Very Strong deep earthquake off the coast of the North Island of New Zealand
Last update: February 16, 2013 at 10:43 am by By Ashish Khanal
Update 06:25 UTC : Below Geonet’s intensity map. On the exception of 7 people, the vast majority experienced a weak shaking (also on the South Island). The South Island intensities can be explained by the depth of the hypocenter.
Update 06:20 UTC : The greater epicenter area is seismically very active as one can see on the lower map. The epicenter is located on top of the subducted plate.
Update 06:01 UTC : The epicenter was at a +200 km out of the coast which makes that the shaking on land was limited to weak or even very weak shaking
A very strong earthquake occurred off the coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The hypocenter was very deep in the hot solid mantle of the earth.
219km (136mi) ENE of Tairua, New Zealand
223km (139mi) NNE of Whakatane, New Zealand
240km (149mi) NE of Tauranga, New Zealand
274km (170mi) NE of Rotorua, New Zealand
639km (397mi) NNE of Wellington, New Zealand
Very Strong deep earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines
Last update: February 16, 2013 at 10:44 am by By Ashish Khanal
Update 06:15 UTC : The earthquake has been felt in a wide radius which is normal for deep earthquakes. The earthquake waves are propagating from deep in the earth to the upper layers.
Our Philippino readers are reporting relatively high shaking values for this earthquake.
As you can see on the lower map, this is the strongest earthquake in this area for more than a year. The map shows also that the area is seismically very active.
Update 06:10 UTC : Phivolcs published slightly different data than the other agencies : M6.2 at 100 km
Phivolvs did report the following shaking intensities :
Intensity IV – Mati & Taragona, Davao Oriental
Intensity III – Davao City
Intensity II – General Santos City, Butuan City, Malaybalay, Bukidnon
Based on their theoretical models, Phivolcs does not expect any damage out of this earthquake. They expect (as usual) a number of aftershocks.
Update 05:43 UTC : The shaking was theoretically expected to reach a max. V or moderate shaking
A very strong deep earthquake occurred approx. 30 km out of the Mindanao coast. The earthquake was not powerful enough to generate a tsunami.
28km (17mi) SE of Caburan, Philippines
65km (40mi) ESE of Malapatan, Philippines
68km (42mi) ESE of Lun Pequeno, Philippines
70km (43mi) E of Glan, Philippines
971km (603mi) W of Koror Town, Palau
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.2
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-02-16 12:37:40
Very Strong earthquake in a sparsely populated Siberia area (Sakha Republic), Russia
Last update: February 14, 2013 at 4:20 pm by By Armand Vervaeck
134km (83mi) WSW of Druzhina, Serbia
860km (534mi) NE of Markha, Russia
866km (538mi) NE of Yakutsk, Russia
979km (608mi) NNW of Magadan, Russia
2973km (1847mi) NNE of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.6
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-02-15 01:13:53
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-02-14 13:13:53
Depth (Hypocenter) : 14 km
Update 15:07 UTC:
The Russian department of emergencies has said that NO damage and/or injuries were reported. The towns in the greater area (some very far away) have either not felt it or have no damage. Earthquake-report.com will continue to monitor the situation and will report if necessary.
Update 15:07 UTC: Let’s hope that the Russians are as good as the Chinese in making their assessment of the epicenter area. The chance that we will not find any reports from this area is rather high.
Update 14:45 UTC: More precise population data comes from GDACS. This confirms that with the new data (M6.6) , only very few people will have felt a very strong to strong shaking. Radius 20 to 75 km : less than 1000 people. Within a 20 km radius : NO people
Great image courtesy Yuri Klaver from a river bed near today’s epicenter. The bended geological layers are telling the history of this area.
Update 14:28 UTC: USGS has decreased the Magnitude to M6.6, a lot weaker than the initially reported M6.9
Update 14:16 UTC: So far, we have no information of any village or settlement in the surrounding area of the epicenter. That’s good. No village means no damage and no fatalities. But of course it is too early to be sure about it.
Chinese authorities are specifying this earthquake with M 7,3. But in this case we trust USGS data the most as the same magnitude is given by Geofon and EMSC.
