Tag Archives: Earthquake

Earthquake – Loyalty Islands Region

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Very strong earthquake in the greater Loyalty Islands / New Caledonia area

Last update: March 3, 2012 at 1:14 pm by By 

 

Earthquake overview : A very strong earthquake occurred at 11:19 PM (23:19) in the greater Loyalty Islands / New Caledonia area

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 6.9 (preliminary)
UTC Time :  Saturday, March 03, 2012 at 12:19:57 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Saturday, March 03, 2012 at 11:19:57 PM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 31 km (19.3 miles)
Geo-location(s) :
254 km (158 miles) ESE (110°) from Tadine, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
323 km (200 miles) SSE (163°) from Isangel, Vanuatu  

 

Update 13:13 UTC
– The picture to the right shows very well the deep trench were 2 plates are subducting each other. The traveling speed of these plates is estimated to be approx. 8 cm / year which can be called a massive movement, and also the reason for these many sometimes violent earthquakes, luckily mostly with epicenter in the ocean.

Update 12:56 UTC
– Only 3000 people will experience a light MMI IV shaking and 34000 people a weak shaking. This may be the reason that we haven’t received experience reports yet. A lot of people in Vanuatu and New Caledonia will have slept through this earthquake and will be surprised tomorrow morning.

Update 12:51 UTC
– The maximum tsunami wave height near the coast of Isino will be 0.04m.  In other words, NO real tsunami has to be expected.
– A lot of strong to very strong aftershocks can be expected.

Update 12:49 UTC
GDACS simulation, is not mentioning a tsunami wave towards the New Caledonia or Vanuatu islands, most at risk in similar earthquakes.

Tsunami wave propagation courtesy GDACS

Update 12:42 UTC
– This area of the Pacific has regular massive earthquakes due to fast traveling tectonic plates.  Based on the Magnitude/ Depth and distance from the islands Earthquake-Report.com is calling this earthquake NOT dangerous for eventual damage or injuries on the nearest islands, however people and properties will be shaken very good.

Update 12:38 UTC
NOAA PACIFIC EVALUATION
NO DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA. HOWEVER – EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.   

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/03/03/very-strong-earthquake-in-the-greater-loyalty-islands-new-caledonia-area/

 

El Hierro Update

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El Hierro Volcano : Yellow-Red alert

Last update: March 1, 2012 at 3:49 pm by By 

Update 01/03 – 15:49 UTC
– NO new earthquakes
– NO change in HT
– ITER is currently installing more instruments at the Tacoron area. Currently someone has to go to Tacoron to do a number of manual measurements.  The new instruments will send data in real-time to the analysts. Once this has been tested, people will be allowed to enter this sector of the island.
– Joke Volta March 1 morning images

Update 01/03 – 09:12 UTC
– A short revival of harmonic tremor for a couple of minutes at 01:16. It has not repeated since then.
– The eruption webcam is frozen again for the second day in a row.  Hopefully the disturbance is not due to a serious problem.
– 4 earthquakes since midnight varying from M 0.6 to M 1.3, depths from 10 to 16 km. Epicenters on the usual line from Frontera to the main vent.
– Today is the last day of the INVOLCAN course Joke is following. She is very positive about this initiative. Compared to the Geology course given by Ramon Casillas from the University of La Laguna who was focusing more to the specific technical details of volcanoes and tectonics, the Involcan course is zooming in on the many dangers for property and population. Joke was surprised that Lahars, toxic gases, lava flows, landslides, explosions etc has caused many casualties in the past.  The El Hierro eruption goes on and on and looks like a peaceful event (what it surely is at this time), but in other places of the world volcanoes can cause a lot of misery. The pictures below have been taken during the Involcan course.
– Poets from everywhere in the world showed their solidarity with the people of El Hierro during a poetry event yesterday at La Restinga (pictures of this event : click here)

Involcan course about volcano risks at El Pinar

Update 29/02 – 23:55 UTC
– The day ended with only 4 earthquakes
– almost no HT
– No stain or jacuzzi
– we are very curious for the next couple of days. If the present situation continues for another week, Pevolca might decrease the alert levels

