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Has anyone else noticed that there are more and more earthquakes lately?
Yes I do know it is apart of Prophecy.

Are there?

Yes there are more this year (371) then at this same time last year. This is for the whole world.

The number of large earthquakes has averaged around 20 for the past 100 years. But averages hide variation. Then number of annual earthquakes about 7.0 had declined in the 1970s and 80s and is now dramatically increasing. However, the number was  much higher in the early 1900s and the 1940s. More important, perhaps, that the number of large quakes is the number of deaths and damage caused by earthquakes. This has increased alarmingly in recent years and causes us to focus on earthquakes. Does this fulfill the prophecy of Christ? Time will tell.

That, in itself, doesn't mean anything.  How many where there to this time last year.  What's the average in that period.  What's the standard deviation?

So it's only increasing because it's been at a low, and it's actually been much higher.  Doesn't sound much like a fulfillment of prophecy to me (unless the prophesy said, "and there shall be a bit of a lul in the number of earthquakes, and then it shall come back to average again").

Over the last
ten years or so, there have been an average of 1656 magnitude 5 or larger earthquakes each year.
As a rule of thumb, for every magnitude you drop down,
there are roughly ten times more earthquakes.  So,
if there are 1656 magnitude 5 or larger earthquakes
per year, there are about 16,560 magnitude 4 or larger
earthquakes per year.   2 million very minor ones per year (approximately 8,000 per day). I also noticed they seem to run in 30 year cycles.
This is all I am going to do tonight. I just happened to refresh when I saw your post ebia. Its almost 1:30 am. Yikes!!

This will teach me to post tired.
The increase in earthquakes is caused by an increase (slight) of volcanic activity. Grrrrrrr

Ok, now I know there are more earthquakes happening. I have been following earthquakes since I posted this orginally.

In Calif/Nevada, alone, the earthquakes have gone from. 195-233 a week to 376-394 a week. That is a third more, a week then when I started keeping track. I started keeping track in April of this year.

Rseting in the arms of Jesus.
Bob

Nice job DW this is interesting. Whether this is the prophesies being fulfilled or not is debatable but it sure could be.

Peru Aftershocks Force Hundreds Outside

Mon Oct 3, 2:30 PM ET

LIMA, Peru - Waves of aftershocks Monday forced hundreds of people to camp in streets and public parks following two weekend earthquakes that injured at least 10 people and damaged hundreds of adobe homes in Peru's southern Andes.

Saturday's 4.2- and 4-magnitude earthquakes struck about 540 miles southeast of the capital, Lima. At least 10 people were injured and more than 400 homes in several towns and villages were severely damaged or destroyed, said Civil Defense Institute chief Juan Luis Podesta.

More than 170 aftershocks have rattled the area in the 48 hours following the quakes, Podesta said.

"We are sleeping in the plazas with our children," Marta Vizcarra told Radioprogramas radio from the village of Matalaque, pleading for more government assistance.

Authorities said the temblors' destruction was exacerbated because many of the fragile adobe houses were never repaired after a devastating 8.1-magnitude earthquake in 2001.

Saturday's quakes came less than a week after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake rocked northern Peru on Sept. 25, killing five people and injuring 76 others. Some 6,440 people were left homeless, according to a Civil Defense Institute report.

Peru Aftershocks Force Hundreds Outside (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051003/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/peru_earthquake;_ylt=AgJnMyJOTi2.w.ghtcFfCDlvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl)

Earthquake registering 4.3 shakes Israel; no injuries
By Haaretz Service

An earthquake registering 4.3 on the Richter scale shook Israel on Monday morning. No injuries or damage were reported.

"I don't think we need to worry," said Ephraim Levy, the acting director of the Geophysical Institute of Israel.

The earthquake originated in the Jordan Valley and was felt in cities including Nahariya, Haifa, Tel Aviv and Rehovot, Israel Radio reported.

The Jordan Valley lies along the Syrian-African rift that runs from Syria through Lebanon, Israel and Jordan and down into Africa.

It "is a place of friction between two tectonic plates," Levy told the radio.

He said he hoped that the earthquakes in the area continued to be small, like the one that hit Israel on Monday.

Earthquake registering 4.3 shakes Israel; no injuries (http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/632025.html)

Supervolcanoes Around The World
(I disagree with the time, the scientist have put on these super volcanoes.... DW)


Long Valley Caldera at a Glance

The Caldera. Long Valley Caldera a 15- by 30-km oval-shaped depression located 20 km south of Mono Lake along the east side of the Sierra Nevada in east-central California. This area of eastern California has produced numerous volcanic eruptions over the past 3 million years, including the massive caldera-forming eruption 760,000 years ago. The most recent eruption occurred just 250 years ago in Mono Lake at the north end of Mono-Inyo Craters volcanic chain.

Volcanic Unrest. In May of 1980, a strong earthquake swarm that included four magnitude 6 earthquakes struck the southern margin of Long Valley Caldera associated with a 25-cm, dome-shaped uplift of the caldera floor. These events marked the onset of the latest period of caldera unrest that continues to this day. This ongoing unrest includes recurring earthquake swarms and continued dome-shaped uplift of the central section of the caldera (the resurgent dome) accompanied by changes in thermal springs and gas emissions.

USGS Monitoring. In 1982, the U.S. Geological Survey under the Volcano Hazards Program began an intensive effort to monitor and study geologic unrest in Long Valley caldera. The goal of this effort is to provide residents and civil authorities in the area reliable information on the nature of the potential hazards posed by this unrest and timely warning of an impending volcanic eruption, should it develop. Most, perhaps all, volcanic eruptions are preceded and accompanied by geophysical and geochemical changes in the volcanic system. Common precursory indicators of volcanic activity include increased seismicity, ground deformation, and variations in the nature and rate of gas emissions.

Valle Grande, N.M., near Los Alamos

The one million-year-old Valles Caldera (15-mi diameter) is the centerpiece of the Jemez Volcanic Field in North Central New Mexico. The caldera was formed when the volcanic pile collapsed in response to a huge eruption of ash from the magma chamber.

Lake Taupo, New Zealand

Taupo’s History

Taupo Volcano has been in existence for more than 65 000 years. In that time it has shown a random pattern of exceptionally large events interspersed by smaller eruptions. This is a pattern typical of all the major rhyolite volcanoes of the central North Island and together they have produced large eruptions about every 50,000 years. At Taupo the Oruanui and the Taupo eruptions are part of this larger pattern.

Pre 65,000 years ago
All deposits at Taupo including a number of early lava domes clearly post-date the exceptionally large Whakamaru ignimbrite eruption dated at 330,000 years ago. About 150,000 years ago new activity formed a pumice-rich ignimbrite found along the northern shores of the lake, several basalt scoria cones and tuff rings about Acacia Bay and Mt. Tauhara. Our knowledge of this time intervals is very incomplete as few deposits of this age are exposed.
65,000 to 27,000 years ago
Between 65,000 years and 27,000 years ago there was a series of at least five explosive eruptions, from vents now under Lake Taupo. The older four eruptions produced layers of coarse pumice. The youngest produced fine grey ash suggesting the mixing of lake water with erupting magma.
The Oruanui eruption 26,500 years ago
The largest eruption from Taupo occurred 26,500 years ago producing 300 km³ of ignimbrite, 500 km³ of pumice and ash fall and a unknown volume of material inside the caldera. The Oruanui eruption is thought to have formed the caldera now filled by Lake Taupo, but this large eruption also shows the influence of lake water in its fine grain size and abundant evidence for heavy rain during the eruption. This implies the existence of a large lake prior to the eruption. The Oruanui ignimbrite is seen in many road cuttings about Taupo, draped by the layers of younger tephra. Fine ash from this eruption has been found throughout New Zealand and in many offshore core samples.

Aira, Japan

Aira Caldera is a supervolcanic caldera in the south of the island of Kyushu, Japan. The caldera was created by a massive eruption, approximately 22000 years ago. The major city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima and the 13000 year old Sakurajima volcano lie within the caldera.

Lake Toba, Sumatra

One of the largest known volcanic eruptions took place only 74,000 yrs ago, when over 2500 cubic kilometers of magma was ejected from Toba - a volcano-tectonic depression that is often referred to as Earth's largest Quaternary caldera. The caldera is 18 x 60 miles (30 by 100 km) and has a total relief of 5,100 feet (1700 m).

The caldera probably formed in stages. Large eruptions occurred 840,000, about 700,000, and 75,000 years ago. The eruption 75,000 years ago produced the Young Toba Tuff. The Young Toba Tuff was erupted from ring fractures that surround most or all of the present-day lake.

Siberian Traps, Russia

The Siberian Traps form a large igneous province in Siberia. They were formed during the Permian-Triassic extinction event in what was one of the largest known volcanic event in the last 500 million years of the geological history of the Earth.

Yellowstone National Park

It is little known that lying underneath one of The United States largest and most picturesque National Parks - Yellowstone Park - is one of the largest "super volcanoes" in the world.

Eruptions of the Yellowstone volcanic system have included the two largest volcanic eruptions in North America in the past few million years; the third largest was at Long Valley in California and produced the Bishop ash bed. The biggest of the Yellowstone eruptions occurred 2.1 million years ago, depositing the Huckleberry Ridge ash bed. These eruptions left behind huge volcanic depressions called “calderas” and spread volcanic ash over large parts of North America (see map). If another large caldera-forming eruption were to occur at Yellowstone, its effects would be worldwide. Thick ash deposits would bury vast areas of the United States, and injection of huge volumes of volcanic gases into the atmosphere could drastically affect global climate. Fortunately, the Yellowstone volcanic system shows no signs that it is headed toward such an eruption in the near future. In fact, the probability of any such event occurring at Yellowstone within the next few thousand years is exceedingly low.

The term "supervolcano" has no specifically defined scientific meaning. It was used by the producers of The BBC TV show Horizion in 2000 to refer to volcanoes that have generated Earth's largest volcanic eruptions. As such, a supervolcano would be one that has produced an exceedingly large, catastrophic explosive eruption and a giant caldera.

Scientists evaluate natural-hazard levels by combining their knowledge of the frequency and the severity of hazardous events. In the Yellowstone region, damaging hydrothermal explosions and earthquakes can occur several times a century. Lava flows and small volcanic eruptions occur only rarely—none in the past 70,000 years. Massive caldera-forming eruptions, though the most potentially devastating of Yellowstone’s hazards, are extremely rare—only three have occurred in the past several million years. U.S. Geological Survey, University of Utah, and National Park Service scientists with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) see no evidence that another such cataclysmic eruption will occur at Yellowstone in the foreseeable future. Recurrence intervals of these events are neither regular nor predictable.

Scientists have revealed that Yellowstone Park has been on a regular eruption cycle of 600,000 years. The last eruption was 640,000 years ago…so the next is overdue. The next eruption could be 2,500 times the size of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. Volcanologists have been tracking the movement of magma under the park and have calculated that in parts of Yellowstone the ground has risen over seventy centimeters this century.

Around the world there are several other volcanic areas that can be considered "supervolcanoes"- Long Valley in eastern California, Toba in Indonesia, and Taupo in New Zealand. Other "supervolcanoes" would likely include the large caldera volcanoes of Japan, Indonesia, Alaska (e.g. Aniakchak, Emmons, Fisher).

Normal volcanoes are formed by a column of magma - molten rock - rising from deep within the Earth, erupting on the surface, and hardening in layers down the sides. This forms the familiar cone shaped mountain we associate with volcanoes.

Cont'd next post.

Supervolcanoes, however, begin life when magma rises from the mantle to create a boiling reservoir in the Earth's crust. This chamber increases to an enormous size, building up colossal pressure until it finally erupts. The explosion would send ash, dust, and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, reflecting the sun's rays and creating a cold wave lasting several years. Crops in many areas would fail and many species of animals and plants would face extinction.

Volcanic activity began in the Yellowstone National Park region a little before about 2 million years ago. Molten rock (magma) rising from deep within the Earth produced three cataclysmic eruptions more powerful than any in the world's recorded history. The first caldera-forming eruption occurred about 2.1 million years ago. The eruptive blast removed so much magma from its subsurface storage reservoir that the ground above it collapsed into the magma chamber and left a gigantic depression in the ground- a hole larger than the state of Rhode Island. The huge crater, known as a caldera, measured as much as 80 kilometers long, 65 kilometers wide, and hundreds of meters deep, extending from outside of Yellowstone National Park into the central area of the Park.

The most recent caldera-forming eruption about 650,000 years ago produced a caldera 53 x 28 miles (85 x 45 kilometers) across in what is now Yellowstone National Park (Figure 2). During that eruption, ground-hugging flows of hot volcanic ash, pumice, and gases swept across an area of more than 3,000 square miles. When these enormous pyroclastic flows finally stopped, they solidified to form a layer of rock called the Lava Creek Tuff. Its volume was about 240 cubic miles (1,000 cubic kilometers), enough material to cover Wyoming with a layer 13 feet thick or the entire conterminous United States with a layer 5 inches thick. The Lava Creek Tuff has been exposed by erosion at Tuff Cliff, a popular Yellowstone attraction along the lower Gibbon River.

The eruption also shot a column of volcanic ash and gases high into Earth's stratosphere. This volcanic cloud circled the globe many times and affected Earth's climate by reducing the intensity of solar radiation reaching the lower atmosphere and surface. Fine volcanic ash that fell downwind from the eruption site blanketed much of North America. This ash layer is still preserved in deposits as far away as Iowa, where it is a few inches thick, and the Gulf of Mexico, where it is recognizable in drill cores from the sea floor. Lava flows have since buried and obscured most of the caldera, but the underlying processes responsible for Yellowstone's tremendous volcanic eruptions are still at work.

Explosive eruptions are best compared by recalculating the volume of erupted volcanic ash and pumice  in terms of the original volume of molten rock (magma) released (shown in this diagram by orange spheres). On this basis, the 585 cubic miles (mi3) of magma that was erupted from Yellowstone 2.1 million years ago (Ma) was nearly 6,000 times greater than the volume released in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, which killed 57 people and caused damage exceeding $1 billion. Even the 1815 Tambora, Indonesia, eruption—the largest on Earth in the past two centuries—was more than five times smaller than the smallest of Yellowstone’s three great prehistoric eruptions at 1.3 Ma.
==============================================================

MADISON - Reading the geochemical fine print found in tiny crystals of the minerals zircon and quartz, scientists are forming a new picture of the life history - and a geologic timetable - of a type of volcano in the western United States capable of dramatically altering climate sometime within the next 100,000 years.

With insight gained from new analytical techniques to study crystals of zircon and quartz, minerals that serve as veritable time capsules of geologic events, a group of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has proposed a new model for the origin of volcanism in young calderas.

These are volcanoes that occur over "hot spots" in the Earth and they erupt every few hundred thousand years in catastrophic explosions, sending hundreds to thousands of cubic kilometers of ash into the atmosphere and wreaking climatic havoc on a global scale.

In a series of papers, UW-Madison geologists Ilya N. Bindeman and John W. Valley present a life history of the hot spot volcanism that has occurred in the Yellowstone basin of the western United States over the past 2 million years. Their findings suggest a dying, but still potent cycle of volcanism, and a high probability of a future catastrophic eruption sometime within the next million years, and possibly within the next hundred thousand years.

Today's Yellowstone landscape represents the last in a sequence of calderas - the broad crater-like basins created when volcanoes explode and their characteristic cones collapse - that formed in regular progression over the past 2 million years. The near-clockwork timing of eruptions there - 2 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago and 600,000 years ago - suggests a pattern that may foreshadow an eruption of catastrophic proportions, said Bindeman and Valley.

Beneath Yellowstone and its spectacular landscape of hot springs and geysers is a hot spot, an upwelling plume of melted rock from the Earth's mantle. As the plume of hot, liquid rock rises in the Earth, it melts the Earth's crust and creates large magma chambers.

"These magmas usually erupt in a very catastrophic way," said Bindeman. "By comparison, the eruption of Mount St. Helens sent about two cubic kilometers of ash into the atmosphere. These catastrophic types of eruptions send thousands of cubic kilometers of ash skyward."

The hot spot deep beneath Yellowstone acts like a burner, said Bindeman. "It's a constant source of heat that acts on the upper crust and forms magma chambers that contain tens of thousands of cubic kilometers" of molten rock.

One of the massive plates that helps make up the crust of the Earth, the North American plate, is slowly moving over the hot spot, said Bindeman. "The plate has been moving across the heat source which makes it seem like the volcanoes are moving across the continent. Moreover, we have a progression of explosive eruptions which seem to have some periodicity."

Bindeman and Valley studied rocks that span the entire 2-million-year long eruptive sequence at Yellowstone with a special emphasis on lavas that erupted the last time one of the massive volcanoes popped off creating what geologists call the Yellowstone Caldera. Their conclusion is that the volcanic cycle is waning, but that there is still a very real potential of an eruption of massive proportions sometime in the near geologic future.

Such an eruption would disrupt global climate by injecting millions of tons of ash into the atmosphere. Some of the ash would remain in the atmosphere for years, reflect sunlight back into space and cool the planet, significantly affecting life. In addition, a blanket of ash over a meter thick would be deposited in nearby regions and effectively smother life there.

The most recent caldera is 600,000 years old and encompasses an area of more than 2,000 square kilometers. When it erupted, it blasted 1,000 cubic kilometers of volcanic rock into the atmosphere and it settled as ash over more than half of the United States.

After that last major eruption, volcanism in Yellowstone continued in a quieter fashion with another, much smaller eruption occurring 70,000 years ago.

Today's spectacular geysers and hot springs at Yellowstone are the most visible part of the volcanic system there. They contain heated snow and rainwater which leave a geochemical record that provides insight into the region's geologic activity. Prior to the last catastrophic eruption at Yellowstone 600,000 years ago, an even more spectacular geothermal landscape existed there, said Bindeman.

"The unique thing about Yellowstone is that the volcanic rocks that erupted following the collapse of the big calderas contain up to 50 percent oxygen which was ultimately derived from rain waters," Bindeman said. "The zircon and quartz tell us that rocks near the surface were altered by heated snow and rainwater. These rocks were then remelted to become magmas."

This scenario changes the view of magmatism at Yellowstone and other calderas as representing new magma coming from deep in the Earth. On the contrary, Bindeman and Valley make a case for the total remelting and recycling of previously erupted surface rocks.

SHOCKING (mmmm, not really): Earthquake Relief Aid Used to Fund Liquid Terror Plot

by Glib

From the Hindustan Times via The Religion of Peace:

    Money sent to Pakistan for quake rehabilitation was used to fund the Heathrow bomb attack plot that was foiled by British authorities, says an investigation by a leading Pakistani daily.

    According to the Daily Times, the Muslim Charity of UK remitted a huge amount of money to three individuals in three different bank accounts in Mirpur, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in December 2005 as earthquake relief.

    But the money in the three accounts in Saudi Pak Bank, Standard Chartered and Habib Bank Ltd was solely for the purpose of financing the foiled bomb plot, the paper said.

    According to the report, two of the recipients are British citizens of Kashmir origin while the third is an Islamabad-based builder, also of Kashmir origin.

    Officials said that all three have been arrested, but it is still not known whether the three had any links to militant organisations such as the Al-Qaeda or Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

    An official said that UK National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit authorities asked them to carry out ‘discreet enquiries’ about large sums of money being transferred by charities to accounts in Pakistan.

And yes, this was discovered by monitoring international financial transactions. Illegal infringement on “privacy,” right ACLU?

    “Neither the amount nor the purpose for which money was sent caused any concern in the British investigation unit. What raised alarm among British sleuths specialising in finances was the fact that the entire money was remitted to three individuals, not to any organisation or organisations involved in the relief work,” he said.

As you said it, is that a shock.....................  nope not to me.

Strong earthquake off Samoa generates tsunami



SYDNEY - A strong earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.0 has struck in the Pacific’s Samoa islands region, generating a tsunami, the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said on its website.

“Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter,” the Hawaii-based warning center said.

The bulletin was issued after the quake, which the US Geological Survey separately measured at 6.7, struck at 0622 GMT about 195 kilometers (120 miles) east southeast of the Tongan town of Hihifo and 290 kilometers (180 miles) south southwest of Pago Pago in American Samoa.

The quake hit at a depth of 290 kilometers, sparking a tidal wave, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

“When no major waves are observed for two hours after the estimated time of arrival or damaging waves have not occurred for at least two hours, then local authorities can assume the threat is passed,” the center said.

“Danger to boats and coastal structures can continue for several hours due to rapid currents,” it warned however.

Magnitude 6.3 quake strikes Hawaii 
Wakes up residents, knocks out power across island of Oahu

A strong earthquake shook Hawaii early Sunday, causing a landslide that blocked a major highway on Hawaii Island and knocking out power across the state, authorities said.

The state Civil Defense had unconfirmed reports of injuries, but communication problems prevented more definite reports. People were also trapped in elevators in Oahu, authorities said.

Gov. Linda Lingle said in a radio interview with KSSK from Hawaii Island that she had no report of any fatalities. She said boulders fell on highways, rock walls fell down and television had been knocked off of stands.

The quake occurred at 7:07 a.m. local time, 10 miles north-northwest of Kailua Kona, a town on the west coast of the Big Island, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey.
   
   

The Pacific Tsunami Center reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, while the U.S. Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.3. It was followed by several strong aftershocks, including one measuring a magnitude of 5.8, the Geological Survey said.

Blakeman said there was no risk of a Pacific-wide tsunami, but a possibility of significant wave activity in Hawaii.

On Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island, there was some damage in Kailua-Kona and landslide along a major highway, said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Center.

Officials were concerned there may be "structural integrity" problems at the big hospital in Kona in the Big Island, Lingle said. Rod Haraga, director of the state Transportation Department, told KSSK the hospital was being evacuated.

Betsy Garties, who lives in North Kohala, on the northern tip of Hawaii Island said she was lying in bed with one of her two young children when the quake struck.

"First I heard a rumbling. Then the house started to shake. Then broken glass," Garties said. She first stood under a door frame as safety experts advise, then found that too wobbly for comfort and ran into the yard.

"It was strong enough that it was wobbling, so you almost lost your balance running out into the yard," Garties said. "The house was visibly rocking."

Peggy Cardoza, an assistant manager at a fast food restaurant in Hilo, said she was at work when the earthquake struck.

"We just felt the ground shaking," Cardoza said. "We just stood here and watched everything shake."

Power at least partially knocked out on every island, said Civil Defense spokesman Lani Goldman. On Oahu, 95 percent of customers were without power, he said.

Authorities said some of the power outages may have been due to heavy rainfall.

Strong quake hits Japan, no concern over tsunamis

2 hours, 4 minutes ago

TOKYO (AFP) - A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck close to islands in southern Japan, but there were no concerns over tsunamis and no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials said.

The tremor struck at 6:18 am (2118 GMT) with its epicenter 800 kilometers (496 miles) south of Tokyo, close to the Izu islands, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

"You don't have to worry about disastrous tsunamis that could lead to damages, as certain time has passed since the quake," an official at the agency told AFP about two hours after the tremor.

