Update 07:43 UTC : The map below shows the Shaking Intensities as reported by people to the USGS. They are confirming what we wrote below based on what our readers where reporting to Earthquake-report.com
Update 07:40 UTC : USGS has in the meantime decreased the Magnitude to M5.3. They have also recalculated the epicenter which is now
38km (24mi) WSW of Codrington, Barbuda
51km (32mi) NW of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
65km (40mi) ENE of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
136km (85mi) NNW of Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe
145km (90mi) NNW of Lamentin, Guadeloupelocated at the following distances
Update 07:38 UTC : Correspondents are talking about a moderate to strong shaking in Barbuda, Codrington.
A strong earthquake occurred off the coast of Barbuda. As the distance of the epicenter is approx. 50 km from Barbuda, we do think that this earthquake will not generate damage on the island.
The big balloon in the map below this tect was a M7.5 earthquake which occurred in 1974! The red balloon at the top is todays earthquake.
40km (25mi) NW of Codrington, Barbuda
85km (53mi) NNW of Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
87km (54mi) NE of Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
173km (107mi) NNW of Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe
181km (112mi) NNW of Lamentin, Guadeloupe
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.6
Local Time (conversion only below land) : Unknown
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-04-30 06:57:00
for more information and updates, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/04/30/strong-earthquake-155-miles-se-of-settlement-br-virgin-is-on-april-30-2013/
Strong earthquake in Kashmir kills 2 persons and injures 100 (many dangerous aftershocks)
Last update: May 2, 2013 at 7:59 am by By Ashish Khanal
Image courtesy JD Pahadi
Update 07:53 UTC : The situation looks grim as we could trace that damage / collapse of buildings was reported in the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh and Kishawad in Jammu and Kashmir.
Update 07:36 UTC :
Population numbers in the epicenter area (based on the EMSC epicenter) :
130 km SE of Srīnagar, India / pop: 975,857 8 km S of Kishtwār, India / pop: 20,553
Update 07:34 UTC :Buildings shook in Delhi, offices and homes were evacuated in parts of Kashmir, and tremors were reported across the border in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan.
Update 07:30 UTC : EMSC has now changed the earthquake parameters from M5.3 at 60 km to M5.7 at 51 km.
Update 07:30 UTC : IMD (Meteorological Department of India) is reporting a very dangerous depth of 15 km. Let’s hope that they are not right and that the hypocenter will be deeper. 4.4 million people are living within a radius of 100 km from the epicenter.
People in affected cities came out of their homes immediately after the tremors were felt.
Update 07:26 UTC : The I Have Felt It MMI’s we are receiving from our readers are indicating a strong shaking in Northern India. As every earthquake is being felt differently by people, this earthquake gives us a bad feeling. We hope to bring as fast as possible some news from the epicenter area
Update 07:23 UTC : This earthquake proves another time that showing the different reported data is a plus as they are very contradictory at this moment. In Indie also a 5.7 Magnitude has been reported.
Update 07:19 UTC : USGS is however reporting a strong M5.7 earthquake at a depth of 10 km which would make this earthquake VERY dangerous. We think however that the intermediate depth will be more likely.
Update 07:12 UTC : We are relatively happy to tell you that it looks like it was (only) a M5.1 at 60 km depth
Update 07:04 UTC : We have still no clue what exactly happened, but most of our readers are coming from North India
Update : This earthquake is also felt in India and the UAE
17km (11mi) NE of Bhadarwah, India
23km (14mi) SSE of Kishtwar, India
24km (15mi) E of Doda, India
66km (41mi) NNW of Chamba, India
267km (166mi) ESE of Islamabad, Pakistan
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.6
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-05-01 12:27:22
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-05-01 06:57:22
Depth (Hypocenter) : 40 km
Update 16:45 UTC : USGS has after all published some additional details of this earthquake (probably because is became a deadly and damaging one). This was the MMI shaking in the different cities and villages nearby : MMI V (moderate shaking) : Bhadarwah 13,000 people MMI IV (light shaking) : Kishtwar 21,000, Doda 18,000, Ramban 7,000, Batoti 4,000 and Ramnagar 8,000 MI III (weak shaking) : Amritsar 1,092,000, Lahore 6,311,000, Srinagar 976,000, Gujranwala 1,384,000 and Kotli 640,000
Update 16:32 UTC : The images below have been taken after the earthquake in Bhaderwah. Click on this image to see them in full size. Images courtesy Photos by Rafiqi Aamir and Randhir Singh Rathore
Click on this image to see every picture in full size
Update 16:18 UTC : Minister for Rural Development Ali Mohammad Sagar has said that the government will extend all the support to the earthquake victims of the Doda and Kishtwar districts. The Minister has further said that the necessary instructions have been conveyed to the concerned District Administration to assess the loss caused to various structures, so that necessary relief can be provided to them at an earliest. Sagar has also sympathized with the affected people who have been injured as a result of the earthquake and assured them that all possible help would be extended to them.
