Tag Archives: Earthquake

Oklahoma Earthquake

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Magnitude 4.7 Prague earthquake hits the greater Oklahoma / Tulsa area + many aftershocks

Last update: November 5, 2011 at 2:41 pm by By 

Earthquake overview : At 02:12 in the night, the people of the greater Oklahoma City / Tulsa / Prague area have been woken up by a moderate but well felt earthquake.  Chances on major damage are almost excluded.

Oklahoma City earthquake November 5 2011 – image courtesy USGS

Update 14:35 UTC : We have added a big load of new I Have Felt It reports.

Update 14:30 UTC : At 08:42 a new 3.4 magnitude aftershock struck exactly the same area.

Update 14:04 UTC : NewsOn6 Oklahomawrites that minor property damage has been reported but no injuries

Update 14:00 UTC : 5 aftershocks occurred since the mainshock, 3 of them greater than a magnitude 3 and well felt by most people.

Update 10:35 UTC : Many people in the epicenter area are reporting fallen objects, mostly objects hanging on walls and standing on cupboards.

Update 10:29 UTC : More aftershocks can be expected later in the night and after daylight, even the coming days. The will rarely reach Magnitude 4 although a stronger earthquake can never be excluded. Stronger aftershocks than mainshocks occur extremely seldom.

Update 09:55 UTC : An earthquake-report.com reader writes :  I happen to be in Bartlesville, OK – approximately 50 miles north of Tulsa and I too experienced the earthquake.  I was in the midst of checking email when a sort of noise seemed to creep up around me.  Odd description, I know, but that’s honestly the best way I can articulate the event as I encountered it.  I might have mistaken it for the wind except that it seemed to be coming from all around.  It wasn’t until some smaller objects on my dresser began to shimmy and chatter that I felt fairly certain that it was, in fact, an earthquake.  Well, that and the expression on Leo, the cat’s face that begged to say, “WTF?!” Good night and safe keeping to all…
A lot more testimonies below

Update 09:46 UTC : We are constantly adding I Have Felt It reports which we are still receiving at the moment.

Update 09:45 UTC : The largest earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma occurred on April 9, 1952 and had a magnitude of 5.5. The second largest was a 5.0 on October 22, 1882.

Update 09:21 UTC : The earthquake epicenter is very close to the Prague Arlington Cemetery. 

Update 09:18 UTC :  Local TV stations and the fire and police departments were  flooded by phone calls from people who reported feeling the quake.

Update 09:15 UTC :  So far 3 aftershocks have been registered. The first had a magnitude of 3.4 and the second and third  2.7

Update 09:12 UTC :  Some reports indicate that the earthquake has been felt as far as Kansas and North Texas.   

to read more, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/11/05/magnitude-4-7-earthquake-hits-the-greater-oklahoma-city-area/

Sichuan China Earthquake

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Dangerous earthquake in Sichuan, China

Last update: November 1, 2011 at 12:11 am by By 

available

Seismic Hazard map in Sichuan earthquake November 1 2011 – map courtesy USGS

Update 01/11 – 00:08 UTC : No report yet from the very well organized Sichuan seismological agency. We expect the first reports on the situation in the early UTC hours.

Update : The seismic hazard map at right shows that the epicenter of the earthquake is located in an area with limited ground acceleration.

Update : We fear eventual damage and/or injuries in a radius of 20 km around the epicenter

Update : In 1976 a 6.4 magnitude earthquake at a distance of 104 km from the current epicenter killed 41 people

Update : Earthquake-Report.com calls this earthquake moderately dangerousbecause of the time of occurrence and the very vulnerable houses in the area.

Update : A V MMI is expected by USGS for 213,000 people

Update : A weak shaking has been felt in Jiangyou, but this is at least 150 km away from the epicenter

for more and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/31/dangerous-earthquake-in-sichuan-china/

Quito. Ecuador — Earthquake

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Earthquake shakes Quito, Ecuador – Magnitude 4.0 at a shallow depth of 10 km

Last update: October 29, 2011 at 5:22 pm by By 

Update 16:39 UTC : USGS has now listed the Quito earthquake  as a M 4.0 at a depth of 3 km and 18 km of Quito. We  Earthquake-Report.com do trust on the local agencies as they have instruments closest to the epicenter.