Update 29/02 – 15:46 UTC
– 4 earthquakes so far today
– In the many mails we received from Joke yesterday and after midnight today (yes, she often works until after midnight), something escaped our attention. An earthquake at 05:02 yesterday morning with an epicenter to the east of the La Restinga reef (in between El Hierro and Tenerife).
In a message later yesterday and before Joke had seen this earthquake location, she told us about a stain in that same area. When climbing montaña La Restinga, she usually looks both sides of the La Restinga. She found it strange to see a stain in that part of the sea (especially as we had no more stains above the main vent for many days). She indicated the stain spot in her image series from yesterday afternoon, adding a map with the location.  There are no signs that this is a viable reason for a new emission vent as the quake was reported at a depth of 20 km, but the least we can say is that this event is rather unusual and not immediately explainable, unless the stain drifted away from the main vent.

Update 29/02 – 09:23 UTC
– 2 great videos for Volcano Lovers : with special thanks to AVCAN, who gave us the lead for them.  We have embedded them in our Volcano News updates.

Update 29/02 – 07:55 UTC
– 3 earthquakes so far today. Magnitudes : 1.1, 0.8 and 1.3. Depths in between 7 and 12 km.
– unchanged harmonic tremor
– continuing micro-seismicity
– no visible stain or jacuzzi on the eruption webcam

for more information, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/25/el-hierro-canary-islands-spain-volcanic-risk-alert-increased-to-yellow/

Earthquake — off Coast of Japan

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February 29, 2012 – strong coastal earthquake close to Tokyo

Last update: February 29, 2012 at 2:57 pm by By 

 

Earthquake intensity image courtesy JMA Japan

M 5.8      2012/02/29 14:32    Depth 20.0 km     JAPAN
local time 23:32 – Epicenter location see below in list
70 km SE Choshi (pop 75,650) and 108 km SE Narita (pop 100,641) (Narita is one of the Tokyo airports)
Earlier report we wrote when we found out the earthquake occurred
Preliminary data are talking about a strong earthquake 20 km out in the sea near Tokyo
We are estimating that the epicenter is about 50 km out in the sea. Certainly NOT strong enough to generate a tsunami.
JMA Japan reports a magnitude of 5.8 at a depth of 20 km. Max. registered intensity by JMA : 4 at Isumi-shi Misakicho-choja* – Earthquake-Report.com considers 5+ as dangerous for eventual damage
Conclusion Earthquake-Report.com : NOT dangerous for damage or injuries

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/28/earthquakes-list-february-29-2012/

Earthquake – France

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Moderate very shallow earthquake in Alpes de Haute-Provence, France

Last update: February 27, 2012 at 9:19 am by By 

Earthquake overview : Shortly before midnight a moderate but very shallow earthquake struck the French Southern Alps.  The earthquake was felt from the Alps ski areas down to the French Mediterranean coast

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 4.7
UTC Time :  Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 22:37:56 UTC
Local time at epicenter :  Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 11:37:56 PM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) :
Geo-location(s) :
5 km E Crévoux (pop 111)
41 km S Briançon (pop 11,577)
92 km (57 miles) SW of Torino, Italy
102 km (63 miles) SE of Grenoble, France

Update 09:15 UTC :  After having called the mayors office of Embrun, one of the bigger cities in the direct epicenter area, earthquake-report.com can confirm that NO serious damage has been inflicted (only reports of fallen objects in the local press), NO roads have been blocked by rockfall or landslides and NO dangerous avalanches have been reported in the ski areas.

Update 08:29 UTC :  – The French seismological servicehas received a lot of calls marking a max.  MMI intensity of IV (light shaking). Earthquake-report.com has also received an important number of experience reports indicating a max. intensity of V, an acceptable margin in between both.
– Our own France-Only list has noticed 3 aftershocks since the mainshock. They had Magnitudes of 3.7, 2.4 and 3.3
– The intensity values that we have noticed are normally not generating any damage. Additionally we know that people who are not used to earthquakes are slightly exaggerating the intensity.
– Another important effect in weakening the shaking near the epicenter is the soil who is mainly composed of rock. Rocks are weakening an earthquake wave considerably. Epicenter area and valleys at 50 km or more from the epicenter have therefore almost the same shaking values.
– Main risk with earthquakes in mountainous areas are landslides and avalanches. We are 100% sure than a lot of rockfall will have been noticed in the direct epicenter area, not necessarily leading to damage.

