Very Strong but Very Deep earthquake in the Izu Islands region, Japan
Last update: September 4, 2013 at 1:28 am by By Ashish Khanal
Update 01:02 UTC : JMA JApan reports a Magnitude of M6.9 but also very deep at 400 km = the hot solid mantle of the earth. Harmless.
Very deep earthquakes cannot generate tsunamis. Maximum shaking was a JMA 4 at Iwanuma-shi Sakura*
JMA 4 shaking = * Most people are startled.
* Hanging objects such as lamps swing significantly.
* Unstable ornaments may fall.
Based on our experience with Japanese earthquakes, earthquake-report.com considers JMA 5+ intensity as a potentially dangerous shaking.
Very strong but also very deep earthquake in the Izu Islands region, but far enough from populated islands and the mainland to remain harmless. The depth has the consequence that this earthquake was felt in a wide radius, even in Tokyo (637 km).
Extremely dangerous earthquake/aftershock in Yunnan, China – at least 5 people killed and 36 injured
Last update: August 31, 2013 at 1:16 pm by By Ashish Khanal
Update 12:53 UTC : The death toll has unfortunately risen to 5.
36 people have been injured by the quake. At least 15 of them have been hospitalized.
The fatalities have been recorded in both the counties of Shangri-La and Deqen (Yunnan Province).
The present damage and injured/death toll may climb further the coming hours as rescue teams will further search the area.
Landslides and a heavy truck who slashed into a minibus (not specified whether this is the minibus with the tourists in it). The injured were hospitalized. Image courtesy and copyright news.xinhuanet.com
Update 09:57 UTC : The Chinese press is now reporting the death of 4 people and at least 17 injured. Telecommunications were down in some parts of the hardest hit area and emergency units are being installed by the Chinese authorities. A lot of landslides have been reported in this mountainous Yunnan area. Assessment is still continuing but the following numbers can be reported as minimum damage :
– 600 rooms have collapsed
– 55,500 rooms have been damaged to different extend
– +9,000 residents have been affected and had to live in tented camps or with relatives.
Update : At least 3 people have been killed by this earthquake and 17 have been reported as injured. Many houses (who might have been already damaged from the M5.1 earthquake) have collapsed and even more damaged further.
Electricians work to supply electricity to the affected area in the area bordering the counties of Shangri-La, Deqen of Yunnan Province and Derong County of Sichuan Province, with a depth of about 10 kilometers, the center said. (Image courtesy and copyright Xinhua/Shi Xianrao)
Update : Also tourists seems to have been involved in this earthquake. The greater earthquake area is a highlight in many Chinese tours, a visit to the town and Monastery of Shangri La, also called Little Tibet.
Strong earthquake in Northern Chile (Antofagasta, near Calama)
Last update: August 23, 2013 at 8:59 am by By Ashish Khanal Because of the depth, we do not expect any damage by this quake, but it was felt in many parts of northern Chile and neighbour regions of Argentina and Bolivia.
Nearby Cities
42km (26mi) ENE of Calama, Chile
170km (106mi) E of Tocopilla, Chile
240km (149mi) NE of Antofagasta, Chile
272km (169mi) SW of Uyuni, Bolivia
643km (400mi) S of La Paz, Bolivia
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.8
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-08-23 04:33:59
Update 07:10 UTC : Nothing really new since our 06:08 update. The NZ press is mainly zooming in to small stories of the panic and the secondary effects like heavy traffic, experience reports of minor damage etc. All the aftershocks of M2.9 or greater will be listed below.
Update 06:08 UTC : One building south of Seddon nearly collapsed by the mainshock. Some others in Marlborough region were also severly damaged, while the damage on North Island (Wellington region) is only minor.
Update 06:01 UTC : GeoNet has changed the data to Magnitude 6.0. USGS and EMSC give Magnitude 5.9 (USGS expecting a heavy intensity again). The epicenter location is again close to Seddon, the quake was felt in many parts of New Zealand. New damage is likely.
In the meantime buildings in Seddon were ckcked for damage by the mainshock. Many of the buildings were damaged, mainly fallen chimneys and cracked walls and roofs are reported. No building collapsed, nobody was injured.
Update 05:38 UTC : Another very strong quake with Magnitude 6.3 hit this are a couple of minutes ago, according to GeoNet. These data are still prelimimary.