The Indian Air Force came to the rescue of a 6-year old girl who was blocked inside debris of a collapsed building at Kishtwar. The condition of the girl was deteriorating continuously (brain concussion). To IAF has airlifted the girl to a GMC Hospital in Jammu.
for more information and updates, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/05/01/moderate-earthquake-eastern-kashmir-on-may-1-2013/
Update 00:49 UTC : WAPMERR, the theoretical damage engine has calculated that based on M6.9 and 16 km depth there will be 400 to 3500 fatalities and thousands of injured. Let’s hope that they are wrong !
Update 00:47 UTC : The Chinese data are even more dangerous. CEIC reports a Magnitude of 7.0 at a depth of only 14 km. ER fears for a lot of fatalities.
Update 00:41 UTC : We do stress that this is a MAJOR DANGEROUS earthquake. The combination Magnitude / depth can be very damaging.
Update 00:40 UTC : Based on the USGS data, Muping Town is at high risk for severe damage. Population : 11000 people
Update 00:37 UTC : We will have to wait a little to get the precise population data in the direct vicinity of the earthquake.
Update 00:36 UTC : Unfortunately all the local Chinese seismology servers are down because of too many requests
Update 00:26 UTC : USGS is expecting a MASSIVE MMI IX shaking near the epicenter. Even if the shaking should be down to VII or VIII, this earthquake will still be very damaging.
Update 00:26 UTC : USGS is reporting a Magnitude of 6.9 at a depth of only 16 km. EMSC is initially reporting a depth of 60 km. If the final depth is less than 20 km, this earthquake will normally be very damaging.
Update 00:22 UTC : We are currently trying to get the data of the Chinese Seismological services, but so far we could not get to it, probably server are too busy.
Update 00:18 UTC : The earthquake was VERY powerful and felt in a very wide area. We did get already reports as far as Chonqing and Kunming. We stress that this is a VERY DANGEROUS earthquake
Extremely dangerous earthquake in Sichuan, China
The earthquake was also relatively close to Chengdu (111 km)
111 km SW of Chengdu, China / pop: 3,950,437 / local time: 08:02:53.0 2013-04-20
97 km NW of Leshan, China / pop: 154,477 / local time: 08:02:53.0 2013-04-20
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.6
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-04-20 08:02:48
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-04-20 00:02:48
Depth (Hypocenter) : 19 km
for more information and updates, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/04/20/very-strong-earthquake-sichuan-china-on-april-20-2013/
Interesting press release from CVO this evening. While they’re playing this down, it is interesting that there are (and have been) many more earthquakes than they mention in the report (for days now!)! The events plot beneath the most recent vent area,…not where geothermal exploration this past year had triggered earlier activity on the western flank of the volcano. I had been watching these events, but obviously not closely enough!!! I’m sure the deep low-frequency event within the shallower activity got their attention. This is a rhyolitic volcano (so there are few analogs to precursory activity) and the seismicity at Chaiten and more recently at Cordon Caulle began at around 8 km depth!!
Maybe nothing,…maybe something!!! Definitely the most interesting seismicity in the Cascades for a long while!!!
Earthquakes at Newberry, April 08-12 – April 12, 2013
Between 04/08 – 04/12, five earthquakes were located within or along the margins of the Newberry caldera by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN, http://www.pnsn.org). The first two occurred at 04:19 & 04:20 PDT on 04/08 and were followed over the next 20 minutes by eight smaller (and therefore unlocatable) earthquakes. Three days later at 5:01 PDT a “low-frequency event”, so-called because it lacks higher-frequency waves that are commonly observed in regular earthquakes, occurred at a depth of ~8 km. Finally on 04/12 two additional earthquakes occurred at 02:28 and 04:06 PDT. The largest of these five events was a M 1.2. These five events appear as orange or red (two most recent) circles in the below map-view plot.