Update :  The epicenter was located very close to Crévoux

Update :  We are very curious to find out more details  during daylight tomorrow. As the epicenter is right in the ski-areas in the French and Italian Alps, avalanches are very well possible, especially because of the huge amounts of snow currently in the area.

Update :  The epicenter has been located almost on the Italy / France border. Some agencies are reporting the Italian side of the border being the epicenter,, others the France area.

Landscape at Guillestre, very close to the epicenter – image courtesy Stig Ekelund

Update:  La terre a tremblé à Crévoux, à 16 km au nord est de Barcelonette, ce soir à 23h37 précises, selon le site du Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA). Ce séisme de magnitude 4,9 sur l’échelle de Richter a été ressenti dans le Var, les Alpes-maritimes et même Marseille où de nombreux habitants ont senti la secousse durant 3 à 4 secondes. Il faut remonter à 1997 pour retrouver une amplitude équivalente dans cette région montagneuse des Hautes-Alpes. (source : LaProvence.com)

Update :  The earthquake has also been felt very well in South Western Italy, from the Alps until the Mediterranean coast.

Update : The nearest villages are : Guillestre (10 km), Embrun, Chateauroux les Alpes and Jausiers.

Update : The EMSC numbers are annoying as they can implicate minor damage in villages close to the epicenter. Especially the extremely shallow depth of 2 km means that the shaking (explosion) must have been felt and heard hard by people in these villages.

Update : The other seismological agencies reported the following data :
EMSC :  Magnitude 4.8 and 2 km depth
GEOFON : Magnitude 4.6 at 10 km depth

Shortly before midnight a moderate but very shallow earthquake struck the French Southern Alps.  The earthquake was felt from the Alps ski areas down to the French Mediterranean coast

to read more, and for updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/27/moderate-very-shallow-earthquake-in-alpes-maritimes-area-france/

 

Southern Siberia — Dangerous Earthquake

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Very strong dangerous earthquake in southern Siberia – only slight damage + video

Last update: February 26, 2012 at 5:51 pm by By 

Earthquake overview : In the early afternoon of February 26, a very strong extremely shallow earthquake occurred approx. 100 km from Kyzyl, Siberia, Russia.

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 6.8
UTC Time : Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 06:17:19 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 01:17:19 PM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 11.7 km
Geo-location(s) :
100 km (62 miles) E (91°) from Kyzyl, Russia
337 km (209 miles) NE (53°) from Ulaangom, Mongolia

Update 17:45 UTC :  ”In 77 municipalities, caught in the earthquake zone, 1017 localities have been surveyed on 942 (92%),  304 640 buildings surveyed on 236 101 (77%) and 5402 socio-important sites surveyed on 4091 (75%). Potentially dangerous facilities inspected : 100%

Update 17:45 UTC :  Russian emergency services acted swiftly and well organized to inspect houses; infrastructure etc.

Update 17:43 UTC : A RussiaTV video showing at the end the light damage of this earthquake

Update 14:15 UTC : Most mining companies in the area have send their workers on leave as many aftershocks are expected and as the technical installations have to be inspected.

Update 14:11 UTC : Tenting has been installed in Kyzyl to accept 5400 people.

Update 14:00 UTC : Some school buildings in Kochetova have induced small damage, like cracks in the ceiling , falling plaster etc.

Update 09:24 UTC : The only video’s we can find at the moment are from more than 500 km from the epicenter and they are showing weak to light shaking. We are waiting for better videos (which resemble more the shaking near the epicenter)  to embed.

Update 09:03 UTC : The Commission for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Tuva, appealed to residents of the region to remain calm and not panic.

