Latest Earthquakes in the World

[Psalm 51:17]

I don't know if EQs are rare in Idaho or not, but nonetheless they are really hitting this weekend...

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000pi6d#summary
M4.9 - 15km N of Challis, Idaho
2014-04-13 00:04:41 UTC

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000pi79#summary
M3.2 - 12km NW of Challis, Idaho
2014-04-13 00:23:50 UTC

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A 5.0 mag in Idaho is VERY rare - pt being that wouldn't surprise me if this was revised down too(to a 4.9m that is).

There were a few 2.0's in Idaho on 4/14, FYI.

[Psalm 51:17]

M 4.6 - 74km SSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands
2014-04-13 12:41:35 UTC-07:00

M 4.8 - 104km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands
2014-04-13 14:13:33 UTC-07:00

M 5.3 - 120km S of Kirakira, Solomon Islands
2014-04-13 17:09:11 UTC-07:00

There were 7  4.0-5.0's in a span of less than an hour on 4/14, FYI.(Source, USGS)

[Psalm 51:17]

M 3.8 - 12km SSW of Guthrie, Oklahoma
2014-04-13 10:00:15 UTC-07:00

M 2.9 - 12km SSW of Guthrie, Oklahoma
2014-04-13 10:23:21 UTC-07:00

M 3.7 - 11km SSW of Guthrie, Oklahoma
2014-04-13 13:02:21 UTC-07:00

Three more 2.0-3.0's on 4/14, FYI(Source, USGS).

[Psalm 51:17]

I don't know if EQs are rare in Idaho or not, but nonetheless they are really hitting this weekend...

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000pi6d#summary
M4.9 - 15km N of Challis, Idaho
2014-04-13 00:04:41 UTC

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000pi79#summary
M3.2 - 12km NW of Challis, Idaho
2014-04-13 00:23:50 UTC

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A 5.0 mag in Idaho is VERY rare - pt being that wouldn't surprise me if this was revised down too(to a 4.9m that is).

http://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-earthquakes-strike-central-idaho-rattling-nerves-012504416.html
Hundreds of earthquakes strike central Idaho, rattling nerves
4/15/14

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Hundreds of low-level and medium-sized earthquakes have struck central Idaho since last month, puzzling geologists who wonder whether the ruptures portend a much larger temblor to come or are merely the rumblings of a seismic fault previously thought to be dormant.

The recent earthquake swarm, beginning on March 24 and climaxed by a 4.9 magnitude tremor on Saturday, has produced no reports of injuries or severe damage but has rattled nerves in a region where Idaho's most powerful known quake, measured at 6.9, killed two children in 1983.

Saturday's earthquake was the strongest recorded in the state since 2005 and was followed on Monday by a magnitude 4.4 event that struck 10 miles north of the small ranching community of Challis, Idaho, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Challis tremor knocked pictures and animal mounts from walls, rattled dishes off tables and was felt by residents in neighboring Montana more than 100 miles from the quake's epicenter, officials said.

The latest seismic surge, including 100 small to moderate quakes on Monday alone, has galvanized government scientists, who planned to install special seismometers in the area as early as Tuesday to more closely track the activity.

The likelihood of a severe earthquake coming on the heels of the recent swarm is low, but much is perplexing about the series of tremors, said Bill Phillips, a geologist with the Idaho Geological Survey at the University of Idaho.

Such earthquake swarms typically are associated with the movement of molten rock below ground, which geologists credited for the recent quake cluster at Yellowstone National Park, or they are linked to an active fault, he said on Tuesday.

"What has many of us scratching our heads is the present-day swarm doesn't appear to be on the big, active fault in the area that ruptured in 1983 and caused the largest earthquake in Idaho," Phillips said.

He was referring to the magnitude 6.9 temblor that struck Mount Borah, Idaho's tallest peak, killing two children in Challis and damaging hundreds of homes and businesses.

Idaho sits at the center of a seismic belt in the intermountain West that runs from northwestern Montana to southern Nevada and contains thousands of faults in the Earth's crust, said Michael Stickney, director of earthquake studies at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.

Carl Alexander, disaster coordinator in Challis, said schools have stepped up earthquake drills, and he has requested that emergency responders in Idaho and Utah be available if disaster strikes.

Alexander is advising local residents to keep bottled water and canned goods on hand just in case "a big shaker" should strike.

"It does make your heart race a little bit to see your windows vibrating," he said of the recent tremors.

