetts, we can find that signal, even though it's very small, which tells us there was something going on," Mike Angove, head of NOAA's tsunami program, said Tuesday. "We're trying to piece this back together."

A strong storm moved through the region and offshore that day, and scientists were trying to determine if it played a role.

Angove stopped short of saying it was a tsunami, but acknowledged it had specific characteristics of one. NOAA's West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center posted a statement calling it a tsunami.

Brian Coen was spearfishing at Barnegat Inlet in Ocean County, N.J., around 3:30 p.m. on June 13, when he saw a strong outrush of water as the tide went out, according to a description provided by NOAA. He said it carried divers over submerged rocks that serve as a breakwater. The rocks, normally three to four feet deep, eventually were exposed, he said.

Then, according to NOAA, Coen saw an approximately 6-foot wave come in. It carried the divers back over the breakwater and also swept three people off rocks that are usually five to six feet above sea level. Two of them needed medical attention.

Chuck Ebersole, steward at Wickford Yacht Club in North Kingstown, R.I., said he saw a strong current of about 7 knots, or 8 miles per hour, going out through a channel into Narragansett Bay. Normally, he said, the current is 1 to 2 miles per hour. The current was so strong that one large boat pulled its cleat out of the dock, he said.

After a while, the current reversed at the same speed, he said. A nearby gauge recorded that the sea level changed by 1.3 feet.

Angove said it is a specific feature of tsunamis for water to be drawn out to sea and then rapidly rush back in, and the water speeds Ebersole reported in Rhode Island indicated something other than a storm surge.

He said researchers are looking for a cause. One possibility is a rare meteotsunami (pronounced MEE'-tee-oh tsoo-NAHM'-ee), which is a tsunami caused by weather. Or it could have been caused by a landslide off the continental shelf, which is less rare but still uncommon, he said.

Angove hopes to send a boat with sonar out to the shelf to look for a landslide and help determine what happened.

"If we can't do that, it's going to be tough to put this egg back together," he said.

At the yacht club, there was only minor damage to the dock and two boats, Ebersole said.

"For a little while there, I thought it might have been some runoff from the storms we had that week, but it was too much water for that," he said. "It was very exciting at the time."

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http://www.king5.com/news/local/43-magnitude-earthquake-hits-Central-Washington-213251991.html
4.3 magnitude earthquake hits Central Washington
6/26/13

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake shook an area in Central Washington on Wednesday night.

The earthquake at 7:45 p.m. occurred 25.9 miles west-northwest of Entiat, 33 miles northwest of Wenatchee.

The quake was 6.33 miles deep.

"We really felt it here in Leavenworth. Felt like our house was being bulldozed," Kaitlyn Griffith said on the KING 5 Facebook page.

"Wiggle, jiggle and shake with a popping sound that sounded like someone slapped the house," said Chris Millsap of Manson.

"The whole house shook, everything rattled, the water and the dogs dish went from side to side and it was just a huge roar like a big thunder rumble right on top of us," said Pam McElravy, who was at the Lake Chelan YMCA camp.

Hundreds of people responded to the "Did you feel it?" on the USGS website. People from Olympia to Kent, Issaquah and Mount Vernon reported feeling it.

USGS said the shaking was "light" and there was no damage.

A 2.4 magnitude aftershock occurred at 9:21 p.m.

[Mark]

Magnitude 6.1 Sumatra earthquake kills 1 child, injures dozens of people - @RadioAustralia

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2013-07-02/strong-quake-rocks-sumatras-aceh/1155196


SEE ALSO THIS REPORT: Are Mysterious Loud Booms and Sinkholes Linked to Earth Core Changes
http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=2101&category=Science

especially the part about the spliting of the Indian Plate and all the Sumatra earth quakes here of late.