Newberry earthquakes, 2011 – 2013
Map showing earthquakes located within the Newberry caldera from 2011 – 2013. Earthquakes from April 08-12, 2013, are colored orange or red (for April 12 events).
Although these five events are nothing to get excited about, they are noteworthy because only six other earthquakes have been located within or along the margins of the Newberry caldera since the Newberry seismic network was expanded from one to nine seismic stations in the summer of 2011 (none of these events would have been detected prior to 2011). In addition, the 04/11 event is the first low-frequency event ever recorded in the Newberry area. Low-frequency events are not unusual at volcanoes, and when observed are commonly thought to reflect movement of fluid (water, gas, or other) through cracks. Given that there are active hot springs within the caldera, the occasional occurrence of such events should not be surprising. An unusual feature of this low-frequency event is its depth (8 km). Since the 1980s, such “deep low-frequency events” have been seen intermittently at Mount Baker (31), Glacier Peak (9), Mount Rainier (9), and Mount St. Helens (9). At these other volcanoes the deep low-frequency events occur as part of background seismicity and have not been associated with eruptions or unrest at the surface (for more information about these type of events in the Cascades, see Nichols et al. (2011)**). Although intriguing from a volcanological perspective, these events are again nothing to get excited about.
** Nichols, M. L., S. D. Malone, S. C. Moran, W. A. Thelen, and J. E. Vidale (2011), Deep long-period earthquakes beneath Washington and Oregon volcanoes, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 200(3-4), 116-128.
SUMMARY 14:00- The towns closest to the epicenter have suffered greatly.
– The death toll remains at 12, however is expected to rise in the coming hours.
– Around 40,000 people are affected most of all.
– Landslides were seen.
– A M6.1 earthquake occurred at a depth of 10km in the sparsely populated Bushehr/Kaki region.
– The Bushehr nuclear facility is running smoothly.
– Rescue teams continue to work on retrieving bodies and rescuing survivors from the masonry rubble.
Shaking map
UPDATE 13:49- There are currently 100 rescuers on the scene. According to the rescuers, the towns of Baghani and Senate (bad Farsi translations) in Khormoj have been 100% destroyed (it is still unclear whether the entire village has been destroyed or just some buildings). There are fatalities and injuries that are expected.
UPDATE 13:41- It is as yet unclear if any houses have been affected by the major landslides and rockfalls that have occurred in the mountains.
UPDATE 13:36- The 4 closest villages are currently being assessed. Certain routes (like the highway) closest to the earthquake-stricken areas are closed. This earthquake is rated as CATDAT Red, and is unlikely to be CATDAT Dark Red.
UPDATE 13:33- Some of the aftershocks will also be lightly felt in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. It is quite likely however that no greater earthquakes will occur than the 6.1 that occurred earlier. The quake triggered panic in Dubai’s high-rise buildings and residents rushed out (it is unclear whether any injuries resulted). Some buildings in the Dubai Marina area have been evacuated and workers sent home according to Gulf News sources.
UPDATE 13:30- Villages in Kaki and closer have some homes that have suffered 100% destruction (collapsed according to the Iran classification). These are likely to be of masonry and it can be expected that a 5-15% fatality rate occurs in these buildings.
UPDATE 13:27-At least 12 people are reported dead.
UPDATE 13:23- The death toll has risen to 5. There are scenes of destruction in Kaki, with many destroyed houses being reported. In addition damage in Borozjan Bushehr and also Khormoj. The arrival of teams from Fars and Bushehr will allow for a better range of fatality information soon. The theoretical USGS PAGER model predicts around 200 fatalities as a median (35% chance between 100-1000 fatalities), so there is a high likelihood that a higher number of fatalities will occur than currently reported.
UPDATE:- Many aftershocks have hit the region. The death toll remains at 3, however is expected to rise.
UPDATE:- The Bushehr nuclear facility (around 100km from the quake) is functioning normally.
UPDATE:- 20 rescue personnel in 4 assessment teams, and 2 helicopters have been sent. Kaki city has some destroyed houses, and some poorly built rural houses in Bushehr (around 50-60km away) have cracking. It is expected that Kaki and Khormoj will have the most destruction.