He added that the agency will keep monitoring the sea level and that "some sea-level changes may be observed due to this quake."

Japan lies at the junction of four tectonic plates and endures about 20 percent of the world's most powerful earthquakes, which frequently jolt Tokyo and other major cities.

On Friday two strong undersea earthquakes struck Japan but with no reports of damages of casualties.

Strong quake hits Japan, no concern over tsunamis (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061024/wl_afp/japanquakelead;_ylt=As22WJGWN7NB1rlTfqOdrM0Bxg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--)

 == PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==



Region:                        SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA                                             
Geographic coordinates:        32.697N, 116.062W
Magnitude:                    4.5 Ml
Depth:                        8 km
Universal Time (UTC):          3 Nov 2006  15:56:43
Time near the Epicenter:       3 Nov 2006  07:56:43
Local time in your area:       3 Nov 2006  15:56:43

Location with respect to nearby cities:
   8 km (5 miles) SW (232 degrees) of Ocotillo, CA
  36 km (23 miles) WSW (253 degrees) of Seeley, CA
  46 km (28 miles) ESE (108 degrees) of Pine Valley, CA
  48 km (30 miles) WSW (258 degrees) of El Centro, CA
  92 km (57 miles) ENE (78 degrees) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Japan braces for tsunami

A massive earthquake struck near the Russian-ruled Kuril islands in the northern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning for Japan's coast, the meteorological agency said.

The earthquake registered 8.1 on the Richter scale at 8.15 pm (11.15 GMT) on the Pacific coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement.

It said waves of up to two meters were on course to hit Japan's northern coast and the Kuril islands as early as 9:10 pm (1210 GMT).

The agency urged residents to head to higher ground, a warning passed on by local authorities.

The quake struck some 600 kilometres northeast of Japan's main northern island of Hokkaido on the Kuril island chain, too far away to be felt in Japan's major population centres.

A tsunami has hit Japan but it was on 16 inches. The warning still stands as it is expected the possibility of a much bigger tsunami may follow.

The second tsunami as hit now and it was only 8 inches. The tsunami warning as been relaxed and no further problems are expected from this. Thank God it was all very, very minor.

Earthquake's effects felt in California
North Coast gets a surprise tsunami
By Kelly Pakula
Article Last Updated:11/15/2006 07:12:33 PM PST

CRESCENT CITY — The effects of a magnitude 8.1 earthquake off the coast of Japan were a surprise at the Crescent City Harbor Wednesday afternoon, after a surge wave caused "extensive damage," according to the California Office of Emergency Services.

An OES alert said the 6-foot surge wave at Crescent City came in at around 30 mph.

Debbie McAndrews of the Crescent City Harbor District said two docks were torn apart and numerous boats were knocked loose.

"We couldn't see waves," McAndrews said. "The water looked like you were watching a rolling river."

Harbormaster Richard Young said that there were no injuries and no boats had sunk, but that major damage had occurred to at least three docks.

"We're trying to look on the bright side," Young said. He added that the dock damage could run as high as $700,000.

Warnings and tsunami watches were issued in Japan, Russia, Hawaii Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Northern California, but were later withdrawn. Surge waves were forecast to continue until 6 p.m. or a little later along the California coast.

A series of small waves — none measuring higher than 16 inches — hit Japan's coast, coming in well under initial predictions.

At the Eureka office of the National Weather Service, meteorologist Troy Nicolini said the wave height was underforecast,
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a product of the complexities of determining how a tsunami will act when it encounters a shoreline.

"Crescent City amplifies the wave height," he said.

The city is familiar with the power of ocean surges.

A 1964 tsunami washed away 11 people — the only tsunami to take lives in the continental United States.

Surge waves were reported Wednesday as far south as Port San Luis in San Luis Obispo County, according to a "special weather statement" from the National Weather Service.

San Mateo County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security Director Lt. John Quinlan said he had been in direct contact with the weather service. Quinlan described a surge wave as being "way below a category of a tsunami.

"It was so far below the threshold, there were no warnings given," Quinlan said. "It's a 6-foot surge, which happens all the time. It's a rogue wave."

Quinlan said he was in contact with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, as well as the Pacifica and Half Moon Bay police departments and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

He said his biggest concern locally was the ocean's undertow, which may prove dangerous for swimmers and surfers.

"My biggest concern is the undertow," he said. "They kill people every year. It's very strong. The weather service warned us about that."

Earthquake's effects felt in California (http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/localnews/ci_4666950)

Shemya, AK   46cm/18in   
    Amchitka, AK   55cm/22in   
    Nawiliwili, HI   44cm/17i n   
    Kahului, HI   54cm/21in   
    Hilo, HI   43cm/17in   
    Westport, WA   5cm/2in   
    LaPush, WA   16cm/6in   
    Newport, OR   10cm/4in   
    Port Orford, OR   38cm/15in   
    Charleston, OR   12cm/5in   
    Crescent City, CA   88cm/35in   
    Arena Cove, CA   54cm/21in   
    North Spit, CA   10cm/4in   
    Point Reyes, CA   21cm/8in   
    Port San Luis, CA   55cm/22in   
    Santa Barbara, CA   20cm/8in   

11.15.2006 Kuril Islands Event (http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/)

California harbor suffers up to $700,000 in damages from tsunami

CRESCENT CITY, California: The National Weather Service lifted a tsunami advisory hours before powerful waves damaged docks and tore boats from their moorings in Northern California. Forecasters said they were wary of causing chaos along the U.S. Pacific coast.

"The waves were just small enough where we didn't want to panic everybody because it was very localized effects," said Dave Reynolds, a Monterey, California-based weather service meteorologist.

The five-foot (1.5-meter) surge, triggered by a powerful earthquake off the coast of Japan, entered Crescent City's Harbor Wednesday afternoon, destroying two docks and causing up to $700,000 (€547,200) in damage. No injuries were reported.

Richard Young, harbor master in the town about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of the Oregon line, noticed a fast-moving current that he described as a "river within the ocean."

Some 400 miles (640 kilometers) to the south, waves pounded the Santa Cruz, California, yacht harbor all afternoon, causing several boats to break away from their moorings and capsizing a small sailboat.

The 8.1-magnitude undersea quake prompted tsunami warnings for Japan, Russia and Alaska, but those were lifted after waves that hit Japan turned out to be much smaller than forecast. One swimmer suffered minor cuts when surges hit Waikiki Beach in Hawaii.

Quakes cut telephone, Internet to much of Asia 
Undersea cables used to route calls and online traffic damaged

Telephone lines and Internet service went dead across much of Asia on Wednesday after two powerful earthquakes damaged undersea cables used by several countries to route calls and online traffic.

Repairing the cables could take weeks because crews have to pull them up and transfer them to a ship for repair, said Lin Jen-hung, vice general manager of Chunghwa Telecom Co., Taiwan's largest phone company.

The quakes jolted Taiwan late Tuesday, setting off a tsunami alert on the second anniversary of the Dec. 26, 2004, waves and quake that killed 230,000 in nine countries from the Indonesian islands to east Africa.

No large waves materialized this time but two people were killed when their home collapsed.

Two cables were damaged, both off Taiwan's coast, Chunghwa said.

The company reported a 50 percent loss of overall telephone capacity, with connections to China, Japan and Southeast Asia most affected.

Chunghwa also said almost all of Taiwan's communications capacity with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong was disrupted. Also hard hit was telephone service to the U.S., where 60 percent of capacity was lost, the company said.

Internet access in Beijing was cut or extremely slow, while Japanese customers were having trouble calling India and the Middle East. In South Korea, dozens of companies and institutions were affected, including the country's Foreign Ministry.

Hong Kong telephone company PCCW Ltd. (PCW), which also provides Internet service, said the quake cut its data capacity in half. Many Internet users were unable to access Web sites in parts of America, Taiwan and South Korea. Calls to Taiwan weren't connecting.

Internet access was cut or extremely slow in Beijing, said an official from China Netcom, China's No. 2 phone company. The official, who would not give his name, said the cause was thought to be the earthquake, but he had no further details.

Businesses in various parts of the city also said they were experiencing Internet access problems.

CCTV, the state-run television network, said China Telecom Corp., China's biggest phone company, was contacting counterparts in the U.S. and Europe about using satellites to make up for the shortfall.

KDDI Corp., Japan's major carrier for international calls, said its fixed-line telephone service was affected by the quake. Company spokesman Haruhiko Maeda said customers were having trouble calling India and the Middle East, which are usually use the cables near Taiwan.

Maeda said the company was rerouting calls to go through the U.S. and Europe and the company did not know how long it will take to repair the cables.

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said that international roaming service provided by Japan's major three telecommunications - NTT DoCoMO, KDDI, and Softbank, was affected. Ministry official Akira Yamanaka said that some customers were unable to make calls using their cell phones in countries including Taiwan.

South Korea's largest telecom company, KT, said that lines it uses were damaged, affecting dozens of companies and institutions, including South Korea's Foreign Ministry.

However, the quake didn't cause problems for ordinary people using Internet and telephone service, according to Ku Ja-hong, a KT spokesman.

The quake, which hit offshore from the southern town of Hengchun, was felt throughout Taiwan. It shook buildings and knocked objects off the shelves in the capital, Taipei, in the northern part of the island.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated its magnitude at 7.1, while Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau measured it at 6.7. It was followed eight minutes later by 7.0 magnitude aftershock, the USGS said. A 5.9-magnitude aftershock struck early Wednesday, the Central Weather Bureau said.

Two members of one family were killed in Hengchun when their four-story home collapsed. The quake injured 42 people, three homes collapsed and 12 fires broke out, the National Fire Agency said.

Quakes frequently shake Taiwan, which is part of the Pacific's "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. Most are minor and cause little or no damage. However, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.

Major Earthquake Hits Northeastern Indonesia

9:29 am EST January 21, 2007

JAKARTA, Indonesia --  A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Sunday about in the Molucca Sea about 100 miles east of Sulawesi Island in northeastern Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake was large enough to cause a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement, but no tsunami warning was immediately issued.

The epicenter of the major quake was about 80 miles from the city of Ternate, in north eastern Indonesia, it said. It had a depth of more than six miles below the ocean floor.

An official with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii told The Associated Press that a basin-wide tsunami -- one that travels a great distance or across an ocean -- isn't expected, though a tsunami near the earthquake's site is "always possible."

"Given the size of the earthquake, we think a basin-wide tsunami isn't likely, though a local tsunami could be possible," said Brian Shiro, a geophysicist at the tsunami center.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Major Earthquake Hits Northeastern Indonesia (http://www.wnbc.com/news/10803761/detail.html)

Yellowstone Supervolcano Making Strange Rumblings

Supervolcanoes can sleep for centuries before producing incredibly massive eruptions that can drop ash across an entire continent.

One of the largest supervolcanoes in the world lies beneath Yellowstone National Park, which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Though the Yellowstone system is active and expected to eventually blow its top, scientists don't think it will erupt any time soon.

Yet significant activity continues beneath the surface. And the activity has been increasing lately, scientists have discovered. In addition, the nearby Teton Range of mountains, in a total surprise, is getting shorter.

The findings, reported this month in the Journal of Geophysical Research — Solid Earth, suggest that a slow and gradual movement of a volcano over time can shape a landscape more than a violent eruption.

For the past 17 years, researchers used Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites to monitor the horizontal and vertical motion of the Yellowstone caldera — a huge volcanic crater formed by a super-eruption.

The movement of the caldera indicates what's going on underground where magma, or molten rock, is stored for the next eruption.

When magma builds up, some of it starts to rise toward the surface, where it presses against the floor of the caldera. The pressure makes the caldera bulge, while a decrease in pressure makes it sink.

The 45-by-30-mile caldera bulged and deflated significantly during the study period, resulting in a series of small earthquakes that produced 10 times more energy than would occur if the ground were to move suddenly in a large eruption.

"We think it's a combination of magma being intruded under the caldera and hot water released from the magma being pressurized because it's trapped," said lead study author Robert Smith from the University of Utah. "I don't believe this is evidence for an impending volcanic eruption, but it would be prudent to keep monitoring the volcano."

More energy

The data shows that the caldera floor sank 4.4 inches from 1987 until 1995. From 1995 until 2000, the northwest rim of the caldera rose about 3 inches, followed by another 1.4-inch rise until 2003. Then between 2000 and 2003, the caldera floor sank a little more than an inch.

And then from 2004 to 2006 the central caldera floor rose faster than ever, springing up nearly 7 inches during the three-year span.

"The rate is unprecedented, at least in terms of what scientists have been able to observe in Yellowstone," Smith said.

Abnormal fault

These results could explain another surprise finding: The ground along the Teton fault — an active fault running 40 miles north-south along the eastern base of the Teton Range in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming just south of Yellowstone — moves in the opposite direction compared to what's been previously thought.

Typically, when a big earthquake takes place on a normal fault such as the Teton, the ground is pulled apart.

This kind of extension or stretching causes valleys to drop downward and mountains to rise upwards. Thousands of earthquakes built the mountains that comprise the Teton Range today.

But recent measurements showed a different trend.

Researchers found that just the opposite is happening with Jackson Hole — the valley below the Teton. The valley is rising up slowly and the mountains are dropping down.

What the researchers think is happening, on a short-term basis at least, is that the bulging Yellowstone hotspot north of the Tetons is pushing against the north edge of Jackson Hole and jamming it against the mountains.

(This is also causing the southwest part of the Yellowstone plateau, under the hotspot, to slide downhill at a rate of one-sixth of an inch each year.)

"The textbook model for a normal fault is not what's happening at the Teton fault," Smith said. "The mountains are going down relative to the valley going up. That's a total surprise."

This motion, according to researchers, is also expected to produce bigger quakes, confusing the picture of how earthquakes occur in that area.

There are so many biblical references, to the various earth traumas.

Psalm 46:3 Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Ezekiel 27:28 The waves and the countryside shake at the [piercing] sound of the [hopeless, wailing] cry of your pilots.

Joel 3:16 The Lord will thunder and roar from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the children of Israel.

Luke 6:48 He is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood arose, the torrent broke against that house and could not shake or move it, because it had been securely built or [a]founded on a rock.

Haggai 2:7 And I will shake all nations and the [a]desire and the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/03/16/italy.volcano.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Sicilian volcano erupts again
POSTED: 10:57 a.m. EDT, March 16, 2007

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070315/sc_afp/indonesiaenvironment_070315193242

Indonesia 'mud volcano' to be fed more concrete balls
Thu Mar 15, 3:32 PM ET

JAKARTA (AFP) - A bid to plug an Indonesian "mud volcano" with concrete balls after its toxic flow displaced 15,000 people is to use thousands more of them than planned, an official said Thursday.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/06/ap/tech/main2538921.shtml

Families Flee Active Volcano In Ecuador
Authorities Evacuate 100 Families From Slopes Of Ecuador Volcano That Has Begun Spewing

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/40715/story.htm

The Pacific's Earthquake-Prone "Ring Of Fire"
INDONESIA: March 7, 2007

Indonesia, located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", has the world's largest number of historically active volcanoes according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), making it prone to earthquakes and other volcanic disruptions.

Edited because I messed up, on the links.

Sea of Japan jolted by 7.1 quake
One person killed, roads cracked and shifted

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 jolted the Sea of Japan coast area of central Japan on Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake, at 9:42 a.m. (0042 GMT), was also felt in Tokyo.

A tsunami warning for waves of up to 50 cm (20 inches) was issued for Ishikawa prefecture and public broadcaster NHK said small tsunami had already hit in some areas.

The quake registered a higher 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa, about 300 km (190 miles) from Tokyo.

In Nanao, a city with a population of around 60,000 on the peninsula, ambulance services were flooded with calls to help people who had suffered burns and injuries, Kyodo news agency said. A local official told NHK he saw cracks and bumps in roads.

"Books fell off bookshelves and it was the worst shaking I have ever felt," one local official told NHK.

The focus of the tremor was at a depth of 50 km (30 miles) below the seabed off the Noto peninsula, the agency said.

Train services and flights in the area were halted, media reports said.

There were no reports of irregularities at nuclear plants in the area.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring more than 3,000.

That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.

2 quakes hit near Vanuatu in South Pacific
No tsunamis expected with tremors

Two strong earthquakes struck on Sunday near the archipelago of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, Australia's geological agency reported, but there were no reports of damage.

The first quake, measured at magnitude 7.3 at 0040 GMT, occurred two minutes before a large quake jolted the western coast area of central Japan.

Vanuatu's second quake, at magnitude 7.1, occurred 28 minutes later.

Police on Vanuatu, an islands nation of 209,000 people which is popular with divers, said there appeared to be no damage, although buildings in the capital, Port Vila, shook when the quakes occurred.

"So far we haven't received any damage or any injury," Senior Inspector Tapeirangi Seru told Reuters by telephone from Port Vila. "There's a shaking of buildings, but not strong enough to damage the buildings here."

Vanuatu, which is around 2,000 km (1,240 miles) east of Australia, around three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia, is regularly rattled by earthquakes.

It is perched on the so-called Pacific ring of fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Its clear waters, coral reefs, volcanoes and pristine forests are a big draw for tourists.

There was a state of emergency in Port Vila for two weeks this month after tribal clashes left three people dead.

However, Vanuatu has escaped the worst of the rioting, gang warfare and military coups which have shattered the peace in other South Pacific island nations in recent years.

Australia's geological agency Geoscience Australia said on Sunday that Vanuatu would likely escape quake damage.

"I wouldn't be expecting any damage," said Mark Leonard, the duty seismologist at Geoscience Australia. "Earthquakes of this size only do damage 50 or 100 km (30 or 60 miles) away and there was no land (nearby), unlike the Japan one," he said.

The earthquake occurred out at sea, within 200-300 km (125-190 miles) of Vanuatu's southern islands, he said.

No tsunami warning had been issued for Vanuatu and no damage had been reported, he said.

"It's likely that it's caused a very small tsunami ... about 0.3 or 0.4 of a metre (12 or 16 inches) in that local area," he said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first Vanuatu quake was centred 337 km (210 miles) south-south-east of Port Vila and 1,833 km (1,140 miles) east-north-east of the Australian city of Brisbane.

Somalia: Earthquake, tsunami rock Puntland

A powerful earthquake of unknown magnitude hit a northeastern Somalia town with many people unaccounted for overnight, local official said on Sunday.

The tremble rocked Qandalla town of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northeastern Somalia. At least eight people are missing and are feared to have died in the quake.

Saed Waberi, the chairman of Qandalla said the earthquake generated a tsunami which rocked the town mid last night causing casualties.

Powerful ocean waves wiped out the town destroying many fishing boats. 16 people were rescued from the waves.

It was for the first time that tsunami hit northeastern Somalia town of Qandalla since December 2004 when tsunami waves from as far as Indonisia hit Hafun district of Puntland settlements.

Meanwhile the Somalia tragedy follows an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 which struck off the west coast of Japan's largest island, Honshu.

At least one person was killed and 150 were reportedly injured by the tremor which was felt in the capital, Tokyo.

A tsunami warning was issued for a short time in Ishikawa prefecture, with swell of up to 50cm reported.

Quake triggers tsunami in Solomons 
8 people, including 6 children, reported missing after 10-foot wave

A powerful undersea earthquake Monday in the South Pacific sent a tsunami several yards high crashing into the Solomon Islands, devastating at least one village, officials and residents said.

Police and residents said a wave about 10 feet high struck the western town of Gizo, inundating buildings and causing widespread destruction. A man who answered the telephone at the Gizo police station said there were initial reports that eight people, six of them children, had been killed by the tsunami but they were still unconfirmed. The phone cut out abruptly before the man gave his name.

Gizo resident Judith Kennedy said water “right up to your head” swept through the town.

“All the houses near the sea were flattened,” she told The Associated Press by telephone. “The downtown area is a very big mess from the tsunami and the earthquake,” she added. “A lot of houses have collapsed. The whole town is still shaking” from aftershocks.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured magnitude-8.0 and struck at 7:39 a.m. about 6 miles beneath the sea floor, 217 miles northwest of the capital, Honiara.

The Pacific region from Australia to Hawaii went on high alert for several hours after the quake struck between the islands of Bougainville and New Georgia, though officials canceled a region-wide tsunami warning after the danger period passed.

Gizo, a regional center, is just 25 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.

Another witness in the town, dive shop owner Danny Kennedy, estimated the height of the wave at 10 feet.

“I’m driving down the street — there are boats in the middle of the road, buildings have completely collapsed and fallen down,” he said in a telephone interview.

‘Not a very good scene’
“We’re just trying to mobilize water and food, and shelter for people at the moment because ... in the town alone there’s going to be between 2,000-3,000 homeless. It’s not a very good scene at the moment.”

Harry Wickham, who owns a waterfront hotel in Gizo, said the damage was widespread.

“The waves came up probably about 10 feet and swept through town,” he told Australia’s Nine Network television by telephone. “There’s a lot of water damage and a lot of debris floating around,” he added.

“Ten feet of water washing through town — you can imagine what damage it has done here.”

Julian McLeod of the Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office said there were unconfirmed reports that two villages in the country’s far west were flooded.

“Two villages were reported to have been completely inundated,” McLeod told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. “We have received reports of four people missing.”

A town in the west, Munda, was believed to be badly damaged, officials and the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp. said, but communications were difficult and details were not confirmed.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported the quake at magnitude 8.1, and said a temblor of that strength could cause a destructive tsunami and issued a warning bulletin for the Solomon Islands and neighboring Papua New Guinea.

It ordered a lower-level “tsunami watch” for other places, including most South Pacific countries, but later canceled the alert. The center said a 6-inch wave had been reported in Honiara.

Police Sgt. Godfrey Abiah said in Honiara that police in Gizo had received warning about a possible tsunami and were helping people leave the town for higher ground when the wave hit.

“We have lost radio contact with the two police stations down there and we’re not getting any clear picture from down there,” he told The Associated Press by telephone.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, Deli Oso, said the quake was felt in Honiara but there were no reports of any damage.

Solomons hit by new quake
Smaller 6.2 temblor follows tsunami on South Pacific chain of islands

The Queensland Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) says another earthquake has rocked the Solomon Islands, as relief workers struggle to assess the damage in areas hit by yesterday's tsunami.

Today's quake happened about 9:00am AEST and measured 6.2 on the Richter scale. The bureau says there is no tsunami threat to Australia.

Thousands of people in the western Solomon Islands slept on hilltops overnight fearing another deadly quake as aftershocks hit the region, local officials say.

The government information service quoted former governor-general Sir Moses Pitakaka saying from the Western Province town of Gizo that thousands were homeless there.

Sir Moses said thousands more were likely to have lost their homes in other affected areas in the west of the impoverished South Pacific country.

Emergency workers on the island of Ghizo, which includes the town of Gizo, said they had already exhausted all of their stored supplies.