[Mark]

Minor Earthquake Strikes Below Lake Erie
An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 3.6 struck early today beneath Lake Erie, just outside of Cleveland, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

http://www.livescience.com/37891-minor-earthquake-strikes-below-lake-erie.html

A lot of GIANT caves under there from all the salt mining

[Mark]

M6.0 - South of the Kermadec Islands 2013-06-15 11:20:34 UTC

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000hrgh#summary

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7.3 Earthquake at Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands Today Prompts No Tsunami
http://news.lalate.com/2013/07/15/7-3-earthquake-at-bristol-island-south-sandwich-islands-today-prompts-no-tsunami/
7/15/13

ST LOUIS (LALATE) – A 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck south of Bristol Island in the South Sandwich Islands. No tsunami alert exists, however. The massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake began today July 15, 2013 far out to sea, far from Argentina and Chile’s coast, officials tell news. It was initially reported as a 6.8 magnitude quake before being upgraded.

The large earthquake today began moments ago. It erupted at 12:03 pm local time, officials tell news. It also posted a moderate depth. USGS indicates to news that the quake starting twenty miles below sea level. But the quake was far from land when it began.

Officials tell news that the quake was closest only to one island. The quake began one hundred thirty miles southeast of Bristol Island in the South Sandwich Islands. The quake was thereafter a great distance from other nations. The quake was one thousand six hundred miles at least from Ushuaia, Argentina. It was roughly one thousand seven hundred miles from Rio Gallegos in Argentina as well. Reps tell news that the quake was about one thousand seven hundred miles from Punta Arenas, Chile and about one thousand three hundred mils from Stanley in the Falkland Islands.

The National Weather Service says that no tsunami danger exists currently for the U.S, Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. But officials. Both the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirm that no tsunami threat is in place.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/quake-peru-idUSL1N0FN05520130717?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews&rpc=43
7/17/13
UPDATE 1-Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes southern Peru -U.S. Geological Survey

(Updates with Peruvian authorities in 3rd paragraph)

(Reuters) - A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck southern Peru on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the quake was located 53 miles (85 km)northwest of Arequipa, Peru, at a depth of about 52 miles (84 km), according to the USGS. Magnitude 6 quakes are capable of causing severe damage.

Peruvian authorities said there were no reports of damage or injuries. (Editing by Stacey Joyce)

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http://local.msn.com/new-zealand-earthquake
7/18/13
Strong quake strikes New Zealand's capital

A shallow quake was felt throughout much of central New Zealand, but no injuries were reported.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A strong earthquake Friday rocked New Zealand's capital city of Wellington but there were no initial reports of injuries or significant damage.

The magnitude-5.3 temblor struck just after 9 a.m. and was widely felt throughout central New Zealand. It was strong enough to knock items off shelves and lasted about 20 seconds.

The United States Geological Survey reported that the quake was centered 34 kilometers east of Blenheim at a relatively shallow depth of 16 kilometers. Shallow earthquakes tend to feel more severe on the surface.

New Zealand is part of the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire" that receives regular seismic activity. A severe earthquake in the city of Christchurch in 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed much of the city's downtown.

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http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8939106/Magnitude-5-7-earthquake-rocks-central-New-Zealand
Video: Strong earthquakes rock central NZ

A 4.3 quake hit the east coast of New Zealand tonight, following a 4.5 magnitude quake in central New Zealand this afternoon, and a 5.7 earthquake that rattled people in Wellington and Blenheim this morning.

Geonet reported tonight's quake was 20km east of Te Araroa, a settlement on the east coast of the north island, near the southern edge of the Bay of Plenty. The quake was 62km deep and hit at 11.42pm.

GeoNet reported this afternoon's was of a "strong" intensity, 35km east of Seddon, at a depth of 15km. The quake hit at 3.21pm.

The first quake struck at 9.06am and was centred 30km east of Seddon, south of Blenheim, at a depth of 8km.

Rated as severe, it turned Wellington office workers white-knuckled as it swayed high-rises in the capital, with buildings also being rocked in Blenheim.