[Mark]

Earthquake tremors felt in Northamptonshire
People in Northamptonshire felt an earthquake this morning that measured 3.2 on the Richter scale.   
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/earthquake-tremors-felt-in-northamptonshire-1-6006308


Earthquake causes panic among population in south-west of Turkey
According to the Kandili Observatory of the Bogazici University and the Earthquake Research Institute, the earthquake occurred at 02:49 local time on April 17 and caused panic among the local population. The earthquake occurred at a depth of five kilometers.   
http://en.trend.az/news/incident/2264103.html


Moderate earthquake jolts southern Iran
Iran's state TV says a magnitude 5.3 earthquake has jolted a sparsely populated district in the south of the country. The quake was moderate and no injuries were reported.
http://www.bradenton.com/2014/04/17/5107459/moderate-earthquake-jolts-southern.html


Earthquake felt over much of Interior, Southcentral Alaska
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake that shook Southcentral Alaska early Wednesday afternoon was also felt by some people in Fairbanks. The quake occurred at 12:24 p.m. and was centered about 40 miles north of Talkeetna, according to the Alaska Earthquake Information Center in Fairbanks.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/earthquake-felt-over-much-of-interior-southcentral-alaska/article_9b8861ae-c5b2-11e3-818a-001a4bcf6878.html

[Psalm 51:17]

M 6.2 - Balleny Islands region
2014-04-17 08:06:51 UTC-07:00

@USGS

[Psalm 51:17]

M 2.7 - 15km ENE of Benton, Illinois
2014-04-17 20:02:30 UTC-07:00

@USGS

[Psalm 51:17]

M 7.5 - 37km N of Tecpan de Galeana, Mexico
2014-04-18 07:27:29 UTC-07:00

@USGS

[Psalm 51:17]

M 7.5 - 37km N of Tecpan de Galeana, Mexico
2014-04-18 07:27:29 UTC-07:00

@USGS

http://news.yahoo.com/magnitude-7-5-earthquake-shakes-mexican-capital-144951037.html
Magnitude-7.5 earthquake shakes Mexican capital
4/18/14

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — A powerful, magnitude-7.5 earthquake shook central and southern Mexico on Friday. The U.S. Geological Survey said it was centered northwest of the Pacific resort of Acapulco, where many Mexicans are vacationing for the Easter holiday.

The quake was felt strongly in the resort city, as well as in Mexico's capital, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

"There is a crisis of panic," said Alicia Dominguez, who answered the phone at the civil protection office. "It's mainly the tourists who are shaken." Civil protection officials were patrolling the city to check for damage and casualties.

The quake struck 164 miles (265 kilometers) southwest of Mexico City, which shook for at least 30 seconds. Buildings swayed as people fled high rises and took to the streets. Because of the Easter holiday, that city was less crowded than usual.

"This is really strong," said Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez Chavez, 45, an apartment building guard in central Mexico City. "And I'm accustomed to earthquakes."

According the USGS, the quake's center was 30 miles (49 kilometers) deep.

Mexico City is vulnerable even to distant earthquakes because much of it sits atop the muddy sediments of drained lake beds that quiver as quake waves hit.

The magnitude-8.1 quake in 1985 that killed at least 6,000 people and destroyed many buildings in Mexico City was centered 250 miles (400 kilometers) away on the Pacific Coast.

[Psalm 51:17]

M 5.6 - 44km NNE of Noatak, Alaska
2014-04-18 11:56:48 UTC-07:00

M 5.5 - 23km ENE of Noatak, Alaska
2014-04-18 11:44:17 UTC-07:00

@USGS

[Mark]

Earthquake: M 6.9 - 68km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea

[Mark]

USGS: Magnitude 2.7 earthquake near Ina, IL
According to the report, the earthquake hit about 9 miles east-southeast of Ina, Ill. and 17 miles south-southeast of Mount Vernon, Ill. 
http://www.kfvs12.com/story/25279837/usgs-magnitude-27-earthquake-near-ina-il


Quake hits southern Iran
An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale struck an area near Shanbeh town of Bushehr province in Southern Iran on Thursday.
http://www.ianslive.in/index.php?param=news/Quake_hits_southern_Iran-419168/INTERNATIONAL/13


Tokyo area hit by magnitude 4.7 earthquake
An earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 4.7 shook eastern Japan, including the capital Tokyo, on Friday morning, but there was no threat of a tsunami and no immediate reports of damage, public broadcaster NHK reported. 
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-tokyo-area-hit-by-magnitude-47-earthquake-1979592


Los Angeles Earthquake Today 2014 Strikes La Habra April 18
A Los Angeles earthquake today 2014 has just La Habra and Southern California again. The Los Angeles earthquake today April 18, 2014 began just after sunrise. Damage assessment is pending.   
http://news.lalate.com/2014/04/18/los-angeles-earthquake-today-2014-strikes-la-habra-april-18/


Los Angeles Earthquake Today 2014 Strikes Northeast of San Diego
Another Southern California earthquake today 2014 has just hit, this time southeast of Los Angeles and northeast of San Diego. The latest Los Angeles neighboring earthquake today April 18, 2014 started just after 1:19 pm local time. The quake was shallow. And it was not on the same epicenter as the La Habra quake reported earlier today.   
http://news.lalate.com/2014/04/18/los-angeles-earthquake-today-2014-strikes-northeast-of-san-diego/

[Psalm 51:17]

Yeah, noticed California, especially southern CA, has gotten a lot of small EQs swarms recently.