The Solomon Islands Red Cross estimated approximately 2,000 people, or 10 per cent of Gizo's population, were now homeless. Some 500 houses may have been damaged or destroyed.

Preliminary reports from other islands suggest similar or worse levels of damage, the government said in a statement.

Gizo, a popular diving centre, lies just 45 kilometres from the epicentre of the magnitude 8.0 earthquake which triggered Monday's tsunami.

Areas in Western Province and neighbouring Choiseul province bore the brunt of the damage.

Deputy police commissioner Peter Marshall said there were 20 confirmed dead so far and he feared the toll would rise.

Police spokesman Mick Spinks said reports had come in of 13 villages being destroyed by the tsunami.

Tsunami leaves thousands homeless

Some of the thousands left homeless by a tsunami ventured back into the devastated Solomon Islands town of Gizo Tuesday, picking their way through the ruins of stores in search of food and water.

But most were still too scared to leave the hillside where they have camped out since a powerful undersea earthquake sent waves up to 30 feet high crashing into several of the South Pacific islands.

At least 28 people in the Solomons died in Monday's tsunami and quake, measured at a magnitude of 8.1 by the U.S. Geological Survey. The victims include a bishop and three worshippers killed when a wave hit a church and a New Zealand man who drowned trying to save his mother, who remains missing.

Another five deaths were reported in neighboring Papua New Guinea, but those have not been confirmed.

Officials said the total was likely to rise once communication with surrounding villages on Gizo island is restored. They were also awaiting more detailed assessments of the situation on at least four other Solomon islands: Taro, Simbo, Choiseul and Ranunga.

Deputy Police Commissioner Peter Marshall said planes searching coastlines had spotted bodies but that these were in hard-to-reach areas.

"Some settlements have been completely wiped out by the waves," Alfred Maesulia, a government spokesman in the capital, Honiara.

As many as 4,000 people were camped on a hill behind Gizo (pronounced GEE-zoh), said Alex Lokopio, premier of Western Province, which includes the town of 7,000. Many were too scared to return to the coast amid more than two dozen aftershocks, including at least four of magnitude-6 or stronger.

The Solomon Islands Red Cross said about 2,000 Gizo residents were left homeless and that about 500 houses were destroyed, noting that "initial reports from other islands suggest similar or worse levels of damage."

The Disaster Management Office said initial assessments indicate at least 916 houses destroyed nationwide and about 5,000 people affected.

TV footage taken by helicopter showed a muddy shore covered with flattened tin- and thatched-roof houses. Some buildings leaned awkwardly on broken stilts as men picked through the debris.

Lokopio said few of the homeless had even basic supplies, and that their situation would turn desperate within days without help.

Danny Kennedy, a dive shop operator, said teams from the hillside camp had ventured into town looking for bottled water and other supplies — and found a mess.

"Unfortunately a lot of the stores, their cargo has fallen from the higher shelves and covered lower things, and the buildings are quite unstable," Kennedy told New Zealand's National Radio.

Deputy police commissioner Peter Marshall said officials would tolerate survivors taking goods until emergency supplies arrived.

"They are desperate times in Gizo," he said. "And we've got to be practical."

A police patrol boat carrying emergency supplies arrived in Gizo from Honiara overnight and three private charters were due on Tuesday. Australian and New Zealand military helicopters, part of an island security force, also were expected to assist with relief.

Three medical teams — six doctors and 13 nurses — were to fly to the region Wednesday morning from the capital. The teams were to set up medical centers at Gizo and the nearby town of Munda and on Taro island.

The quake struck shortly after 7:39 a.m. Monday (4:39 p.m. ET Sunday) six miles beneath the sea floor, about 25 miles from the western island of Gizo, the USGS said.

The quake set off alarms from Tokyo to Hawaii, testing procedures put in place after the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster that left 230,000 dead or missing in a dozen countries.

But because of Gizo's proximity to the epicenter, the destructive waves hit before an alarm could be sounded.

"There wasn't any warning — the warning was the earth tremors," Lokopio told New Zealand's National Radio. "It shook us very, very strongly and we were frightened, and all of a sudden the sea was rising up."

Within five minutes, a wall of water up to 16 feet high plowed into the coast, inundating homes, businesses, a hospital, schools and two police stations, witnesses and officials said. Phone and power lines were downed, and the main airport damaged.

Maesulia, the prime minister's spokesman, told the Sydney Morning Herald that some coastal villages were struck by waves up to 30 feet tall, although most reported heights of between 9 and 15 feet.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare declared a state of emergency and met with the impoverished country's aid donors.

"We were lucky it happened during the day time and the people observed that the sea receded and that that was a sign that something was not right and most people moved to higher ground," Sogavare said.

More than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 people make up the Solomon Islands. They lie on the Pacific Basin's so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines where quakes are frequent.

Quake lifts Solomons island metres from the sea

by Neil Sands Sat Apr 7, 8:52 AM ET

RANONGGA, Solomon Islands (AFP) - The force of this week's Solomons earthquake has lifted an island in the South Pacific archipelago and pushed out its shoreline by tens of metres, exposing surrounding reefs.

The remote island of Ranongga in the western Solomon Islands used to have submerged coral reefs that attracted scuba divers from around the world.

But since Monday's massive earthquake in the Solomon Islands, the reefs are now exposed above the water and are dying, an AFP reporter and photographer have seen.

The AFP team, which travelled to Ranongga on a chartered outboard after the quake, saw exposed reefs bleaching in the sun, and covered with dead fish, eels, clams and other marine life.

The 8.0-magnitude quake, caused by a shift in the Earth's tectonic plates, triggered a tsunami that killed at least 34 people in the remote western Solomons and left 5,500 homeless.

Aid agencies have yet to reach Ranongga, but the AFP team saw the devastation that has permanently altered the geography of the island, 32-kilometres (20-miles) long and 8-kilometres wide.

Although Ranongga escaped the fury of the tsunami, the seismic upheaval from the quake pushed out the shoreline by up to 70 metres, local resident Hendrik Kegala also said.

"Plenty big noise," he told AFP in the local pidgin dialect.

"Water go back and not come back again," he added, saying the whooshing sound of the receding water and the shaking from the quake occurred simultaneously.

The loss of the reefs was a huge blow for the fishing communities that are dotted along Ranongga's coast, said Jackie Thomas, acting manager for Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) in the Solomons.

"The fish from the reefs are the major source of protein for the villagers," she told AFP from the provincial capital Gizo.

"They use shells for tools and rely on the sea for many of their basic needs.

"It just shows the incredible force of the earthquake, to move a whole island."

She said the reefs around Ranongga were a protected marine environment and locals had worked hard with WWF in recent years to ensure that they were managed sustainably.

"Now it's another marine environment that has been destroyed," she said.

"Who knows if the coral reefs will recover and the fish will come back? Villagers will have to travel further to find the same sort of food and nutrition they've relied on -- the whole food chain has been disrupted."

Quake lifts Solomons island metres from the sea (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070407/wl_afp/solomonsquakeisland_070407125221)

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;

Strong Earthquake Jolts Mexico City, Knocking Out Power

A strong earthquake hit Mexico early Friday, knocking out power in parts of Mexico City and Acapulco and sending frightened residents into the streets.

Civil defense officials in Mexico and the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, where the quake was centered, said there were no reports of any deaths, serious injuries or major damage.

The quake hit at 12:42 local time and lasted less than a minute, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake was strongly felt from the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco to the mountain capital of Mexico City, however, because it was centered inland, 40 miles northwest of Acapulco, and just 18 miles below the earth's surface.

Many of Mexico's earthquakes are centered out at sea. Gerard Fryer of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was too small and too far inland to produce a tsunami.

Mexico City Civil Defense Secretary Miguel Moreno Brizuela said the quake knocked out power to about 20 percent of the homes in the city's downtown district, and there were reports of blackouts in parts of Acapulco.

At the high-rise, beachside Fairmont Acapulco Princess Hotel, hundreds of guests rushed outside, huddling on deck chairs as security officials used megaphones to urge them to remain calm.

"We flew out of bed. The building was shaking," said Marcy Olsen, 41, a manager of gas stations in Grand Marais, Minn. "I said, 'I think this has to be an earthquake.' We looked out the door, and everyone was leaving."

She was on vacation with her husband, Brian Olsen, 46, and their 13-year-old twin daughters.

"Where we are from, there's no such thing," Brian Olsen said. "Blizzards and colds, yes, but no earthquakes."

In Mexico City, ambulances could be heard wailing through the streets amid reports of panic attacks. People waited outside their homes for fear of aftershocks, as police patrolled streets for damage.

Earthquake sparks Japan tsunami warning
April 20, 2007

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for parts of southwestern Japan after an earthquake with preliminary magnitude 6.7 struck this morning.

The agency said islands around Miyakojima, part of the Ryukyu island chain that stretches south-west toward Taiwan, could expect waves as high as 0.5 metres.

The quake came about an hour after an earlier tremor with a preliminary 6.2 magnitude quake struck the same area.

Earthquake sparks Japan tsunami warning (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/earthquake-sparks-japan-tsunami-warning/2007/04/20/1176697059731.html)

 Strong quake jolts Fareghan city in Hormuzgan
Tehran, April 26, IRNA

Iran-Earthquake-Hormuzgan
An earthquake measuring 4.8 degrees on open-ended Richter scale jolted surrounding areas of Fareghan in southern Iranian Hormuzgan Province Wednesday evening.

According to the report of Seismography Center affiliated to Tehran University's Geophysics Institute, tremor occurred at 23:32:18 hours local time (20:02 GMT) and its epicenter was at 28.10 degrees latitude and 56.32 degrees longitude.

There is no immediate report on possible casualties or damages of the quake.

Strong quake jolts Fareghan city in Hormuzgan (http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-16/0704260462013647.htm)

Quake shakes southeast England 
'It literally felt like the whole house was being slid across like a funfair ride'

An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale shook parts of Kent today, leaving at least one woman with head injuries.

The tremor struck just after 8.15am this morning.

The emergency services were inundated with calls as the ground shook and buildings were damaged, with cracks and toppling chimneys. Homes were evacuated and power was cut.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service took more than 100 emergency calls, ranging from issues concerning structural damage to gas smells. A spokesman said: "We have had calls from people saying their chimneys have fallen down, large cracks in people's houses."

 The fire brigade investigated reports of someone trapped under a collapsed building but everyone was accounted for.

Electricity and gas supplies to houses in some parts of Kent were cut off. Scottish and Southern Energy, which supplies gas to the area, was investigating 300 "possible gas escapes" in the system.

EDF Energy, which supplies electricity to people in the Dover and Folkestone area, said several thousand customers lost power, but it was later restored.

Police said there were no reports of serious injuries.

But south-east coast ambulance service, which sent five ambulances and three officers to the area, said one woman in her 30s suffering from a minor head injury and neck pain was taken to hospital.

The quake is the largest in Britain since an earthquake in Dudley in 2002.

British Geological Survey seismologist Roger Musson said the tremor was around 4.3 on the Richter scale, with an epicentre 7.5 miles off the Dover coast, meaning it could be weakly perceptible as far as London.

"This is by no means a complete surprise," he said. "There have been earthquakes in this location before.

"Two of them have been some of the biggest earthquakes ever to affect Britain."

The first was in 1382 and in 1580 a quake with a magnitude of about six killed two people in London. There were also smaller tremors in 1776 and 1950 in the area, which were in the "low fours" and on a similar scale to the one today.

"It was a matter of time before we had another earthquake here," he added.

Richard Ashworth, Conservative MEP for the south east of England, who lives in Folkestone, said: "At first I thought a lorry had crashed into the back of our house, but having lived in New Zealand I soon realised what it was.

"The entire house shook. It was quite frightening and I am astonished there is no damage to our house."

Roads were cordoned off by police amid fears that dislodged chimney pots and masonry could fall, residents gathered outside to survey the destruction and because of fears of possible aftershocks.

Paul Hatton, 38, said that he and his brother Neil initially thought the tremor was caused by an explosion.

He said: "I was upstairs and my brother was downstairs and I heard a bang and thought that a lorry had crashed into something or that there had been a gas explosion. I went outside and could smell a bit of gas and there were lots of people outside."

Another local, Bill Byrne, 47, said: "We've got lots of cracks throughout the house but thankfully no one has been injured round here. Everyone's been outside just talking about what had happened. It has been quite good to see the community rally round like this."

The Salvation Army comforted those affected by the tremor with shelter and refreshments.

Up to 100 people, including families and the elderly, arrived at a church in Canterbury Road, Folkestone.

It was one of the places affected by power cuts - but Salvation Army minister Captain Peter West came to the rescue with an emergency vehicle equipped with its own gas and electric generator, to provide food and drinks.

He said: "There was a lot of activity in the Canterbury Road area, which happens to be where the Salvation Army church is. "A lot of people had been directed here by the emergency services.

"Personnel were on the scene providing refreshments and emotional support.

"A lot of people were upset and confused, but there was no serious trauma."

Sharon Hayles, who lives in the village of Stanford near the Eurotunnel at Folkestone, said her house slid from side to side for about 10 to 15 seconds but escaped damage.

Mrs Hayles, who was sitting in her living room with her husband Martin, said: "We were looking at each other in amazement - you don't expect to feel a tremor that size here.

"It literally felt like the whole house was being slid across like a funfair ride.

"We did expect to see some kind of damage, because we have a quite a large house and it was shifting under our feet. It was horrible."

Hendrick van Eck, 27, who lives in Canterbury, said: "It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down."

A spokesman for Eurotunnel said everything was "running normally" with the Channel Tunnel, which runs close to Folkestone.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) reassured householders that damage will be covered. Nick Starling, speaking for the ABI said: "These sudden, unexpected, and unwanted events are exactly what insurance is designed to cover."

Quake shakes up residents in Montana 
Students at school hide under desks

Students at Sheridan Elementary School were under their desks Tuesday morning, in some cases before teachers realized an earthquake was shaking the area, the school secretary said.

“It was a hard jar, and really loud,” said secretary Jenny Burke. “It was like somebody just shook the heck out of us for two seconds.”

The magnitude 4.6 quake, reported at 9:46 a.m., was centered about nine miles northeast of Sheridan in the Tobacco Root Mountains. It was felt in the Helena, Butte, Dillon and Hamilton areas and as far away as Idaho, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site.

“Some facades of some buildings on Main Street were knocked off,” said Frank Ford, Madison County's former emergency management director. “A few of them, bricks were still hanging there.”

One Sheridan family was evacuated from a downtown apartment that was damaged until it can be proven safe, and engineers were brought in to examine the high school, Ford said.

“They're inspecting the school to see whether the cracks noted in the walls were old cracks or new cracks as a result of this,” Ford said.

The elementary school, a separate building, was not damaged, and NorthWestern Energy did not find any natural gas leaks, Burke said.

The children responded like they were taught during earthquake drills, Burke said.

One teacher “said the students were under the table before he said a word,” and before he really realized what was going on, she said.

Madison County Commissioner Jim Hart was on the third floor of the courthouse when the earthquake hit.

“We all just kind of held onto the table for a second or two, and then went, ‘We need to get out of here,' ” Hart said.

Ford said the Ruby River Dam appeared to be fine and, during a flight over irrigation dams in the Tobacco Root Mountains, “we didn't see any evidence of damage.”

Ford said more in-depth engineering inspections will be done on dams and buildings in the area.

Quake hits southern Iran Tehran, May 17, IRNA
Iran-Quake
An earthquakes measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale jolted the vicinity of Baldaji in the southern province of Chahar Mahal Bakhtiari on Thursday.

According to the seismological base of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, the quake was registered at 12:46 hours local time (09:16 GMT).

The quake was epicentered in an area measuring 50.95 degrees in longitude and 31.87 degrees in latitude, the report added.

There are no reports of any casualty or damage to property caused by the quakes.

Iran is often hit by quakes of varying magnitudes as it sits on some of the world's most active seismic fault lines.

Quake hits southern Iran  (http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-16/0705171279143528.htm)

Earthquake in southwest China kills 2

By ANITA CHANG, Associated Press Writer 28 minutes ago

BEIJING - A strong earthquake shook southwest China's Yunnan province early Sunday, killing at least two and injuring hundreds, state media reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey (http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=U.S.+Geological+Survey) said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and hit about 1,470 miles southwest of Beijing.

At least two people died and more than 200 were injured, 15 seriously, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The local seismological bureau had recorded 55 aftershocks by 8 a.m., the strongest with a magnitude of 4.0, Xinhua reported.

The earthquake caused several houses to collapse and damaged the communications network in the area, making it difficult for residents to make phone calls, Xinhua reported. Roads, water and power supplies were also affected.

The temblor could be felt as far as 190 miles away, Xinhua said.

Rescue teams with thousands of tents, quilts and other relief supplies were rushing to the area, Xinhua reported.

Pu'er City, near the epicenter of the quake, is located in southwest Yunnan province and shares borders with Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. It is prone to strong earthquakes, with 20 temblors above magnitude 5.0 hitting the area since 1990, Xinhua said.

Earthquake in southwest China kills 2 (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070603/ap_on_re_as/china_earthquake;_ylt=Atxzw3XcFNfyz4ToNHUE_8pvaA8F)

6.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Guatemala's Pacific Coast

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

AP
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GUATEMALA CITY  —
A powerful earthquake shook Guatemala on Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

The quake struck at 1:29 p.m. local time (1929 GMT) and was centered 70 miles southwest of Guatemala City off the Pacific coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It gave a preliminary calculation of magnitude of 6.8.

Some landslides occurred in the southwest province of Escuintla, but there were no reports of injury or damage immediately after the quake, said Benedicto Giron, spokesman for the National Disaster Reduction Center.

But he added that phone service was knocked out in some areas and information was tricking in slowly.

The earthquake may have caused damage due to its location and size, the Geological Survey said.

The quake was felt strongly in neighboring El Salvador, where people ran into the streets in the capital of San Salvador, but the Red Cross there said it had no reports of damage or injury. It was also felt in the Mexican city of Tapachula along the Guatemalan border.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based in Hawaii said no tsunami was expected from the quake.

The region is prone to earthquakes. Almost 23,000 people died in a 1976 earthquake.

6.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Guatemala's Pacific Coast (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,281939,00.html)

Earthquake strikes southern Mexico

By MANUEL DE LA CRUZ, Associated Press Writer Fri Jul 6, 12:45 AM ET

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico - A strong earthquake shook parts of southern Mexico on Thursday night, sending thousands of residents fleeing into the streets. There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

The magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck at 8:09 p.m. and was centered near the Chiapas state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez, 430 miles southeast of Mexico City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors temblors worldwide.

Thousands of city residents ran out of homes and buildings as the ground trembled and windows rattled. Electricity for much of the city was also cut off for several minutes.

"I was very scared. I thought that everything would fall down," said Araceli de la Cruz, who ran to the street with her two small children.

De la Cruz said the tremor reminded her of the devastating 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, where she lived as a girl.

"I remembered when my school fell down around me," she said, crying. The director of Chiapas' Civil Protection agency, Alfredo Chang, said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The tremor also rattled buildings in the swampy, oil-rich city of Villahermosa in neighboring Tabasco state.

"I've never felt anything like it," said Alex Zendejas, 28, who was in his 10th floor office when the earthquake hit.

Rurico Dominguez, the director of Tabasco's Civil Protection agency, said electricity had been temporarily cut off in some villages but there were no reports of injuries.

The earthquake was also felt in northwestern Guatemala while some buildings in Mexico City shook, causing residents to flee their homes.

Earthquake strikes southern Mexico (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070706/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_earthquake;_ylt=AiGEjjfT_J2NlvSuTG4POLFvaA8F)

Japan hit by 'strong' earthquake
Monday, 16 July 2007

A strong earthquake has hit north-western Japan, triggering small tsunami waves, officials say.

The quake of preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck off the coast of Niigata, some 260km (160 miles) north-west of Tokyo, Japan's meteorological agency says.

It says waves up 50cm (20 inches) high were reported to have hit the coast.

The tremor - which hit the country at 0113 GMT - also swayed buildings in Tokyo. So far there have been no reports of any injuries or damage.

A fire was reported at an electricity supply area at the Kashiwazaki nuclear plant, which is close to the epicentre of the earthquake.

But officials said that the plant was automatically shut down and there was no fear of radiation.

A tsunami warning was issued, but it was later lifted.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, which is situated in one of the world's most seismically active areas, and the country regularly holds safety drills.

In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck Niigata, killing 65 people, and in 1995 a magnitude 7.2 tremor killed more than 6,400 in Kobe.

Japan hit by 'strong' earthquake (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6900156.stm)

4.2 magnitude earthquake shakes up East Bay, San Francisco

An earthquake centered in the Oakland hills shook the Bay Area this morning for anywhere from ten to 30 seconds, knocking out power to about 1,400 people.

Preliminary reports from the U.S. Geological Survey show that the 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck at 4:42 a.m.

The epicenter was east of Highway 13 near Holy Names University and Joaquin Miller Park.

One Berkeley resident said the quake woke her up and that she felt about 30 seconds of strong shaking. Her porch light on a pendant swung after the rumble subsided, but the quake caused no damage.

The Associated Press said there were reports of items falling off shelves and broken glass, although no immediate indication of any serious damage or injuries.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. spokesman David Eisenhower told Bay City News that about 1,400 customers lost their power in 20 separate outages.

The majority of the outages occurred in the Oakland area, which is where the epicenter of the quake was. Crews are still investigating and will have updates throughout the morning, he said.

A dispatcher at the Oakland Police Department told the news agency that police were getting calls about alarms going off.

In Berkeley, an employee at a Safeway grocery store on Shattuck Avenue near UC-Berkeley said two large windows were broken but there were no injuries at the store.

Japan's Okinawa Shaken By Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake
11 minutes ago

By Drew Gibson

Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) -- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake shook Okinawa in southern Japan at 9:02 a.m. local time. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake was centered near Okinawa's main island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on its Web site. The quake's depth is ``very shallow'' and ``minor changes in sea level are possible,'' the agency said. No tsunami warning has been issued.

The country's last major earthquake hit the north-central prefecture of Niigata on July 16, killing 11 people and injuring more than 1,000. Damage from the magnitude 6.8 quake forced Tokyo Electric Power Co. to close its biggest nuclear power plant and Japanese carmakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., to cut production after a parts supplier in the region halted operations.

A quake that hit the same area in 2004 killed 33 people, shut a section of a bullet train line and halted production at a semiconductor plant operated by Sanyo Electric Co.

Japan's Okinawa Shaken By Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake  (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=avgjQuMslk6A&refer=japan)

Powerful quake hits Indonesia 
Preliminary magnitude 7.5 centered 66 miles east of Jakarta

A powerful earthquake under the Java Sea shook Indonesia's capital early Thursday, violently shaking tall buildings and panicking residents.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which struck at 12:04 a.m. (1:04 p.m. EDT Wednesday) had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and was centered about 66 miles east of Jakarta at a depth of 180 miles.