The shallow tremor was felt as far away as Christchurch and New Plymouth.

In Wellington it was felt as one jolt, gradually picking up in intensity, while those in Blenheim felt two shakes.

GeoNet said it received more than 6000 reports after the jolt. It said the fact it struck off the South Island spared the region from its full force, though there were a few reports that it had a damaging intensity.

Though it had knocked goods off shelves in Blenheim it was much too small to cause a tsunami, GeoNet said.

An offshore earthquake needed to be at least magnitude 7.5 for a tsunami to be considered possible.

The quake was preceded by a magnitude-2.9 "foreshock" in the same location 6 minutes before the main shock.

An Earthqake Commission spokeswoman said 14 claims had been received following the first quake, but she expected more once people got home from work.

It was too early to itemise the claims, she said.

By 11am there had been 17 aftershocks in the region, the largest a magnitude 3.7, 30km east of Seddon.

Aftershocks were likely to continue for the next 24 hours.

Early analysis had the fault movement as "reverse faulting", meaning each side of the fault was being compressed.

'LIKE A BLOODY ROLLERCOASTER'

In Marlborough, Lake Grassmere farmer Peter Davison said he had never seen his house buck and shake so much.

"It was like being on a bloody rollercoaster," he said.

He was looking out the window of his Marfells Beach Rd home when it hit.

It was worse than the Boxing Day quake in 2010, which he had been in Christchurch for, he said.

"I've never felt anything like it," he said.

His fishing rods had fallen and lay scattered around his library and pictures were askew on the walls.

"It's a wooden house and I've never seen the walls move like this," he said.

Blenheim New World supermarket owner Ashley Shore said about 100 items fell off the shelves, but no-one was too fazed.

"The team cleaned it up pretty quickly and there was actually customers in the aisles who just carried on shopping," he said.

Seddon Supervalue till operator Carrie Rule said staff and the one customer at the supermarket during the earthquake were a bit shaky.

"She was a good one," Rule said.

"We're all still a bit shaky but it wasn't too bad, no stock fell off the shelves or anything, but apparently there was a truck in the car park which was shaking back and forth."

Winemaker Peter Yealands from the Awatere Valley said it was the biggest quake he could recall.

"The tanks moved a bit and the staff were a bit scared, as you'd expect," Yealands said.

It was the first major quake for the Yealands Estate winery, since it was built in 2008. Sitting on a fault line area it had been designed to withstand a magnitude-8 earthquake.

Wellington office workers reported ducking under their desks when the quake arrived at 9.06am, and there was a report of lifts in some buildings being out of action.

It "felt like I was standing on a skate board," Mena Bassily said.

"I was at the gym on one floor and hoped it was only Wellington, not a bigger remote earthquake harming another NZ city somewhere else".

Auckland school teacher Barbara Brewer, visiting Wellington for the national under-19 netball championships was shocked.

"Holy ****, how often do quakes that shake the whole house happen?" she said.

The coach of the Auckland side which last night won the national title, had been in the shower.

RAIL PRECAUTIONS

KiwiRail had put precautionary restrictions on trains going through tunnels or over bridges, a spokeswoman said.

They extended from Otaki, just south of Levin, to just north of Kaikoura, she said.

Restrictions meant trains would travel slowly across bridges and through tunnels.

All the structures and lines would be checked before the restrictions were lifted.

Bridge inspections were being done as a precaution in Marlborough, Marlborough Roads general manager Frank Porter said.

Marlborough Roads was not aware of any issues. No problems been reported.

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http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/21/19590327-65-earthquake-strikes-near-wellington-new-zealand?lite=
7/21/13
6.5 earthquake strikes near Wellington, New Zealand

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck central New Zealand near the capital on Sunday, prompting flights in and out of the nearby airport to be suspended, according to local reports.

Nevertheless, initial reports indicated damage was light. The Pacific tsunami warning center did not issue a tsunami warning.