No, this is not a painting which hangs in MOMA, but the river Indigirka crisscrossing the landscape in the greater epicenter area
Update 14:00 UTC: The closest larger town to the epicenter is Markha (11,000 inhabitants). It is located at 862 km southwest of the epicenter. The earthquake was probably not felt there. This shows how little people living in this area, what is a good sign.
Update 13:53 UTC: Based on theoretical models, 2.000 people will have felt a moderate shaking.
An M6.9 earthquake hit the northeastern part of Siberia today. USGS reports a depth of 10 km. Due to the shallow depth, USGS expects a very strong shaking (MMI VIII) close to the epicenter area. Luckily this area is unpopulated. Nevertheless, this earthquake should be extremely dangerous if people would live within an area of 50 km from the epicenter.
There are no towns or villages with more than 1.000 inhabitants in the area of strong to very strong shaking, as USGS says.
for more information and updates, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/02/14/very-strong-earthquake-eastern-siberia-russia-on-february-14-2013/
Last update: February 8, 2013 at 4:25 pm by By Ashish Khanal
Massive earthquake and Tsunami Santa Cruz Islands (Solomon Islands) – 13 people killed, many missing + horrifying aftershocks
Last update: February 8, 2013 at 5:25 pm by By Ashish Khanal
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.1
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-02-06 11:07:25
GMT/UTC Time : 2013-02-06 00:07:25
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10 km
FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN… IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.
Since the devastating Tsunami in 2004, people take no risk and move to higher ground, some even auto-evacuating. Honaria, the capital of the Solomon Islands, far outside the shaking area, people are currently moving to higher ground.
Update 03:24 UTC : The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has corrected its recent update. Australia is NOT in the warning area.
04:23 but is still on watch
During a Tsunami the first wave is not always the biggest one – stay on high ground until the authorities are calling the alert off
Update 03:12 UTC :The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation cited a witness who said water was covering an airstrip in Lata
Update 03:11 UTC : The Solomon Islands Visitor Centre has spoken to ABC News 24, confirming the 90cm sea level rise in the Santa Cruz Islands. In Lata, the provincial capital of the worst-hit area, there are no reports of damage so far.
Typical house in Nendo, the closest island to the epicenter – Image courtesy Mariwatmo
Update 03:05 UTC : A New bulletin from PWTC has just arrived. We bring it to you in a minute
– Evacuations are being ordered by many, many Pacific countries. Authorities are taking NO risk and are evacuating even islands and coastal areas which are not on the dangerous NOAA list !
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 004
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0252Z 06 FEB 2013
THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS…EXCEPT ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA…WASHINGTON…OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.
… A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT …
A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS / VANUATU / NAURU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / TUVALU / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / FIJI / KIRIBATI / WALLIS AND FUTUNA / MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU / SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA / WAKE ISLAND
A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU / SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA / WAKE ISLAND / CHUUK / JARVIS ISLAND / GUAM / NORTHERN MARIANAS / PALMYRA ISLAND / YAP / JOHNSTON ISLAND / MINAMITORISHIMA / BELAU
FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN… IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.
Update 02:57 UTC : AustraliaNetworkNews / @an_news, a very well informed news agency reports vuia Twitter that : Emergency authorities on Santa Cruz island have confirmed the tsunami has destroyed three villages on the island @ABCNews24
Update 02:57 UTC : Map 2 below is showing 3 very big balloons. These are the same earthquake of course, but they show the locations of the epicenter as reported by Geofon, USGS and EMSC. Epicenter calculation is extremely difficult. Our map shows it very good.
Update 02:51 UTC : A very interesting graph is from the Sea Level gauge at the Lata Wharf, relatively close to the epicenter. The gauge confirms the after all limited height of the tsunami. We have to say however that the currents with a tsunami of 1 meter can also be very powerful and even damage a lot of things.
Update 02:48 UTC : Robert Speta, one of the people collaborating with Earthquake-Report.com and meteorologist at NHK Japan made the following video. Of course this video was made shortly after the earthquake.