Residents said tall buildings and single story homes shook violently in the city of 9 million people.

El-Shinta radio reported that the quake could be felt from Sumatra island in the west to Bali to the east, but that there were no immediate reports of damage.

Because of the earthquake's depth, there was little risk of a tsunami, said Robert Cessaro, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

None of the instruments closest to the earthquake indicated that a tsunami was triggered, Cessaro said, although he added that there were no instruments "very close" to the quake's epicenter.

The depth of the earthquake "suggests there will be no tsunami," he said.

The Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake that triggered the tsunami off the coast of Sumatra and killed more than 131,000 in Indonesia's Ache province was just 18 miles in depth, according to the USGS.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Small earthquake hits Los Angeles area
Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:15AM EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A small earthquake hit the northern Los Angeles area just before 1 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, waking residents across a broad swathe of the area, but there were no immediate reports of significant damage.

The 4.5 preliminary magnitude quake was centered 4.1 miles north-northwest of the suburb of Chatsworth, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was extremely shallow, at only 3 miles deep.

Chatsworth, the unofficial capital of the porn movie industry, is about 32 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Residents reported a strong jolt, followed by a lot of shaking. Some said pictures fell off walls, water sloshed around in toilets, and television sets wobbled on cabinets. A police spokesman said the quake triggered hundreds of alarms.

It was followed by two aftershocks, both with a preliminary 1.6 magnitude.

Chatsworth is just six miles west of Northridge, the epicenter of the magnitude 6.7 quake that killed 57 people and injured more than 9,000 in 1994.

Small earthquake hits Los Angeles area (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0941213620070809)

God is saying, I don't like this change your ways.

 Moderate quake hits Taiwan

Wed Aug 8, 11:15 PM ET

TAIPEI, Taiwan - A moderate earthquake struck southern Taiwan early Thursday, officials said. No damage or injuries were immediately reported.

The magnitude-5.7 quake hit at around 8:55 a.m. and was centered about 10 miles southwest of the eastern coastal city of Taidung, the Central Weather Bureau said. Taidung is about 150 miles south of the capital, Taipei.

Quakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.

However, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people, and in December 2006 a 6.7-magnitude offshore tremor south of the city of Kaohsiung severed two undersea cables and disrupted telephone and Internet service to millions of users throughout Asia.

 Moderate quake hits Taiwan (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070809/ap_on_re_as/taiwan_earthquake;_ylt=AlBAGL1268kNID4BaFJDJtcBxg8F)

 Powerful earthquake hits Indonesia

By ROBIN McDOWELL, Associated Press Writer Thu Aug 9, 1:50 AM ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake under the Java Sea rattled Indonesia's capital early Thursday, violently shaking tall buildings and sending panicked residents into the streets.

There were no reports of damage and the temblor didn't trigger a tsunami, probably because of its depth 180 miles beneath the Java Sea, geophysicists said.

The quake, which struck at 12:04 a.m. (1:04 p.m. EDT Wednesday) had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and was centered about 65 miles east of Jakarta, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Residents said tall buildings and single story homes shook violently in the city of 9 million people, and water sloshed from swimming pools.

Many people were awakened by the quake and some people screamed "Allah akbar!" or "God is great!" as they ran outside.

El-Shinta radio reported that the quake could be felt from Sumatra island in the west to Bali to the east.

The quake also was felt in parts of Malaysia, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.

None of the instruments closest to the earthquake indicated that a tsunami was triggered, said Robert Cessaro, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii. He added that there were no instruments "very close" to the quake's epicenter.

"Because this earthquake was so far below the ocean bottom, it didn't trigger a tsunami or cause a lot of damage," said John Bellini, another USGS geophysicist.

The Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake that triggered the tsunami off the coast of Sumatra and killed more than 131,000 in Indonesia's Ache province was only 18 miles deep, according to the USGS.

"The earthquake center in 2004 was close enough that it actually ruptured the surface of the sea floor, which caused a tsunami," Bellini said. "This one was felt by people on the ground, and it shook buildings, but it was too deep to cause the ocean bottom to move."

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

 Powerful earthquake hits Indonesia (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070809/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_earthquake;_ylt=AlIkRIu0Vz76KyRQc10OfHgBxg8F)

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;

AMEN!!  Indonesia, Taiwan, Los Angeles...earthquakes in diverse places.  Wake up world!

Quake shakes hurricane-braced Hawaii

HILO, Hawaii (AP) -- An earthquake on Monday jolted the Big Island of Hawaii, which is already under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning.

 The magnitude 5.3 temblor struck at 7:38 p.m. local time, about 25 miles south of Hilo, according to a preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no reports of injuries, structural damage or a tsunami, though the quake caused a small landslide, according to Tom Brown, a spokesman for Hawaii County Civil Defense.

Earlier Monday, the weather service placed the Big Island under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning, as Hurricane Flossie approached. A flash flood watch was also issued for the island through Wednesday.

The Big Island is largely rural, with about 150,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest by the hurricane. Other islands are expected to get less of the storm's wind and rain. Video Watch nervous Hawaii residents empty store shelves »

Public schools were closed and Hawaiians were warned to have plenty of food and water on hand as Hurricane Flossie roared toward the state early Tuesday.

Flossie was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane Tuesday, but stayed on course to brush the Big Island.

 The eye of the storm had maximum sustained wind of 110 mph, hurricane specialists noted in downgrading the storm from the earlier Category 3. It was expected to pass fewer than 100 miles from the islands, lashing the shores with strong wind and up to 15 inches of rain, meteorologists said.

Gov. Linda Lingle signed an emergency disaster proclamation, which activates the Hawaii National Guard. Mayor Harry Kim also declared a state of emergency Monday as a precaution. All 56 public schools, as well as private schools, on the Big Island also were closed for Tuesday.

At 5 a.m. EDT, Flossie was about 260 miles south-southeast of Hilo and 455 miles southeast of Honolulu, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said. The storm was moving west-northwest at about 15 mph.

Hurricane force winds of at least 74 mph extended outward up to 40 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical storm force winds of at least 39 mph extend outward up to 155 miles.

Meteorologists cautioned that even a slight change of course in the unpredictable storm could take it closer to land.

"We're not out of it, but this is too close for comfort," said Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state adjutant general and Hawaii National Guard commander.

The move also provides access to emergency money.

Forecasters earlier had said cooler weather would weaken the storm to a Category 1 hurricane, with sustained wind of at least 74 mph, by the time it passes about 90 miles south of the Big Island of Hawaii on Tuesday.

But on Monday forecasters said they now expected a Category 3 hurricane, with little change in strength when it passes the island. Earlier in the day, Flossie had been a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.

"The intensity has remained stronger than what was originally forecast, but the track has been pretty much right on," said Jim Weyman, the National Weather Service's meteorologist in charge in Honolulu.

Officials strongly urged residents statewide to prepare, including having a supply of food, water and disaster plans.

"If Flossie misses us, that's great. But we're still in hurricane season," said Ray Lovell, spokesman for the state Civil Defense Agency.

Parts of the Big Island, home to one of the world's most active volcanoes in Kilauea, likely will experience tropical storm-level winds and at least 10 to 15 inches of rain, Weyman said.

The last time a hurricane hit Hawaii was in 1992, when Iniki ravaged Kauai, killing six people and causing $2.5 billion in damage.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic basin, a tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Dean.

The storm was about 1,660 miles east of the Lesser Antilles on Tuesday morning, racing almost due westward at about 23 mph, with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Forecasters said the tropical storm is expected to reach hurricane strength, with winds of at least 74 mph, by the weekend as it reaches the Windward Islands.

The current five-day forecast from the hurricane center has the storm at Category 2 strength, with sustained winds of at least 96 mph, by Saturday as the eye nears the Leeward Islands. However, because hurricanes often move in unpredictable fashion, the actual path a storm takes often varies widely from the long-range forecast.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. In May, forecasters said the Hawaiian Islands and the rest of the central Pacific faced a slightly below-average hurricane season, with just two or three tropical cyclones expected because of lower sea surface temperatures.

Quake shakes hurricane-braced Hawaii (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/14/hawaii.earthquake.ap/index.html)

 Deadly earthquake strikes Peru; tsunami warning issued


A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck off the coast of central Peru on Wednesday evening, killing 17 people and leaving 70 hurt, Peruvian media reported.

 The quake also prompted a tsunami warning for Peru, as well as Chile, Ecuador and Colombia.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also issued a tsunami watch for Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico and Honduras.

Hawaii was under a tsunami advisory, which means there is no current threat to the area, but the threat status is being monitored.

Peru, and most of the South American Pacific Coast, are on border of two tectonic plates: The South American plate, which includes most of the continent, and the Nazca plate, which extends across the Pacific along most of the coast. See a map of where the quake struck »

A Chilean buoy about 440 miles from the quake site recorded a wave surge of about a foot afterward. That foot could grow exponentially in shallower water, however, as it approaches shore, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.

The quake was felt for two minutes, according to Peruvian media. Broken windows were reported in Lima, and mobile phone service was interrupted.

"This has been the most terrifying experience we've had," Gladys Tarnawiecki told CNN from her home in Lima, the capital. "It was extremely long ... never in my life had I experienced this long an earthquake."

 Local television showed footage of traffic lights in Lima swaying with the quake. After everything stopped shaking, medics were seen tending to a woman. The video also showed chunks of plaster that had fallen from buildings. Some Lima residents were sobbing after the temblor, while others appeared to be praying.

The quake shook inland towns, as well as cities near the coast and the mountains.

There were power outages in Lima, Reuters reported, and people ran into the streets in panic as the tremor shook office buildings. Many stayed outside, afraid to go back indoors after radio reports warned them to prepare for possible aftershocks.

The quake struck at 6:41 p.m. (7:41 p.m. ET) and was centered 25 miles (61 kilometers) west-northwest of Chincha Alta, Peru, and 90 miles (161 kilometers) south-southeast of Lima, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 25 miles (47 kilometers) below the Earth's surface.

 More tremors followed. A magnitude 5.8 quake occurred at 7:02 p.m. (8:02 p.m. ET). It was further inland, centered 70 miles (113 kilometers) northeast of Chincha Alta and 111 miles (179 kilometers) east-southeast of Lima.

And at 7:19 p.m., another smaller quake of 5.9 magnitude occurred, centered 30 miles (48 kilometers) south-southwest of Ica, Peru, and 180 miles (290 kilometers) south-southeast of Lima.

 Deadly earthquake strikes Peru; tsunami warning issued (http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/15/peru.earthquake/index.html)

2ND LD: M5.3 quake jolts Chiba Pref., 1 hurt+     
Aug 15 08:42 PM US/Eastern
                  
TOKYO, Aug. 16 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: ADDING 1 INJURED, MORE QUAKES IN SAME AREA)

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 rocked Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, and its vicinity early Thursday, leaving one person slightly injured.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the 4:15 a.m. quake was followed by several smaller temblors. It did not issue a tsunami warning.

A 29-year-old man sustained minor injuries to his face as a chandelier came loose and fell while he was asleep in his house in the city of Chiba, according to authorities.

The focus of the quake was about 30 kilometers below sea level in the waters east of Chiba Prefecture.

The quake measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the city of Togane and the town of Kujukuri in Chiba Prefecture and 3 in the city of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, the city of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture, Arakawa Ward in Tokyo and Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Chiba Prefecture and its vicinities including Tokyo were later hit by a series of aftershocks which measured 3-2 on the Japanese scale, the agency said.

2ND LD: M5.3 quake jolts Chiba Pref., 1 hurt+ (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8R1PRJ01&show_article=1&catnum=0)

I haven't checked the list this past week, and low and behold...................  This is for the past week.

Thu Aug 16
5.4    2007/08/16 01:35:40   -14.086    -76.546    35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.9    2007/08/16 01:02:20   -13.308   -76.528   10.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.9    2007/08/16 00:19:11   -14.231   -76.180   10.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.8    2007/08/16 00:02:42   -12.645   -75.508   31.2   CENTRAL PERU

Wed Aug 15
7.9    2007/08/15 23:40:58   -13.322    -76.508    40.7   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.3    2007/08/15 23:20:36   35.335   140.389   38.9   NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
6.5    2007/08/15 20:22:14   50.568   -177.507   21.2   ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
5.4    2007/08/15 19:15:09   35.335   140.328   35.0   NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.3    2007/08/15 16:51:45   -7.269   155.687   49.3   SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.3    2007/08/15 10:12:46   14.081   146.468   50.8   ROTA REGION, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

Tue Aug 14
5.0    2007/08/14 21:50:15    4.125    126.878    67.6   KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
5.0    2007/08/14 06:23:14   -15.967   167.343   107.7   VANUATU
5.4    2007/08/14 05:38:06   19.346   -155.066   9.7   ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
5.5    2007/08/14 04:13:35   46.841   141.719   10.0   SAKHALIN, RUSSIA

Mon Aug 13
5.5    2007/08/13 22:23:05   -30.996    -13.393    10.0   SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0    2007/08/13 18:49:42   -0.616   127.496   35.0   HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
6.1    2007/08/13 10:27:28   -60.368   152.858   26.3   WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
5.2    2007/08/13 10:11:13   -30.323   -177.468   10.0   KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND

Sun Aug 12
6.0    2007/08/12 12:05:20   -11.376    166.274    42.0   SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.1    2007/08/12 09:55:49   1.071   123.904   267.5   MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA

Sat Aug 11
5.6    2007/08/11 18:04:53   -22.260   -179.534   606.4   SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
5.1    2007/08/11 06:32:55   -5.461   -11.593   10.0   ASCENSION ISLAND REGION
5.2    2007/08/11 04:05:58   2.715   127.407   60.9   MOLUCCA SEA
5.0    2007/08/11 00:26:53   -30.552   -177.350   10.0   KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND

Fri Aug 10
5.1    2007/08/10 20:11:40    13.726    144.760    72.3   GUAM REGION
5.0    2007/08/10 13:31:26   51.340   -179.799   60.6   ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
5.2    2007/08/10 13:17:57   -6.704   105.038   46.6   SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.4    2007/08/10 11:47:01   46.599   153.060   10.0   KURIL ISLANDS
5.0    2007/08/10 10:11:30   -32.319   179.627   271.1   SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.1    2007/08/10 00:20:46   -29.216   -177.447   55.1   KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND

Thurs Aug 9
5.0    2007/08/09 20:30:16    29.845    131.118    68.1   SOUTHEAST OF THE RYUKYU ISLANDS
5.5    2007/08/09 17:25:06   25.813   -44.986   10.0   NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.1    2007/08/09 07:59:20   -15.044   -173.810   43.0   TONGA

It is normal to see 2-3 5.0 mag. earthquakes per day.  Out of the past 7 days, only 2 days would fall under normal.

Magnitude 6.7 quake strikes Solomon Islands
Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:07AM EDT

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.7 quake struck the Solomon Islands to the northeast of Australia on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.

The USGS, monitored in Singapore, said the quake's epicenter was about 2 km (about one mile) under the sea and occurred 75 km (45 miles) west-south-west of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands.

There were no immediate reports of damage and the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement on its Web site that a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected.

Magnitude 6.7 quake strikes Solomon Islands (http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSSP463520070816?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true)

Well here is the list of earthquakes for Aug 16 and 17

Aug 17
5.0    2007/08/17 16:45:21   -32.600   -178.709    35.0   SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.9    2007/08/17 13:18:12   -13.512   -76.467   31.9   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.0    2007/08/17 07:00:07   -9.676   159.461   15.8   SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.5    2007/08/17 06:18:05   -14.155   -75.979   19.8   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
6.2    2007/08/17 03:04:03   -5.272   129.513   10.0   BANDA SEA
5.1    2007/08/17 02:54:21   -14.162   -75.903   47.7   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.7    2007/08/17 02:16:33   -5.334   129.475   35.0   BANDA SEA
5.3    2007/08/17 02:11:17   14.082   146.530   46.4   ROTA REGION, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
5.2    2007/08/17 00:51:19   -14.393   -75.919   15.6   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.1    2007/08/17 00:31:43   -14.356   -76.151   22.3   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
~~~~~~~~

Aug 16
5.0    2007/08/16 18:26:14    -6.707    104.326    17.9   SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.4    2007/08/16 15:11:23   -13.453   -76.691   36.7   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.2    2007/08/16 14:18:25   -3.473   -12.153   10.0   NORTH OF ASCENSION ISLAND
6.0    2007/08/16 11:35:30   -14.395   -76.154   35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.3    2007/08/16 09:43:53   -14.009   -75.984   35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
6.7    2007/08/16 08:39:27   -9.715   159.335   1.8   SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.0    2007/08/16 06:10:46   -14.095   -76.735   35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
6.3    2007/08/16 05:16:58   -14.250   -76.061   35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.2    2007/08/16 04:23:19   -13.518   -75.725   28.7   CENTRAL PERU
5.0    2007/08/16 04:16:48   -13.338   -76.874   14.7   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.6    2007/08/16 04:04:10   -13.585   -76.533   35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.8    2007/08/16 04:03:05   50.335   -177.577   22.3   ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
5.0    2007/08/16 02:54:20   -13.486   -76.516   35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.0    2007/08/16 02:17:10   -13.615   -75.922   37.4   CENTRAL PERU
5.4    2007/08/16 01:35:40   -14.086   -76.546   35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.2    2007/08/16 01:06:18   -13.529   -76.783   36.7   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.8    2007/08/16 01:02:23   -13.307   -76.486   30.5   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.8    2007/08/16 00:19:14   -14.218   -76.081   35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.6    2007/08/16 00:02:40   -13.235   -76.400   26.6   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
~~~~~~~

As you can see, there is a whole lot more then average for the past 2 days.  And today isn't over with yet.

 Strong quake hits southern Philippines

Mon Aug 20, 12:13 PM ET

MANILA, Philippines - A magnitude 6.6 earthquake rattled an undersea area off the southern Philippines on Monday, scientists said. No injuries or damage were immediately reported, and no tsunami warning was issued.

Renato Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology said the quake hit at around 9:36 p.m. and was centered 130 miles southeast of Mati township in Davao Oriental province, in the Philippine Trench at a depth of six miles.

It was felt in several provinces, but the intensity of the shaking was described as not strong, Solidum said. No tsunami warning was issued. Several aftershocks were reported.

Minda Morante, who heads the government's Office of Civil Defense in southern Davao city, said she felt the quake on her second-floor office.

"It was just a faint nudge. I'm not expecting any damage," she said.

The Philippine archipelago lies along the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," where earthquakes and volcanic activities are common.

 Strong quake hits southern Philippines (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070820/ap_on_re_as/philippines_quake;_ylt=Alqdr05qu1XsN1U1vj01zvUBxg8F)

Strong 6.6 Earthquake Rocks Taiwan

Thursday , September 06, 2007

AP
ADVERTISEMENT

TAIPEI, Taiwan —
A strong earthquake jolted the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, early Friday, shaking buildings and waking residents.

The Central Weather Bureau said the 6.6 magnitude temblor struck at sea, 44 miles southeast of the eastern city of Ilan at 1:51 a.m. local time.

Ilan is about 50 miles east of Taipei.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or casualties, but the quake was felt for at least 30 seconds.

Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.

However, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people, and in December 2006 a 6.7-magnitude offshore tremor south of the city of Kaohsiung severed two undersea cables and disrupted telephone and Internet service to millions of users throughout Asia.

Strong 6.6 Earthquake Rocks Taiwan (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,295977,00.html)

Quake triggers tsunami in Indonesia 
Warnings issued for much of Indian Ocean region

A massive earthquake struck Indonesia on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami in the town of Padang and warnings for much of the Indian Ocean region, authorities said. The quake caused tall buildings to sway in a least four countries.

A wave of up to nine feet was reported to have hit Padang about 20 minutes after the quake, said Suhardjono, an official with Indonesia's meteorological agency, who goes by only one name.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also reported that a small tsunami hit Padang.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)—A powerful earthquake hit Indonesia on Wednesday, causing buildings to sway in at least four countries, and authorities issued a tsunami warning for much of the Indian Ocean region.

The undersea quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.9 and hit at about 6:10 p.m. (7:10 a.m. EDT), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered 65 miles southwest of Bengkulu, on Sumatra island, at a depth of 9.7 miles, the USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for wide areas of the region.

"Earthquakes of this size have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean Basin," it said, warning that waves could hit Indonesia and Australia within an hour, and Sri Lanka and India within three hours.

Residents in Bengkulu—where at least one building was demolished—said the quake triggered panic and that people ran inland.

"Everyone is running out of their houses in every direction," according to Wati Said, who spoke by cell phone standing outside her house. "We think our neighborhood is high enough. God willing, if the water comes, it will not touch us here."

"Communication is cut, we can't call out," she added. "I don't know how you contacted us. Everyone is afraid."

The temblor could also be felt in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, 375 miles away, where office workers streamed down the stairwells of tall, swaying buildings.

Some people in high-rises in neighboring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand also felt the quake.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Sumatra island and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including 160,000 people in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh.

Second major earthquake, 7.8, hits Indonesia
Temblor strikes hours after 8.4-magnitude quake; tsunami warning lifted

Updated: 56 minutes ago

JAKARTA, Indonesia - The second powerful earthquake in as many days shook western Indonesia Thursday, collapsing buildings in a coastal city and triggering tsunami alerts around the region.

The latest quake was also felt in Malaysia and in Singapore where tall buildings swayed.

Rafael Abreu, a geologist with The U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado, said the magnitude-7.8 quake did not appear to be an aftershock to Wednesday's 8.4-magnitude temblor.
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"We are not calling it an aftershock at this point. It's fairly large itself. It seems to be a different earthquake," Abreu said.

He said a tsunami watch was in effect for Australia and Indonesia. Indonesia later lifted its alert with no tsunamis detected.

The USGS said the new quake was centered about 125 miles from Bengkulu, a city on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, which was ravaged by the 2004 tsunami. It occurred at a shallow depth of about six miles.

On Wednesday, a strong earthquake shook Southeast Asia, collapsing buildings, killing at least five people and injuring dozens in Indonesia. That tremor triggered small waves off the coastal city of Padang in Sumatra, the island ravaged by the 2004 tsunami disaster.

Thursday's quake caused extensive damage in Padang, a local official said.

"Many buildings collapsed after this morning's quake," Fauzi Bahar, the governor, told El Shinta radio. "We're still trying to find out about victims.

Quake sparks tsunami fears
After Wednesday's quake, frightened people fled their homes and ran inland, fearing a repeat of the 2004 earthquake and tsunami that struck a dozen nations around the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 230,000 people.

"Everyone is running out of their houses in every direction," Wati Said reported by cell phone from Bengkulu, a town 80 miles from the quake's epicenter. "We think our neighborhood is high enough. God willing, if the water comes, it will not touch us here. ... Everyone is afraid."

One witness, Budi Darmawan, said a three-story building near his office fell.

"I saw it with my own eyes," he told El Shinta radio.