[Psalm 51:17]

2nd day in a row a 7.0 has hit the globe...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/19/us-earthquake-papua-idUSBREA3I08K20140419
4/19/14
Strong 7.5 magnitude quake hits off Papua New Guinea

(Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude 7.5 struck off Papua New Guinea on Saturday and a tsunami warning was briefly issued for the Pacific Island nation and neighboring Solomon Islands, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake, at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), struck 68 km southwest of Panguna on the island of Bougainville, the U.S. Geological Survey said, revising down the magnitude from an initial 7.8.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later cancelled a tsunami warning for Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and there was no threat to neighboring Australia or across the Pacific Ocean.

At least six strong tremors have hit near Bougainville in the past week or so, including a magnitude 7.3 on April 11, but there have been no reports of major damage.

"Certainly it has been very active, more active than usual," said Jonathan Bathgate, a seismologist at Geoscience Australia. "(The spate of earthquakes) is relieving some pressure on this faultline, but we can't rule out another large earthquake."

The quake would have been felt strongly on Bougainville and nearby islands, but given its position on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire" where earthquakes are frequent, extensive damage was unlikely, Bathgate said. However, a local tsunami may have been generated, he added. Readings showed a small wave had been generated, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

In 1998, a magnitude 7 earthquake triggered a tsunami that smashed into villages near Aitape on Papua New Guinea's north coast and killed more than 2,000 people.

Resource-rich Bougainville, which neighbors the Solomon Islands, fought a war for independence from Papua New Guinea in the 1990s, leading to the closure of the Panguna copper mine, majority-owned by Rio Tinto Ltd. Bougainville is now an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea.

[Psalm 51:17]

M 4.0 - 3km SE of Perry, Oklahoma
2014-04-19 03:43:10 UTC-07:00

M 2.7 - 6km SSE of Stillwater, Oklahoma
2014-04-19 01:40:19 UTC-07:00

M 2.8 - 20km SW of Medford, Oklahoma
2014-04-19 01:07:26 UTC-07:00

[Mark]

6.9 earthquake shakes PNG island
A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Papua New Guinea's Bougainville Island but there is no risk of a widespread tsunami, seismologists say.   

http://www.3news.co.nz/69-earthquake-shakes-PNG-island/tabid/417/articleID/340743/Default.aspx

[Psalm 51:17]

6.9 earthquake shakes PNG island
A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Papua New Guinea's Bougainville Island but there is no risk of a widespread tsunami, seismologists say.   

http://www.3news.co.nz/69-earthquake-shakes-PNG-island/tabid/417/articleID/340743/Default.aspx

Apparently, this is a DIFFERENT one in Papua New Guinea from the 7.5m earlier today!(according to the USGS web site)

[Mark]

Quake hits near St. Kitts; no damage reported
A magnitude-5.0 earthquake has struck northeast of the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, but there are no immediate reports of damage. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck Saturday afternoon about 48 miles (77 kilometers) north-northeast of St. Kitts. It was also felt in Anguilla and the French Caribbean island of St. Barts. 
http://news.yahoo.com/quake-hits-near-st-kitts-no-damage-reported-205135777.html

Remote Alaska quake followed by aftershocks
A moderate earthquake was recorded Friday morning in Alaska above the Arctic Circle, and was followed by an aftershock almost as powerful.
http://www.adn.com/2014/04/18/3431445/remote-alaska-quake-followed-by.html

Philippines rocked by 20 earthquakes in two days
Manila: A total of 20 earthquakes, including three powerful ones, rocked different parts of the Philippines from April 17 to 18, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) told Gulf News on Saturday. 
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/philippines/philippines-rocked-by-20-earthquakes-in-two-days-1.1321393

NEWS: Oklahoma Earthquakes
PERRY, Oklahoma - The United States Geological Survey reported a 4.0 magnitude earthquake near Perry Saturday morning. The quake shook Noble county residents around 4:43 a.m. Saturday. The USGS said the earthquake was located one mile southeast of Perry, 14 miles northwest of Stillwater. The depth was recorded over two miles deep. 
http://www.news9.com/story/25289049/usgs-reports-40-magnitude-earthquake-near-perry

[Psalm 51:17]

M 3.7 - 11km SSW of Guthrie, Oklahoma
2014-04-20 12:31:32 UTC-07:00

M 4.0 - 13km N of Edmond, Oklahoma
2014-04-20 12:07:13 UTC-07:00

M 3.2 - 8km NE of Tooele, Utah
2014-04-19 20:22:51 UTC-07:00

M 2.5 - 7km SSE of Ridgely, Tennessee
2014-04-19 20:13:06 UTC-07:00

@USGS

[Psalm 51:17]

Apparently, this is a DIFFERENT one in Papua New Guinea from the 7.5m earlier today!(according to the USGS web site)

Here's another 6.0+ from yesterday!