Update 05:28 UTC : Two injured people were carried to a hospital in Blenheim. There are not many details about the kind of injuries but reports indicate they are only minor.
Update 04:43 UTC : Taken into account the strong Magnitude and the extremely shallow Hypocenter, we are happy that no injuries and even fatalities have been reported. Also the damage is within an acceptable range as no houses really collapsed. The slight to moderate damage will however be reported in big numbers. The most reports will come from Seddon, followed by Blenheim and then by Wellington.
Update 04:32 UTC : GNS Science has recalculated the data and is now reporting an updated value of M6.6 !
Update 04:32 UTC : NZ Media are starting to exaggerate : Monster Quake hit … We can truly say that this was a big quake but not a monster quake. Based on security camera images we saw some moderate shaking in Wellington.
Update 04:25 UTC : The biggest damage should be looked at in the Seddon area. Gradually Seddon information and pictures are reaching us, like the one below from Seddon. Unsafe to live in, it will probably get a RED STICKER on the door from the NZQC after inspection.
Twitter image courtesy and copyright from @breakfastsam
Update 04:15 UTC : A house has been badly damaged in Ward, south of Seddon + some power lines down in the Seddon area
Update 04:06 UTC : SH 1 currently closed between Blenheim and Kaikoura. Check NZTA website for latest highway conditions:
http://t.co/d6e18GP2XW
Update 04:02 UTC : A number of people have been freed from lifts in the Wellington CBD which stopped when the quake struck.
Update 04:00 UTC : Earlier reports of a collapsed house in between Blenheim and Seddon looked to be incorrect. So far only a lot of slight damage in the Marlborough area (Seddon, Blenheim etc) and also in the Wellington area.
Typical picture after such an earthquake. A supermarket in Wellington !
Twitter image courtesy and copyright @LivLacey
Update 03:52 UTC : The NZ Stock Exchange has been reopened again
Update 03:46 UTC : Damage like the picture below will occur in many places. The NZ Earthquake Commission will have a lot of work the following days to follow up the many filed damage reports.
Twitter image courtesy and copyright @menabassily NZ
Update 03:44 UTC : The NZ stock exchange has stopped trading. About 600 customers are reportedly without power in Makara, Wrights Hill and Wainuiomata following the quake
Update 03:44 UTC : The earthquake has been felt all over both islands. Power is still on the Wellington CBD (Central Business District) and traffic is flowing normally, however some power lines are reported to be down and there are problems with some phones.
Tranzmetro has suspended all its rail and bus services in Wellington and Wellington Airport advises the runway is temporarily closed for inspection following the quake.
Update 03:42 UTC : Focal Mechanism in line with the earlier Cook Strait M6.5 earthquake if based on USGS FM
Update 03:38 UTC : South of Blenheim, towards Seddon, roads are partially blocked by rockfalls and are cracked in some areas.
Update 03:34 UTC : Luckily only reports of what we call “minor damage” in the New Zealand press so far. Minor damage is like broken windows, cracks in walls, fallen tiles etc.
Update 03:31 UTC : What strikes us in the New Zealand press is that all of them are talking about a “Wellington” earthquake and not about a Seddon earthquake . The distance to Wellington is far greater than to Seddon.
Update 03:27 UTC : We expect most damage in the whole North Eastern part of the South Island with some slight damage even at the south of the North Island. Seddon, only located at 10 km of the epicenter is most at risk for damage followed by Blenheim.
Update 03:22 UTC : Based on what we experienced with the M6.5 mainshock a little while ago a chain of aftershocks in the same area may be expected.
Update 03:20 UTC : A lot of different data below like USGS who reports a M6.8 at a depth of 10.6 km. We prefer however tu use the Geonet / GNS science data who are reporting M6.2 at a depth of 8 km. Even more a difference in epicenter location. The preliminary USGS value is putting the epicenter more below land vs the Geonet versions who is locating the epicenter also below land but close to the coast.
Update 03:18 UTC : these aftershocks will go on for quiet some time ane very strong ones are being possible.
Update : The seismogram below reveals a long chain of powerful aftershocks, some of them more than M5.
Very dangerous aftershock below land in New Zealand. Epicenter is very different with each reporting agency. Geonet New Zealand is locating the epicenter at the land-tip of the South Island. The earlier mainshock and most of the aftershocks were located in the sea.