The quake was felt in at least four countries, with tall buildings swaying in cities up to 1,200 miles away. The tremor was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, further rattling residents.

Telephone lines and electricity were disrupted across a large swath of Indonesia, making it difficult to get information about damage and casualties.

Suhardjono, a senior official with the local meteorological agency who like most Indonesians uses only one name, said a small tsunami, perhaps 3-feet high, struck the city of Padang about 20 minutes after the quake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also reported a small wave.

Most damage appeared to come from the ground-shaking of the tremor.

Few deaths, many injuries
Two people died when a car dealership collapsed in Padang and another was killed by a fire that broke out on the fourth floor of a damaged department store, a witness, Alfin, said by phone. Excavation machinery was being used to search the rubble for survivors, he said.

The Health Ministry said two people died in Bengkulu. The Social Affairs Department said seven had been killed in and around the town. The differing tallies could not be reconciled immediately.

At least 194 people were injured in Bengkulu, reported Amin Kurnia, a doctor who said most were being treated in a compound outside the hospital because its walls were cracked.

The undersea temblor hit around 6:10 p.m. at a depth of 18 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, hundreds of miles from the epicenter, office workers streamed down stairwells as tall office buildings swayed. High-rises also were affected in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Tsunami alerts issued
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for wide areas of the region, saying "earthquakes of this size have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean Basin."

Sensitive to the 2004 tsunami disaster, governments issued alerts as far away as Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, telling people to leave beaches. People in Mombasa, Kenya, crowded into buses after hearing the warning over the radio.

Indonesia issued a tsunami alert following the initial quake and then a second when a magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit, but lifted them after a few hours, saying there was no longer a potential for destructive waves.
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Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center sent cell phone text messages alerting hundreds of officials in six southern provinces, and after the danger past broadcast a statement on television to reassure the public.

In India, officials said the tremor wasn't felt in the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, some of which are just 150 miles north of the quake's epicenter. But an alert was issued and authorities were told to take precautions, said Dharam Pal, the regional relief commissioner.

Sri Lankans were told to move at least 660 feet inland.

Nation prone to seismic upheaval
In Australia, the tsunami warning was lifted after only small rises in the sea level were measured at Cocos Island and the Christmas Islands. But officials warned residents to stay away from the ocean, saying dangerous waves and currents could affect beaches, harbors and river mouths for several hours.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

The magnitude-9 earthquake that hit on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami off the coast of Sumatra that killed an estimated 230,000 people in a dozen nations, most of them in Indonesia's Aceh province.

Second large earthquake prompts another tsunami warning (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20737622/)

Earthquakes worldwide in recent years - TIMELINE
Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:54AM EDT

(Reuters) - A powerful quake measuring 7.9 struck near Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday triggering tsunami warnings in Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka, officials said.

Here is a chronology of some earthquakes in recent years:

Dec 12, 1992 - INDONESIA - A magnitude 6.8 quake killed at least 2,200 people on a string of islands in the province of East Nusa Tenggara.

Sept 30, 1993 - INDIA - A series of quakes killed almost 10,000 people in western and southern India. The first tremor was of magnitude 6.4.

June 6, 1994 - COLOMBIA - A quake brought down buildings and triggered mudslides, killing about 1,000 people in the Paez River valley in southwestern Colombia.

Jan 17, 1995 - JAPAN - A magnitude 7.2 quake, the country's worst in half a century, rocks Kobe, killing 6,430 people.

May 28, 1995 - RUSSIA - Russia's worst earthquake, magnitude 7.5, kills 1,989 people in the oil-producing Far East.

Feb 28, 1997 - IRAN - A magnitude 5.5 quake kills about 1,000 people in northwestern Iran.

May 10, 1997 - IRAN - A magnitude 7.1 quake kills 1,560 people in rural areas of eastern Iran near the Afghan border.

Feb 4, 1998 - AFGHANISTAN - At least 4,500 people are killed in Takhar province in a quake of magnitude 6.1.

May 30, 1998 - AFGHANISTAN - A magnitude 6.9 quake kills up to 4,000 people in northern Takhar province.

July 17, 1998 - PAPUA NEW GUINEA - An undersea quake of magnitude 7.1 creates three tsunami waves, killing at least 2,100 people.

Aug 17, 1999 - TURKEY - More than 17,800 people are killed by a magnitude 7.4 quake.

Sept 21, 1999 - TAIWAN - At least 2,000 people are killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless by a magnitude 7.6 quake in central Taiwan.

Jan 26, 2001 - INDIA - An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 strikes the western state of Gujarat killing at least 19,700 people and causing damage in neighboring Pakistan. The quake affected 15.9 million people in 7,904 villages.

March 26, 2002 - AFGHANISTAN - At least 1,500 people are killed when a series of quakes of between magnitude five and six strike northern Afghanistan

May 21, 2003 - ALGERIA - A magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes Algiers and nearby towns to the east, killing 2,251 and injuring 10,243.

Dec 26, 2003 - IRAN - A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes the historic city of Bam, 1,000 km (600 miles) southeast of Tehran. 30,948 were killed in the quake.

Dec 26, 2004 - ASIA - The number of dead and missing in an Asian earthquake and tsunami is almost 230,000. The wave crashed into Sri Lanka and India, drowning thousands and swamping tourist isles in Thailand and the Maldives. The quake measured 9.15 in magnitude.

March 28, 2005 - INDONESIA - Nearly 1,000 people are killed after a quake of magnitude 8.7 struck the coast of Sumatra.

Oct 8, 2005 - PAKISTAN - At least 73,000 people are killed by a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck about 95 km (60 miles) northeast of Islamabad. The quake also rocked Indian Kashmir, killing 1,244 there.

March 31, 2006 - IRAN - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hits the area of Doroud and Boroujerd in the western Lorestan province, killing at least 70 people.

March 6, 2007 - INDONESIA - A 6.4 magnitude quake and another measuring 6.3 in Sumatra kill more than 70 people.

July 16, 2007 - JAPAN - A 6.8 magnitude quake killed 10 people in northwestern Japan and shut the world's largest nuclear power plant.

Aug 15, 2007 - PERU - An 8.0 magnitude quake killed more than 500 people and destroyed about 34,000 homes on central coast.

Earthquakes worldwide in recent years - TIMELINE (http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1622949420070912?src=091207_0912_TOPSTORY_quake_hits_sumatra)

Indonesia hit by second powerful quake

PADANG, Indonesia- A second powerful earthquake in as many days jolted Southeast Asia and triggered a regional tsunami warning Thursday, sending panicked residents fleeing by foot, motorcycle and truck.

At least nine people were killed and 49 hurt in the twin tremors, which caused tall buildings to sway in at least three countries. All the deaths and injuries occurred in Indonesia. There was no immediate information on casualties in other affected countries.

On Wednesday, an 8.4-magnitude earthquake spawned a small nondestructive tsunami off the Indonesian city of Padang on Sumatra, the island ravaged by the 2004 killer waves. A tsunami warning was issued across much of Asia and nations as far away as Africa.

Thursday's magnitude-7.8 quake rattled the same area of Sumatra and caused extensive damage.

"At least five large buildings- including mosques, houses and a school- collapsed," said Surya Budhi, who was overseeing emergency response in Padang.

Thousands of frightened people piled in trucks or sought shelter on high ground.

Rafael Abreu, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said Thursday's quake did not appear to be an aftershock to the temblor the day before. But the centers of both were close together.

"It's fairly large itself," he said. "It seems to be a different earthquake."

Indonesia issued a tsunami alert, lifted it and then reissued it. Australia's Bureau of Meteorology had warned that unusual waves could hit Christmas Island early Thursday, but locals said there was no sign of a tsunami about an hour after the predicted time.

"The danger has passed," said Linda Cash, a manager at the Christmas Island Visitors Center, adding that police were telling people to stay away from beaches.

The USGS said the new quake was centered about 125 miles from the Sumatran city of Bengkulu. It occurred at a depth of about 6 miles and struck at 6:49 a.m. Several strong aftershocks followed.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said Thursday's quake had the potential to generate a destructive regional tsunami along coasts within 600 miles of the epicenter. It advised authorities to take immediate action to evacuate coastal areas.

After Wednesday's quake, many people refused to return to their homes, fearing a repeat of the 2004 earthquake and tsunami off Sumatra that struck a dozen nations around the Indian Ocean. That disaster killed an estimated 230,000 people in a dozen nations, most of them in Indonesia's Aceh province.

Telephone lines and electricity were disrupted across a large swath of Indonesia, making it difficult to get information about damage and casualties.

Death tolls released by several agencies ranged from five to nine. Rustam Pakaya, the chief of Health Crisis Center, gave the latter figure, which was based on information gathered from local hospitals, clinics and regional health offices. He said at least 49 people were injured.

The first quake was felt in at least four countries, with tall buildings swaying in cities up to 1,200 miles away. It was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, further rattling residents.

Suhardjono, a senior official with the local meteorological agency who like most Indonesians uses only one name, said a small tsunami, perhaps 3 feet high, struck Padang about 20 minutes after Wednesday's quake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also reported a small wave.

But most of the damage appeared to come from the ground shaking.

At least one person died when a car dealership collapsed in Padang and a fire ravaged the fourth floor of a department store, said Budhi, the emergency response official. Excavation machinery was being used to search the rubble for survivors.

The massive undersea temblor hit around 6:10 p.m. at a depth of 18 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, hundreds of miles from the epicenter, office workers streamed down stairwells as tall office buildings swayed. High rises also were affected in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Sensitive to the 2004 tsunami disaster, governments issued alerts as far away as Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, telling people to leave beaches. People in Mombasa, Kenya, crowded into buses after hearing the warning over the radio.

Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center sent cell phone text messages alerting hundreds of officials in six southern provinces, and authorities also were told to prepare in India's remote Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Sri Lankans were told to move at least 200 yards inland.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Tsunami Warnings in Indonesia Following Powerful 6.6 Quake

Friday , September 14, 2007

AP

PADANG, Indonesia —
The ground shook so hard Yulinar had to grab a table to steady herself. Minutes later, she heard a warning crackling over the speakers of the neighborhood mosque — a tsunami could crash into her fishing village on Sumatra island at any minute.

But despite the intensity of the shallow undersea earthquake, no waves lashed the beach and the family shack was undamaged. A quirk of nature sent the full force of the tsunami out to sea, preventing a repeat of the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster that killed more than 230,000 people — most of them on Sumatra.

"We heard the mayor's voice and then ran up a hill," said Yulinar, a mother of five, of the 8.4-magnitude quake that shook Indonesia on Wednesday. "It was very bad. I was so scared a tsunami was coming."

A series of powerful aftershocks followed, damaging hundreds of homes, mosques and schools, and unleashing a 3-meter-high (10-foot-high) wave. At least 13 people were killed and 50 others injured.

A 6.6-magnitude quake Friday triggered the latest in a string of tsunami warnings that have terrorized residents, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Mike Turnbull, a seismologist at Australia's Central Queensland University, said the region escaped disaster this time around because the wave spawned by the first, most powerful tremor was pushed to sea rather than land.

"It could have quite easily have been the other way," he said, noting that pressure between the shifting Australian-Indian and Asian plates has been building up over hundreds of thousands of years and was ready to explode. "It's a quirk of nature that this is how it happened."

Most of the damage came from the earthquakes and aftershocks — which had magnitudes of up to 7.8 — but even that was "minimal," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after the Air Force conducted an aerial survey.

A nine-member United Nations' assessment team reached the same conclusion after visiting the area, saying a major international relief operation was not required, John Holmes, the U.N.'s emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement from New York.

That did little to diminish the horror, however, felt by residents in the Sumatran fishing village hit by Wednesday's tsunami, which swept a dozen houses to sea and damaged scores more.

People in Muara Maras watched in horror as the ocean retreated and then raced back to shore.

"I heard people screaming and yelling, 'Tsunami! tsunami!"' said Rukhlan, a 43-year-old fisherman. "I ran to find my children, but they had already gone to the hills."

A 65-year-old woman, Asiah, said she felt weak when the earth started moving beneath her.

"I was having difficulty breathing or walking," she said. "I was afraid. My son grabbed hold of me and carried me out of the house. All I could do was pray."

Some of the worst damage from the quakes — almost all of which were centered less than 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the shore and about 20 kilometers (12 miles) deep — occurred in the Sumatran city of Padang.

"At least five large buildings — including mosques, houses and a school — collapsed," said Surya Budhi, who was overseeing emergency response in the area, and rescuers were searching for survivors at a badly damaged car dealership.

A fire also broke out on the fourth floor of a shopping mall.

Many people have refused to return to their homes, fearing a repeat of the 2004 tsunami. Nearly two-thirds of the deaths in that disaster were in Aceh province. Hundreds of residents spent Thursday night sleeping in parks or on sidewalks.

Telephone lines and electricity were disrupted across a large swath of Indonesia, making it difficult to get information about casualties.

But Rustam Pakaya, the chief of Health Crisis Center, said at least 13 had died — a figure based on information gathered from hospitals, clinics and regional health offices. Fifty others were injured.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, with a population of 235 million people, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Tsunami Warnings in Indonesia Following Powerful 6.6 Quake (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,296749,00.html)

Looking on the USGS earthquake map, looks like there was another one less then an hour ago. That one was a 5.0 at KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA

That is at least 4 in the last three days then. I was reading an article that said they are expecting more there and perhaps even bigger yet. Many of the local people in Indonesia are setting up plastic sheets for tents in graveyards. They chose the graveyards because they are on higher ground than the villages are.

Here is a 10 degree map, of the area brother.  The map shows more then 5 earthquakes. :-\

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/100_-5.php

The past 3 days, of earthquakes.

09/12/2007      USGS ENS      2007-09-12 11:10 (Mb 7.9) SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA -4.4

09/12/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-12 13:02 (Mb 5.7) SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA -3.0

09/12/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-12 14:40 (Mb 6.0) SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA -3.2

09/12/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-12 11:10 REVISED: (Mw 8.4) SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA -4.5

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-12 23:48 (Mw 7.9) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -2.7

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-12 23:49 REVISED: (Mw 7.5) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -2.5

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-12 23:49 REVISED: (Mw 7.8 ) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -2.5

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 01:26 (Mb 5.8 ) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -2.0

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 02:30 (Mb 5.9) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -1.6

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 02:51 (Mb 5.5) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -2.0

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 03:35 (Mb 6.5) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 03:35 REVISED: (Mw 7.1) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 05:23 (Mb 5.5) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -1.7

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 09:48 (Mw 6.2) KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 13:10 (Mb 5.6) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -2.6

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 15:08 (Mb 5.6) SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA -4.3

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 16:09 (Mw 6.2) SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA -3.2

09/13/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-13 16:59 (Mb 5.5) KEP. MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA -2.1

09/14/2007     USGS ENS     2007-09-14 01:02 (Mb 5.9) SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA -3.8

There are 5 I missed, cause I deleted them out of my mail.

 Indonesia's big one 'on its way'

PADANG, Indonesia (CNN) -- An international team of earthquake specialists says Indonesia faces another potential "giant" quake in the near future.

 The scientists, including a team from the California Institute of Technology, says three major quakes in the last week have increased the likelihood of a major disaster.

CNN traveled to the earthquake zone with a scientist who deliberately puts himself in the path of the world's most powerful quakes.

Smack on the equator, Indonesia's Sumatra island holds the deadliest stretch of ocean in the world.

"You'd see a strip 30 meters high, stripped down to bedrock," says John Galetzka, a former U.S. Army ranger who is now adventuring on another frontline as an earthquake geologist. He is investigating the fault line that sparked the 2004 tsunami and, in recent days, three more powerful quakes.

Last Friday, Galetzka shot video footage of the shaking beach, with startled locals scrambling upshore.

His thoughts turned immediately to the tsunami danger, and his command ship offshore. Just moments later he caught the panic near the beach, as he saw families evacuating to the hills about 200 meters behind their village.

The day before, another big quake struck -- larger, but further away. Galetzka recalls the long slow waves and a shivering water bottle. For the American geologist, this is where theory meets reality.

"I just felt like the luckiest man alive to feel two strong events," he says. "You can almost hear the excitement in my voice -- oh my gosh, this is it, this is it ..."

Galetzka is now examining the evidence that his team believes indicates the arrival another giant earthquake, and possible tsunami.

He has established a network of position-markers, linked by satellite, that show a constant creep, northeast, among the islands on Indonesia's Indian Ocean frontier. The first one was placed in August 2002.

The 30 measuring stations along Sumatra's western coast tell an ominous tale. Driven by the plate beneath the Indian Ocean, the entire coastline is flexing, as the earth literally bends. The pressures are already enormous, and at some point probably soon, they will become intolerable.

The implications are terrifying.

"Eventually it has got to release in (the form) of giant earthquake," states Galetzka matter-of-factly.

It could be a rare magnitude-9 quake, and with the plates so tightly sprung, it will happen sooner, he believes, rather than later.

Knowing what he knows, does he worry about the people living along this coast?

"I absolutely do," he replies. "I tell them to be prepared. Whenever I am in Padang I think about my escape routes, almost every moment."

As he criss-crosses around the islands, searching for data, Galetzka says his aim is to save lives. But he, more than anyone, knows the risks -- that one day he'll confront a giant wave, a tsunami powerful enough to swallow islands.
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The geologist's voice quivers as he imagines "the big one."

"If we saw it, we'd just head right into it. I'd shake your hand and say, good luck!"

 Indonesia's big one 'on its way' (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/17/indonesia.quake/index.html)

Jimmy DeYoung's  Prophetic Prospective on the News

With the recent earthquake activity and the potential for the giant quake in Indonesia, the world is witnessing what Jesus said would happen in the Last Days according to Bible prophecy.

Across the world this last year, there have been many earthquakes in a number of different locations. Most recently, the three powerful earthquakes in Indonesia motivated a team of earthquake specialists to travel to the nation to try and determine the potential for additional quake activity. The team of scientists have concluded that there is a potential for what they term a "giant quake" to happen in that part of the world and they say it could be sooner rather than later.

On the subject of earthquakes, Jesus said that a major indicator of the nearness of His return to the Earth, the Second Coming, would be earthquake activity in many different places, Matthew 24:7. Jesus also gave the Apostle John the prophetic message of the book of Revelation where He spoke about additional earthquake activity including the worst earthquake that will ever take place on the Earth just before He comes back to the Earth, Revelation 16:18.

The warning from a team of earthquake specialists of a giant quake in Indonesia is indeed evidence that Bible prophecy will be fulfilled.

 Quake near Guam sways buildings

A strong earthquake swayed buildings on the Pacific island of Guam on Sunday but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami alert was issued.
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The magnitude 7.1 quake occurred at 12.09 p.m. local time near the U.S. territory, with its epicenter at a depth of 30 km, Japan's Meteorological Agency said on its Web site (www.jma.go.jp/en/quake).

Some residents said high-rise blocks swayed and goods fell off supermarket shelves. But two hours after the quake, local television had reported no damage to buildings on Guam, an island east of the Philippines which is home to a major U.S. military base.

"We felt it. It was swinging back and forth for a minute or two," said Patrick Chan, a Guam-based meteorologist at the U.S. National Weather Service. "It's not expected to cause a tsunami." The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Hawaii, said in a statement there was "no destructive widespread tsunami threat." Neither Guam nor the Philippines issued tsunami warnings.

The U.S. Geological Survey also recorded a quake in the same area, which it said on its Web site (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter) was of magnitude 6.8 and centered about 345 km (215 miles) south-southeast of Guam.

Pacific shaken by strong quakes
7.1, 7.3 temblors hit near Guam, New Zealand – no injuries

Two high-magnitude earthquakes have hit different parts of the Pacific Ocean, officials in the US and Japan say.

A 7.3 magnitude quake struck at 0525 GMT south of New Zealand's South Island, with no reports of injuries.

Earlier, the US territory of Guam was shaken by weaker tremor. Islanders in high-rise buildings felt the quake but reported no damage, local media said.

The US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said neither quake was likely to cause a destructive tsunami.

The stronger tremor hit about 500km (310 miles) off the coast of New Zealand, around the uninhabited Auckland Islands.

There were no reports of any damage and its impact had substantially decreased by the time it arrived at the mainland, the BBC's Greg Ward in Auckland says.

The Guam quake, which hit 350km off the coast at 0209 GMT, was given a 7.1 magnitude by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Officials at the US Geological Survey said it had a magnitude of 6.8.

Its epicentre, some 30km (19 miles) deep, was in the southern part of the Mariana Islands, the Japanese agency said.

There were no reports of injuries or damage on the US territory.

Earthquake Experts at Tel Aviv University Turn to History for Guidance

The best seismologists in the world don’t know when the next big earthquake will hit. But a Tel Aviv University geologist suggests that earthquake patterns recorded in historical documents of Middle Eastern countries indicate that the region’s next significant quake is long overdue.

A major quake of magnitude seven on the Richter scale in the politically-fragile region of the Middle East could have dire consequences for precious holy sites and even world peace, says Tel Aviv University geologist Dr. Shmulik Marco. In light of this imminent danger, Marco, from the school’s Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, has taken an historical approach to earthquake forecasting by using ancient records from the Vatican and other religious sources in his assessment. The past holds the key to the future, he says.

“All of us in the region should be worried,” explains Marco, who dedicates his career to piecing together ancient clues.

Based on the translations of hundreds of documents -- some of the originals of which he assumes reside in Vatican vaults -- Marco has helped determine that a series of devastating earthquakes have hit the Holy Land over the last two thousand years. The major ones were recorded along the Jordan Valley in the years 31 B.C.E., 363 C.E., 749 C.E., and 1033 C.E. “So roughly,” warns Marco, “we are talking about an interval of every 400 years. If we follow the patterns of nature, a major quake should be expected any time because almost a whole millennium has passed since the last strong earthquake of 1033.”

Written by monks and clergy, the documents, which span about two millenia, can help determine the location and impact of future quakes on several fault planes cutting through Israel and its neighboring countries, Marco believes. “We use the records, written in churches and monasteries or by hermits in the desert, to find patterns,” he says. Marco credits the help of an international team of historians, who have deciphered the Latin, Greek, and Arabic of the original correspondence.

He continues, “Even if these papers were not ‘officially’ recording history, they hold a lot of information. ... Some are letters to Europe asking for funding of church repairs. And while many of these accounts are told in an archaic religious manner, they help us confirm the dates and location of major calamities. Following these patterns in the past can be a good predictor of the future.”

One of the most cited Christian chroniclers in history upon whom Marco bases some of his conclusions is a ninth-century Byzantine aristocratic monk named Theophanes, venerated today by Catholics. In one manuscript, Theophanes wrote, “A great earthquake in Palestine, by the Jordan and in all of Syria on 18 January in the 4th hour. Numberless multitudes perished, churches and monasteries collapsed especially in the desert of the Holy City.”