M 6.1 - 96km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
2014-04-19 17:15:58 UTC-07:00

[Mark]

Spike in Earthquakes? An 'Illusion' Raises New Questions

Illusion   

Does it seem as if there have been more earthquakes in recent weeks? Some scientists thought so.

Some of the best minds in earthquake science have been counting quakes and analyzing seismic waves to see if the largest in a string of recent quakes — the magnitude-8.2 tremor in Chile on April 1 — might have triggered others far, far away.

Ross Stein, a senior U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist who studies how quakes interact, got so excited that on April 12 he fired off an email to colleagues that started with this: "Guys, seems like a lot of big quakes have been popping off around the globe over the past week."

Experts for years have known that the seismic waves from one quake can trigger a quake somewhere else — a process known as "dynamic triggering."

Stein himself co-authored a study tying a magnitude-8.7 Indian Ocean quake in 2012 to a spike in quakes globally in the days after. That increase lasted about a week, and a few days after the spike, the rate for larger quakes fell to below average.

"It's as if the Indian Ocean quake had shaken the tree, causing the apples ready to fall out to do so," said Thorne Lay, a seismology professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz.


This chart from the U.S. Geological Survey shows where earthquakes measuring magnitude-4.5 or greater have been reported over the past 30 days. The size of the circle indicates the strength of the quake. Orange dots indicate quakes that have occurred over the previous 24 hours. Yellow dots indicate quakes over the past week.

Lay's own research has found that over the last decade the number of major quakes, those measuring 8.0 or bigger, is nearly triple the rate for the 1900s, but whether that's just a random cluster or a sign of dynamic triggering is unclear.

In any case, the latter possibility is what got experts like Stein and Lay wondering if the Chilean quake had triggered others. A 7.2 on Mexico’s Pacific Coast on April 18 and a 7.5 off Papua New Guinea two days later were the latest to get attention.

Doing a quick review of quakes magnitude 6 or larger and which struck within the upper 43 miles (70 kilometers) of Earth’s crust, Lay found an uptick when comparing April 1-18 to the first three months of 2014.

But the increase wasn’t significant, so the question remained: Did dynamic triggering play a role, or was that just random chance? "That’s a harder problem to answer," Lay said.

Seismic wave data from the Chilean quake was studied by UC Santa Cruz grad students to see if it might have triggered one in Nicaragua nine days later. "We did not see anything obvious," Professor Emily Brodsky said of her team’s work.

Stein, like Lay, also counted quakes but looked instead at moderate and large quakes (4.5 magnitude or greater) in the 10 days before and after the April 1 quake that struck Iquique, Chile. In his email to peers, Stein concluded: "I do not see a global increase in activity post-Iquique, at least for moderate and larger quakes — the ones that matter for hazards."

"[It] seemed like a lot of big quakes" after Iquique, he later told NBC News, "but it's largely an illusion."

That letdown is part of the reality of earthquake science, which is still in its infancy. "We have false hunches all the time," Stein said. "We don’t want to miss something."

Making more sense of quakes, especially dynamic triggering, could be helped by a wider network of monitoring equipment. But that’s no easy task.

    “We need seismometers close to the faults that make the world’s biggest earthquakes and most of those faults are underwater."

The U.S. has "dense networks" in active quake areas, noted Jill McCarthy, head of the USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center. "But networks are expensive, and it's unlikely we're going to have the same dense coverage globally, at least not anytime soon."

Expanding that network would also mean going underwater. "We need seismometers close to the faults that make the world's biggest earthquakes, and most of those faults are underwater,” said Brodsky. "This would take a substantial investment."

Whether that added monitoring would have much pay back, especially in preventing deaths, is uncertain.

Less than three percent of quakes have any measurable effect in a given spot, according to USGS geophysicist Tom Parsons. Of that tiny percentage, any quakes that might have been triggered by others have not caused serious damage.

On top of that, seismic waves don’t provide great clues. "There don’t appear to be any obvious characteristics about the seismic waves that trigger other earthquakes in terms of amplitude or frequency," said Parsons.

For all the uncertainties of quake science, and false hunches, the scrambling for answers can lead to new avenues for research.

Stein, for example, told peers in his email that he had found something "very unusual" about the Iquique quake: The area near the epicenter saw an unusually high number of "foreshocks" to the mainshock on April 1.

