Quake Watch 2010

Today is a very quiet day. very few, weak earthquakes ...

reply to post by Austria


You had to go and say it



Every time you say that something goes wrong

Weak is a relative term, I wouldn't call a 4.7 or 4.9 within 50km of me "weak"
Anything above 4.5 can usually be felt quite strongly at that distance.
Where are you looking at?
This from GFZ last 12 hrs
DATE/TIME UTC, MAG, LAT, LONG, DEPTH, STATUS ( AUTO OR MANUAL), LOCATION
2010-05-12 18:55:31 5.2 32.72 N 141.12 E 15 A Southeast of Honshu, Japan
2010-05-12 13:18:51 4.4 15.21 N 93.26 W 89 M Near Coast of Chiapas, Mexico
2010-05-12 11:47:58 4.7 0.75 S 136.56 E 10 M Irian Jaya Region, Indonesia
2010-05-12 08:37:13 4.4 0.53 N 99.78 E 159 M Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
2010-05-11 22:58:33 4.9 41.45 N 71.99 E 24 M Kyrgyzstan


[edit on 12-5-2010 by muzzy]

This one is low

Magnitude 5.0
Date-Time Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 23:07:55 UTC
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 07:07:55 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 1.347°S, 120.104°E
Depth 53.5 km (33.2 miles)
Region SULAWESI, INDONESIA
Distances 180 km (115 miles) N of Palopo, Sulawesi, Indonesia
250 km (155 miles) S of Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia
1560 km (970 miles) ENE of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
1710 km (1060 miles) NW of DARWIN, Northern Territory, Australia

Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 16.9 km (10.5 miles); depth +/- 26.5 km (16.5 miles)
Parameters NST= 21, Nph= 22, Dmin=283.9 km, Rmss=1.11 sec, Gp= 54°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=6
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)


Event ID us2010webx

3 "minor" quakes NZ, 14 other "very-minor" (2.0-2.999ML) quakes also.
None reported felt.

REF, LAT, LONG, DATE/TIME UTC, DEPTH, MAG, LOCATION
3305563, -40.2436, 176.43922, 2010/5/12 5:50:4, 27, 3.218, W of Wilder Settlement, Southern Hawkes Bay
3305672, -39.03497, 177.54102, 2010/5/12 9:53:20, 27, 3.1, Whakaki Lagoon, W of Wairoa, Hawkes Bay
3305788, -40.47607, 174.09796, 2010/5/12 14:26:7, 109, 3.176, o/s NE of Stephens Island, Cook Strait

[edit on 13-5-2010 by muzzy]

MAG 5.1 2010/05/13 05:35:12 42.182 -126.475 9.7 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON

That's quite a biggie for the area, isn't it?



Quite a run this past few hours;..

MAP 4.6 2010/05/13 04:49:59 3.375 63.406 10.0 CARLSBERG RIDGE

MAP 4.6 2010/05/13 04:36:20 38.370 74.004 126.3 TAJIKISTAN

MAP 4.8 2010/05/13 03:56:08 -35.113 -72.693 35.0 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE

MAP 4.7 2010/05/13 02:11:14 9.142 125.567 62.9 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES

MAP 4.5 2010/05/13 02:06:57 12.014 -104.838 10.0 NORTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE


[edit on 13-5-2010 by MoorfNZ]

reply to post by MoorfNZ


Yes, it is. I just added it to my 'what's happening in Washington' thread because my fear is that if this wasn't the main event, could be leading to something bigger further North? Things have been brewing too much lately, involving several of our volcanos too.

Ouch....check out the seismo for crater lake....also an active volcano:

Crater lake


And here it is as seen from Mt Hood...that has been having a big increase in quakes the last two months. It actually looks like two quakes HERE

reply to post by westcoast


My feeling is that this offshore Oregon 5.1, and the bigger ones last week (see list below), are aftershocks from the initial Baja quake. The quake activity in the area has maintained a relatively high rate and has continued to spread north slowly since.

MAP 4.4 2010/05/07 20:02:19 44.496 -129.418 10.0 423 km (263 mi) W of Yachats, OR
MAP 1.3 2010/05/07 19:21:07 37.915 -121.959 0.0 4 km ( 2 mi) SW of Clayton, CA
MAP 4.3 2010/05/07 19:03:31 44.536 -129.557 10.0 434 km (269 mi) W of Yachats, OR
MAP 4.1 2010/05/07 18:55:09 44.481 -129.438 10.0 424 km (263 mi) W of Yachats, OR
MAP 4.2 2010/05/07 18:51:00 44.490 -129.557 10.0 433 km (269 mi) W of Yachats, OR
MAP 3.9 2010/05/07 18:48:37 44.458 -129.107 10.0 398 km (247 mi) W of Yachats, OR
MAP 4.5 2010/05/07 18:43:08 44.456 -129.410 10.0 422 km (262 mi) W of Yachats, OR
MAP 4.4 2010/05/07 18:41:55 44.407 -129.456 10.0 425 km (264 mi) W of Yachats, OR
MAP 5.1 2010/05/07 17:46:14 44.369 -129.441 10.0 424 km (264 mi) W of Yachats, OR

neic.usgs.gov...