While Christian sources helped Marco confirm ancient catastrophes and cast light on future ones, Jewish sources from the Bible also gave him small pieces of the puzzle. A verse in Zachariah (Ch. 14) describes two instances of earthquakes, one of which split apart the Mount of Olives, he says. Muslim clergy have also collected ancient correspondence, which further broadens the picture.

”Earthquakes are a manifestation of deeper processes inside the earth,” Marco says. “My questions and analysis examine how often they occur and whether there is pattern to them, temporally or spatially. I am looking for patterns and I can say that based on ancient records, the pattern in Israel around the Dead Sea region is the most disturbing to us.

“When it strikes and it will  this quake will affect Amman, Jordan as well as Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. Earthquakes don’t care about religion or political boundaries,” Marco concludes.

'Major earthquake in Israel – a matter of time'

GII picks up two small earthquakes in Jordan rift valley area over past few days. Study shows major quake is pending

Roee Nahmias
Published: 10.14.07, 12:54
Israel News

A 3.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Jordan rift valley area. The Geophysical Institute of Israel noted the seismic activity around 6pm Saturday. The Jordan rift valley is in close proximity to the volatile Syrian-African Rift.

Rami Hofstetter, head of the Geophysical Institute of Israel told Ynet that "our instruments picked up two small quakes in the area over the last few days – the first one registering at 2.9 and the second of a 2.5 magnitude."

Shmuel Marko of the Department of Environmental Sciences and Geophysics in Tel Aviv University and Oded Katz of the GII, have recently published a new study, saying a major earthquake is heading Israel's way.

Past data, said the two, proves that such a quake is just a matter of time. "We know that the area between the Kinneret and the Dead Sea was subject to several large quakes, in 31BC, 362BC, 749BC and 1033AD. Another major one is coming soon."

Hofstetter seemed unfazed by Marko and Katz's study. "Saying Israel will be subject to a major earthquake is like saying the sun will rise tomorrow. A major quake in on the way," he said. "We just don't know where it's going to hit."

'Major earthquake in Israel – a matter of time' (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3459638,00.html)

A warning from researchers at Tel Aviv University of a major earthquake hitting Israel in the near future has an interesting prophetic significance according to Bible prophecy.

The state of Israel is located along the Syrian-African Rift Valley, a friction point between two subterranean plates and is considered an earthquake prone area.

History has recorded a number of major earthquakes along the Jordan Valley in Israel, a portion of the Rift Valley. There have been over the years a number of smaller quakes in the earthquake prone area which also leads to speculation that the "big one" could happen in the near future.

Prophetic passages in the Bible speak much of earthquake activity in the end times. Matthew 24, a record of the Olivet Discourse that was given by Jesus Christ, reveals that the Lord said that one of the "signs" for His Second Coming would be earthquake activity across the world, Matthew 24:7.

Revelation 6:12, 11:13 and 16:18 all speak of earthquakes in the last days. The prophet Ezekiel wrote that when the enemies of Israel come to destroy the Jewish state there will be a "great shaking in the land", which many Bible scholars believe is referring to a massive earthquake, Ezekiel 38:19.

The report from researchers at Tel Aviv University that the "big one" is on the way to Israel is indeed setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

5.6 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes San Francisco Bay Area
Wednesday, October 31, 2007

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 USGS


Oct. 30: A map shows the epicenter of the earthquake, northeast of San Jose in Northern California.
Oct. 30: A map shows the epicenter of the earthquake, northeast of San Jose in Northern California.
 SAN JOSE, Calif. —  A magnitude-5.6 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Tuesday night, rattling homes and nerves, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.

The moderate temblor struck shortly after 8 p.m., about 9 miles northeast of San Jose, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents reported feeling the quake as far east as Sacramento and as far north as Sonoma.

The California Highway Patrol has received no reports of damage or injuries, spokesman Tom Marshall said.

It was the strongest tremor in the Bay Area since 1989, when a magnitude-7.1 quake killed 62 people.

I was just saying the other day how 'quiet' it has been in Ca for earthquakes.

Brothers and Sisters,

I realize this is off-topic for this particular thread, so forgive me. I just heard on Fox News that a tropical storm is about to hit Florida. According to initial reports, it's already killed over 80 people in Haiti I think they said. Isn't this really weird for this time of year?

It is pretty late in the season. Hurricane season is officially over Nov 30th so it isn't completely without precedence to have such a storm right now. It seems pretty unusual though since we have had such a mild hurricane/tropical storm season this year.

I'm just waiting for the birthing pains to get closer & her water break, so she'll hurry up and give birth... :)
AMEN?

 Major earthquake strikes northern Chile By EDUARDO GALLARDO, Associated Press Writer
41 minutes ago
 


SANTIAGO, Chile - A major earthquake struck northern Chile on Wednesday, toppling power lines, closing roads and sending terrified residents into the streets. Authorities reported 20 injuries but no deaths from the quake, which was felt in the capital as well as neighboring Peru and Bolivia.

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The earthquake, which struck at 12:40 p.m. local time (10:40 a.m. EST), measured magnitude 7.7 and was centered 780 miles north of Santiago, or 25 miles east-southeast of Tocopilla, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The USGS said it occurred about 37.3 miles underground.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued, then canceled a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru. It said the quake generated only a 2-foot wave.

Aftershocks were felt in several cities, according to media reports from the area.

Some houses were damaged in the port city of Tocopilla, according to Deputy Interior Minister Felipe Harboe, "and some people were injured, apparently none seriously." He gave no figures but the government's Emergency Bureau said at least 20 people were injured in the small town of Maria Elena. A number of houses were damaged there, said Mayor Eduardo Ahumada.

Presidential spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber said power was cut in several cities in northern Chile.

The region is home to some of the country's largest copper mines. A statement from mine operator Codelco reported no "relevant" damage, but said its mines in the region were without power and only emergency teams were operating. Only minor landslides were reported, it said.

Television images showed cars crushed by the collapse of a hotel entryway in Antofagasta, 105 miles south of the epicenter. A reporter for Radio Cooperativa said she saw cracks in the tarmac at the airport in Antofagasta.

Schools, hospitals and other buildings were evacuated in several cities.

"It was horribly strong. It was very long and there was a lot of underground noise," said Andrea Riveros, spokeswoman for the Park Hotel in Calama, 60 miles from the epicenter and site of the large Chuquicamata copper mine.

She said the quake knocked out power to the hotel, but caused no damage.

At the nearby Agua del Desierto Hotel, administrator Paola Barria said she felt like she was riding on "a floating island." She reported downed power lines, cracked windows and fallen pieces of houses near the hotel.

"I was very frightened. It was very strong," she said. "I've never felt one that strong."

In the Bolivian capital of La Paz, 385 miles northeast of the epicenter, some high-rise buildings were evacuated, but there was no apparent damage and people soon returned to their offices.

Stretching along the earthquake-prone Pacific "Ring of Fire," Chile has suffered many destructive temblors. A 1939 quake killed 28,000 people and in 1960 a magnitude-9.5 quake killed 5,700 people. That remains the most powerful quake on record.

On June 13, 2005, a magnitude 7.8 quake near Tarapaca in northern Chile killed 11 people and left thousands homeless.

Brothers and Sisters,

We should read threads like this and be humbled before GOD. All of mankind will be humbled before GOD one day, and it will be too late for great hosts who have rejected CHRIST.

The awesome power of nature and planets is just a tiny example of the limitless Power of ALMIGHTY GOD. This power and much more is in HIS Hands and only HE controls it. Increasing numbers and power of natural disasters is one of the SIGNS of the end days of this Age of Grace. ALMIGHTY GOD has shown great patience with evil men who have rejected HIM. We should all know that HIS Patience will come to an end, and that time might be soon.

Love In Christ,
Tom

 Quake hits Peru-Ecuador border 1 hour, 6 minutes ago
 


QUITO (Reuters) - A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck along the border between Peru and Ecuador on Thursday night, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

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The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was 74 miles deep and 150 miles southeast of the Ecuador capital, Quito, and struck about 10:13 p.m. local time (10:13 EST on Friday).

Residents in Quito and the country's coastal city of Guayaquil felt the quake, according to a Reuters witness and local media reports. A Red Cross spokesman said there were no immediate signs of injuries.

The temblor was not felt at the only big Peruvian mine near the quake zone, the Yanacocha gold deposit, said Guillermo Nina, a union official.

No important oil facilities are located in southern Ecuador, South America's fifth-largest oil producer.

Earthquakes frequently strike the Andean region, but Peruvian seismologist Hernan Tavara said the quake was not related to two other recent powerful quakes.

In August, an 8-magnitude quake south of Lima, Peru's capital, killed more than 500 people.

A 7.7-magnitude quake in Chile on Wednesday killed two people, injured more than 100 others and temporarily cut power to copper mines before work returned to normal.

(Additional reporting by Marco Aquino and Terry Wade in Lima and Alonso Soto in Ecuador; Editing by Peter Cooney)

11/17/2007      USGS ENS      2007-11-17 17:54 (Mw 6.0) OFFSHORE ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE -23.1 -70.7     

11/16/2007     USGS ENS     2007-11-16 03:12 REVISED: (Mw 6.7) PERU-ECUADOR BORDER REGION -2.3 -77.8    

11/16/2007     USGS ENS     2007-11-16 03:13 (Mb 6.3) COLOMBIA-ECUADOR BORDER REGION 0.7 -77.9    

11/15/2007     USGS ENS     2007-11-15 15:03 REVISED: (Mw 6.2) OFFSHORE ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE -22.8 -70.3    

11/15/2007     USGS ENS     2007-11-15 15:03 REVISED: (Mb 5.9) OFFSHORE ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE -22.8 -70.3    

11/15/2007     USGS ENS     2007-11-15 17:18 (Mb 5.8 ) TONGA REGION -22.8 -175.2    

11/15/2007     USGS ENS     2007-11-15 15:15 (Mb 5.6) ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE -22.5 -70.0    

11/15/2007     USGS ENS     2007-11-15 15:06 (Mw 6.8 ) ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE -22.9 -70.1    

Earthquake strikes off Oregon Coast

An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 occurred off the Oregon coast Monday.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey at the University of Washington, the epicenter was about 158 miles west of Bandon and happened at 12:32 p.m. It centered about 6 miles underground.

There were no immediate reports of anyone feeling the earthquake.

Jon Connolly, the seismology lab coordinator at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington in Seattle, says Monday morning's quake was not strong enough to trigger any sort of tsunami warning.

Distances from other Cities

    * 160 miles from Port Orford
    * 206 miles from Crescent City, Calif.
    * 279 miles from Portland

Earthquake Classifications

    * Magnitude 0 - 3 = Micro
    * Magnitude 3 - 3.9 = Minor
    * Magnitude 4 - 4.9 = Light
    * Magnitude 5 - 5.9 = Moderate
    * Magnitude 6 - 6.9 = Strong
    * Magnitude 7 - 7.9 = Major
    * Magnitude 8 or higher = Great

Quake hits Iranian oil-rich area, no damage reports
Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:40pm IST
 
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A 5.1 magnitude earthquake jolted Iran's oil-rich southwest on Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, official Iranian media said.

The quake occurred at 0520 GMT near the town of Ghaleh-tal in an eastern part of Khuzestan province and the tremor was felt in the provincial capital Ahvaz and elsewhere, IRNA news agency said.

Khuzestan is the heartland of the oil industry in the world's number four producer but most oil fields lie further west and south from the reported epicentre of the quake.

"We have not received any reports of possible casualties or damage yet," IRNA quoted local official Shapour Rostami as saying.

Natural disaster experts say oil-producing Iran is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because it is criss-crossed by several major faultlines.

Quake hits Iranian oil-rich area, no damage reports (http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-30591220071120)

Minor earthquake felt across Israel, none hurt
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST    Nov. 20, 2007

A minor earthquake was felt throughout Israel at approximately 11:20 a.m. Tuesday.

The quake, which lasted only a few seconds, was measured at 4.2 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was in the Dead Sea, Israel Radio reported. There were no reports of injured or damage.

"The whole house shook. Some things fell from their place," a caller told Israel Radio.

A Magen David Adom ambulance driver who was in the northern Dead Sea area when the earthquake took place said that the quake had not been felt too strongly, even near its epicenter. "I was on shift with the ambulance. At first there was a small quake and then a larger quake came. It wasn't very strong but it was enough to be a bit frightening," he said.

The last substantial earthquake in the area occurred in February 2004, and was measured at 5.2 on the Richter scale.

Tel Aviv University scientists recently said that a major earthquake in the region was long overdue.

The university's Dr. Shmuel Marco noted that the Syrian-African Rift is a high-risk location for earthquakes.

"If we examine the records of the Kinneret and the Dead Sea over the last two millennia, there were relatively many strong earthquakes during the first 1,000 years and few during the next 1,000," he said.

"We have not had any strong ones since 1033, which means another one is long due. It's impossible to know when it will strike, just like you can't predict road accidents."

Minor earthquake felt across Israel, none hurt (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195546678523&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter)

Strong quake hits Papua New Guinea

Thu Nov 22, 9:40 AM ET

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea - A strong earthquake rocked eastern Papua New Guinea on Thursday, causing some damage and plunging parts of the coastal city of Lae into darkness, officials and witnesses said.

No casualties were reported in the South Pacific archipelago nation.

The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 hit just before 6:48 p.m. local time and was centered about 250 miles north of the capital Port Moresby and 60 miles north of Lae, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said no tsunami warning was issued.

Larry George, a manager of the City Mission charity hostel in Lae, said the quake was the biggest many long-term residents had felt there.

"It emptied our shelves and smashed glasses," George said, adding that a water tank had burst and the power was cut in parts of the city.

Lae International Hotel staff member Nora Gorogo said television sets rattled off shelves and were smashed in several hotel rooms.

She said she was not aware of any major damage or casualties.

The emergency services in Lae and Port Moresby's disaster management center could not be immediately contacted for comment.

Parts of Papua New Guinea are frequently shaken by earthquakes.

Strong quake hits Papua New Guinea (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071122/ap_on_re_as/papua_new_guinea_quake;_ylt=Ar1yOAxPBeSNjzItOCs8VrwBxg8F)

Earthquake jolts western Indonesia

Thu Nov 22, 9:34 PM ET

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - A strong earthquake jolted parts of western Indonesia on Friday, sending panicked residents fleeing from their homes, officials and witnesses said.
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There were no reports of damage as a result of the 6.1 magnitude quake that struck off the coast of Sumatra island, said Syahnan, the head of the local geophysics agency. Like many Indonesians, he goes by a single name.

The quake was felt strongly for around 30 seconds by people in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, where some ran from their homes, witnesses there said.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Sumatra island and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including 160,000 people in Aceh.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Earthquake jolts western Indonesia (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071123/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_quake;_ylt=AhvnO8QXfCKGheIzXuAOEtIBxg8F)

Strong quakes shake Indonesia 
USGS: 6.1-magnitude temblor followed hours later by 6.7 strength rattler

Strong earthquakes shook western and eastern Indonesia on Sunday, sending panicked residents fleeing from their homes. One of the tremors shook telephone and electricity poles and forced the evacuation of a hospital.

A 6.1-magnitude quake struck waters off Sumatra island early Sunday and was followed 13 hours later by a 6.7 temblor just off Sumbawa island, to the west, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.
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The morning tremor rattled residents in Bengkulu, a coastal town 110 miles from its center. The region has been hit by a series of powerful earthquakes in recent months, putting many on edge.

"It was very strong ... even utility poles were shaking," said Dina Ramadani, adding that people started screaming after one pole toppled over and crashed into a street. Others ran to high ground, fearing a tsunami that never came.

Worried about aftershocks, officials at one hospital in Jambi province told all patients to temporarily leave the building, treating some outside.

Violent shaking
The late-night quake struck 27 miles from the town of Raba at a depth of 18 miles, the USGS reported. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was a "very small possibility of a local tsunami," but seismically triggered waves did not materialize.

Local officials also said there were no reports of damage.

"Everyone panicked, they were running from their houses, some to the hills," said Agung Prasetyo, a police officer, adding that the ground shook violently for around 30 seconds. Electricity was temporarily cut in some places.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including 160,000 people in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh.

Series of quakes hit off Indonesian islands
Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:06pm EST

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An earthquake measuring 6.8 hit off the coast of Indonesia's Sumbawa island, the country's meteorological agency said on Monday -- the second such tremor in the area with hours.

The quake hit 48 km northwest of Raba in Sumbawa, at a depth of 45 km, the agency said in a text message, and issued a tsunami warning.

Late on Sunday evening, an earthquake measuring 6.7 hit in the same area.

An earthquake measuring 6.0 also hit off the coast of Sumatra island, the meteorological agency said on Monday.

The quake hit 107 km (66 miles) southwest of Mukomuko in Bengkulu, Sumatra at a depth of 20 km (12 miles), the agency said in a text message. There was no tsunami warning.

On Sunday a quake with a 6.2 magnitude hit the same area.

More than 20 people were killed when an 8.4 magnitude earthquake hit the Bengkulu area on September 12, damaging or destroying thousands of homes.

Indonesia, which is situated in a belt of intense seismic activity known as the "Pacific Ring of Fire", was hit by a huge earthquake in December 2004, triggering a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean, which killed more than 230,000 people in the region, including 170,000 Indonesians.

Series of quakes hit off Indonesian islands (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSJAK14479920071125)

Moderate quakes hit western and southern Mexico
Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:55pm EST

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake hit Michoacan state in western Mexico on Monday but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties.

A magnitude 5.8 quake hit 55 miles south-southwest of the state capital Morelia, with its epicenter 49.8 miles

underground, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

"There is no damage for the moment," said civil protection official Hugo Magana in Morelia. "They are going around checking the cities."

Earlier on Monday, a 5.6-magnitude quake shook the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.

Moderate quakes hit western and southern Mexico (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2643368620071126)

Moderate quake shakes the Philippines

Tue Nov 27, 12:32 AM ET

MANILA, Philippines - A moderate earthquake shook the Philippines' main island of Luzon on Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Buildings across Manila shook for several seconds. Panicked residents ran out into the streets, including some staffers at the Malacanang presidential palace and workers in the capital's Makati financial district.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.0 — upgraded from a preliminary estimate of 5.8 — with an epicenter 120 miles north-northwest of Manila and at a depth of 38.8 miles.

The Philippine archipelago lies along the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.

Moderate quake shakes the Philippines (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071127/ap_on_re_as/philippines_quake;_ylt=AmqqKFx0BklU2zsS3f.OxkEBxg8F)

6.6 magnitude quake hits near Solomon Islands
Tue Nov 27, 2007 9:06am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quake, which hit at 6:50 a.m. EST, was centered 43 miles (69 km) southeast of Kira Kira, Solomon Islands, at a depth of 25.8 miles, the USGS said.

There was no significant threat of a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

6.6 magnitude quake hits near Solomon Islands (http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN2746129920071127)

Holy Land overdue for a major earthquake
TEL AVIV — Based on 400-year historical cycles a the pattern of recent tremors, the Middle East should be expecting a major earthquake in the near future, a geologist said.

A leading Israeli geologist has assessed that the Middle East, particularly, the Levant, was ripe for a major earthquake. The geologist based his forecast on seismological data as well as historical patterns.

"All of us in the region should be worried," Shmuel Marco, a geologist at Tel Aviv University, said.

 Seismologists have often warned of the prospect of a major earthquake in the Middle East. The Levant has undergone a series of serious tremors on the magnitude of five on the Richter Scale, but without causing significant damage.

On Nov. 20, an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale shook Israel and Jordan. The earthquake, whose epicenter was in the area of the Dead Sea, did not cause major damage.

Marcos a member of Tel Aviv University's Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, has sought to predict the next major earthquake in the Levant through historical examination. The geologist has examined ancient records from the Vatican and other religious sources in his research.

The major earthquakes in the Levant took place along the Jordan Valley. Earthquakes were reported in 31 BCE, 363 CE, 749 CE and 1033 CE.

"So roughly, we are talking about an interval of every 400 years," Marcos said. "If we follow the patterns of nature, a major quake should be expected any time because almost a whole millennium has passed since the last strong earthquake of 1033."

Based on history, Marcos predicts a major earthquake that would affect Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Authority and Syria. He said the sites important to Christianity, Islam and Judaism could be particularly vulnerable.

"I am looking for patterns and I can say that based on ancient records, the pattern in Israel around the Dead Sea region is the most disturbing to us," Marcos said. "When it strikes and it will this quake will affect Amman, Jordan as well as Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. Earthquakes don't care about religion or political boundaries."

Holy Land overdue for a major earthquake (http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2007/me_mideast_11_26.asp)

Revelation 6:12 When He [the Lamb] broke open the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun grew black as sackcloth of hair, [the full disc of] the moon became like blood.

Revelation 8:5 So the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and cast it upon the earth. Then there followed peals of thunder and loud rumblings and blasts and noises, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Zechariah 14:4 And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from the east to the west by a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south.

Signs, signs, every where are signs, so make sure you watch.................

Mark 13:35 Therefore watch (give strict attention, be cautious and alert), for you do not know when the Master of the house is coming--in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning--

Quake rocks eastern Caribbean 
Minor injuries reported on island of Martinique

A powerful earthquake rocked the eastern Caribbean Thursday, sending office workers and shoppers on several islands fleeing into the streets. Minor injuries were reported on the island of Martinique.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 2 p.m. EST and was centered 26 miles southeast of Roseau, capital of Dominica, where the shaking lasted for about 20 seconds. The temblor was felt hundreds of miles away in Puerto Rico to the west, and Venezuela and Suriname to the south.

In the neighboring island of Martinique, a government official said police and firefighters were responding to hundreds of calls for help. He said some people sustained minor injuries, but no major casualties have been reported. The official declined to give his name in accordance with government policy.

The earthquake collapsed the roofs of a bank and a store in the capital of Martinique, Fort-de-France. Ambulances were called in.

"My house shook so hard I thought it was going to fall," said a caller to Radio Martinique who identified herself only as Fannie. "The door, the windows, everything shook."

The quake struck at a depth of 90 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site.

"I wouldn't expect major damage because the quake has some depth," said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said the quake was too deep to generate a destructive tsunami.

In Trinidad, the shaking sent workers streaming out of office towers into the streets of the capital, Port-of-Spain.

Thousands more ran outside in St. Maarten. Flight's at Princess Juliana International Airport were briefly suspended. In Guyana, lawmakers evacuated the South American country's parliament building.

The earthquake did not disrupt production at Trinidad's state-owned oil refinery, Petrotrin, which produces 160,000 barrels of refined gasoline, diesel and oil daily for domestic use and export to countries including the United States.

"We have not had any reports about breakdowns from our exploration and production fields," spokesman Arnold Corneal said. "We are still doing checks."

In St. Lucia, Julian Dubois, deputy director of the national emergency management organization, said the quake caused some panic and broke water lines but did not appear to cause severe damage. In the capital, Castries, people spoke of buildings swaying but not toppling. A glass door of one company was shattered.