"Maybe only 5 percent of quakes have what, in retrospect, we would call foreshocks," he says.

It turns out that the Iquique foreshocks covered an area almost as large as the area of the Iquique aftershocks. That, Stein adds, is "extremely rare and worthy of study."

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/spike-earthquakes-illusion-raises-new-questions-n85826

[Psalm 51:17]

"[It] seemed like a lot of big quakes" after Iquique, he later told NBC News, "but it's largely an illusion."

Will they be saying the same thing when the 6th seal hits?

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.king5.com/news/local/66-quake-strikes-off-Vancouver-Island-256477791.html
6.6 quake strikes off Vancouver Island
4/23/14

PORT ALICE, British Columbia -- A magnitude 6.6 quake was recorded Wednesday night in the Pacific Ocean off the northwest corner of British Columbia's Vancouver Island, the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. There was also no danger of a tsunami, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska.

The quake hit at 8:10 p.m. local time and was centered about 25 miles southwest of Port Alice, British Columbia, and about 280 miles northwest of Seattle, Washington.

It occurred at a depth of 7 miles and was followed by aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 and 4.2, the USGS said. 

Port Hardy resident Jennifer Nickerson said the quake caused lights to sway and the fish tank in the hotel where she works to rock.

In less than two hours, more than 650 people in nearly three dozen cities logged on to the earthquake information site to report feeling the quake.

The online reports came from as far away as Kelowna in south-central British Columbia and the Seattle suburbs of Auburn and Bellevue, said USGS geophysicist Dale Grant in the Golden, Colorado, earthquake information center. None of the online comments reported damage, Grant said.

The quake was the strongest in the area since another 6.6 on Nov. 2, 2004, Grant said.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/oklahoma-earthquakes-135334009.html
Shaky ground in tornado alley

Oklahoma has suddenly become earthquake country, and no one knows why
4/24/14

GUTHRIE, Okla. — The shaking came in the dead of the night on a recent Wednesday morning, vibrations so intense that they startled Faye Sayre out of a deep sleep. Her bed was lurching up and down and back and forth — and Sayre, in her drowsiness, initially thought it was Gunner, her 180-pound English mastiff puppy, leaping on her mattress as if it were a doggie trampoline.

“I thought, ‘Why is my dog jumping in my bed?’” Sayre recalled. “The bed was really rocking. ... And she doesn’t do that. She’s not excitable like that. She’s a very calm dog.”

But as Sayre sat up to figure out what was happening, she noticed Gunner was sprawled in her usual spot on the floor next to her bed. The dog was looking up at her quizzically, and Sayre suddenly realized it wasn’t just her bed that was moving. The entire room was shaking.

“Here we go again,” Sayre thought.

It was an earthquake — one of the more than 150 quakes measured at magnitudes of 2.5 or higher on the Richter scale that have hit Oklahoma in the last month alone.

While most of the quakes have been small compared to the tremors that regularly rock California and other earthquake-prone states, the recent burst of seismic activity has made Oklahoma one of the shakiest states in the country, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

And that’s weird in a state better known for its wild springtime weather and where most people, until recently, had never even felt an earthquake, much less considered how to react to one.

Oklahoma is still rebuilding from two of the strongest tornadoes ever recorded, which swept a deadly path through the central part of the state last May. Storms are such a way of life here that people are raised from an early age to cast a wary eye toward the sky. They are experts on all things meteorology — from the telling “hook echo” clouds that precede tornadoes to the way the air feels before a big storm is about to hit — because they’ve had to be.

But earthquakes? Not so much — at least not until recently. Now local libraries have been inundated with requests for books about earthquakes, and residents on shaky ground have loaded their Netflix queues with documentaries about a natural phenomenon that is even more unpredictable than tornadoes — all while wondering if the small quakes rumbling the plains mean Oklahoma is on the brink of “the big one.”

“A few years ago, people would have said you’re crazy to talk about earthquakes,” said David Ball, emergency manager for Logan County and the city of Guthrie, a small town just north of Oklahoma City that has been the epicenter for much of the state’s recent seismic shifts. “They are so regular now that it’s like, ‘Did we just have an earthquake or is that the wind blowing?’”

Two weeks ago, on Apr. 10, 16 earthquakes hit Oklahoma in a single day, including a magnitude-4.1 earthquake centered near Guthrie. Dozens of aftershocks have continued to rattle the state since then, including two magnitude-4.0 earthquakes last weekend. One struck Edmond, a suburb of Oklahoma City, raising concerns that the quakes could be inching closer to more populated areas of the state.

Scientists are still at a loss to explain exactly what is causing the ground to shake with such frequency and what appears to be a growing intensity — a major concern for a state where few buildings have been constructed to withstand even minor earthquakes.