Important Update 14:47 UTC :  One of our readers has send us the full printout of this earthquake. Thank you so much on behalf of the earthquake-report.com community :
Magnitud 4.0 MLv (IG-EPN)
Fecha – Hora 29/10/2011 08:50:49 TL
29/10/2011 13:50:49 UTC
Localización 0.11°S; 78.41°W
Profundidad 10.00 Km
Zona Prov: PICHINCHA
Distancia epicentral e (hipocentral) a ciudades referenciales 14.6 ( 17.7) km al N 48° E de la ciudad de QUITO
24.7 ( 26.6) km al N 9° E de la ciudad de SANGOLQUÍ
27.4 ( 29.2) km al S 50° O de la ciudad de TABACUNDO
34.0 ( 35.4) km al S 60° O de la ciudad de CAYAMBE
41.1 ( 42.3) km al S 23° O de la ciudad de OTAVALO
47.8 ( 48.9) km al N 21° E de la ciudad de MACHACHI
Reportes recibidos y/o datos adicionales : Se sintio en toda la ciudad de Quito de manera un poco fuerte. (It was felt all over Quito as a little strong  )
Información técnica adicional
Incertidumbre en la Localización Latitud +/- 3.0 Km; Longitud +/-2.0 Km; Profundidad +/-0 Km.
Parámetros Fases P=NaN; Fases S=NaN; RMS=1; Gap=NaN°
Fuente IG-EPN

Instituto Geofísico – Escuela Politécnica Nacional
Elaborado: 29-Oct-2011 09:02:49

Update : Based on my own knowledge of Quito, even a small earthquake like this one is enough to trigger landslides. The Quito unofficial housing areas are seen as one of the most dangerous on the planet.

Update : The earthquake seems to be too weak for the international agencies to report on it.

Update : we can call the data official now as they have been printed on the IGEPN seismological site of Ecuador. This is what is shown : Mag= 4.0; Prof (Depth)= 10.00, Lat= -0.11; Long= -78.41, 2011/10/29 13:50:49 UTC

Update : Unofficially we could gather the following information : epicenter 14 km of Quito, depth 10 km, magnitude 4 (we have to warn our readers that the information is unofficial – coming from a newspaper in Quito)

to read more, and for updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/29/earthquake-shakes-quito-ecuador/

 

 

Strong Earthquake in Peru

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Extremely dangerous earthquake on the coast of Central Peru – 17 people injured and 35 houses collapsed so far

Last update: October 29, 2011 at 12:40 am by By 

Update : After the damage created by today’s earthquake the demolition of four churches in Ica is under discussion. The local mayor thinks they are not safe anymore because the 2007 earthquake has already weakened their structure.

Update : The people living at the coastal town of Pisco have been seriously alarmed by a fast retiring Ocean.  Retiring oceans can be a signal for an upcoming tsunami.

Update : The Peruvian Civil Defense just announced that so far 17 people have been reported injuredand 35 houses collapsed.

Update : 29/10/2011 – 00:02 UTC : 17 minutes ago a powerful 5.5 magnitude aftershock struck the same area. Depth : 19.7 km This will go on and on for the coming hours and days, gradually decreasing in strength.

Update :  The Peruvian President, Mr. Ollanta Humala, has called the population to remain calm. Mr. Humala is currently in Paraguay.

Update : Panic in Chincha, a coastal town about 120 km to the North of the epicenter. Parents run to the schools to rescue their children. People crowded the streets.
Update : Good News : ICA is ONLINE again, We saw the first people with an IP address in Ica showing up in the site. Also our first I Have Felt It report from Ica. (see below)

Update : In the province of Huancavelica (to the NE of Ica province) a school was closed because of the damage. In Ascension, in the same province, a few abandoned shacks have collapsed.

Important Update : The Theoretical models of GDACS using an epicenter close to the coast are returning very damaging tsunami waves up to  4.8 meter high (this is VERY high for tsunami waves). So far we have NO news from these coastal localities. We remind our readers that theoretical models are based on historical information and on information from seismological agencies. GDACS has used the USGS data for their computing.
Based on the data below we are especially curious on the Huacho situation.
Update 23:21 UTC : Apparently, the earthquake was felt (with small or moderate intensity) in Huacho too. No damage was caused. 

List of tsunami waves following the GDACS theoretical models

Tsunami wave model simulation – image courtesy GDACS

Update : The newspaper Peru21 says there are at least 20 persons injured. The newspaper Correo says 16 wounded are in ICA Regional Hospital and 4 other are in the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pisco. Some of them are seriously wounded, many from falls caused by panic.

Update : So far we have almost NO news from the sparsely populated coastal area, the area at risk for a local tsunami.