Update 09:01 UTC : According to eyewitnesses in the Republic of Khakassia (Kyzyl is the capital), the chandeliers and furniture were shaking. At the same time in the Novosibirsk region, residents in high-rise buildings felt small tremors. Recorded shocks of medium strength at Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk, where Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian candidate for the Presidency, was campaigning !.

Update 08:58 UTC : well felt over 8 Russian regions, but no damage reported so far (like last time)

Update 08:56 UTC : A faulty transformer has occurred in Tuva – possibly as a result of the earthquake. Emergency services are also checking critical infrastructure in the epicentral region.

Update 08:40 UTC : We have just added a number of experience reports below

Update 08:19 UTC : No major damage has been reported. In Kyzyl, an MSK of 5.5 (around MMI 5-5.5) was recorded, with people coming out into the streets but very little damage occurring with a few objects falling from shelves.
This is good news, and no casualties or major damage has been reported from the epicenter via reports from central Tuva.

Update 07:38 UTC : The nearest populated places are: Karaus (9km), Kara Khem (13km). The closest civilian airport is Kyzyl (100km).

Update 07:30 UTC : Strength at the epicenter only MSK7. According to preliminary data, the earthquake in eastern Siberia, no casualties, no damage, told RIA Novosti by telephone a representative of the Siberian Regional Centre for Emergency Situations Ministry. MSK shaking scale is almost similar to MMI scale.

Update 07:29 UTC :  Abakan has reported an intensity of MSK3-4. Abakan is around 300km away, Irkutsk around 350km….but they were getting long period effects, hence why tall buildings

Update 07:25 UTC :  in Irkutsk, tremors were felt for about four or five minutes with 15.19 (10.19 GMT) to 15:24 local time. The inhabitants of the upper floors of tall buildings saw objects fall down from the top shelf. The houses also had some broken glasses, chandeliers swayed.

Update 07:25 UTC :  WAPMERR, a damege and casualty theoretical engine has reported 0-10 deaths, 0-30 injuries, data merely based on historic earthquakes in the area.

Update 07:23 UTC :  Saryg-Sep, a city with a population of 5,000 will be the hardest hit with a theoretically calculated impact of VIII MMI (based on the M 6.8 magnitude). MMI VIII is causing SEVERE shaking

Update 07:22 UTC :  The earthquake shocks were felt at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric plant, Russia’s largest.

for more information and updates, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/26/very-strong-dangerous-earthquake-in-southern-siberia-some-area-than-december-27-kyzyldanger/

Taiwan Earthquake

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Very strong earthquake hits Taiwan causing minor damage + videos from shaking and damage

Last update: February 26, 2012 at 1:10 pm by By 

Earthquake overview : A M6.1 earthquake struck at 20.4km depth in southern Taiwan in the mountain region. Although well felt, major damage has not occurred and the national fire disaster agency has not released any reports.

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 6.1 (CWB), 5.9 (USGS)
UTC Time : Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 02:34:59 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 10:34:59 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 22.4km
Geo-location(s) :
34 km (21 miles) WSW of Taitung, Taiwan
54 km (33 miles) E of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
98 km (60 miles) SSE of Chiayi, Taiwan    

Update: The following (bad quality) video shows some of the (minor) damage. As could be expected in very mountainous Taiwan, also many landslides occurred in the epicenter area.

Update: The following video gives a good impression of the shaking in the high rise buildings. The footage is from China Times

Update : Numerous aftershocks have also been felt around magnitude 4-4.5.

Update : Intensity 5 was calculated in Pingtung and Chulu counties. Minor damage has been reported in Pingtung county. The greater metropolitan area of Kaohsiung has a population of nearly three million people.

Update : The Hong Kong Observatory measured the quake at magnitude 6.0, while Taiwan’s Seismology Centre put the magnitude at 6.1.

Update : Services of a high speed railway were stopped for a while.

Update : A Taiwanese TV report shortly after the earthquake struck with some images of studio material swaying + location information

Update : The earthquake happened 37km from Ping-tung. The nearest populated places are: Chin-lun (19km), Chieh-ta-ts’un (9km), K’o-la-p’a-yang (9km), Chia-p’ing (17km), Tai-ma (17km), La-chia (7km), Ch’?-nu (14km). The closest civilian airport is Feng Nin (30km).

