Seven 5.0+ Earthquakes - SE of The Loyalty Islands in Two Hours and Many More..

While this is being called normal activity,

I will continue to update with further quakes from this area so we can have them all in one place, in case further research and study requires this.

The members did an outstanding job of catalogging similar activity in Alaska last year.

It is linked to in this thread thanks to TruthWithin.

There was a high number of quakes in the region but not of the average intensity of this current activity near the Loyalty Islands and lacking the pinpoint pattern which is witnessed in this event of the last couple of days.

Are there any "undersea earthquake hunters/investigators" who might be able to survey the area and take video to see what is occuring under that area of the ocean?

Maybe an unmanned sub of some sort could shed some light,

Don't mind me I am just brainstorming lol.

Anyways,

The count has risen,

Let me introduce you to:

24, 25, 26, 27 & 28

5.3 2007/09/29 17:25:00 -21.111 169.081 10.0 SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS

4.8 2007/09/29 17:06:38 -21.377 169.578 10.0 SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS

4.8 2007/09/29 15:49:58 -21.087 169.213 35.0 SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS

5.7 2007/09/29 15:36:48 -21.228 169.213 31.4 SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS

4.7 2007/09/29 12:27:01 -21.271 169.498 10.0 SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS

After reviewing the quakes, #13 as referred to in this thread is the only one of the series which is not in the immediate vicinity of the others, this one is due south if you view the quake maps at USGS.


Edit: added reference to #13 quake

[edit on 2007/9/29 by JacKatMtn]

For comparison ,

Here is the quake activity for the Alaska region during the same days of the Loyalty Island quakes in this thread so far:

3.1 2007/09/29 17:45:34 56.437 -158.511 100.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.0 2007/09/29 13:25:19 63.751 -147.466 93.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
2.7 2007/09/29 10:36:13 63.137 -150.264 100.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
2.9 2007/09/29 10:27:03 61.309 -146.745 17.7 SOUTHERN ALASKA
3.1 2007/09/29 09:28:49 62.168 -147.401 15.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
2.5 2007/09/29 07:48:31 59.883 -152.571 100.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
2.6 2007/09/29 04:03:23 59.880 -151.752 20.2 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
2.8 2007/09/29 01:10:51 55.408 -159.721 32.4 ALASKA PENINSULA
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2.7 2007/09/28 11:07:58 65.793 -151.005 7.2 NORTHERN ALASKA

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2.6 2007/09/27 22:34:16 58.145 -154.681 90.6 ALASKA PENINSULA
2.5 2007/09/27 22:10:55 57.050 -157.649 59.6 ALASKA PENINSULA
2.7 2007/09/27 21:08:16 54.824 -162.684 40.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
2.7 2007/09/27 11:22:22 59.467 -152.098 48.3 SOUTHERN ALASKA
2.5 2007/09/27 10:04:46 60.059 -153.282 100.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
3.0 2007/09/27 09:35:09 52.136 -174.752 28.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
2.9 2007/09/27 03:24:17 51.009 -178.476 0.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
2.9 2007/09/27 02:28:15 58.797 -152.744 88.8 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
2.9 2007/09/27 00:14:21 63.256 -143.233 12.5 CENTRAL ALASKA

18 lower intensity and no pinpoint pattern.

29

This one is on the opposite side of the underwater ridgeline.

5.1 2007/09/29 23:38:00 -21.261 170.985 10.0 SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS

Here is the latest map capture of the region,

#29 is east of the ridge shown in red and #13 is the one south of the bullseye area where most of the quakes occurred.

I'm a geologist. I have seen an earthquake swarm like this before, but they are rare. Usually, an earthquake swarm follows a major earthquake (~7.5-8.0 Mw) and they display a power law distribution. This earthquake swam unusual only because it was not preceded by any obvious major earthquake (a major earthquake causes redistribution of crustal stress that is gradually relived by a sequence of gradually smaller and rarer earthquakes - an earthquake swarm that follows a power law distribution).