Image courtesy Geonet New Zealand
10 km south-east of Seddon
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.2
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-08-16 14:31:05
Moderate earthquake on Big Island (Hawaii) near Kilauea
Last update: August 11, 2013 at 4:16 pm by By Ashish Khanal
Update 16:15 UTC : Some of our readers from Hon0lulu told os they felt the quake. Honolulu is nearly 350 km northwest of the epicenter
The epicenter of this quake was approx. 7 km south of Halema’uma’u crater (Kilauea volcano) in a low populated area of Big Island. Nevertheless, the quake was felt on nearly the whole island and also in some parts of Maui.
We do not expect any serious damage from this quake.
Nearby cities
10km (6mi) SSW of Volcano, Hawaii
42km (26mi) SW of Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaii
47km (29mi) SSW of Hilo, Hawaii
83km (52mi) ESE of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
347km (216mi) SE of Honolulu, Hawaii
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 4.6
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-08-11 05:54:05
Moderate earthquake near Innsbruck, Austria on August 9, 2013
Last update: August 9, 2013 at 12:13 pm by By Ashish Khanal
Update 11:17 UTC : According to ORF (Austrian television) a crack appeared in a house in Innsbruck.
Update 11:06 UTC : Below the seismogram as recorded by the University of München, Germany from this earthquake.
The earthquake was well felt in the greater epicenter area. Earthquakes are not abnormal in the Alps. Most of them are however not felt by humans.
Epicenter very close to Innsbruck
A, earthquake with this Magnitude will surely NOT be damaging
152 km E of Vaduz, Liechtenstein / pop: 5,197 / local time: 12:44:10.0 2013-08-09
12 km NE of Innsbruck, Austria / pop: 112,467 / local time: 12:44:10.0 2013-08-09
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 3.7
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-08-09 12:44:10
Strong earthquake(s) in the Kamena Vourla area Greece – at least 300 houses damaged
Last update: August 7, 2013 at 10:30 pm by By Ashish Khanal
Update 22:26 UTC : Our first estimate was after all very right. The shallow epicenter and the soft soil may have been the reason why more than 300 houses have sustained damage.
Update 14:52 UTC : The mainshock caused that two people were injured. They are builders whose scaffolding fall by the shaking.
Damage image courtesy and copyright lamiareport.gr
Update 13:52 UTC : A new M4.6 aftershock occurred a couple of minutes ago. This may go on for many hours even days.
Update 13:50 UTC : A new picture of the damage in the village of Drimea, very close to the epicenter
Image courtesy and copyright ethnos.gr
Update 10:23 UTC : More minor damage to houses is reported from other villages close to the epicenter, where also rockfalls and power outages occurred.
Update 10:17 UTC : One old house in the village Drimea, 8 km west of the epicenter, collapsed (Maybe a second in Amifikleia). Another building in Thermopylen, a village near Lamia, was hit by a fallen rock. No injuries are reported so far.
Update 10:01 UTC : In Amfikleia, a town approx. 10 km south of the epicenter, collapsed chimneys and cracked walls were observed.
Update 09:57 UTC : The Police Department of Lamia reported rockfall in the hills near the epicenter. No damage to buildings is currently reported.
Update 09:43 UTC : Below the seismogram from this earthquake(s) on the Aspirathos, Naxos seismograph. Image courtesy Geofon Germany.
Update 09:37 UTC : Based on new data from the Greece Institute of Geodynamics the outcome is much more harmless. The depth being reported at 17 km and the Magnitude at 5.1 puts a totally different and harmless light on this earthquake.
Small damage like cracks in walls, fallen plaster and tiles are still possible, but we do not expect anything serious.
Update 09:27 UTC : Earthquake-report.com calls this earthquake very dangerous for damage (less for injuries) based on the current seismological data. The fact that the epicenter area is likely a farm fields area is adding to our fear.
Update 09:22 UTC : the different seismological agencies are reporting preliminary different Magnitudes.
Double earthquake or a foreshock and a mainshock in Greece.
6km (4mi) SW of Kainouryion, Greece
25km (16mi) SE of Lamia, Greece
39km (24mi) NNW of Levadeia, Greece
64km (40mi) SSE of Farsala, Greece
125km (78mi) NW of Athens, Greece
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 4.3
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-08-07 12:02:44
Dangerous earthquake in Nord d’Algerie – 11 injured
Update 09:57 UTC : Radio Algérienne is mentioning a report from the Protection Civile (Civil Defense) that 11 people are now recorded as treated for slight injuries. Also slight damage at an number of houses like cracks in the walls.