St. Lucia resident Annie Ellis said the quake was the strongest she has experienced. "In all my years, I have never felt any earthquake so powerful," said the 100-year-old Ellis. "And it lasted such a long time."

In Antigua, islanders said the shaking lasted about 30 seconds.

"I haven't felt one like that in a while," said Jessie Kentish, a resident of the capital, St. John's. "It was a long time."

The temblor triggered a series of false quake alarms in California, with computers picking up energy coming out of the Caribbean and erroneously treating it as local seismic activity. The fake quakes began registering nine minutes after the Caribbean quake, USGS scientists said.

In September, a similar incident occurred when a massive earthquake struck off the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean and triggered six false reports of quakes in California.

Indonesia rattled by strong quake

Fri Nov 30, 10:16 PM ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia on Saturday, geological agencies said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and was centered 65 miles from Sibolga, a city on Sumatra island, the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Indonesian geological agency did not issue a tsunami warning.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including 160,000 people in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh.

Indonesia rattled by strong quake (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071201/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_earthquake;_ylt=AtjAqWkHtdIk4eQ8sz_SS7ABxg8F)

Strong quake hits Indonesia's Java island
2 Dec 2007, 0710 hrs IST,REUTERS

JAKARTA: An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale shook the western part of Indonesia's Java island on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, the meteorology agency said.

The undersea quake had a depth of 32 km (20 miles) and was centred 78 km southeast of Ujungkulon in the western tip of Java. An official at the meteorology agency said the quake was felt strongly in the Pelabuhan Ratu resort area but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire prone to seismic upheavals.

Strong quake hits Indonesia's Java island (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Strong_quake_rocks_Indonesia/articleshow/2588765.cms)

Earthquake shakes Israel, Palestinian territories
2 Dec 2007, 1556 hrs IST,AP

JERUSALEM: The fourth earthquake in two weeks shook parts of Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sunday, causing no casualties or damage.

The tremor had a magnitude of 4.0, according to a statement from Israel's Geophysical Institute. Its epicenter was north of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, on the active Syrian-African rift fault line where earthquakes are common.

On average, major earthquakes hit Israel once a century. But the recent tremors do not indicate that a large-scale quake is on the way, said Dr Uri Frieslander, director of the Geophysical Institute.

"What we're seeing are typical movements along the Dead Sea valley," Frieslander told Israel Radio.

"These quakes...don't foreshadow anything or indicate that something is about to happen," he said.

None of the recent quakes have caused injuries or damage. But in the past, earthquakes have caused serious damage to Safed, Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Nablus, and have damaged holy sites, including the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, sacred to many Christians as the site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial.

The last major earthquake to strike the area was in 1927. It had a magnitude of more than 6 and killed 500 people. Israeli experts say that because of population growth and poor construction standards in older buildings, an earthquake of the same magnitude today would kill more than 18,000 people.

Earthquake shakes Israel, Palestinian territories (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2589480,prtpage-1.cms)

Quake jolts Indonesia's Bali

Fri Dec 7, 6:56 AM ET

BALI, Indonesia - An earthquake on Friday rattled Indonesia's resort island of Bali, where thousands of people were gathering for a U.N. climate change conference. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The 5.4-magnitude tremor was centered 150 miles southwest of Bali, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. It struck around 6 miles beneath the ocean floor.

The quake could be felt in Bali, where more than 10,000 people were attending a two-week conference about rising global temperatures, which scientists say could lead to severe droughts and flooding, melting ice caps and rising seas, and the extinction of animals.

The walls and floors of massive tents set up in a sprawling complex of five-star hotels shook for around 10 seconds, but officials said they did not have any reports of injuries or damage. The quake was not strong enough to trigger a tsunami warning.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Sumatra island, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including 160,000 people in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh.

Quake jolts Indonesia's Bali (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071207/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_earthquake;_ylt=Aq8xYe9X1QjynvgBxuiujNoBxg8F)

God is giving these folks a warning, they should heed.........

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;

This is a list of the MAG 8 quakes since 1900 for those of you wondering if earthquakes are increasing.... Very interesting facts.

hmmmm....This year kind of jumps out at you with 4 so far!!!

Date - UTC - Time Latitude Longitude Magnitude Region
1. 1902-06-11 05: 50.00 148.00 8.0 Sea of Okhotsk
2. 1903-01-04 05:07 -20.00 -175.00 8.0 Tonga
3. 1903-08-11 04:32 36.36 22.97 8.3 southern Greece
4. 1905-07-09 09:40 49.0 99.0 8.4 Mongolia
5. 1905-07-23 02:46 49.0 98.0 8.4 central Mongolia
6. 1906-01-31 15:36 1.0 -81.5 8.8 Colombia-Ecuador
7. 1906-08-17 00:40 -33.0 -72.0 8.2 Valparaiso, Chile
8. 1907-10-21 04:23 38.00 69.00 8.0 Afghanistan
9. 1908-12-12 12:08 -14.0 -78.0 8.2 off the coast of central Peru
10. 1911-06-15 14:26 28.0 130.0 8.1 Ryukyu Islands, Japan
11. 1914-05-26 14:22 -2. 137. 8.0 West New Guinea
12. 1915-05-01 05:00 47. 155. 8.0 Kurile Islands
13. 1917-05-01 18:26 -29.0 -177.0 8.0 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
14. 1917-06-26 05:49 -15.0 -173.0 8.4 Tonga
15. 1918-08-15 12:18 5.653 123.563 8.0 Celebes Sea
16. 1918-09-07 17:16 45.5 151.5 8.2 Kuril Islands
17. 1919-04-30 07:17 -19.823 -172.215 8.2 Tonga region
18. 1920-06-05 04:21 23.5 122.0 8.0 Taiwan region
19. 1920-09-20 14:39 -20.0 168.0 8.0 Loyalty Islands
20. 1922-11-11 04:32 -28.553 -70.755 8.5 Chile-Argentina Border
21. 1923-02-03 16:01 54.0 161.0 8.5 Kamchatka
22. 1924-04-14 16:20 7.023 125.954 8.3 Mindanao, Philippines
23. 1928-06-17 03:19 16.33 -96.7 8.0 Oaxaca, Mexico
24. 1931-08-10 21:18 47.1 89.8 8.0 northern Xinjiang, China
25. 1932-06-03 10:36 19.84 -103.99 8.1 Jalisco, Mexico
26. 1933-03-02 17:31 39.22 144.62 8.4 Sanriku, Japan
27. 1934-01-15 08:43 27.55 87.09 8.1 Bihar, India
28. 1938-02-01 19:04 -5.05 131.62 8.5 Banda Sea
29. 1938-11-10 20:18 55.33 -158.37 8.2 Shumagin Islands, Alaska
30. 1939-04-30 02:55 -10.5 158.5 8.0 Solomon Islands
31. 1939-12-26 23:57 39.5 38.5 8.0 Turkey
32. 1940-05-24 16:33 -10.5 -77.0 8.2 near the Coast of central Peru
33. 1941-11-25 18:03 37.171 -18.960 8.2 Azores-Cape St. Vincent Ridge
34. 1942-08-24 22:50 -15.0 -76.0 8.2 Mato Grosso, Brazil
35. 1943-04-06 16:07 -30.75 -72.0 8.2 off the coast of Coquimbo, Chile
36. 1944-12-07 04:35 33.75 136.00 8.1 Tonankai, Japan
37. 1945-11-27 21:57 24.5 63.0 8.0 off the coast of Pakistan
38. 1946-04-01 12:28 52.75 -163.50 8.1 Unimak Islands, Alaska
39. 1946-08-04 17:51 19.25 -69.00 8.0 Dominican Republic
40. 1946-12-20 19:19 32.5 134.5 8.1 Nankaido, Japan
41. 1948-01-24 17:46 10.5 122.0 8.2 Panay, Philippines
42. 1949-08-22 04:01 53.62 -133.27 8.1 Queen Charlotte Island, B.C., Canada
43. 1950-08-15 14:09 28.5 96.5 8.6 Assam-Tibet
44. 1952-03-04 01:22 42.5 143.0 8.1 Hokkaido, Japan region
45. 1952-11-04 16:58 52.76 160.06 9.0 Kamchatka, Russia
46. 1957-03-09 14:22 51.56 -175.39 8.6 Andreanof Islands, Alaska
47. 1957-12-04 03:37 45.15 99.21 8.1 Gobi-Altai, Mongolia
48. 1958-11-06 22:58 44.329 148.623 8.3 Kuril Islands
49. 1959-05-04 07:15 53.351 159.645 8.2 near the east coast of Kamchatka
50. 1960-05-22 19:11 -38.24 -73.05 9.5 Chile
51. 1963-10-13 05:17 44.9 149.6 8.5 Kuril Islands
52. 1964-03-28 03:36 61.02 -147.65 9.2 Prince William Sound, Alaska
53. 1965-02-04 05:01 51.21 -178.50 8.7 Rat Islands, Alaska
54. 1966-10-17 21:41 -10.807 -78.684 8.1 near the coast of central Peru
55. 1968-05-16 00:49 40.903 143.346 8.2 off the east coast of Honshu, Japan
56. 1969-08-11 21:27 43.478 147.815 8.2 Kuril Islands
57. 1970-07-31 17:08 -1.49 -72.56 8.0 Colombia
58. 1971-01-10 07:17 -3.132 139.697 8.1 Papua, Indonesia
59. 1974-10-03 14:21 -12.254 -77.524 8.1 near the coast of central Peru
60. 1976-08-16 16:11 6.292 124.090 8.0 Mindanao, Philippines
61. 1977-06-22 12:08 -22.878 -175.900 8.1 Tonga region
62. 1977-08-19 06:08 -11.085 118.464 8.3 south of Sumbawa, Indonesia
63. 1979-12-12 07:59 1.598 -79.358 8.1 near the coast of Ecuador
64. 1985-03-03 22:47 -33.135 -71.871 8.0 offshore Valparaiso, Chile
65. 1985-09-19 13:17 18.190 -102.533 8.0 Michoacan, Mexico
66. 1986-05-07 22:47 51.520 -174.776 8.0 Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
67. 1989-05-23 10:54 -52.341 160.568 8.1 Macquarie Island region
68. 1994-06-09 00:33 -13.841 -67.553 8.2 La Paz, Bolivia
69. 1994-10-04 13:22 43.773 147.321 8.3 Kuril Islands
70. 1995-07-30 05:11 -23.340 -70.294 8.0 Near Coast of Northern Chile
71. 1995-10-09 15:35 19.055 -104.205 8.0 Near Coast of Jalisco, Mexico
72. 1996-02-17 05:59 -0.891 136.952 8.2 Irian Jaya region, Indonesia
73. 1998-03-25 03:12 -62.877 149.527 8.1 Balleny Islands region
74. 2000-11-16 04:54 -3.980 152.169 8.0 New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea
75. 2001-06-23 20:33 -16.264 -73.641 8.4 near the coast of southern Peru
76. 2003-09-25 19:50 41.815 143.910 8.3 Hokkaido, Japan region
77. 2004-12-23 14:59 -49.312 161.345 8.1 north of Macquarie Island
78. 2004-12-26 00:58 3.295 95.982 9.1 off the west coast of northern Sumatra
79. 2005-03-28 16:09 2.074 97.013 8.6 Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
80. 2006-11-15 11:14 46.592 153.226 8.3 Kuril Islands
81. 2007-01-13 04:23 46.243 154.524 8.1 East of the Kuril Islands
82. 2007-04-01 20:39 -8.487 156.986 8.1 Solomon Islands
83. 2007-08-15 23:40 -13.353 -76.511 8.0 Near the Coast of CentraL Peru
84. 2007-09-12 11:10 -4.521 101.370 8.4 Southern Sumatra, Indonesia

So, some of y'all may think this is just COINCIDENCE??

Frequency of Occurrence of Earthquakes

Magnitude       Average Annually
8 and higher       1 ¹
7 - 7.9          17 ²
6 - 6.9          134 ²
5 - 5.9          1319 ²
4 - 4.9          13,000
(estimated)
3 - 3.9          130,000
(estimated)
2 - 2.9          1,300,000
(estimated)

¹ Based on observations since 1900.
² Based on observations since 1990.

Hello Dreamweaver,

Brother, the statistics are amazing, and I don't think they are a coincidence. If these are the last days of this Age of Grace, things will get much worse. Bible Prophecy will be fulfilled most perfectly at GOD'S Appointed time. Mankind will find out soon that ALMIGHTY GOD is the ultimate reality. The "GREAT I AM" will prove that HE'S in control, and HE always has been.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Revelation 6:1-17 NASB
Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine." When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

Earthquake Details
Magnitude 7.6
Date-Time

* Sunday, December 09, 2007 at 07:28:24 UTC
* Sunday, December 09, 2007 at 07:28:24 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 26.156°S, 177.453°W
Depth 187.6 km (116.6 miles)
Region SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
Distances 345 km (215 miles) N of Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands
600 km (370 miles) SSW of NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga
1395 km (870 miles) NE of Auckland, New Zealand
1830 km (1130 miles) NNE of WELLINGTON, New Zealand
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 14.2 km (8.8 miles); depth +/- 34.6 km (21.5 miles)
Parameters Nst=125, Nph=125, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=1.09 sec, Gp=108°,
M-type=body magnitude (Mb), Version=6
Source

USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID us2007ksak

7.6 - South Of The Fiji Islands (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007ksak.php)

Magnitude-6.7 quake hits northern Chile

Sun Dec 16, 10:36 AM ET

SANTIAGO, Chile - A strong earthquake shook northern Chile early Sunday in the same region where a temblor killed at least two people last month, but authorities reported no new deaths or serious damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-6.7 quake at 5:09 a.m. (3:09 a.m. EST) was centered 80 miles north-northeast of the port city of Antofagasta.

Electric power and telephone services were cut in several cities, but "we can say that there are no victims," said Hernan Vargas, director of the government's Emergency Bureau in the Antofagasta region. "In the city of Tocopilla, seven people were attended at a hospital, mainly for panic attacks."

Tocopilla was the most seriously damaged city in the magnitude-7.7 quake that struck the same area on Nov. 14, killing two people.

Vargas said Sunday's tremor was an aftershock of the November quake.

On Saturday afternoon, a magnitude-5.8 quake rattled central Chile, causing alarm in the capital, Santiago, but no injuries or damage.

Magnitude-6.7 quake hits northern Chile  (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071216/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/chile_quake;_ylt=At4CyZsn1k5kzxB2Rp8jGzus0NUE)

This past month, there been 8 earthquakes above mag., 6.5.

Magnitude 7.7 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE November 14, 2007  (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007jsat/)

Magnitude 6.8 PERU-ECUADOR BORDER REGION November 16, 2007  (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007juaf/)

Magnitude 6.7 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA November 22, 2007  (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007kaaq/)

Magnitude 6.5 SUMBAWA REGION, INDONESIA November 25, 2007 (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007kda6/)

Magnitude 6.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS November 27, 2007  (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007kfa3/)

Magnitude 7.4 MARTINIQUE REGION, WINDWARD ISLANDS November 29, 2007  (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007kha5/)

Magnitude 7.8 SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS December 09, 2007 (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007ksak/)

Magnitude 6.7 ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE December 16, 2007  (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007kzaf.php)

No this isn't normal.

Experts warn major Israel quakes fast approaching

As if political instability and rampant insecurity in the Middle East are not worrying enough, Israeli experts are warning that a major earthquake could strike the region at any time.

Three minor quakes over the past month have served as a reminder that Israel and the West Bank sit atop one of the most sensitive fault lines in the world, where earthquakes have a history of causing havoc.

"We can say with certainty that an earthquake of a magnitude of six on the Richter scale could take place in the coming years," said Yefim Gitterman from the seismology department at the geophysical institute of Lod, near Tel Aviv.

"It can happen tomorrow or in years to come," he said. "Statistically, there is a major quake every 80 years."

Under that assessment, Israel and the Palestinian territories should brace for a major earthquake soon, as the last one happened 80 years ago, on July 11, 1927, in British mandate Palestine when 300 people were killed in Jerusalem and Jericho.

A similar quake measuring seven on the Richter scale and with an epicentre in the Hula Valley, today in northern Israel up from the Sea of Galilee, devastated the town of Safed and killed some 4,000 people in 1837.

"Stronger earthquakes of a magnitude of seven are statistically less common," Gitterman said. But that could be bad enough.

The Lod institute estimates that if a magnitude seven earthquake strikes the northern Jordan Valley or the Dead Sea, between 8,200 and 9,500 people could be killed, more than 20,000 injured and more than 20,000 left homeless.

Running north to south, the Hula Valley, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, the Arava Desert and the Red Sea lie on what is known as the Syrian-African fault line.

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who saw Jerusalem fall to the invading Romans in 70 AD, also wrote that around 30,000 people perished in an earthquake whose epicentre was in the region of the Dead Sea in 31 BC.

The Lod institute, part of the infrastructure ministry, is on standby day and night to brief the Israeli authorities on the epicentre and magnitude of a powerful tremor within 10 minutes in order to mobilise an emergency response.

The Israeli home front command publishes extensive advice on how to behave in the event of an earthquake on its multi-language website, urging families to prepare emergency supplies to survive for 24 to 72 hours until help arrives.

All new homes built in Israel are equipped with bomb shelters, and the civil defence advises that those without should crouch inside a doorway or under a heavy table in the event of an earthquake, and avoid using lifts.

The website advises people to carry out drills at least twice a year to make a response in an actual event automatic.

There are many earthquakes recorded in the Bible in the Israeli area. Zechariah 14 tells us of one that will split the Mount of Olives in the end times. Such an earthquake is also referred to in Isaiah, Daniel and Revelations.

Magnitude 7.2 - ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA

Earthquake Details
Magnitude    7.2
Date-Time    

    * Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 09:30:30 UTC
    * Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 11:30:30 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location    51.495°N, 179.473°W
Depth    56.3 km (35.0 miles)
Region    ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
Distances    

    * 200 km (124 miles) W (259°) from Adak, AK
    * 370 km (230 miles) W (260°) from Atka, AK
    * 2098 km (1304 miles) WSW (253°) from Anchorage, AK

Location Uncertainty    horizontal +/- 8.8 km (5.5 miles); depth +/- 10.9 km (6.8 miles)
Parameters    Nst=130, Nph=130, Dmin=197.9 km, Rmss=0.62 sec, Gp= 54°,
M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=6
Source    

      USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID    us2007lcaq

Magnitude 7.2 - ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007lcaq.php)

Historically, there are 14.5 earthquakes per year over magnitude 7, and it is Dec 2007 & the number just hit 18!!

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/1997/1997_stats.html

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/2007/2007_stats.html

only 7 happened by August in 2007, so we have had a lot of movement in 3.5 months
1. 2007 8.1 East of the Kuril Islands
2. 2007 7.5 Molucca Sea
3. 2007 7.1 Vanuatu
4. 2007 8.0 Solomon Islands
5. 01-AUG-2007-- 7.2 -- VANUATU ISLANDS
6. 2007 AUG 08 7.5 Java, Indonesia
7. 2007 AUG 15 7.5 Near Coast of Central Peru
8. 2007 7.2 Santa Cruz Islands
9. 2007 8.4 Southern Sumatra, Indonesia
10. 2007 7.9 Kepulauan Mentawai Region, Indonesia
11. 2007 7.0 Kepulauan Mentawai Region, Indonesia
12. 2007 7.4 Mariana Islands Region
13. 2007 7.4 Auckland Islands, New Zealand region
14. 2007 7.1 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA

----------------------HISTORICAL AVERAGE-----------

15. 2007 11 14 7.7 Anto***asta, Chile
16. 2007 11 29 19:00:19 14.92 -61.26 145.4 7.3 Martinique Region, Windward Islands
17. 2007 12 09 (Mb 7.6) SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
18. 2007 12 19 09:30:30 51.495 -179.473 56 7.2 Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Earthquake shakes Turkish capital

Thu Dec 20, 6:43 AM ET

ANKARA, Turkey - A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 shook the capital of Ankara on Thursday, a Turkish seismology center said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but the quake brought down a minaret of a village mosque.

The earthquake, which struck at the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, lasted for a few minutes, and caused apartment buildings and furniture to sway and chandeliers to fall.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 5.3.

The Istanbul-based Kandilli seismology center said the epicenter of the quake was the town of Bala, some 50 miles south of Ankara. Two aftershocks, the strongest measuring 4.0, followed the temblor. There were two smaller quakes, measuring 3.9 and 4.0, earlier in the day.

The quake demolished an abandoned house in the village of Sirapinar, near Bala, and caused some damage to about a dozen homes and barns, said Muhammed Yildirim, a local official.

Most of the villagers were outdoors sacrificing sheep for the Muslim festival and were not in any danger, Yildirim said.

In the nearby Yeniyapan village, the mosque's minaret tumbled down from the force of the jolt and some homes were also damaged in the village of Avsar, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

Gov. Kemal Onal said there were no immediate reports of any casualties in the quake.

"Emergency services have left for Bala to assess possible damage in the villages," Onal said.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the active North Anatolian fault, though they are rare in the capital.

Two devastating earthquakes killed about 18,000 people in northwestern Turkey in 1999. In 2003, a school dormitory collapsed following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Bingol, in southeast Turkey, killing 83 children.

Earthquake shakes Turkish capital (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071220/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_quake;_ylt=AtRsoZsZq6BLAjf2okIgVucLewgF)

Not saying that this means anything, or is a warning from God, but it's interesting. At least, that this happened at the beginning of a muslim holiday and the only major damage was the minaret in the mosque. At least they won't be chanting "death to America" over this. :D

Strong quake rattles north New Zealand

By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press Writer Thu Dec 20, 1:36 PM ET

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A strong earthquake struck New Zealand on Thursday night, collapsing at least three older buildings in one coastal city on North Island, sparking small fires and forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency there.

Only 10 minor injuries were reported in the port city of Gisborne, which was hit hardest by the quake and suffered the most property damage, although it was felt all over the country, officials said.

The magnitude 6.8 quake, which struck at 8:55 p.m. (2:55 a.m. EST) was centered in the Hikurangi undersea trench off North Island, 25 miles below the surface, and about 30 miles southeast of Gisborne, the GNS Science geological agency reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake at magnitude 6.6.

The temblor did not trigger a tsunami warning at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

Police cordoned off a large part of Gisborne's central business district until engineers could inspect damaged buildings and ensure they were safe to enter, said senior police Sgt. Moira Brown as dawn broke Friday.

"We have got a lot of damage and are still assessing the situation," police inspector Waata Shepherd said. "Some roofs have collapsed. We are still trying to ascertain the amount of damage."

The central city area had been "locked down" because of the damage, he said.

Power lines were down in some areas, and the quake had left a huge hole in one of Gisborne's main roads, he added.

Mayor Meng Foon said the fire department put out 10 small blazes, and water and sewage systems were still working.

Callers to NewstalkZB radio said the quake sent TV sets and other appliances crashing to the floor, but that the lack of power made it difficult to assess the damage to their homes.