Some question whether the earthquakes have been triggered by oil and gas drilling. Others wonder whether the shaking of the earth is a divine providence foreshadowing the apocalyptic end of the world as prophesized in the Bible. But scientists say they just have no idea.

“It’s very mysterious what’s going on,” said G. Randy Keller, director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, which tracks and studies seismic activity in the state. “We are trying to figure it out, but right now, we just don’t know, and it’s concerning to us.”

And it’s perhaps most concerning to people in Guthrie, one of the oldest cities in Oklahoma with blocks and blocks of old Victorian buildings that residents fear could be particularly vulnerable if a big quake were to hit. The town, perhaps best known outside of Oklahoma for its cameo role in the film “Rain Man,” is home to dozens of antiques shops full of old china and glassware that shake and rattle with each tremor.

“They happen so often now, it doesn’t really bother me as much as it did before,” said Sayre, who works at one of those antiques shops. “But honestly, what worries me is if a big one really did hit, what would we do? I don’t think anybody really knows what to do.”

At a time when Oklahomans are bracing for what are traditionally the most active weeks of spring storm season, the earthquakes are the talk of Guthrie — in the shops, at the drugstore and in the church pews — almost more than possibility of tornadoes. And that’s saying a lot for a state populated by obsessed weather junkies.

“When we first started having them, most people I talked to viewed them as exotic, and they would say, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to feel one,’” Ball said. “But now, they happen so often that people are starting to get annoyed. ... 'Why us? Why is this happening to us?’”

Before 2010, Oklahoma averaged about two to three “felt” earthquakes a year — meaning they were strong enough to rattle dishes or shake things off the wall. Many occurred in remote western parts of the state near the Meers Fault — a 15-mile jagged crack in the earth near Lawton, Okla., that is actually visible from the air.

Until a few years ago, people here had only heard rumors about earthquakes in Oklahoma passed down through generations — though there wasn’t much to say. Even those who were alive barely remember a magnitude-5.5 quake in 1952 near Oklahoma City that left behind cracks in the state Capitol building. Until a few years ago, it was the biggest recorded earthquake to ever hit the state, but it was rarely, if ever, discussed.

But the state’s awareness of quakes has changed within the past five years as seismic activity has dramatically ramped up. According to the OGS, there have been 40 times more earthquakes since 2009 than in the previous 30 years — many centered near a series of old fault lines that run north to south in Central Oklahoma.

In 2011, a magnitude-5.6 earthquake struck near Prague, about an hour east of Oklahoma City, causing parts of a state highway to buckle and significant damage to homes near the epicenter. Since then, activity has only continued to increase, with the state setting new records each year for seismic activity.

Just four months into 2014, Oklahoma has already set a new record for earthquakes. So far this year, according to the OGS, there have been more than 140 earthquakes registering at a magnitude of 3.0 or above, compared to 109 for the entire year of 2013. In 2012, there were just 40 earthquakes that registered at a magnitude of 3.0 or above.

The sudden jump in activity has attracted interest from geologists across the country — even from California — who have descended on Oklahoma to try and understand what’s causing the earthquakes.

One source of suspicion and debate has centered on the state’s booming natural gas industry, which has increased its production using a technique known as fracturing — or fracking. The process uses large amounts of water to coax gas from underground rock formations, and some scientists have speculated the disposal of that wastewater in deep-injection wells near the fault lines could be triggering earthquakes.

Earlier this month, geologists in Ohio linked earthquakes there to fracking, and authorities in Texas, where quakes have also been on the increase, are investigating that source as well.

Last month, a USGS study concluded that wastewater injection might have triggered the 2011 earthquake near Prague, Okla., by creating a manmade earthquake the day before that in turn triggered the magnitude-5.6 natural earthquake. But while the OGS has acknowledged that activities related to oil and gas exploration could be a factor in the dramatic increase in quakes, scientists there argue more conclusive study needs to be done.

“We’re just not sure,” Keller said. “Geoscientists are a lot like MDs. We have fancy tools and graduate educations, but the patient is very complicated. ... We don’t just don’t know if what is happening is natural or if it’s caused by man. There’s evidence on both sides. And we don’t know why it’s happening now. It’s all very disquieting, and everybody wants to figure this out. But it needs more study.”

There are some signs Oklahoma officials are buying into the theory that oil and gas drilling could be playing a role. Last week, the state Corporation Commission passed a rule that would force drillers to report their wastewater injection rates on a daily basis instead of monthly to allow researchers to track in real time whether those activities are triggering earthquakes. (The measure has to be approved by the state Legislature and the governor.)

At the same time, the OGS has increased its number of seismic activity monitors around the state from seven to 30 — with several positioned near Guthrie, in hopes of learning more about why the ground is shaking so much.