Update 02:44 UTC : ONE News has spoken to Charles Ngali who is in Lata Hospital in the Solomon Islands. He says he felt a series of strong earthquakes. The hospital is on high ground but he has heard that a wave passed through the airport, which is on lower ground. Most of the patients at Lata Hospital have been taken to higher ground.
Update 02:41 UTC : Tsunami travel time map as compiled by NOAA
Update 02:38 UTC : And like the M8.0 was not yet enough, the M6+ aftershocks are raging further.
Update 02:36 UTC : AFP reports that : “The information we are getting is that some villages west and south of Lata along the coast have been destroyed, although we cannot confirm this yet,” the director at Lata Hospital on the main Santa Cruz island of Ndende, told AFP.
There is much more information, maps, and updates, here http://earthquake-report.com/2013/02/08/earthquakes-in-the-world-on-february-8-2013-m4-5-or-more/
Please consider donating to this site. They do an amazing job!!!
Strong earthquake felt in northern Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan – 6 persons injured so far in Hokkaido
Last update: February 2, 2013 at 10:52 pm by By Armand Vervaeck
VERY IMPORTANT : There are NO tsunami warnings or advisories for this earthquake (source JMA Japan)
Update 14:33 UTC : JMA Japan reports a Magnitude of 6.4 at 120 km depth which is VERY GOOD NEWS !
Update 14:29 UTC : Preliminary Magnitude of this very strong earthquake : 6.7
JMA 5+ intensity (moderately dangerous) at the following locations : Tokachi-chiho Chubu, Kushiro-chiho Chunambu, Nemuro-chiho Nambu
Intensity map courtesy and copyright JMA Japan
Most important Earthquake ata:
Magnitude : 6.7
Local time at epicenter : 2013-02-02 23:17:33 UTC+09:00 at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 93 km
Geo-location(s) :
Tokachi-chiho Chubu
Kushiro-chiho Chunambu
Nemuro-chiho Nambu
61km (38mi) SE of Obihiro, Japan
68km (42mi) SSE of Otofuke, Japan
81km (50mi) SW of Kushiro, Japan
106km (66mi) E of Shizunai, Japan
826km (513mi) NNE of Tokyo, Japan
Update 22:48 UTC : No other news or no other reports from FDMA Japan. Today’s earthquake was one with a happy end but was also a grim reminder of the March 11, 2011 tsunami earthquake.
Earthquake-Report.com senses the same way of reacting against powerful quakes in Japan and in Chile. Both countries had massive quakes the last couple of years and people are very well prepared these days. Exchanging experiences on what happened is a part of the routine. The shaking map below is based on the USGS data which are way stronger than the JMA data (M6.9 @ 102 km vs M6.4 @ 120 km). Based on the many reports we have received from Hokkaido, ER goes for the Japanese JMA scenario.
Update 17:30 UTC : FDMA Japan has just published a new report confirming 6 injured persons (all of them in Hokkaido) Kushiro area: two people injured (minor injury) Kushiro town: one person injured (minor injury) Obihiro: 1 wounded (minor injury) Kitami: 1 wounded (minor injury) Anping town: one person injured (minor injury)
for more information and updates, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/02/02/strong-earthquake-felt-in-hokkaido-japan/
Earthquake in the Mediterranean Sea close to Turkey
Last update: January 8, 2013 at 3:29 pm by By Ashish Khanal
Update 14:49 UTC : USGS theoretical calculations are reporting a max. MMI of VII near the epicenter, but probably less on the islands. So far only a MMI V to VI has been seen which is a good sign. MMI V to MMVI (moderate to strong shaking) will lead to eventually minor damage like cracks in walls.
Update 14:46 UTC : The island of Lemnos, Greece is closest to the epicenter, but this does not mean that the strongest shaking will have been felt at Lemnos. It depends also of the propagation of the earthquake wave. Too soon to find out, but if people living at Lemnos or close to the epicenter (radius of 40 to km) can tell us how the earthquake was felt, a lot will be clarified.