One News reported on its website that all flights in and out of Wellington Airport were suspended indefinitely amid fears of damage to equipment.

The quake hit just after 5 p.m. local time and was centered about 35 miles south-southwest of Wellington in the narrow Cook Strait between the northern and southern islands, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on its website. The USGS originally said the quake registered 6.9 but later revised that figure.

"We've had one report of structural damage so far, but as far as I know, power in the city is still on," said a spokesman at the capital's fire station, according to Reuters.

The area on the northern island around Wellington, the capital, is home to about 400,000 people. The small town of Seddon was just east of the epicenter on the southern island.

A reporter for a Wellington television network who was in Christchurch during the deadly 2011 quake said that Sunday’s quake felt as bad.

"It's scary … there's not a lot of damage but it was terrifying," said reporter Jessica McCarthy, One News reported.

Central New Zealand had been hit by a swarm of earthquakes in recent days, including a 5.7 on Friday and a 5.8 Sunday morning, The Dominion Post newspaper reported on its website. It displayed a map that showed the epicenters grouped just east of Seddon.

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http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/21/19602512-22-reported-dead-in-central-chinese-earthquake?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=3
7/21/13
22 reported dead in central Chinese earthquake

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck central China on Monday, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds of others, official state media reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey told NBC News the quake hit in Gansu province about 8 miles east of Chabu at 7:45 a.m. Beijing time (7:45 p.m. ET Sunday). The USGS recorded it at 6 miles deep and said it caused shaking in a rural region where the infrastructure isn't seismically resistant.

The state-owned China News Service, citing local government officials, and the official Xinhua news agency said 22 people were dead. Xinhua reported that at least 270 others were injured.

Many homes in the region collapsed, Xinhua reported. Widespread communications and power interruptions were reported, along with mudslides and landslides.

About 5,600 residential buildings were damaged, the Beijing-based China Daily newspaper reported Monday afternoon. Some train service was suspended, and hundreds of armed police were mobilized to repair a damaged part of the main highway linking Lanzhou, the provincial capital, to Minxian county, it reported.

Xinhua said the quake was felt in the neighboring cities of Dingxi, Longnan and Tianshui, as well as Lanzhou, more than 100 miles away. About 19,000 people live in the area that was subject to the strongest shaking, it said.

It was followed an hour and a half later by a 5.6-magnitude quake at about the same depth, the USGS reported.

Based on the history of earthquakes of this size in rural China, there could be "significant casualties," the USGS said.

The official China Meteorological Administration warned that heavy rain was possible in southeastern Gansu province Monday night and into Tuesday. It said the rain could hamper rescue efforts and urged residents to be alert to flash flooding in areas damaged by the earthquake.

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Video: At least 75 reportedly killed in China quake
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/vp=52543354&#52543354

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/6-2-quake-hits-off-vanuatu-usgs/articleshow/21365164.cms
6.2 quake hits off Vanuatu: USGS
7/26/13

SYDNEY: A 6.2-magnitude quake hit off the South Pacific island of Vanuatu on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, but it was not expected to generate a tsunami.

 The US Geological Survey said the tremor at 0707 GMT was 135 kilometres (84 miles) deep and some 48 kilometres northeast of Luganville, and more than 270 kilometres from the capital Port Vila.

 Geoscience Australia estimated the quake at 5.7-magnitude and said it was unlikely to have caused any damage due to its depth.

 "If there was any damage it would only be light," duty seismologist Steve Tatham said.

 Earthquakes regularly hit near Vanuatu, with a 6.8-magnitude shaker hitting off the South Pacific island in December without generating a destructive tsunami.

 The island lies on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.

 It has been rocked by several large quakes in recent years, averaging about three magnitude 7.0 or above incidents every year.