This being the Bible Belt, there are people who have wondered if Oklahoma’s earthquakes aren’t some sign of the end times as prophesized in the book of Revelations.

It’s an idea that first made the rounds in 2011 after the Prague earthquake when televangelist Pat Robertson pointed to the quakes and urged people “to get right with the Lord.” And the theory has been revived again with the latest surge in quakes — though no one wanted to be quoted by name admitting they’ve entertained the idea that the ground shaking could be a sign of God’s wrath upon a sinful people.

Many locals here are dealing with their jitters the only way they really know how: by trying to have a sense of humor about the state’s incredible bad luck with Mother Nature in recent years.

In addition to the most dangerous tornadoes on record, Oklahoma has suffered through record drought, deadly fires, floods and even a locust plague a few years ago. Another favorite story among Oklahomans is how, in 2007, a weather system that had moved into the state from the Gulf of Mexico suddenly developed into a rare inland tropical storm just west of Oklahoma City, swirling in place just like a hurricane.

The prevailing attitude now is what could possibly come next?

“Hopefully we will never have a volcano here in Oklahoma,” Ball said. “But at this point, after all the weird stuff that has happened here, you never say never.”

[Mark]

Earthquake: M 6.5 - 71km NE of Nuku`alofa, Tonga

No tsunami threat after 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Tonga in Pacific Ocean - Australian Associated Press

Earthquake: M 4.5 - 67km S of Kiska Volcano, Alaska

[Mark]

University of Washington launches effort to prepare Northwest region for 9.0 magnitude quake

April 2014 – SEATTLE — Scientists fully expect that the coast of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and part of northern California to see a magnitude nine subduction zone earthquake again. It’s been 314 years since the last one in January of the year 1700. Scientists know of this quake because of written reports from Japan that recorded a tsunami. The reports of a giant wave also correlate with rings in old trees killed when marsh land along the Washington coast dropped several feet, allowing sea water to envelope their roots. This week, scientists with the University of Washington gathered 55 experts from around the region. Their goal: to step up efforts to prepare for the next magnitude nine earthquake in the Northwest and the ensuing recovery. “That’s the critical part. To be prepared and then to bounce back.” said John Vidale, Washington state’s seismologist and head of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. Vidale moderated the event. The project is called M9, as in magnitude 9. But the lessons learned from it could be applied to any major natural disaster in Washington, a state that’s currently recovering from the landslide near Oso on March 22 that killed at least 41 people.

In addition to earthquake scientists, M9 participants included structural engineers, transportation experts, and representatives from the insurance industry, social scientists, oceanographers, tsunami specialists and emergency managers. The plan is to update the science to better prepare everything from skyscrapers to bridges to people in their own homes for when a mega-quake hits. “People may not be preparing themselves adequately for the kind of disaster that’s going to happen,” said Ann Bostrom with the U.W. Evans School of Public Affairs. But she added that the big quake is just one scenario that threatens people and homeowners. “I do think about insurance, about the preparations people can do. I think about the mental preparations people have to do in order to plan for all kinds of hazards, and what we can do in our risk communications projects to help people do that,” Bostrom said. Interdisciplinary efforts have happened before, at meetings and conferences. But this time it’s a bigger commitment to work together: a three year, $4 million project financed by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The risk from violent shaking and a tsunami is not just confined to coastal communities. The Seattle area is also considered at an elevated risk. The city and some of the surrounding area sits on a basin of softer soil and rock surrounded by harder materials. That could trap earthquake waves and cause them to resonate for a longer period of time, creating more damage. An area of further study is how those earthquake waves, particularly ones of certain frequencies will effect tall downtown buildings. -KREM

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/university-of-washington-launches-effort-to-prepare-northwest-region-for-9-0-magnitude-quake/

[Mark]

Earthquake: M 6.8 - South of the Fiji Islands

Earthquake: M 6.6 - South of the Fiji Islands


big aftershock

[Mark]

Twin undersea quakes jolt south of Fiji
A 6.6-magnitude and another 6.1- magnitude undersea earthquakes jolted south of Fiji late Sunday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.   
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=216370


Tokyo earthquake shakes area overnight; Trains delayed
A strong earthquake jolted Tokyo early Monday, rattling windows and nerves, though there were no initial reports major damage and few injuries. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake at 5:18 a.m. local time (2018 GMT Sunday) had a magnitude of 6.0 and was centered 160 kilometers (99 miles) under the seabed near Izu Oshima island south of Tokyo.   
http://www.cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_15557.shtml


Moderate earthquake strikes southeast of Anchorage
A moderate earthquake rumbled south of Anchorage and hundreds of people reported feeling it. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 4.7 temblor struck around 9 p.m. Sunday and was centered about 40 miles southeast of Anchorage.   
http://www.raptureready.com/Moderate%20earthquake%20strikes%20southeast%20of%20Anchorage