[edit on 13-5-2010 by MoorfNZ]

many minor earthquakes (mag. 4 +) in short intervals. Just two times today... 15 blue squares

after the earthquake in Sumatra (7.2), there are very few mag. 5+ earthquakes. This is me noticed.

mysterious, I think something huge is coming soon!

[edit on 13-5-2010 by Austria]

[edit on 13-5-2010 by Austria]

reply to post by MoorfNZ


I completely agree with you. I think there is a clear trend. My hope is that these smaller quakes are relieving the pressure enough and are not leading up to a bigger release. I guess it just depends on how much there is.

If it weren't for the fact that all the studies/professionals have said for years that we are way overdue for a HUGE quake, I wouldn't pay it much attention. But there is suposed to be a whole lotta energy just waiting to be tipped so when I see this kind of pattern, I think it warrants close observation!

Originally posted by Austria
many minor earthquakes (mag. 4 +) in short intervals. Just two times today... 15 blue squares

[edit on 13-5-2010 by Austria]

yesterday a mag. 4 was "weak" now its "minor"??

A 4 -5 mag quake is neither, its a "light" earthquake.

Seems to be some confusion between the magnitude of a quake and the intensity of it.

There are 2 scales relevant.

Richter Scale measures magnitude

Richter magnitudes Description Earthquake effects Frequency of occurrence
< 2.0 Micro Microearthquakes, not felt. About 8,000 per day
2.0-2.9 Very Minor Generally not felt, but recorded. About 1,000 per day
3.0-3.9 Minor Often felt, but rarely causes damage. 49,000 per year (est.)
4.0-4.9 Light Noticeable shaking of indoor items, rattling noises. Significant damage unlikely. 6,200 per year (est.)
5.0-5.9 Moderate Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. At most slight damage to well-designed buildings. 800 per year
6.0-6.9 Strong Can be destructive in areas up to about 160 kilometres (100 mi) across in populated areas. 120 per year
7.0-7.9 Major Can cause serious damage over larger areas. 18 per year
8.0-8.9 Great Can cause serious damage in areas several hundred miles across. 1 per year
9.0-9.9 Great Devastating in areas several thousand miles across. 1 per 20 years
10.0+ Epic Never recorded; Extremely rare (Unknown)

Modified Mercalli (MM) Scale measures intensity. The MM scale grades the impact of an earthquake on people living on the earth's surface
MM 1: Imperceptible
Barely sensed only by a very few people.
MM 2: Scarcely felt
Felt only by a few people at rest in houses or on upper floors.
MM 3: Weak
Felt indoors as a light vibration. Hanging objects may swing slightly.
MM 4: Largely observed
Generally noticed indoors, but not outside, as a moderate vibration or jolt. Light sleepers may be awakened. Walls may creak, and glassware, crockery, doors or windows rattle.
MM 5: Strong
Generally felt outside and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers are awakened and a few people alarmed. Small objects are shifted or overturned, and pictures knock against the wall. Some glassware and crockery may break, and loosely secured doors may swing open and shut.
MM 6: Slightly damaging
Felt by all. People and animals are alarmed, and many run outside. Walking steadily is difficult. Furniture and appliances may move on smooth surfaces, and objects fall from walls and shelves. Glassware and crockery break. Slight non-structural damage to buildings may occur.
MM 7: Damaging
General alarm. People experience difficulty standing. Furniture and appliances are shifted. Substantial damage to fragile or unsecured objects. A few weak buildings are damaged.
MM 8: Heavily damaging
Alarm may approach panic. A few buildings are damaged and some weak buildings are destroyed.
MM 9: Destructive
Some buildings are damaged and many weak buildings are destroyed.
MM 10: Very destructive
Many buildings are damaged and most weak buildings are destroyed.
MM 11: Devastating
Most buildings are damaged and many buildings are destroyed.
MM 12: Completely devastating

Hope this helps

reply to post by MoorfNZ


My feeling is that this is absolutely normal for the area and has no connection to the Baja quakes at all.

I don't have time to do the graphs just now but a quick look at the figures suggests that apart from the very high incidence of quakes on Jan 14th the magnitude and frequency this year has been pretty even.

I will try and do the graphs later.

4.6 2010/05/13 18:30:53 65.226 -167.095 22.8 12 km ( 8 mi) WSW of Port Clarence, AK
4.9 2010/05/13 15:11:54 54.012 -163.368 52.6 91 km ( 56 mi) S of False Pass, AK

reply to post by muzzy


Only problem with that is that actually they don't use the Richter scale in most places, they use the Moment Of Magnitude (at least for quakes of 4.0+ Richter or thereabouts), and the two are not the same. The MM scale,
also called the MMS which is NOT the same as the Mercalli scale
does not necessarily have a direct equivalent in the Richter scale.