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Earthquakes Burp Up Methane Bubbles
http://news.yahoo.com/earthquakes-burp-methane-bubbles-180458146.html
7/28/13

The long-suspected link between earthquakes and underwater methane bursts has finally been confirmed, reports a study published today (July 28) in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Though the temblor wasn't caught in the act, the strong shaking left clues in methane-rich mud and sand offshore of Pakistan, where two of Earth's tectonic plates collide at the Makran subduction zone. In 1945, a magnitude-8.1 earthquake struck along the subduction zone, killing at least 300 people and triggering a tsunami.

Recently, researchers studying methane seeps in the Arabian Sea discovered unexpectedly large quantities of methane gas and minerals such as barite and sulfate just below the seafloor surface, on a ridge near the Makran subduction zone. The minerals and gas accumulate at a certain rate, so the team could calculate when the methane indicators first appeared — between 1916 and 1962. Combined with other clues, such as seismic surveys of disturbed sediments, the scientists concluded that the 1945 earthquake released methane gas into the ocean.

"Three lines of evidence came together saying the earthquake triggered the amplification of the methane flux," said David Fischer, lead study author and a geochemist at the MARUM Institute at the University of Bremen in Germany.

Mother Earth burps

Methane seeps and hydrates pair up with subduction zones around the world. These zones are areas where one of Earth's tectonic plates dives beneath another and where some of the world's strongest earthquakes occur. The incredible pressure from the colliding plates squeezes methane out of seafloor mud and folds the sedimentary layers into ridges — the perfect environment for natural gas deposits. [Infographic: Tallest Mountain to Deepest Ocean Trench]

Fischer and his colleagues think the 1945 shaking released a deposit of free methane gas that was locked beneath a layer of methane hydrates, compounds that trap gas in icy lattices. The free gas continues to bubble up to the seafloor today.

"This is the strongest circumstantial evidence we've seen so far on earthquakes perturbing the gas hydrate system," said Anne Trehu, a geophysicist at Oregon State University who was not involved in the study. "It's a difficult phenomenon to verify and I wouldn't say that this is a direct observation, but it's a nice study that shows quite a plausible correlation in time and space."

There's no way to know how much gas erupted during the earthquake. However, modeling of the methane bubbling up today indicates that roughly 261 cubic feet (7.4 cubic meters) of methane gas has been released since 1945, equivalent to the methane coming from a single mud volcano, or enough to fill 2,500 swimming pools, Fischer said. "This is something to consider in the global greenhouse gas budget," Fischer said. Methane gas from subduction zone earthquakes could be an important source of greenhouse gases in the environment, he said.

LiveScience asked Ken Caldeira, a climate scientist at Stanford University's Carnegie Institution for Science, to put that number into perspective. The seep's current emissions are about one-millionth of the natural global methane flux, which is on the order of 100 teragrams (100 megatons), Caldeira said. "I'm skeptical that any one volcano could have a big climate impact," said Caldeira, referring to the study's mud volcano comparison.

Gas stays in the sea

Another caveat is that big subduction zone earthquakes are rare, striking only once a year or less on average. However, no one knows if a sizable shaker is needed to release methane gas from seafloor sediments, or smaller earthquakes can unleash bubbles. And there is evidence of even bigger seafloor gas blowouts just east of New Zealand's subduction zone, including giant circular pockmarks 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) in diameter.

But subduction zone trenches are also deep, which means the gases unleashed during earthquakes may never reach to the surface. The sediments sampled at the Makran ridge were more than 9,100 feet (2,800 meters) deep. "Methane released at these water depths doesn't make it to the atmosphere," said Carolyn Ruppel, chief of the U.S. Geological Survey's Gas Hydrates Project in Woods Hole, Mass. "It's dissolved in the water column or it can be oxidized by microbes in the water column," said Ruppel, who was not involved in the study.

Yet even if methane from earthquakes doesn't reach the atmosphere, scientists are still interested in understanding how methane seeps and methane hydrates contribute to the ocean's total carbon levels. (Methane eventually is converted into carbon dioxide in the ocean and the atmosphere.) The new study could help modelers better predict contributions from seafloor methane sources. [Watch: Tracking an Ocean of Carbon]

"What we care about is the integrated global [methane] flux out of the seafloor into the ocean and we don't begin to know what that number is," Ruppel said.