Earthquake of 6 magnitude strikes Thailand, some damage
An earthquake of 6 magnitude struck northern Thailand on Monday causing some damage to buildings and roads and knocking goods off shelves in shops but there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

The quake struck 17 miles southwest of the town of Chiang Rai, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It was felt in the Thai capital, Bangkok, and in neighboring Myanmar.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/05/us-earthquake-thailand-idUSBREA440A220140505

[Mark]

Rare Earthquake Warning Issued for Oklahoma

 Mile for mile, there are almost as many earthquakes rattling Oklahoma as California this year. This major increase in seismic shaking led to a rare earthquake warning today (May 5) from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Geological Survey.

In a joint statement, the agencies said the risk of a damaging earthquake — one larger than magnitude 5.0 — has significantly increased in central Oklahoma.

Geologists don't know when or where the state's next big earthquake will strike, nor will they put a number on the increased risk. "We haven't seen this before in Oklahoma, so we had some concerns about putting a specific number on the chances of it," Robert Williams, a research geophysicist with the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program in Golden, Colorado, told Live Science. "But we know from other cases around the world that if you have an increasing number of small earthquakes, the chances of a larger one will go up."

 That's why earthquakes of magnitude 5 and larger are more frequent in states such as California and Alaska, where thousands of smaller temblors hit every year.

This is the first time the USGS has issued an earthquake warning for a state east of the Rockies, Williams said. Such seismic hazard assessments are more typically issued for Western states following large quakes, to warn residents of the risk of damaging aftershocks, he said.

The geological agencies took action after the rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma outpaced that of even California for the first few months of 2014. (California regained the lead in April.)

"The rate of earthquakes increased dramatically in March and April," Williams said. "That alerted us to examine this further and put out this advisory statement."

While Oklahoma's buildings can withstand light earthquakes, the damage from a magnitude-5 temblor could be widespread. Oklahoma's last major earthquake was in November 2011, when a magnitude-5.6 earthquake centered near Prague, Oklahoma, destroyed 14 homes and injured at least two people.

"Building owners and government officials should have a special concern for older, unreinforced brick structures, which are vulnerable to serious damage during sufficient shaking," Bill Leith, a USGS senior science adviser for earthquakes and geologic hazards, said in the joint statement.

While scientists haven't ruled out natural causes for the increase, many researchers suspect the deep injection wells used for the disposal of fracking wastewater could be causing the earthquake activity. Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is a method of extracting oil and gas by cracking open underground rock.

Ongoing studies have found a link between Oklahoma's high-volume wastewater injection wells and regions with an uptick in earthquakes.

According to the USGS, the number of quakes magnitude-3 and stronger jumped by 50 percent in the past eight months in Oklahoma. Some 183 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or greater struck between October 2013 and April 14, 2014. The state's long-term average from 1978 to 2008 was only two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or larger per year.

If the earthquakes are caused by wastewater injection, then the activity could continue or decrease with future changes in well usage in the state.

"We don't know if this earthquake rate is going to continue," Williams said. "It could go to a higher rate or lower, so the increased chances of a damaging quake could change in the future."

http://www.livescience.com/45361-oklahoma-earthquake-risk-rising.html

[Psalm 51:17]

April Had a Record Number of Big Earthquakes
John Metcalfe
May 01, 2014
10 Comments

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2014/05/april-had-record-number-large-earthquakes/9010/

In a typical month, the planet is shaken by an average of one or two medium-to-large earthquakes. This past month was not typical. Things were running on track up until the end of March, and then the ground went totally bonkers.

There was an incredible 13 quakes of magnitudes 6.5 or higher in April. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which issued bulletins for each one, says that is "easily a record for this institution." Five of these temblors were powerful enough that the center also put out tsunami warnings. They include the massive quakes in northern Chile at the beginning of the month, as well as three more that shook the Solomon Islands in the following weeks.

The unusual spike in seismic activity is shown in this animation, which displays the locations and depths of quakes for the first four months of 2014. The tsunami center explains:

This animation shows all earthquakes on earth so far this year in sequence as recorded in the USGS's NEIC database (available at earthquake.usgs.gov). Note the typical level of activity through March. But starting with the 8.2 magnitude earthquake in northern Chile on April 1, the rest of the month saw 12 more moderate-to-large earthquakes mostly in Chile and the Solomon Islands but also in Nicaragua, Mexico, Canada, and even the south Atlantic Ocean. The animation concludes with a summary map showing all of the earthquakes in this four-month period

.

The center gives no indication as to what might be behind the rash of major quaking. But considering that it has the comments turned off for this video, it's probably because of some giant government conspiracy involving HAARP. Obama!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3jHUGHOlhA&feature=player_embedded