Update : Two persons were seriously wounded in Acamayo (near Ica) and three houses have collapsed. Another ten persons suffered light injures and seven houses were damaged. Telephone lines and electricity are being re-established. (These data are preliminary and will certainly increase further)
The two persons seriously injured are two girls aged 9 and 19, with fractures in the femur and pelvis, caused by the falling walls of their houses, in Acomayo, near Ica. There are 12 injured persons, until now.

Update : The greater area of Ica province is out in the streets and will probably stay out in the streets all night.

Update 22:23 UTC : Palpa has NO injured people as of now.

Update : Peruvian press is almost BLIND on the situation. Even regional ICA newspapers have at this moment only a couple of lines and nothing detailed.

Update : As could be expected, the area is hit by multiple powerful aftershocks. Most people will not read our article and not only because they do not understand English but because telecommunications are  down and sitting behind a computer does not serve to anything as there is NO power.
The most powerful aftershocks since the mainshock measured 4.7, 4.9 and 5.0.

to read more and for updates:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/28/very-strong-dangerous-earthquake-in-peru/

More on the 7.2 Turkey Earthquake

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Understanding the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in East Turkey (October 23, 2011)

Last update: October 24, 2011 at 1:11 am by By 

Tectonic explanation of what happened

Turkey is a tectonically active country that experiences frequent destructive earthquakes. On a broad scale, the seismtectonics of the region near the October 23, 2011 earthquake are controlled by the collision of the Arabian Plate and Eurasian plates; at the latitude of this event, the Arabian plate converges with Eurasia in a northerly direction at a rate of approximately 24 mm/yr. West of the October 23, 2011, earthquake tectonics are dominated by strike-slip faulting on the East (in southern Turkey) and North (in northern Turkey) Anatolian fault zones. These large, translational fault systems extend across much of central and western Turkey and accommodate the western motion of the Anatolian block as it is beingsqueezed by the converging Arabian and Eurasian plates.

Shaking map October 23, 2011 Ercis – Van earthquake

In the area of Lake Van and further east, tectonics are dominated by the Bitlis Suture Zone (in eastern Turkey) and Zagros fold and thrust belt (toward Iran). The October 23, 2011 earthquake occurred in a broad region of convergence beyond the eastern extent of Anatolian strike-slip tectonics. The focal mechanism of today’s earthquake is consistent with oblique-thrust faulting similar to mapped faults in the region.

Seismic Hazard map courtesy USGS

This earthquake is a reminder of the many deadly seismic events that Turkey has suffered in the recent past. The devastating Izmit earthquake of 1999 (M = 7.6) broke a section of the North Anatolian Fault 1000 km to the west of the October 23 event and killed 17,000 people, injured 50,000, and left 500,000 homeless. Approximately 70 km from this earthquake a M7.3 earthquake occurred on November 11, 1976 destroying several villages near the Turkey and Iran border and killing several thousand people.
A M7.8 earthquake struck Erzincan in 1939, killing an estimated 33,000 people.

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/24/understanding-the-7-2-magnitude-earthquake-in-east-turkey-october-23-2011/

Turkey —- Strong Earthquake

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Very strong damaging earthquake in eastern Turkey – 200 prisoners escaped in Van

Last update: October 23, 2011 at 7:18 pm by By 

Image courtesy www.haberler.com – click on the picture for the photo gallery

Update: There have been 104 aftershocks over M2.7 so far. 22 aftershocks over M4. 4 aftershocks over M5.

Important Update 19:07 UTC: 87 deaths and 1000 injuries is the estimate at the moment. (Ercis = 60, Van = 25, other localities = 2). This is expected to rise substantially.

Update
– Van Prison : 200 inmates escapedapparently grabbing the opportunity of earthquake.
– According to the news from Agencies, 38 provinces have send 1275 search and rescue personnel.
– Kandilli Observatory ELER says taking into account the number of buildings that become uninhabitable = 3200-3400, severely damaged buildings = 600 and completely collapsed buildings =  50; 500-700 deaths is the approximate estimate. News from rural locations has not been collected but damage is estimated at around 60-70 percent.

Update 18:58 UTC:  The Turkish government is sending skilled SAR  personnel (Search and rescue) from the other provinces to Van. The Van airport is till operational what facilitates transport to the earthquake zone. On top of that much equipment like ambulances, tents, medical personnel, etc. Turkey is well organized to deal with earthquakes.