Update 14:34 UTC : ER calls this earthquake moderately dangerous for the islands in the direct area of the epicenter. Not strong enough for a tsunami. The earthquake was felt as far as Istanbul and Sofia
Update 14:25 UTC : The earthquake struck in Mediterranean waters. Very close to Myrina island.
Update : the first preliminary reports are mentioning a M5.9 earthquake off the Turkey coast probably felt in many countries
Based on an increasing number of visitors joining us from Bulgaria, we believe that an earthquake was felt. When you are one of the people who experienced this earthquake, please fill in the form behind “I Felt A (not Listed) Earthquake”. Thank you.
Listen to the earthquake – Soundquakes by flyrok.org
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : Mw 5.7
UTC Time : 2013-01-08 14:16:09 UTC
Local time at epicenter : 2013-01-08 16:16:09 UTC+02:00 at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 9.9 km
Geo-location(s) :
Approx. 25 km from Lemnos, Greece
47km (29mi) WSW of Bozcaada, Turkey
67km (42mi) WSW of Ezine, Turkey
80km (50mi) NW of Mitilini, Greece
89km (55mi) SW of Canakkale, Turkey
246km (153mi) NE of Athens, Greece
for more informaitoin, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/01/08/strong-earthquake-in-the-eastern-mediterranean-sea-close-to-lemnos-and-the-turkish-coast-greece-turkey-bulgaria/
Earthquake overview : A major earthquake has struck off the Alaskan coast with the potential for a tsunami. Finally, no dangerous tsunami was generated but during a couple of hours people had to evacuate to higher grounds in many locations
7.4
First update – Massive earthquake in Alaska
We have just received the report that a massive 7.8 Magnitude quake struck Alaska
More details in a moment
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : M7.7
UTC Time : 5th January 2013, 08:58:19 UTC
Local time at epicenter : 4th January 2013, 23:58:19 UTC-09:00
Depth (Hypocenter) : 9.9km
Geo-location(s) : 101 km (63 miles) SW (221 degrees) of Edna Bay, AK
102 km (64 miles) W (259 degrees) of Craig, AK
106 km (66 miles) S (182 degrees) of Port Alexander, AK
314km (195mi) WNW of Prince Rupert, Canada
335km (208mi) S of Juneau, Alaska
1032 km (641 miles) NW (315 degrees) of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
ectonic Summary
The January 5, 2013 M 7.5 earthquake off the west coast of southeastern Alaska occurred as a result of shallow strike-slip faulting on or near the plate boundary between the Pacific and North America plates. At the location of this earthquake, the Pacific plate is moving approximately northwestward with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of 51 mm/yr.
This earthquake is likely associated with relative motion across the Queen Charlotte fault system offshore of British Columbia, Canada, which forms the major expression of the Pacific:North America plate boundary in this region. The surrounding area of the plate boundary has hosted 8 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater over the past 40 years; In 1949, a M 8.1 earthquake occurred close to the Pacific:North America plate boundary approximately 230 km to the south east of the January 5th earthquake, as a result of strike-slip faulting. In October of 2012, a M 7.8 earthquake occurred approximately 330 km to the south east of the January 5th event, slightly inboard of the plate boundary, and was associated with oblique-thrust faulting. The latter earthquake was likely an expression of the oblique component of deformation along this plate boundary system. The January 5th, 2013 earthquake is related to that Haida Gwai earthquake three months previously, and is an expression of deformation along the same plate boundary system.
Update 16:52 UTC : This earthquake was shallow, strike-slip and possible on Queen Charlotte Fault & few 100 km N of Haida Gwaii thrust quake
– We thank our many readers to send us your experiences almost immediately after the shaking stopped and before we got the official seismological data
Update 13:24 UTC : Most of the Pacific West Coast people (USA, Alaska and Canada) have returned to their beds
– Only few of them will feel the many moderate aftershocks which will continue for many days and even weeks
Update 12:31 UTC : Most recent and normally last Tsunami bulletin for Alaska, British Columbia and the West Coast
PUBLIC TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 4 – NWS WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER PALMER AK
158 AM AKST SAT JAN 5 2013
…THE TSUNAMI WARNING IS CANCELLED…
CANCELLATIONS
————-
* THE TSUNAMI WARNING IS CANCELED FOR THE COASTAL AREAS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA FROM THE NORTH TIP OF VANCOUVER ISLAND BRITISH COLUMBIA TO CAPE FAIRWEATHER ALASKA/LOCATED 80 MILES SE OF YAKUTAT/
IMPACTS – UPDATED
—————–
* A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED DURING THIS EVENT BUT NO LONGER POSES A THREAT.