A M6.1 earthquake struck at 20.4km depth in southern Taiwan in the mountain region. Although well felt, major damage has not occurred and the national fire disaster agency has not released any reports.

The intensity of the event was calculated to be a 5 on the CWB scale – with the top level being 7. However, none of sixty-four
seismic events with intensity 5 (PGA values are between 80-250 gal) caused casualties and/or major damage from 2000-2009.

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/26/m6-1-earthquake-hits-taiwan-causing-minor-damage/

 

Earthquake—MO/TN/IL Border

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Earthquakes list February 21, 2012 – moderate shallow earthquake near the Missouri / Illinois / Tennessee stateline

Last update: February 21, 2012 at 5:07 pm by By 

M 4.0      2012/02/21 09:58     Depth 5.0 km      SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI

03:58:43 AM at epicenter – Epicenter location see below in list
Moderate earthquake in the middle of the night. Light to moderate shaking expected near the epicenter
16 km (9 miles) ESE of Sikeston, Missouri and 27 km (16 miles) SW of Cairo, Illinois
Update :  Some minor damage has been reported by people living in the epicenter area, mainly cracks in walls and falling objects. Click here to see the video report of a local TV station 
Update : The epicenter has been located near East Prairie

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/20/earthquakes-list-february-21-2012/

 

6.0 Quake off Oregon Coast

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6.0-magnitude earthquake reported off Oregon coast, no tsunami expected

Published: Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 8:15 PM     Updated: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 7:54 AM
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 6.0-magnitude earthquake off the Oregon Coast this evening but said no tsunami was expected.

The quake, which struck about 159 miles west of Coos Bay, was measured at 7:31 p.m., the USGS said. Initial reports indicated it hit at a depth of 6.2 miles.

The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., says a magnitude 6.0 quake off the Oregon coast caused no reported damage and only a smattering of reports from people who felt it as a weak jolt.

Within about an hour, the information center’s website recorded 39 reports of people who reported feeling the quake. Most were in northern California and southern Oregon and characterized it was “weak” or “barely felt.”

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Dale Grant said in a telephone interview the quake occurred in a seismically active area and called it “not uncommon at all.”

“These are the ones we like — nobody gets hurt and there’s no damage,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.    

— Kate Mather

Papua New Guinea Earthquake

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Strong shallow earthquake below the rain-forest of Eastern Papua New Guinea

Last update: February 15, 2012 at 4:54 pm by By 

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude :  5.8
UTC Time :  Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 14:07:51 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 12:07:51 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10.1 km
Geo-location(s) :
88 km (54 miles) S of Lae, New Guinea, PNG
137 km (85 miles) ENE of Kerema, New Guinea, PNG
216 km (134 miles) N of PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea

Earthquake overview : A strong but shallow and thus moderately dangerous earthquake occurred just after midnight inland Eastern Papua New Guinea.

Strong moderately dangerous earthquake.
1,000 people will experience a very strong shaking and 33,000 people a strong shaking. The main reason for this high impact is the very shallow hypocenter. PNG is however well prepared for very strong to even massive earthquakes. Since 1000ths of years, the islands are regularly shuddered by massive earthquakes. The earthquake’s epicenter is below the rain forest where only primitive villages are located. These villages have NO brick or concrete houses which make them less vulnerable for destruction.
The main dangers during these earthquakes are landslides and mining accidents. 
Emergency services will normally not react to this kind of earthquakes. Additionally, as they have no helicopters and as the hills are mostly saturated by clouds, they have to walk to the epicenter areas via normal walking trails. They often need many days to reach the epicenter area.
These are the facts of life at PNG. We would be very surprised if a report would ever be published on this earthquake by the PNG authorities or by the local PNG press.

Update :  nearest populated place to the epicenter is : Were Were (18km).
The closest civilian airport is Sim (18km).