Update 18:21 UTC:  – The weather outlook tonight is mixed. It is not raining or snowing but thetemperatures will be at freezing point. As people will prefer to stay in the open air (to scared to go inside for eventual very strong aftershocks), they may have a night with almost no sleep.
– As the night has fallen in Turkey (it is now 21:21 in Turkey) limited news facts are coming through.
– The death toll is unchanged since many hours at 85 but will certainly increase within the next 4 to 24 hours. A lot of people are still buried under the debris of the collapsed houses.
– We cannot reach the server from the local Ercis newspaper anymore
– NATO stands ready to assist Turkey  if needed

Update:  Doctors from Ercis State Hospital reported that the number of the injured patients is close to 1000. Many patients are kept in the hospital’s parking lot and the garden in tents.

Update:  The Armenian President sent an message of condolences to the President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gül regarding the earthquake that occurred in the Van province. Armenia is located at a relatively short distance from the earthquake area and people in Armenia were very frightened by the shaking (see I have Felt It reports below).

Update: Germany has offered help to Turkey after an earthquake hit the eastern province of Van
The German Green Party called on the international community to provide fast and “unbureaucratic” support for rescue workers.

New casualty Update:   85 people are now reportedly killed during this earthquake (25 in Van and 60 in Ercis)

Update:   – A lot of people are leaving the cities and are heading for family in the rural areas. They fear the narrow streets with medium rise apartment buildings.
– Israel has offered to help Turkey with this disaster. It is unknown that Turkey has accepted this offer, as the 2 countries had a lot of differences in the recent past. In a later message Turkey declined the offered aid in saying that Turkey will deal with it internally.

for more information, videos, and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/23/very-strong-dangerous-earthquake-in-eastern-turkey/

Earthquake Berkeley Area, California 10/20

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Moderate shallow earthquake 2 km from Berkeley, San Fransisco Bay area

Last update: October 20, 2011 at 10:37 pm by By 

Update : Earthquake-Report.com thanks the people from the Bay Area in sending their I Have Felt It reports. MMI numbers are good but the description of what people exactly felt is always more informative. (see below for the I Have Felt It reports)

Update:  We have no reports of any serious damage or injuries and we do not expect to find them neither. Falling objects and moments of fear are the main disturbances of this earthquake.

Update:  We just received a report from Portland, Oregon, that somebody felt this earthquake as a very weak shaking.

Update:  As most of the people in this part of California know, weak aftershocks can occur after such a mainshock.

Update:  We congratulate USGS for their very good theoretical intensity strength calculation. As they have expected, only the direct epicenter area reports a max. MMI V intensity (moderate shaking).

Update:  Most of our readers are reporting 2 strong jolts from a couple of seconds

Update: The earthquake occurred almost below a known fault line.

Shaking map of the San Fransisco October 20, 2011 earthquake

Update:  Earthquake-Report.com does not expect damage or injuries based on the depth and the magnitude of this earthquake.

Update: As can be seen in the I Have Felt It report (more to come) a lot of people were frightened from the jolts

Update : USGS expects that 88,000 people will have experienced a Moderate MMI V shaking. 901,000 people will have felt a light shaking.

 

to read more and for updates, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/20/moderate-shallow-earthquake-2-km-from-berkeley-san-fransisco-bay-area/

Texas Earthquake 10/20

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Moderate extremely shallow earthquake in Atascosa County, Texas, United States

Last update: October 20, 2011 at 8:06 pm by By 

Shaking map, Texas October 20 2011 earthquake – courtesy USGS

Update 18:07 UTC :  The region southeast of San Antonio has experienced earthquakes before. There was a 4.3 magnitude earthquake in 1993 near the same location, and there have been smaller quakes recorded back to the 1970s.

Update :  It looks that we are lucky that the epicenter is located in a rural area without many houses and buildings.

Update :  Intensity in relation to villages / cities:
Light shaking: Karnes City, Poth, Kenedy, Floresville, Pleasanton, Three Rivers
Weak shaking: Corpus Christi (277,000), San Antonio (1,257,000), New Braunfels    (46,000), Victoria (62,000) and San Marcos (47,000)

Update :  According to USGS, 77 people will have felt a MMI VII very strong shaking. Damages are not excluded at this intensity. 166 people a strong shaking and 3,000 people a moderate shaking.  639,000 a light shaking and finally 2,490,000 people a weak to very weak shaking.

Update :  We received I Have Felt It reports from Austin to Corpus Christi.