All very confusing but basically I don't think you can quantify quakes by 'light', 'medium' etc. The effect of a quake, perceived or real, depends to a huge amount upon the geology of an area.

It would be reasonable to refer to a 6.0 in Indonesia as, for the most part, 'minor' as they have numbers of them and they do not do much in the way of damage. Put that in Mexico City or Haiti however and you would be talking a whole different ball game. The MMS (Modified Mercalli) for Mexico City would be MUCH higher for the same moment of magnitude, or Richter value.

Mercalli is not an indicator if the intensity of energy release, but of the effect upon humans and is determined to a great extent by the topology/geology of an area.

[edit on 13/5/2010 by PuterMan]

Originally posted by PuterMan
reply to post by muzzy

 

Only problem with that is that actually they don't use the Richter scale in most places

In fact about 55% of earthquake hot spot countries still use ML (Local Magnitude)

Chile ML ssn.dgf.uchile.cl...
Taiwan ML www.cwb.gov.tw...
Greece ML www.gein.noa.gr...
Italy ML cnt.rm.ingv.it...
New Zealand ML www.geonet.org.nz...
Indonesia ML www.bmg.go.id...
Iceland ML hraun.vedur.is...
Nicaragua ML www.ineter.gob.ni... or www.ineter.gob.ni...
Iran ML www.iiees.ac.ir...
South Africa ML www.geoscience.org.za...


I believe its the Networks who are pushing this GENERAL MAGNITUDE thing, which is trying to dumb down the Science of Seismology, and USGS is the main perpetrator.

These are a few countries I couldn't establish what scale they use or they actually do mark individual quakes with a different scale.

Norscar NetMag www.norsardata.no...
Spain mbLg www.ign.es...
India various (marked) asc-india.org...
Canada various ( marked) earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca...
Mexico unclear www.ssn.unam.mx...
Argentina unclear www.inpres.gov.ar...
Japan unclear www.k-net.bosai.go.jp...
Turkey unclear www.koeri.boun.edu.tr...
Phillipines Unclear earthquake.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph...

edit to fix Iranian & Turkey link



[edit on 13-5-2010 by muzzy]

Heres a classic case of the distortion that USGS is permenting;
Off their site.
Magnitude 4.1
Date-Time

* Friday, May 14, 2010 at 01:01:19 UTC
* Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 05:01:19 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 42.339°N, 126.175°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
Distances

* 145 km (90 miles) W (268°) from Gold Beach, OR
* 145 km (90 miles) WSW (252°) from Port Orford, OR
* 159 km (99 miles) WNW (282°) from Brookings, OR
* 175 km (109 miles) WNW (292°) from Crescent City, CA
* 453 km (282 miles) SW (220°) from Portland, OR

Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 13.3 km (8.3 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST= 41, Nph= 41, Dmin=161.6 km, Rmss=1.12 sec, Gp=212°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=7
Source * USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2010wgaf

But if you go into Scientific & Technical and open the Phase data page;
neic.usgs.gov...
12 lines down they give the other types of magnitudes

and its a 3.1ML

so what looks like a LIGHT aftershock worthy of a raised eyebrow becomes a WEAK one,

yawn

Magnitude 5.1 - NORTHERN ALGERIA
2010 May 14 12:29:22 UTC



Earthquake Details
Magnitude 5.1
Date-Time

* Friday, May 14, 2010 at 12:29:22 UTC
* Friday, May 14, 2010 at 01:29:22 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 35.903°N, 4.032°E
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region NORTHERN ALGERIA
Distances 70 km (45 miles) WSW of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria
125 km (80 miles) ESE of Blida, Algeria
130 km (80 miles) WSW of Setif, Algeria
130 km (80 miles) SE of ALGIERS, Algeria
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 8.1 km (5.0 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST= 32, Nph= 32, Dmin=480.9 km, Rmss=1.57 sec, Gp= 86°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=6
Source

* USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Algeria What's up with that? Been watching for years and years - don't recall Algeria

reply to post by muzzy


Sorry muzzy but they are NOT doing anything. This is exactly what I was saying yesterday. There are several different scales. The ML magnitude is local magnitude and is the Richter scale. The quake was reported using the MM scale the moment of magnitude which is marked as Mb.

I think you need to get your magnitude scales sorted out a bit. I said yesterday the there is often a difference between ML and Mb scales, and there is. It is not always that the ML is less than the Mb either although it is often the case.

Have a read of the USGS Magnitude policy

If after that you still think they are doing something I would be happy to get a reply for you directly from the horses mouth.