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/15/strong-shallow-earthquake-below-the-rainforest-of-eastern-papua-new-guinea/

 

Costa Rica Earthquake

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Strong and moderately dangerous earthquake in Costa Rica – initial M 6.1 decreased to M 5.8

Last update: February 13, 2012 at 7:07 pm by By 

Earthquake overview : A powerful earthquake struck the coastal Costa Rica area at 04:55 in the morning. The epicenter has been located at 76 km from San Jose.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.1 5.8  (Ovsicori Costa Rica : 5.9)
UTC Time : Monday, February 13, 2012 at 10:55:12 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Monday, February 13, 2012 at 04:55:12 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 33.6 km 27.9 km ( (Ovsicori Costa Rica : 14 km)
Geo-location(s) :
75 km (50 miles) S (175°) from SAN JOSE, Costa Rica
137 km (85 miles) SW (233°) from Limon, Costa Rica
193 km (120 miles) W (268°) from Bocas del Toro, Panama

Update 18:56 UTC : It was felt strongly, however damage and injuries have not yet been registered. Falling objects as stated before have occurred on the coast. If any people have registered damage, please let us know. The aftershocks have not caused major damage as yet.

Update 16:44 UTC :  10 aftershocks have been reported by Ovsicori since the mainshock 5 hours ago.  All these aftershocks were below M 4, making them harmless for houses and people.

Shaking map as calculated by USGS

Update 16:03 UTC :  Until now we have found no signs of damage or injuries(but still too soon to be certain). A lot of people are reporting however “fallen objects” in various parts of the country.

Update 15:53 UTC :  USGS has decreased the magnitude after recalculation to Mw 5.8. The depth has been updated to 27.9 km.

Update 15:51 UTC :  A video report from Telenoticias7, one of the main networks with a very good earthquake report. Those among you who do not understand Spanish, have to go directly to 06:30 minutes. The video shows the shaking in the television studios. The shaking confirms the many I Have Felt It reports that we have received from all over Costa Rica. Telenoticias7 is also mentioning (like one of our readers below) that the country has felt various small quakes since Saturday.  Saturday’s earthquake measured M 4.5.  On Sunday 3 smaller aftershocks were noticed. Today’s earthquake occurred in the same area than the 4 other ones and can be called a stronger aftershock than the mainshock.

Update 15:32 UTC :  OVISCORI, the local Costa Rican seismological agency, has reported a magnitude of 5.9. The depth of the hypocenter was located at 14 km. Epicenter in the Pacific Ocean at 34 km to the South West of Estero Garita. Oviscori also reported a max. intensity of VI MMI (strong shaking), a little less than USGS initially reported.

Update 12:12 UTC :  From James Daniells CATDAT database : The area had over 40 damaging earthquakes historically in the last 100 years within 100km, the 1910 earthquakes caused over 1000 fatalities. Based on previous losses there will probably be no fatalities, but minor damage should be expected.

Update 12:09 UTC :  As could have been expected if earthquakes like this occur, the shaking has also been felt in many neighboring countries.

Update 11:44 UTC :  The locations that may experience a moderate shaking are : Quepos, Parrita, San Isidro, Daniel Flores, Mercedes

Update 11:40 UTC : Following the initial calculations of USGS, the earthquake will have been felt by 785 people as a very strong shaking, 149,000 people will have felt a moderate shaking and 4,094,000 people will have been shaken slightly.

Update : We expect NO tsunami danger from this earthquake. the specialized agencies have not created alert messages.

Update : This earthquake occurred in the highly populated region of Puntarenas in Costa Rica, also visited by many tourists.

Update :  The nearest populated places are: Dominical (16km), Guapil (14km), Bar? (18km), Hatillo (12km), Laguna (16km), Salitral (15km), Palma Quemada (11km), Platanillo (11km), Matapalo (10km), Tierras Morenas (18km), Dos Bocas (15km), Dos Boscas (15km), Portal?n (12km), Paso (12km), Pasito (13km), Savegre (13km), Llorona (19km), Guabos (17km), Finca Negro (19km), S?balo (19km). The closest civilian airport is Nuevo Palmar Sur (67km).

Update : the epicenter is located at only a few km from the coast

The depth of this earthquake is shallow enough to create serious problems in the epicenter area.

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/13/very-strong-and-dangerous-earthquake-in-costa-rica/