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http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/8975509/Severe-5-4-quake-hits-overnight
'Severe' 5.4 quake hits overnight
7/29/13

A ‘‘severe’’ quake this morning in Cook Strait caused damage and was felt as far away as Auckland.

It also increased the probability of further severe aftershocks, GeoNet seismologist John Ristau said.

Did this morning's quake cause any damage for you? Email us at web@dompost.co.nz

The 5.4-magnitude quake struck at 1.07am today, just over a week since a 6.5 magnitude Cook Strait earthquake, which caused damage around Wellington.

Today’s quake was 12km deep and 20km east of Seddon in Cook Strait. It was followed by a swarm of smaller quakes.

More than 1500 people, mainly in the upper South Island and lower North Island, reported feeling the quake to GeoNet.

At least one person reported it caused damage.

‘‘I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if this earthquake knocked items off shelves,’’ Dr Ristau said.

It was also felt in Auckland, Hamilton, and Tauranga.

At midday yesterday, Geonet had downgraded the chance of a 5-5.9 aftershock within 24 hours to 11 per cent.

When GeoNet reworked its figures, it would increase the likelihood of a 5-5.9 aftershock, he said.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://local.msn.com/earthquake-rattles-greece-with-51-magnitude-shock
8/7/2013
By Associated Press, Associated Press
Associated Press
Earthquake rattles Greece with 5.1 magnitude shock

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — An earthquake which the US Geological Survey says had a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 has rattled central Greece and was felt in the country's capital, Athens. There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.

Wednesday's quake occurred about 15 miles southeast of the central city of Lamia and 77 miles northwest of Athens shortly after noon local time, the USGS said.

Earthquakes are frequent in Greece, which lies in one of the world's most seismically active areas. But the vast majority are small or have epicenters deep beneath the seabed and rarely cause significant damage or injuries.

[Mark]

Magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes near Mutis, Colombia - @USGS

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/at00mrh7o5#summary

[Psalm 51:17]

Magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes near Mutis, Colombia - @USGS

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/at00mrh7o5#summary

Visited that country 6 years ago - earthquakes seem to be normal there et al. But nonetheless it seems like, like we said here recently, 6+ mag EQs are one of the new norms nowdays in the world.

[Mark]

Visited that country 6 years ago - earthquakes seem to be normal there et al. But nonetheless it seems like, like we said here recently, 6+ mag EQs are one of the new norms nowdays in the world.

you sure do seem to get around a lot for not having a job since ive known you.

[Psalm 51:17]

you sure do seem to get around a lot for not having a job since ive known you.

My dad travels every now and then as part of his job. He doesn't travel often, but nonetheless he's in academia, so he ends up going around to conferences every now and then. Guess the upside of being unemployed is that am able to travel around and see parts of the world when given the chance. My dad was a guest professor at a Columbia university at the time for one of his former students. The weather was actually pretty cool during that summer.

BUT, with that being said, if my employment in 2008 didn't lay me off, would not have found my way to this message forum via PPF(and to the KJV for that matter too).

[Mark]

Roamans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=330161

Mw 6.5
Region COOK STRAIT, NEW ZEALAND
Date time 2013-08-16 02:31:07.0 UTC

[Psalm 51:17]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/21/20118454-strong-quake-shakes-buildings-in-mexico-city?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=3
8/21/13

Strong quake shakes buildings in Mexico City

By Marian Smith, Staff Writer, NBC News

A magnitude-6.1 earthquake rattled Mexico City on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said.

The epicenter was in the southern state of Guerrero, just northwest of Ayulta de los Libres, but buildings shook in the capital some 166 miles away.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties following the temblor, which was recorded at a depth of 21 miles.