* SOME AREAS MAY CONTINUE TO SEE SMALL SEA LEVEL CHANGES.
* THE DETERMINATION TO RE-OCCUPY HAZARD ZONES MUST BE MADE BY LOCAL OFFICIALS.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS – UPDATED
—————————–
* DO NOT RE-OCCUPY HAZARD ZONES UNTIL LOCAL EMERGENCY OFFICIALS INDICATE IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.
OBSERVATIONS OF TSUNAMI ACTIVITY – UPDATED
——————————————
TIME OBSERVED MAX SITE OF MEASUREMENT TSUNAMI HEIGHT
—————————- ————— ————–
PORT ALEXANDER AK 1026 UTC 01-05 – 00.5FT
SITKA AK 1041 UTC 01-05 – 00.3FT
HEIGHT – OBSERVED MAX TSUNAMI HEIGHT IS THE WATER LEVEL ABOVE THE
TIDE LEVEL AT THE TIME OF MEASUREMENT.
DEEP OCEAN PRESSURE SENSORS DID NOT RECORD A TSUNAMI.
Update 11:01 UTC : GREAT NEWS : ALL WARNINGS and ADVISORIES are now CANCELED
Update 10:44 UTC : Nothing really dramatic has happened and will probably not happen also.
Port Alexander, Alaska, sees 6-inch rise in sea level after magnitude 7.5 earthquake Some warnings remain in effect but maybe downgraded soon : THE COASTAL AREAS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA FROM THE NORTH TIP OF VANCOUVER ISLAND BRITISH COLUMBIA TO CAPE FAIRWEATHER ALASKA/LOCATED 80 MILES SE OF YAKUTAT/
PARTLY GOOD NEWS
A NUMBER OF ADVISORY and WARNING CANCELLATIONS
-------------
* THE TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS CANCELED FOR THE COASTAL AREAS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA FROM THE WASHINGTON-BRITISH COLUMBIA BORDER TO THE NORTH TIP OF VANCOUVER ISLAND BRITISH COLUMBIA
* THE TSUNAMI WARNING IS CANCELED FOR THE COASTAL AREAS OF ALASKA FROM CAPE FAIRWEATHER ALASKA/LOCATED 80 MILES SE OF YAKUTAT/ TO CAPE SUCKLING ALASKA/LOCATED 75 MILES SE OF CORDOVA/
* THE TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS CANCELED FOR THE COASTAL AREAS OF ALASKA FROM CAPE SUCKLING ALASKA/LOCATED 75 MILES SE OF CORDOVA/ TO KENNEDY ENTRANCE ALASKA/LOCATED 40 MILES SW OF HOMER/
Update 10:18 UTC : Some distances from the epicenter to important locations on land
106km (66mi) WSW of Craig, Alaska
304km (189mi) WNW of Prince Rupert, Canada
341km (212mi) S of Juneau, Alaska
404km (251mi) WNW of Terrace, Canada
610km (379mi) S of Whitehorse, Canada
…THE TSUNAMI WARNINGS REMAINS IN EFFECT… …THE TSUNAMI ADVISORIES REMAINS IN EFFECT…
If you are a twitter user, we advise you to subscribe to our @quake_Tracker4or one of the others. It will not only send earthquake notifications, but also I Have Felt It reports and Tsunami alerts
Update 10:08 UTC : Good news for the broader connected Pacific / Statement for the Pacific Tsunami and weather Center :
NO TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS FOR OTHER COASTAL AREAS IN THE PACIFIC ALTHOUGH SOME OTHER AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE SMALL NON-DESTRUCTIVE SEA LEVEL CHANGES LASTING UP TO SEVERAL HOURS.