Update 08:37 UTC : we are continuously searching for more news but so far only what we have reported below.
Update 06:34 UTC : According to national radio, the earthquake has so far injured seven, four in Algiers and 3 in Blida. The earthquake also caused cracks in several houses, according to the same source added that the inhabitants of Hammam Melouane (epicenter) complain about the lack of emergency services on the site. The radio reported the presence of the army and the gendarmerie in Hammam Melouane.
Update 05:20 UTC : Earthquake-report.com considers this earthquake as an ongoing reports and will add more updates as time is passing by.
Update 05:18 UTC : CRAAG reported that the epicenter was located at 4 km from Hammam Melouane. Civil Defence groups are currently assessing the situation. So far we have 3 injuries hurt by falling objects and 2 threated for secondary shock reasons. Algeria has always been an active earthquake area as a major fault runs along the coast.
Update 04:38 UTC : We think that more information will be available in a couple of hours, but we are almost sure that damage will be generated. So far NO news about it.
Update 03:42 UTC : This is a VERY populated area and houses in Algeria have almost no resistance against earthquakes. Weaker earthquakes have been generating damage a few weeks ago.
Moderate to strong earthquake in Northern Algeria. Epicenter close to Chebli.
This was an early wake up call in Algeria.
Slight damage possible as this is a very populated area.
3km (2mi) ENE of Bouinan, Algeria
4km (2mi) W of Bougara, Algeria
4km (2mi) SSE of Chebli, Algeria
8km (5mi) SW of Sidi Moussa, Algeria
23km (14mi) S of Algiers, Algeria
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 4.9
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-07-17 04:00:56
Update 05:18 UTC : El Rosario (6000 inhabitants) is projected as the city who sustained the most shaking, a moderate shaking
Update 05:14 UTC : USGS expects 176000 people to have experienced a moderate shaking and more than 10 million a light shaking. Because of the depth of the earthquake, we are sure that the shaking will have been felt in a very wide radius (several hundred km)
Update 05:13 UTC : One of the biggest dangers of this earthquake will be “Landslides”. The earthquake was strong enough and lasted long enough to displace huge amounts of ground.
UPDATE: Apart from some objects falling from shelves and some nervous times for the inhabitants, the earthquake as yet has not been reported to cause any major structural damage to housing.
The earthquake was right by the city of San Salvador which experienced major earthquakes in 1986 (1000+ killed) and 2001 (800+ killed).
The preliminary estimations of depth are 96km, and a magnitude of 5.9 however, over the coming minutes these will be revised, thus it is too early to call this non-damaging. It has been felt an intensity V-VI in San Salvador.
The epicenter is to the south east of San Salvador.
15km (9mi) SSW of El Rosario, El Salvador
27km (17mi) SW of Zacatecoluca, El Salvador
29km (18mi) ESE of La Libertad, El Salvador
31km (19mi) S of Santo Tomas, El Salvador
38km (24mi) SSE of San Salvador, El Salvador
Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.9
Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-07-07 20:52:45
Update 11:53 UTC : This earthquake was triggered by compression forces as can be seen in the mechanism below
Image courtesy USGS
Update 08:35 UTC : The least we can say is that the interaction in between the Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate is very active at the moment. 3 strong to very strong earthquakes in a matter of 1 week and at different locations and different depths. What next ? Seismologists all over the world are trying to find patterns, clues who can at last a grain of hope in predicting the next strong one. But unfortunately … no generally accepted conclusive solution as far as we know.
Update 08:29 UTC : The lower map shows a 1916 M7.3 earthquake a little to the south. Interesting to notice that also that earthquake was at a depth of 100 km.
Update 08:14 UTC : The quake was felt for about 3 to 5 seconds on the nearby coast. At the time of writing this update only a couple of reports are mentioning some minor damage to a limited number of houses. There was never a risk for a tsunami.
Below the Geofon seismogram recorded at Jajag, Java. The big blue amplitude is this earthquake, the Red ones are the New Ireland and New Britain massive earthquakes who are visible on seismograms all over the world.
Seismogram courtesy Geofon Germany
The strongest shaking was felt at the south-eastern part of Java. The earthquake itself was felt in Java, Bali and even Lombok. The main reason for the shaking is the depth of the hypocenter (breaking point inside the earth). If deeper, this weakens the shaking but at the same time increases the radius where the quake was felt.