Kaki City
UPDATE:- Kaki city actually has 10,000 people. Thus, there is more exposure than first thought. Unfortunately, death rates of around 2-3% are not uncommon from such earthquakes. Red Crescent assessment teams have been sent to the scene.
UPDATE:- The Siraj highway is quite close to the epicenter and around 16-22km from Khormoj. 3 people have died, and there are helicopters and assistance being sent to the region. In addition, many landslides have been seen.
UPDATE:- The earthquake has occurred near the Borozjan fault, near a salt dome. There appears to be a town of around 2000 people from satellite images that is close to the earthquake epicenter. Good news is that it is further from Khormoj than first expected from the Iran epicenter.
UPDATE:- Finally news, from the earthquake epicenter where a M6.1 earthquake (local magnitude by IIEES, Iran) – there has been damage reported in Kaki County. In addition, there are scattered reports of possible casualties.
UPDATE:- It is generally bad news in Iran as there are no reports from ISNA, IRNA or Fars News currently on the earthquake. All major agencies have given a shallow 6.2 to 6.3 earthquake (GEOFON, USGS and EMSC). It is expected however that the earthquake may be slightly deeper than first thought which may reduce fatalities. Iran has a very low Q value, meaning that generally earthquake waves reduce in energy (attenuate) faster with distance.
UPDATE:- Many towers have been evacuated across Dubai and in the Middle East given the light shaking. The area of main concern however is the epicentral region. Bushehr at 90km from the epicenter should have been spared major damage, but the closer towns probably not.
UPDATE:- A M5.4 aftershock has also occurred, which will have added to the possible damage.
UPDATE:- There are approximately 3000 people living in the intensity 8 shaking zone according to the USGS PAGER model and 15000 people in the intensity 7 shaking zone. Khvormuj is a city in and capital of Dashti County, Bushehr Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 31,667, in 6,966 families. It is around 25km away from the epicenter.
A strong earthquake has been felt across the region. Magnitude 6.2 in southern Iran can often cause major damage especially when at a shallow depth. It is worth remembering that the 2003 Bam earthquake had a magnitude around 6.5, and caused around 25,000 deaths.
A M6 earthquake struck the same region of Khormoj in 1976 on the 22nd of April causing some damage but no fatalities.
It has been felt intensity IV in Dubai (probably long period waves in a high building).
This current earthquake has been felt in Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-04-09 16:22:51
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-04-09 11:52:51
Depth (Hypocenter) : 12 km, 10km
for more information and updates, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/04/09/very-strong-earthquake-southern-iran-on-april-9-2013/
Please note, there is some good information on the above captioned page which states emphatically that earthquakes cannot be predicted. I would suggest that you check it out.
El Hierro Volcano activity report – Strong new earthquake swarm has started at El Hierro
Last update: March 18, 2013 at 3:27 pm by By Armand Vervaeck
013-03-18 15:27 UTC
– Thanks to ER readers Colin, Tommy, Chris and Vinch77 who have alerted us we can bring you this “breaking News”. A very strong seismic event has started at El Hierro. Check the HT graph and volcanic earthquakes list below (in a time-frame of only 10 minutes, 9 volcanic earthquakes have been listed by IGN + more to come) :
2013-03-18 11:36 UTC
– The M3.8 earthquake which occurred yesterday to the North of Tenerife is a pure tectonic event as the hypocenter was reported at 51 km. There are more moderate tectonic earthquakes to the north of Tenerife.
– A small volcanic earthquake swarm occurred around midnight yesterday. Most of the epicenter below the central crater area of the island. No HT generated during that period. The strongest earthquakes are however visible on the CHIE graph
2013-03-16 16:52 UTC
– A short period of seismic activity near midnight earlier today.
2013-03-13 23:40 UTC
– The so called activity which started around 08:00 this morning ended at 18:00 UTC this evening. The same occurred yesterday. The logical explanation for this is human interference. Seismographs are very sensitive instruments and cars, people or other human activities can influence the recordings. We think this is the case here.