Update 10:12 UTC : Tsunami advisory in effect for Prince Rupert. RCMP members going door to door and evacuating residents close to the shore.
Update 10:04 UTC : USGS has now downgraded the Magnitude from 7.7 to 7.5 with a little change in intensities but an important change for an eventual Tsunami potential
Update 09:49 UTC : A visual overview of the Tsunami a warning (red) and Tsunami advisory (orange) locations along the coast. Red means get away from the coast and walk urgently to higher grounds – Orange : be aware of strong waves and potentially higher tides
Update 09:34 UTC : Our main concern goes to the fisheries in case of a widespread tsunami.
for more information, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2013/01/05/potential-tsunami-from-m7-7-earthquake-off-alaska-warning-in-effect/
December 14, 2012 – Strong earthquake off the coast of Southern California / Baja California
6.3 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Baja California Two strong earthquakes just hit far off the California – Baja California coast, the first one being a 6.3 at a depth of 10km and 262km from land, the second one with a magnitude of 6.1 at a depth of 11 km and closer but still not dangerous distance of 142km. Both earthquakes are preliminary magnitudes. Theorical calculations from the USGS are showing that 1,735,000 people would have felt a IV shaking on the mercalli scale (light shaking) for the second earthquake, this shaking includes the cities of Rancho Palos Verdes and Long Beach, California; and a II-III (Weak shaking) for at least 9 millon people including the cities of Los Angeles, Anaheim, Santa Ana and Riverside.
This earthquakes are harmless and should create no damage, a tsunami can’t be generated.
Update: Following the earthquakes, we saw some reports coming from the USGS including a 3.5 Magnitude in Utah and a 4.2 in Southern California, those are FALSE POSITIVES this means that the earthquakes didn’t actually happen and were only a computer generated report.
142km (88mi) SW of Avalon, California
173km (107mi) SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, California
177km (110mi) SW of San Pedro, California
179km (111mi) SSW of Palos Verdes Estates, California
Update 11:45 UTC : Max. shaking (mainly because of the depth) IV MMI at the coastal cities.
Important Update 12:05 UTC: USGS has removed the 6.1 earthquake from the charts! The 6.3M earthquake still remains but luckily this is safer as the epicenter was 262km off the coast.
Update 12:22 UTC : We will transfer the content of this article towards a special in-depth article for this earthquake. Let’s hope that the other seismic zones in the area (including the San Andreas fault) have not been influenced by the shaking waves and all remains calm the rest of the night and day.
We want to thank our many California users to send us their Experiences almost immediately after the earthquake occurred.
Update 12:26 UTC : USGS has further updated their data to M6.3 instead of the initial M6.4
Update 12:27 UTC : We do see our Californian readers gradually returning to their beds for hopefully a shake-free night
Update 12:41 UTC : The first aftershocks are rattling the epicenter area, but due to distance from the coast people are not feeling it.
Update 13:49 UTC : After analysing the data of our EAAS (Early Earthquake Alerting System) which currently runs in the background, an alert was triggered only 3 minutes after the start of the earthquake. The system runs in testing mode at the moment and will be implemented in the site in no later than 30 to 60 days. It will work on a worldwide scale.
Update 13:54 UTC : People who have subscribed to our Regional California Only Twitter feed @Quake_TrackerCA , will not have received the M6.4 earthquake notification (the afterwards deleted M6.1 was indeed reported). After analysing the location of the epicenter, we found out that it was to the south of the region we had included. We have updated our system to also include this area as it was felt well in Southern California. We encourage our California Twitter users to tell us these things themselves via a reply to @Quake_trackerCA or by commenting in our website.
Earthquake overview : A seemingly moderate earthquake became a deadly one because of the specific earthquake mechanisms in Iran and because of the poor building quality.
Update Dec. 6, 12:34 UTC :
A full damage assessment has come out from Iran with the following details:-
20 villages have been damaged 60%. (The method for Iran damage)
4 bodies have been delivered to the coroner, however, they are still waiting on 5 members of a 6 member family who presumably died when their house collapsed.