It seems, in this case, that aseismic slip (a hidden earthquake) took place along the subduction zone there, north or south of the earthquake swarm, generating stress. Aseismic slip is characterised by very slow continuous motion over several hours along a fault line, so slow that there is no seismic signal (no ground shaking). Aseismic slip has been detected on other faults via GPS and InSar interferograms. In the present case, if there was ~4 metres of aseismic slip (= to a normal 8.0 Mw earthquake) it could have easily generated enough stress to cause the earthquake swarm that we see.

Here is a paper that explains the process; it has happened several times in the Salton Trough, California. Note how closely spaced the earthquakes are and look at the last figure, which shows a typical power law distribution. In the Californian case, horizontal aseismic motion of only 1 km/hr generated the earthquake swarms. Obviously, such slow fault motion cannot be detected by any seismograph.

R. B. Lohman, 2007. "Earthquake swarms driven by aseismic creep in the Salton Trough, California" JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 112, B04405, doi:10.1029/2006JB004596

Link: obslab.whoi.edu...

Also, here is a Youtube video I posted that shows the subduction process at work.

Link: www.youtube.com...

reply to post by Bbrhuft


FANTASTIC!!

Thanks for your contribution and the pdf link, I read the first couple of pages so far, but plan on reading the whole paper soon.

On topic, you related that this phenomena is usually associated with a "BIG" quake.

Could the 8.4 Indonesia quake have caused this recent swarm?

I don't know how many of these swarms you and your colleagues have had to study but from your experience is this 5.0+ avg swarm higher than normal?

Once again thanks




edit:forgot a couple of words, I thought them, but didn't type them

[edit on 2007/9/29 by JacKatMtn]

reply to post by Bbrhuft


Thank you very much for the explanation.

I just sent an email to the USGS about an hour ago asking how often these type of quakes happen and if they could explain them a bit. Perfect timing man. Do you work for the USGS? I'm going go check out those pdf's you linked to.
Thanks again.

reply to post by Bbrhuft


Hi, thanks for your explanation, it's greatly appreciated!

I admit I know nothing other than the basics on this subject, here's a couple of thoughts that've always bothered me and I don't know what the truth of the matter is. If you have knowledge on these it would really be nice to know once and for all.

This area of the world is a good example of my concerns, this is an area that the French used for underground nuclear testing up until the mid-nineties. I might be off on the exact location, but I do know it was very close to the cluster of current quakes.

What is your opinion of the effect of testing weapons on the atolls' structure and could testing in this area trigger quakes in the region? I have read that the coral structure absorbs the force and should not be a concern. This came from the French govt. I am not proposing that the current situation came from "secret" testing, I'm just wanting to know if it could be a factor should testing occur there.

Also, I'm concerned about the massive amount of oil being withdrawn in areas that are prone to earthquakes followed by tsunamis. Could withdrawing large amounts of oil contribute to earthquakes?

And, no, I'm not a rabid anti-oil person though I would happily switch to alternatives as they become available. I'm more concerned about "us" triggering quakes.

I'm sorry that this is slightly off-topic, I've just always wanted to know about this.

STM

[edit on 9/29/2007 by seentoomuch]

in google earth i was seeing the islands arround the coordinates of the earthquakes:

and this seems to me interesting. Take a look...

Mare la Roche
LAT: 21°28'51.31"S
LONG: 168° 2'5.03"L





Some fancy buildings and a nice 31 13 on the plane track.
Could be nothing, could be something
see it closer on your google earth


ps. this islands HAVE SO MANY footbal or soccer fields....



cumps

[edit on 30-9-2007 by kL3z_]

[edit on 30-9-2007 by kL3z_]

[edit on 30-9-2007 by kL3z_]

"Could the 8.4 Indonesia quake have caused this recent swarm?"

No, its too far away. Earthquake swarms cluster around the site of a large earthquake.

"from your experience is this 5.0+ avg swarm higher than normal?"

Its quite a normal, though it should have followed a ~8.0 earthquake, that did not apparently happen.

"Do you work for the USGS?" I live in Ireland and I just finished a PhD in geology.

"What is your opinion of the effect of testing weapons on the atolls' structure and could testing in this area trigger quakes in the region?"