for more information, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/25/el-hierro-canary-islands-spain-volcanic-risk-alert-increased-to-yellow/
February 2013 was the globe’s 9th warmest February since records began in 1880, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) on Thursday. February 2013 global land temperatures were the 11th warmest on record, and global ocean temperatures were the 8th warmest on record. February 2013 was the 336th consecutive month with global temperatures warmer than the 20th century average and the 37th straight warmer-than-average February. The last time Earth had a below-average February global temperature was in 1976, and the last below-average month of any kind was December 1984. Global satellite-measured temperatures in February 2013 for the lowest 8 km of the atmosphere were 10th or 8th warmest in the 35-year record, according to Remote Sensing Systems and the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH), respectively. The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent during February 2013 was the 16th largest in the 47-year period of record. Wunderground’s weather historian, Christopher C. Burt, has a comprehensive post on the notable weather events of February 2013 in his February 2013 Global Weather Extremes Summary. Costly weather disasters were relatively rare in February, according to AON Benfield. The most expensive weather-related disasters in February 2013 were:
1) Drought in Central and Eastern China, 1/1 – 2/28, $541 million
2) Winter storm in Eastern China, 2/18 – 2/21, $124 million
3) Winter Storm Nemo, Northeast U.S., 2/8 – 2/9. $100+ million
4) Hattiesburg, MS tornado and associated storm damage, 2/9 – 2/11, $100+ million
The deadliest February weather disaster was Tropical Cyclone Haruna, which hit Madagascar at 00 UTC Friday, February 22, as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds, killing 26.
Figure 1. Departure of temperature from average for February 2013, the 9th warmest February for the globe since record keeping began in 1880. Colder than average conditions occurred in the Western U.S., western Europe, and northern Russia. No land areas in the Southern Hemisphere were cooler than average, and record warm conditions were experienced in parts of Indonesia and northern Australia. Image credit: National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) .
Figure 2. The deadliest weather disaster of February 2013 was Tropical Cyclone Haruna, which hit Madagascar at 00 UTC Friday, February 22, as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds, killing 26. In this image, Haruna is over Madagascar at 11:05 UTC February 22, 2013, and was a Category 1 storm with 90 mph winds. Image credit: NASA.
Figure 3. The most expensive weather disaster of February 2013 was the on-going drought in Central and Eastern China, which has cost $541 million since the beginning of 2013. Image credit: Beijing Climate Center.
Neutral El Niño conditions continue in the equatorial Pacific
For the 11th month in row, neutral El Niño conditions existed in the equatorial Pacific during February 2013. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) expects neutral El Niño conditions to last through spring. Temperatures in the equatorial Eastern Pacific need to be 0.5°C below average or cooler for three consecutive for a La Niña episode to be declared; sea surface temperatures were 0.1°C below average as of March 11, and have ranged from 0.1 – 0.6°C below average during 2013.
Arctic sea ice falls to 7th lowest February extent on record
Arctic sea ice extent during February reached its seventh lowest extent in the 35-year satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). This was the 11th consecutive February and 141st consecutive month with below-average Arctic sea ice extent. The last ten years (2004 to 2013) have seen the ten lowest February extents in the satellite record. Arctic sea ice is nearing its winter maximum and will soon begin to melt.
Moderate earthquake close to Cobb Mountain and The Geysers geothermal project, Northern California
Last update: March 14, 2013 at 6:22 pm by By Ashish Khanal
Preliminary Magnitude M4.6 at a shallow depth of 2 km.
The epicenter area is mainly a wilderness area, with only some isolated houses.
We do not expect any damage because of the relatively big distance to the nearest villages (considering the Magnitude).
This area has no historic record (since 1900) of a major earthquake.
Cobb (2000 inhabitants) is expected to have experienced a light shaking and Cloverdale (9000 inhabitants) a weak shaking. Other locations in the area a very weak shaking, probably only felt by a very limited number of people.
Santa Rosa : a (theoretically) “not to be felt” shaking
5km (3mi) WSW of Cobb, California
21km (13mi) SW of Clearlake, California
23km (14mi) NNE of Healdsburg, California
29km (18mi) N of Windsor, California
115km (71mi) WNW of Sacramento, California
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 4.2
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-03-14 02:09:00
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-03-14 09:09:00
Depth (Hypocenter) : 4 km
Update 18:20 UTC : We have pulled the following “I Have Felt It” report out of the many we received as it came from the epicenter area itself :
March 14, 2013 I awoke to the worst shaking and rumbling I have felt in the 8 and half years that I have been living in Cobb California. I am used to the shaking but this was different. For the first time I wondered if I should get out of the house. There was a second shaking 5 to 10 seconds later and rumbling in the distance for 30 seconds more.
Update 11:41 UTC : It looks like this earthquake has some links with the geothermal project at the nearby The Geysers. The extremely shallow location of the hypocenter (2 km) is another indication of this theory.