73 relief staff including 10 SAR personnel have been carrying out operations.
Outpatient treatment of victims: 8 people
The number of victims transported to the hospital: 12 people
Destruction of the 20 villages: 40 to 100 percent
The number of people resettled/evacuated to shelter: 1000 people
The following relief has been
Tent: 1000
Blankets: 600
Carpets: 900
Electric Lights: 600
Food and mineral water: 10000 cans.
2000 animals (livestock) are in the cold currently and there is a fear of them dying.
Update Dec. 6, 04:24 UTC : 8 people have been killed, and 1 person is missing as a result of this earthquake. 23 people have been injured with many others treated for superficial wounds.
زهان (Zohan) has seen the most damage and destruction with many houses destroyed. 5 people were killed and 1 is missing in this location. 707 people live in Zohan as of the year 2006, so this will be a great shock for the small town with 1% death rate.
15 villages in addition have been damaged/destroyed. Hosseinabad is one of those affected.
16 aftershocks between M3 and M4 have been keeping people out of their houses. It is extremely cold in South Khorasan at the moment. Around 5 degrees C overnight to 14 during the day, will mean that shelter is required.
South Khorasan is a reasonably poor region, and by the number of articles in the Iranian press about aid, this usually means that there is major damage in the villages affected.
Update Dec. 6, 21:49 UTC : For further news we will have to wait until the early morning hours in Iran. We will keep you updated.
Update 21:49 UTC : 15 emergency teams, 10 ambulances and a lot of heavy excavating equipment has been send to the epicenter area. The weather is quit fair at the moment but temperatures go down to 3°C, thats freezing cold if you have to spend the night in open air.
Iranian SAR and relieve teams are very well organised as the country has a lot of dangerous even deadly earthquakes like this one.
Update 21:44 UTC : The epicenter of the quake was 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the town of Zohan, at a depth of nine kilometers, the Iranian Seismological Center said on its website. The quake caused damage to rural buildings and cut power lines and telephone communication. Iran has mostly adobe and brick stone houses who have a little or no resistance against earthquakes.
Update 21:03 UTC : The number of killed people remains at 5 but the number of injured has risen to at least 20.
Update 20:03 UTC : The Iranian Red Crescent is very active in trying to help the population as well as the SAR teams from the Iranian authorities. It is currently dark in the Iran which makes relieve efforts and SAR searches extremely difficult. We will keep you updated when more news comes in.
Important update 19:45 UTC : Mehrnews Iran is reporting 4 villages very heavily damaged and at least 5 people killed and 12 injured. A terrible result once more.
Update 17:45 UTC : Based on our experience we estimate that it will take many hours before we will get reports from the earthquake epicenter area. The s it is dark in Iran . We are however convinced that at least minor damage may occur in an area approx. 10 to 20 km around the epicenter.
Update 17:40 UTC : Our @Quake_tracker4 was far ahead of most other earthquake twitter accounts. Follow us and be informed as first about important earthquakes
Update 17:29 UTC : We only see a limited number of Iranian people online at the moment. The Magnitude has been lowered in the meantime to M5.6 but at an extremely shallow (and dangerous) depth of only 5.6 km.
Preliminary data are telling us a Magnitude of M6.0, but the final value can be far weaker or even higher.
Even at a Magnitude of 5.5, Iran may generate damage.
Preliminary epicenter
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.6
UTC Time : 2012-12-05 17:08:12 UTC
Local time at epicenter : 2012-12-05 20:38:12 UTC+03:30 at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 5.6 km
Geo-location(s) :
43km (27mi) SE of Qayen, Iran
75km (47mi) NNE of Birjand, Iran
125km (78mi) SE of Gonabad, Iran
178km (111mi) SW of Taybad, Iran
Last update: November 13, 2012 at 8:17 am by By Ashish Khanal
Very strong earthquake along the Chile coast
Although that this was a very strong earthquake, the location of the epicenter makes it harmless for people as this part of Chile is only sparsely populated. Additionally readers have to know that the epicenter is approx. 350 km out of the coast.