It would have no effect what so ever. Earthquakes can only be induced by two ways, which can act together: 1. The redistribution of crustal stress and 2. Increased fluid pressure in a fault zone that lubricates the fault, thus reducing friction. The simple "short lived" shaking of a weapons test produces neither of these effects, and any local earthquake (if generated) would be less powerful then the bomb i.e.

reply to post by Bbrhuft


Thank you, Bbrhuft,

I've been googling for the information and I see that most of the sites are from years ago or from biased sites. I really just wanted a neutral, honest opinon and I believe I just got one from you. If in the future I find otherwise I hope you're still with ATS so I can ask you some more questions.

Thanks so much,

STM



[edit on 9/30/2007 by seentoomuch]

Thanks again for your contribution Bbrhuft,

I will definitely check those links out.


It was relatively quiet in the area yesterday but USGS has posted another recently

This is 30

The 28th focused on the bullseye area.

Magnitude 4.8 - SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS

Recently in another thread someone made me aware of a phenomena called undersea megaplumes. I wonder if this event is creating such megaplumes.

The thread in question is here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by TruthWithin


Looks like Alaska has started up again:

2.7 2007/10/03 09:55:58 51.687 -175.779 74.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
3.4 2007/10/03 09:53:37 54.770 -162.155 32.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
4.9 2007/10/03 09:15:11 51.498 -175.555 54.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
2.6 2007/10/03 08:38:37 54.672 -161.821 49.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.1 2007/10/03 08:18:32 54.623 -161.772 38.4 ALASKA PENINSULA
2.9 2007/10/03 06:35:45 54.559 -161.625 41.5 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.1 2007/10/03 06:11:57 54.596 -161.578 29.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
2.6 2007/10/03 05:15:02 62.041 -146.063 99.8 CENTRAL ALASKA
4.2 2007/10/03 03:51:50 54.267 -161.478 16.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
2.7 2007/10/03 02:54:13 55.066 -162.066 80.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
5.0 2007/10/03 02:25:49 51.523 -178.409 57.8 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
3.5 2007/10/03 01:40:44 54.459 -161.592 23.6 ALASKA PENINSULA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.4 2007/10/02 23:37:42 55.152 -162.492 98.8 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.6 2007/10/02 23:25:34 54.603 -161.728 31.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
4.1 2007/10/02 22:59:56 54.433 -161.488 53.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.8 2007/10/02 22:44:17 54.413 -161.549 24.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.3 2007/10/02 22:42:59 59.100 -153.657 100.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
4.4 2007/10/02 21:59:32 54.355 -161.470 49.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.6 2007/10/02 21:38:45 54.460 -161.338 45.2 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.5 2007/10/02 21:32:29 55.285 -162.360 88.4 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.9 2007/10/02 21:05:12 54.448 -161.512 15.6 ALASKA PENINSULA
5.2 2007/10/02 20:57:36 54.743 -161.594 47.4 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.3 2007/10/02 20:31:35 54.497 -161.457 37.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
2.8 2007/10/02 19:52:37 52.103 -176.075 24.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
2.6 2007/10/02 19:47:02 53.693 -166.898 87.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
2.7 2007/10/02 19:27:16 54.864 -161.767 42.6 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.0 2007/10/02 19:25:00 54.455 -161.548 37.3 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.4 2007/10/02 19:00:54 54.620 -161.591 38.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.0 2007/10/02 18:54:58 55.321 -161.205 0.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.5 2007/10/02 18:51:32 54.523 -161.580 40.3 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.5 2007/10/02 18:35:02 54.484 -161.493 40.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.5 2007/10/02 18:30:05 55.261 -162.351 100.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.4 2007/10/02 18:23:02 55.258 -162.353 100.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
3.9 2007/10/02 18:17:56 54.150 -161.243 28.4 ALASKA PENINSULA
5.8 2007/10/02 18:03:54 54.440 -161.640 46.1 ALASKA PENINSULA
6.2 2007/10/02 18:00:08 54.581 -161.768 47.9 ALASKA PENINSULA
2.9 2007/10/02 14:00:57 57.900 -155.957 94.3 ALASKA PENINSULA

Interestingly I found another area with a similar "bullseye" pattern when looking at the Alaska quakes:





ed:sp



[edit on 2007/10/3 by JacKatMtn]