Read carefully the text of The Geysers below as we might have set a record today.
The Geysers The Geysers is a complex of 22 geothermal power plants, drawing steam from more than 350 wells, located in the Mayacamas Mountains 72 mi (116 km) north of San Francisco, California. The largest in the world, the Geysers has 1517 MW[1] of active installed capacity with an average production factor of 63% (955 MW).Calpine Corporation operates and owns 19 of the 22 active plants in the Geysers and is currently the United States’ largest producer of geothermal energy. Two other plants are owned jointly by the Northern California Power Agency and the City of Santa Clara’s municipal Electric Utility(now called Silicon Valley Power). The Bottle Rock Power plant owned by the US Renewables Group was expected to be reopened in 2007. Another plant is under development by Ram Power Corp, formerly Western Geopower, with operation set to begin in 2010. Since the activities of one geothermal plant affects those nearby, the consolidation of plant ownership at The Geysers has been beneficial because the plants operate cooperatively instead of in their own short-term interest.
Seismicity at The Geysers
Current studies of The Geysers Geothermal Field seismicity have reached the conclusion that deep-well injection in the field produces mostly microseismic events between magnitude 0.5-3.0 on the Richter Scale (M).
Worldwide, the largest induced seismic event to date linked to Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) activity was M3.7 in the Cooper Basin of Australia. However, research based on maximum fault lengths indicates that a M5.0 is the largest possible (but not probable) event in the Geysers. A concern to the residents is not only the amount of seismicity but the magnitude of the largest seismic event likely to occur. Although no one can accurately predict earthquakes, the magnitude of an earthquake is dependent on the surface area that can slip — the length times the depth or width of the fault. Therefore, a large earthquake can occur only on a large fault. There are no mapped faults of large length in The Geysers, so it is extremely unlikely that induced seismicity caused by activities in The Geysers will lead to a large earthquake.
Future
The Geysers electrical plant reached peak production in 1987, at that time serving 1.8 million people. Since then, the steam field has been in gradual decline as its underground water source decreases. Currently, the Geysers produce enough electricity for 1.1 million people.
Techniques developed from Enhanced Geothermal Systems research will increase the production of the region in the future. By reinjecting greywater from the nearby city of Santa Rosa, existing wells will be recharged. This water will be naturally heated in the geothermal reservoir, and be captured by the existing power plants as steam. The project should increase electrical output by 85 MW, enough for about 85,000 homes. (source Wikipedia)
One of The Geysers geothermal plants – Image courtesy Wikipedia
Update 09:36 UTC : Contrary to what we wrote below, this quake may have been felt a little stronger than expected as we received a readers experience from Santa Rosa, stating : “i was watching tv and i felt everything slightly moving. It was a surprise for me”
Strong earthquake in the Borrego range near Anza, Southern California
Last update: March 12, 2013 at 10:23 am by By Ashish Khanal
Update 18:10 UTC : The earthquake was on the San Jacinto Fault, the most active in Southern California, said Lucy Jones, USGS science adviser for risk reduction. Aftershocks are expected.
Update 18:01 UTC : Based on theoretical calculations 393,000 people will have experienced a light shaking (MMI IV) and 6.5 million people a weak to very weak shaking. Nothing special for Southern California, but the main difference in this case is that it was felt in such a huge area.
Update 17:46 UTC : On the picture below you have a view of the desert mountain range where the earthquake struck. Except for some wildlife nobody will be around.
Anza Borrego Desert Wilderness State Park where the epicenter is – image courtesy and copyright West Coast Sharon
Update 17:39 UTC : Many Californians may have the same problems than we have : impossible to enter the USGS site. The I Have Felt It Reports below will give you at least a good overview of how the people have experienced this earthquake.
Update 17:37 UTC : Earthquake-report.com does not expect serious damage or injuries as the maximum theoretical shaking has been set to IV MMI (light shaking). This is mainly because the epicenter is in rocky mountainous area. Earthquake waves are not propagated very well in such ground.
Update 17:33 UTC : The earthquake was felt from Los Angeles down to Northern Mexico (ie Mexicali). This is definitely one of the stronger earthquakes in California since the last couple of years.
Update 17:23 UTC : As you can see on our bottom map, the area had some very big earthquakes in the past.