Update :  The uncertainty of the epicenter location is horizontally  +/- 19.3 km (12.0 miles) and vertically (depth) +/- 3.1 km (1.9 miles). In other words the epicenter can be located below another village than mentioned.

Other locations in the epicenter area : Kenedy, Falls City, Christine, Pleasanton and Jourdanton.
Preliminary data show that the earthquake has been felt as far as Austin, Texas

to read more, and for updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/20/moderate-extremely-shallow-earthquake-in-atascosa-county-texas-united-states/

 

6.1 Earthquake in Bali

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M6.1 quake hits Bali with injuries due to panic and moderate shaking damage

Last update: October 13, 2011 at 4:16 pm by By 

Earthquake overview : Early reports indicate as many as 50 people have been injured in Bali around 115km from the hypocenter from this moderate shallow-depth earthquake. Moderate damage to shops as well as falling debris has caused cars and other shop fronts to be damaged.

UPDATE:  In Denpasar the meteorological agency’s wall is reported to be cracked. Windows have been broken by the shaking.

A supermarket after the quake – twitpic by arthermulyadi

UPDATE: Between the injured people are a lot of students which suffered head wounds when roof tiles crashed on them. As they told to the local press, they panicked and ran out of their classroom when debris fell on them. (ER: Another proof that even students are not learned to be prepared in an earthquake country like Indonesia)

UPDATE: Some ancient Hindu temples along the coast were damaged. A section of a supermarket ceiling in Seminyak area is reported to be collapsed, but did not caused any injuries

to read more, and for updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/13/m6-1-quake-hits-bali-with-injuries-due-to-panic/

 

 

Romanian Earthquake

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Deep moderate Vrancea earthquake worries Romania

Last update: October 4, 2011 at 2:27 pm by By 

Also written by Szombath Balazs
Earthquake overview : At 05:40 on October 4 a Vrancea deep earthquake measuring 4.7 magnitude made the Romanian people nervous. The epicenter was located in a wilderness area near Plostina. Biggest cities in the area are Focsani and Brasov. The earthquake was also well Felt in the capital Bucharest.

 

Seismic Hazard map courtesy USGS

 

Update 14:12 UTC : Some Romanian press is predicting another magnitude 6 earthquake later this year. Earthquake-Report.com condemns such predictions as NOBODY IN THE WORLD can with a great certainty predict earthquakes. Science is making progress but we are far from a better than a lottery prediction. DO NOT BELIEVE earthquake predictions but BE PREPARED to survive them if it happens.  Your telephone will NOT ring to announce an earthquake.
Au inceput sa apara stiri care prevestesc un cutremur mai puternic anul acesta in Romania. Cele mai multe dintre ele fac referire la un cutremur de cel putin 6 grade magnitudine. Earthquake-Report.com condamna astfel de predictii din simplul motiv ca NIMENI IN LUMEA ASTA nu poate sa spuna cand sau unde va lovi un cutremur. Stiinta face pasi in aceasta privinta dar suntem departe de Loterii stiintifice. NU CREDETI in aceste predictii dar FITI PREGATITI pentru cutremure pentru a trece cu bine prin ele!

UPDATE 13:20 UTC:  Cutremurul s-a produs s-a produs in jurul orei 5:40, la o adancime de 134 km. Epicentrul a fost aproape de Focsani, la o distanta de 52 km de oras. A fost simtit si in capitala, Bucuresti. Sepcific zonei Vrancea cutremurele de mare adancime sunt simtite pe o arie larga. Zona Gura Teghii a fost activa in aceasta perioada prin seisme produse la adancimi mai mari de 130 km. Magnitudinea a fost diferita in statiile seismice deoarece propagarea este neuniforma. Acceleratia din Bucuresti a fost mai mare fata de inregistrarile din Vrancea. Seismul este important pentru ca s-a produs in zona de neliniaritate a energiei. Multumim I.R.S.A. (Institutul Roman de Seismologie Aplicata) pentru informatii.

UPDATE 9:24 UTC: The site of NIEP (National Institute for Earth Physics) gives a magnitude of 4.8 at 134 km depth. The site was down for a while due to high traffic.

Today’s earthquake’s hypocenter was at 128.4 km at a normal expected depth for Romanian Vrancea earthquakes. Contrary to most other earthquake locations in Europe, Romania has a specific deep faulting zone.

The epicenter was located right in the highest seismic hazard area (see map at right (dark red). This area has the biggest peak ground acceleration in Romania.

to read more, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/04/deep-moderate-vrancea-earthquake-worries-romanians/