Update 17:23 UTC : We have the impression that we are not the only ones having trouble with our servers as some USGS maps cannot be reached neither.
Update 17:20 UTC : USGS has updated his report and mentions now a M4.7 Magnitude at a depth of 12 km. 8 seconds later another one with the same Magnitude, but this may be changed again later on.
We have a hard time to write as we have too many readers in the site at the moment. Our apologies for this.
A lot of aftershocks are currently reported.
Luckily the epicenter is in a wilderness area but the valley to the east is of big concern.
19km (12mi) ESE of Anza, California
23km (14mi) SW of La Quinta, California
25km (16mi) SSW of Palm Desert, California
26km (16mi) SSW of Rancho Mirage, California
409km (254mi) W of Phoenix, Arizona
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 4.7
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-03-11 09:55:50
Strong earthquake near Nanhu Mountain (Xiulin), Taiwan on March 7, 2013
Last update: March 8, 2013 at 12:15 am by By Ashish Khanal
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.5
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-03-07 11:36:46
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-03-07 03:36:46
Depth (Hypocenter) : 15 km
Update 08:41 UTC : 16 M3+ aftershocks since the mainshock. Strongest aftershock so far : 4.5 (4 above M4). No evidence of damage so far. If we would track even some minor damage, we will report it here.
Update 05:52 UTC : NO reports of damage yet (more than 3 hours after the mainshock). This is a good sign as the earthquake has occurred during daylight, earthquake response and assessment is generally much faster during daylight than during the night.
Update 05:45 UTC : Taiwan is generally well prepared for earthquakes. After many cruel earthquakes in the past, building code has been improved a lot and earthquake drills are a common issue in education. To prove their building skills, Taiwan had during relatively long time the highest building in the world, the 509 meter high Taipei 101 Tower.
Update 05:37 UTC : Below the list of aftershocks of M3 or more as reported by CWB Taiwan, the strongest one being a M4.1. Epicenters are located in the same area as the mainshock.
Update 05:13 UTC : Today’s earthquake was mainly normal faulting (see beachball below). Taiwan has very complicated tectonics with all kind of focal mechanisms. The Philippine Sea plate is sliding 82 mm/year from the East to the West, which is an impressive speed and which explains at the same time the many earthquakes Taiwan has. A good tectonic overview of Taiwan can be read here (also the University who did publish the map below).
Taiwan tectonics – image courtesy Ludwig Maximilians University Munchen Germany
Update 05:13 UTC : The picture below gives an impression of the earthquake’s epicenter area, the Central Mountain Range.
Image courtesy Tai2
Update 04:58 UTC : We are currently scanning our many sources but have luckily not found any trace of damage as yet. Let’s hope it remains like this.
Update 04:48 UTC : Based on the reports from our readers we do not think that serious shaking damage will be inflicted, secondary impact from for example landslides are a real possibility however. The picture below shows a landslide in April 2010 after a M6.5 earthquake struck the island.
Image courtesy Central News Agency, Taiwan – landslide after a M6.5 earthquake in 2010
Update 04:45 UTC : Taiwan has often damaging landslides during similar earthquakes. People in this area are somewhat used to earthquakes but strong ones like this do not happen very common. The area is well known for strong earthquakes however (see map below which shows the earthquakes near todays epicenter since early 2012 only).
Update 04:36 UTC : CWB Taiwan reports somewhat better numbers with the same Magnitude of M5.6 but with a deeper hypocenter of 15.6 km. The shaking intensity was max. 5 CWB in Yilan County and Taichung City. Other intensities : see below.
An intensity CWB 5 should be read as : Strong Indoors : Most people are considerably frightened. Walls crack; heavy furniture may overturn. Outdoors : Noticeably felt by drivers; some chimneys and large archways topple over.
A CWB 5 can be compared with an MMI VII – The JMA (Japan) and CWB (Taiwan) intensity scales are rather similar.
Update 04:34 UTC : The epicenter is also close to Nanhu mountain. Nanhu Mountain is a mountain in Taiwan with an elevation of 3,740 m (12,270 ft). It is one of the highest mountains in Taiwan.
Update 04:27 UTC : ER calls this earthquake moderately dangerous mainly because the epicenter is below a wilderness area, otherwise we would call it very dangerous. The earthquake was felt in a wide radius and based on the reports from our readers below, objects fell from shelves in Taipei which illustrates the strength of the shaking.