Gisborne District Council spokesman Vance Walker told TVOne News that three historic buildings had collapsed in the center of the city, and a damage assessment was still under way.

Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management spokesman Vince Cholewa confirmed three buildings collapsed. "As far as we are aware, there are no injuries in those buildings," he said.

Jim Green, chief executive of Gisborne's Tairawhiti District Health Board, said no one had been admitted with injuries.

The National Crisis Center was activated to assist local agencies dealing with the quake's aftermath.

Vulcanologist Dr. Warwick Smith of GNS Science said the quake was not strong enough to spark a tsunami off the coast.

"My judgment call ... was that 6.8 wasn't big enough for a tsunami," he told National Radio. "The ocean floor has to either be uplifted or subside to move that water, and 6.8 isn't big enough."

One caller, who identified himself only as Brian, said his family sheltered in doorways as the quake rocked Gisborne. "That was a ride and a half. It was freaky," he said.

Murray McPhail, who lives about six miles outside Gisborne, said the quake caused waves in his swimming pool.

"Stuff came out of cupboards, bottles fell off walls, ornaments fell," McPhail told NewstalkZB. "It was pretty violent. It was certainly a decent shake."

New Zealand sits above an area of the Earth's crust where two tectonic plates are colliding. It records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year — but only about 150 of those are felt by residents and fewer than 10 do any damage.

Strong quake rattles north New Zealand  (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071220/ap_on_re_au_an/new_zealand_quake;_ylt=Aj2ov3me6K9Q7o17juhB1hdvaA8F)

Four quakes hit Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
Seismic activity begs closer look; aftershocks follow 7.2 temblor

Fri., Dec. 21, 2007

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Two significant earthquakes that shook Alaska's remote Aleutian Islands were followed Friday morning by two smaller quakes, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

The temblors probably were aftershocks of a magnitude-7.2 quake that hit the seismically active but sparsely populated island chain Tuesday along a dynamic fault line, said geophysicist Guy Urban of the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

"Maybe things are still moving around out there," he said. "The area is still settling."

The magnitude-5.9 and 6.1 quakes struck about one minute apart Thursday. They were centered about 100 miles west of Adak in the island chain, according to a preliminary report by the U.S. Geological Survey.

'Unusual' activity
"There were two tonight and that was very unusual," said geophysicist Paul Huang of the tsunami warning center. "We're going to study this a little more closely." No tsunami warning was expected, he and Urban said.

Magnitude 4.8 and 4.6 quakes struck 14 minutes apart Friday morning, Urban said. He said there have been no reports that any of the quakes this week were felt by people there.

The Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 islands that extend southwestward from mainland Alaska into the northern Pacific Ocean.

The earth's most active seismic feature, the circum-Pacific seismic belt, brushes Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, where more earthquakes occur than in the other 49 U.S. states combined.

Four quakes hit Alaska’s Aleutian Islands (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22361877/)

Earthquake hits Indonesia's Papua
22 December 2007

Indonesia's eastern province of Papua has been hit by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The tremor, at a depth of 37 km (23 miles), had its epicentre 182 km (113 miles) west of Jayapura and hit at 4.11 PM local time (7.11 AM GMT) USGS said.

Indonesia sits across the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world's most seismically active areas.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

The Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency estimated that the quake had a magnitude of 6.0, and said it was followed 22 minutes later by a 5.3 magnitude aftershock.

"The quake was pretty strong. If it had struck a village or a town it would have had an impact," Suhardjono, an agency official, told Reuters agency.

"So far we have not received any reports (of casualties or damage) but the quake was mildly felt in parts of Jayapura."

More than 1,000 people were killed in 1998 when a tsunami hit the eastern part of the island, the territory of Papua New Guinea.

And in the Asian tsunami of December 2004, more than 130,000 people died on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Earthquake hits Indonesia's Papua (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/asia-pacific/7157134.stm)

Moderate earthquake rattles Ankara
Thu, 27 Dec 2007 05:19:57
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 has jolted Turkey's capital city of Ankara, with no immediate reports of casualties.

The epicenter of the quake, which hit at 1:47 a.m. (1147 GMT) on Thursday, was in the town of Bala, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Ankara, said Dogan Kalafat, an official from the Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory, AP reported.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, much of which lies atop the active North Anatolian fault, though they are rare in the capital.

A magnitude 5.7 temblor had also rocked Bala last Thursday, damaging around 20 houses and bringing down a minaret of a mosque in an abandoned village, Saripinar, near the town of Bala.

Two devastating earthquakes killed about 18,000 people in northwestern Turkey in 1999.

Moderate earthquake rattles Ankara (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=36477&sectionid=351020204)

Deadly quakes hit Rwanda, Congo
At least 21 killed and 200 seriously injured, authorities say

Two earthquakes struck hours apart in Rwanda and neighboring Congo on Sunday, killing at least 21 people including some who were in a church at the time, a Rwandan government official said.

The first, 6.0-magnitude quake struck Congo early Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The second quake, which registered 5.0, hit a few hours later near the countries' border.
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"At least 21 are dead," said Frank Mugambage, an official in the Rwandan president's office. It was not immediately clear if the Congo quake caused any deaths.

"Two hundred have serious injuries," Deputy Rwandan Police Chief Mary Gahonzire told Reuters. "Rescue efforts are underway but the number of dead could rise, as so many people are trapped."

Police were sending rescue helicopters to the area in southwestern Rwanda, near the Congolese border.

Scores were believed to be injured, and rescuers were searching for victims, Mugambage said by telephone.

The area where the quakes hit is part of Africa's Great Rift Valley, which includes a seismically active fault line. The Rwanda temblor rattled the capital, Kigali, some 125 miles away.

 An international team of earthquake specialists say that Indonesia faces a potential giant quake in the near future

A team of international scientists including a group from the California Institute of Technology says that the three major earthquakes in Indonesia recently have increased the likelihood of a major disaster with the potential for a giant quake in the near future.

With Indonesia's sumatra right on the equator, this island holds the deadliest stretch of ocean anyplace in the world, which was the location, by the way, that produced the tsunami several years ago that caused the deaths of over three hundred thousand people.

The team of earthquake specialists who traveled to the area say the potential giant quake could well be a rare magnitude nine quake and with the plates in the earth so tightly sprung, the quake will happen sooner rather than later.

With the recent earthquake activity and the potential for the giant quake in Indonesia, the world is witnessing what Jesus said would happen in the last days.

Across the world this last year there have many earthquakes in a number of different location. Most recently the three powerful quakes in Indonesia motivated a team of earthquake specialists to travel to the nation to try and determine the potential for additional quake activity.

The team of scientists have concluded that there is a potential for what they term a giant quake to happen in that part of the world and they say it could be sooner rather than later.

On the subject of earthquakes, Jesus said that a major indicator of the nearness of His return to the earth, the Second Coming, would be earthquake activity in different places, Matthew 24:7.

Jesus also gave the Apostle John the prophetic message of the Book of Revelation where he spoke about additional earthquake activity, including the worst earthquake that will ever take place on the earth, just before He comes back to the earth, Revelation 16:18.

The warning from a team of earthquake specialists of a giant quake in Indonesia is indeed evidence that Bible prophecy will be fulfilled, and possibly in the very near future.

5.4-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Mexico's Baja California, Leaves 400K Without Power

Saturday , February 09, 2008

LOS ANGELES  —
A moderate earthquake rocked Baja California in Mexico, shutting down factories near the U.S. border and leaving about 400,000 people without power, authorities said Saturday. No major damage or injuries were immediately reported.

The quake that struck around 11:15 p.m. Friday had a preliminary magnitude of 5.4, said Jessica Sigala, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Co. It was centered 16 miles southeast of the border town of Mexicali and about 100 miles east of Tijuana.

"It has been felt pretty widely in Southern California, southwestern Arizona and probably northern Mexico," Sigala said.

It was followed by at least 15 aftershocks, including four with preliminary magnitudes of 3.8, 3.6, 3.5 and 3.0.

The quake left about 400,000 people without electricity and 1.2 million without cellular telephone service, said Fire Capt. Rene Rosado, director of civil defense in Mexicali.

About 80,000 workers were evacuated or were unable to enter factories for Sony Corp., Honeywell International Inc. and other major corporations that typically run 24 hours a day until the buildings could be checked for damage, he said.

Two bridges showed 2- to 3-inch cracks and were closed until engineers could determine they were safe, he said.

The Baja peninsula is a geologically active region. In 2006, a magnitude-5.4 temblor struck the Mexicali area, but there were no injuries or damage.

5.4-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Mexico's Baja California, Leaves 400K Without Power (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,330170,00.html)

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake shakes Israel
02.12.08

Mild tremor felt across north, Jerusalem area Monday night; no injuries or damage reported
Jonathan Weber

A mild earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter Scale was felt across Israel Monday night, from Kiryat Shmona in the north to the Jerusalem area.

The quake's epicenter was located about 12.5 miles east of the south Lebanese town of Tyre. No injuries or damage were reported.

Police and emergency centers in the north were flooded with phone calls from concerned citizens wishing to report the quake.

Raviv Amos, a Petach Tikva resident, told Ynet: "I was sitting at my desk when it suddenly began moving from side to side. The quake lasted about three or four seconds and some objects at the house shook a bit, but nothing was broken."

Aryeh Dror from Kibbutz Hagoshrim added that the tremor was clearly felt in the north, unlike in the previous earthquakes.

The most recent earthquake, measuring 4.1 on the Richter Scale, was felt in Israel about three months ago. Earlier that week, two earthquakes, measuring 3 and 4.2 on the Richter scale, were felt throughout Israel. none of the quakes caused any injuries or damage.

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake shakes Israel (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3505649,00.html)

Strong earthquake shakes Mexico
1d 4h ago

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A strong earthquake shook southern Mexico on Tuesday, causing panic and minor damage to buildings, and prompting an oil refinery to shut down as a precaution. There were no reports of major damage or injuries.

The magnitude-6.4 quake was felt across hundreds of miles, gently swaying buildings in Mexico City and rocking parts of Mexico's Gulf coast.

In Juchitan, the quake caused large cracks in some buildings, including serious damage to two churches, and it briefly cut power and telephone service, Mexican news media reported.

In Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas state, many people fled into the streets and then lingered outside their homes, fearing aftershocks.

"It was horrible," said Cecilia Gomez, standing with her family outside her home. "It really scared me."

Daniel Roque, of Chiapas' civil protection agency, said some residents reported panic attacks, but no damage was registered.

Mexico's state-run oil company Petroleos Mexicanos shut down its Salina Cruz refinery on the southern coast as a precaution immediately after the 7:50 a.m. ET quake, two plant employees told Dow Jones Newswires. The employees spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media.

One of the employees said no damage had been found yet and that the refinery should restart production soon. He said the plant should be back to normal within 24 hours.

A Pemex spokeswoman would not comment on the reported shutdown. The refinery has a capacity of 330,000 barrels a day.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 70 miles southwest of Tuxtla Gutierrez, near the border between Oaxaca and Chiapas states.

Strong earthquake shakes Mexico (http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-02-12-mexico-quake_N.htm?csp=34)

Timor Sea Hit by Earthquake; Tsunami Alert Filed

By Ryan Flinn
15 minutes ago

Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The Timor Sea was struck by a 5.9- magnitude earthquake today, the U.S. Geological Survey said, prompting Indonesia to issue a tsunami alert.

The earthquake hit at 7:58 p.m. local time, 185 miles (300 kilometers) west of Saumlaki, Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia, the USGS said on its Web site. The temblor was 6.2 miles deep.

``Generally, this is too small for a tsunami,'' John Bellini, a USGS geophysicist in Golden, Colorado, said in an interview. Tsunamis become more of a threat after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, he said. ``If there are any people in the area, they probably felt just a light shaking.''

Indonesia's geophysics agency said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.6.

Indonesia lies in a zone where the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, Philippine and Pacific plates meet and occasionally shift, causing earthquakes and sometimes generating tsunamis. Earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more can cause considerable damage depending on their depth.

A quake of similar magnitude was recorded near the coast of East Timor on Jan. 30. A magnitude-9 temblor off the coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra in December 2004 caused a tsunami that devastated coastal communities around the Indian Ocean, killing more than 220,000 people.

Timor Sea Hit by Earthquake; Tsunami Alert Filed (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aRfExcs5UPxE)

Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Strikes Northeastern Nevada (Update3)


A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck northeastern Nevada early today, collapsing some buildings and causing gas and water leaks. No injuries were reported.

The earthquake hit at about 6:16 a.m. local time 15 miles (24 kilometers) east-southeast of Wells, a city of 1,400 people 60 miles west of the Utah state line and 149 miles west of Salt Lake City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

``It shook the whole building,'' said Jane Kelso, a clerk at the Motel 6 in Wells. ``We have cracks in our walls.''

The temblor was felt as far north as Boise, Idaho, and as far east as Salt Lake City, according to John Bellini, a geophysicist with the survey's National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado.

``It felt like my whole house was coming off the foundation,'' said Sherry Justus, a utility clerk with the city of Wells who was at home getting ready for work when the quake struck.

The quake collapsed some older buildings in Wells and caused water-main breaks, said William Webb, emergency manager for Elko County. There were also reports of a propane leak at a truck stop.

``We have buildings that have been rearranged,'' Webb said in a telephone interview. ``If you were in Wells, I'm sure it livened you up. It stirred my coffee in Elko and we're 50 miles away.''

The Nevada Highway Patrol set up shelters in Wells to help local residents, and the American Red Cross dispatched aid workers to the area, patrol spokesman Jim Stewart said.

Magnitude Revised

Nevada has the third-highest number of potentially damaging earthquakes, with magnitudes of 5.0 or greater, among all U.S. states, after Alaska and California, according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada-Reno.

The USGS originally reported that the quake had a magnitude of 6.3 before revising the figure. The Nevada Seismological Laboratory recorded the magnitude as 6.3, which would make it the strongest earthquake in Nevada since December 1954, said laboratory seismologist Diane Depolo.

The northeastern part of the state doesn't typically register many large earthquakes, although that may be because of a lack of monitoring instruments in the area, Depolo said.

``It's a small community so we're kind of concerned,'' Depolo said in a telephone interview. ``We have some weather coming through this weekend, so if they're turning off gas people could be cold.''

Powerful earthquake recorded in Norway hits Arctic waters

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 has struck Arctic waters off Norway's Svalbard islands. No damage has been reported.

Senior researcher Conrad Lindholm of the national seismic monitoring center says it is the most powerful earthquake since Norway started keeping records about a century ago. The quake early Thursday was centered in the waters of Storfjord, about 140 kms southeast of Longyearbyen, the main settlement on Svalbard.

Villagers return home, clean up after deadly Indonesian quake

Shaky villagers returned from the hills to repair homes damaged by a powerful earthquake on a remote Indonesian island that killed three people and injured more than 50 others, officials said Thursday.

Authorities were still tallying the damage on Simeule but early reports said many buildings were damaged or destroyed. At least one major bridge also collapsed, said local government official Nirda Ihsan.

Wednesday's quake had a magnitude of 7.4 and was centered under Simeule, which lies off the western coast of Sumatra. International agencies issued tsunami warnings, but no large waves were generated.

The fault line that ruptured was the same one that produced the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed more than 230,000 people, most of them on Sumatra, as well as a deadly quake three months later.

Those two quakes also caused damage on Simeule, which is home to around 75,000 people.

Ihsan said many people on the island fled to higher ground after the quake fearing a tsunami. By Thursday, most had returned, he said.

"Many people are cleaning up their homes and fixing damaged furniture," he said.

It was not clear how the three people died. Media reports said most of the injuries occurred as people ran or jumped from swaying buildings.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago with a population of 235 million people, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Major earthquake off coast of Greece

Greece was just hit by its second major earthquake in less than a week.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 6.2 temblor was centered about 140 miles southwest of Athens. A quake with the same strength was recorded in that area on Valentine's Day.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Earlier today, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake shook Indonesia. Reuters says it killed at least three people and injured more than two dozen others.

Brothers and Sisters,

By now, we should know that the frequency of disasters is escalating. AND, contrary to Al Gore, it has nothing to do with global warming. If these are the end days of this Age of Grace, we will see MUCH MORE. Bible Prophecy clearly tells us that this earth will be a horrible place in many ways for 7 years, and natural disasters is just part of it.

Praise be to God
The Earth Labors as a woman about to give birth, She trembles & her waters do break...
Glory be to God
All is as it's supposed to be...
Honor be unto our Father
Who has choosen Son's & Daughters of men to be his Children...
I am Honored & Humbled beyond words can express that God would Call me Son...
YLSD/YLBD
Soon the earth will wobble to & fro like a drunk man walking down the street...

Earthquake hits much of England
   
The biggest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years has shaken homes across large parts of England.

People in Newcastle, Yorkshire, London, Manchester, the Midlands and Norfolk felt the tremor at about 0100 GMT.

An elderly man suffered leg injuries when a chimney collapsed in Wombwell in South Yorkshire, emergency crews said.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the earthquake was of the magnitude of 5.3 and the epicentre was near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire.

Bev Finnegan, who lives in Market Rasen, said: "I was terrified to be honest. The noise was really, really terrifying... it was so deep and rumbling.

   
It's the third earthquake I have felt and by far the strongest
Adam Wilson
Cotgrave, Nottingham

'Biggest quake of my life'

"It felt like the roof was going to fall in. There were people coming out in their dressing gowns wondering what it was. It was quite an experience."

Dr Brian Baptie of the BGS said the quake was of a level to cause minor damage to buildings.

"An earthquake of this size, of magnitude five or thereabouts, will occur roughly every ten to 20 years in the UK," he said.

Wednesday morning's earthquake, which lasted about 10 seconds, was the biggest recorded example since one with a magnitude of 5.4 struck north Wales in 1984.

'Like a jelly mould'

Dr Baptie said: "The largest earthquake that we know about that has struck the UK was about 100km off the east coast of England on the Dogger Bank and it had a magnitude of 6.1.

"So we can get these kind of moderate to significant earthquakes of this size but they're relatively rare."

The West Midlands was hit by an earthquake in 2002 in the Dudley area that reached a magnitude of 5.0 and one measuring 4.3 hit Folkstone in Kent last year.

   
PREVIOUS QUAKES IN THE UK
April 2007 - Folkestone, Kent (magnitude 4.3)
December 2006 - Dumfries and Galloway (3.5)
September 2002 - Dudley, West Midlands (5.0)
October 2001 - Melton Mowbray (4.1)
September 2000 - Warwick (4.2)
April 1990 - Bishop's Castle, Shropshire (5.1)
July 1984 - Nefyn, north Wales (5.4)
June 1931 - in North Sea near Great Yarmouth (6.1)

People from across England contacted the BBC to described how their homes shook during the tremor.

Jemma Harrison, 22, in Bury, Greater Manchester, said: "It was really bad. I was fast asleep and woke up and the room was shaking and there was a loud bang and alarms were going off."

Natasha Cavey, in Tipton in the West Midlands, said: "All my cupboard doors flew open and the whole house shook, it was unreal. I can't believe it."

David in Alrewas in Staffordshire said: "The birds were flying around like it was daylight.

"It was quite severe. I experienced the Dudley one and this was more severe.

"I went outside to see if the roof had collapsed. I could see the furniture in the room moving, it was like it was on a jelly mould.

David Somerset, 41, from Driffield near Beverley in East Yorkshire, said: "I have never felt one as strong as that one before. I was in my sitting room and the grandfather clock was rattling rather violently.

"It was very strong, I felt the whole room moving."

This is a Firefox plugin which lists earthquakes as they occur. It even shakes and tosses your browser screen by amounts relative to the strength of the quake!! ;D ;D ;D ;D

Earthquake!!  ;D (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2239)

Fault Line Spawning Strong Indonesian Earthquakes May Be Sign of Worse to Come

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

AP
ADVERTISEMENT

JAKARTA, Indonesia —
The fault line that spawned the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has ruptured nearly 20 times this month, causing three strong earthquakes.

The activity shows the stress the seam is under and could be a harbinger of worse to come, scientists warn.

Kerry Sieh, from the California Institute of Technology, has studied the fault for more than 10 years. He likened it to a length of rope in an imaginary tug of war between a group of men and an elephant.

"One by one, two by two, the men are getting worn out and are letting go of the rope. That puts more stress on each of the remaining men," he wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. "Who knows which one will let go next, or whether they will let go all at once?"

Sieh and other scientists using Global Positioning System transmitters to measure the uplift of the quakes say another massive temblor sometime in the next 100 years or so is likely, but they cannot predict exactly when that will occur.

The fault line is the boundary between the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates that have been pushing against each other for millions of years, causing huge pressure to build up. It runs the length of the west coast of Sumatra about 125 miles offshore.

The steady stream of earthquakes it has produced this month do not seem to be alarming residents much. Witnesses say some have prompted people to flee swaying homes, but few are heeding or are aware of the tsunami warnings that routinely accompany the big jolts.

"People did not really care because such a tremor is nothing new," Erwin, a resident in the coastal town of Padang, said minutes after a powerful quake early Tuesday. "It was just like the one in the afternoon," said Erwin, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name.

The 2004 earthquake off Aceh province in northwest Sumatra had a magnitude of 9.2, making it the most powerful temblor in four decades. It triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 12 Indian Ocean countries, more than half in Indonesia.

Three months after the tsunami, a magnitude 8.6 quake farther down the fault line killed 1,000 people. Then in September last year, an 8.7 quake opposite Bengkulu province damaged thousands of homes, killed about 25 people and sent a 10-foot tsunami crashing into nearby coastlines.

Last Wednesday, a magnitude 7.4 quake killed three people and damaged scores of houses. Since Sunday, four other events strong enough to prompt tsunami warnings by international agencies have jolted the region.

"They are best seen as part of a chain that began in 2004," said Dr. Fauzi, a top scientist at Indonesia's National Earthquake Center. "The stability of the fault has been disturbed," said Fauzi, who goes by a single name.

Since the Indian Ocean tsunami, Indonesia has spent millions of dollars to establish a nationwide tsunami warning system, but there are still only a few warning sirens in Sumatra's threatened western coast and other beach areas.

Officials and residents of the two most populous cities of Padang and Bengkulu said no sirens sounded following the recent earthquakes despite warnings issued by the country's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

"We don't have such equipment," said Suyud, an official at Bengkulu's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. "If there were tsunami warnings issued it was only government officials who knew that from text messages on their cell phones."

Fault Line Spawning Strong Indonesian Earthquakes May Be Sign of Worse to Come (http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,332750,00.html)
~~~~~

And my browser shook like mad, a few minutes ago. So somewhere out there was an earthquake.

Magnitude 5.2 - MINDORO, PHILIPPINES

Magnitude   5.2
Date-Time   

    * Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 22:57:02 UTC
    * Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 06:57:02 AM at epicenter
    * Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location   13.296°N, 120.716°E
Depth   59.8 km (37.2 miles)
Region   MINDORO, PHILIPPINES
Distances   50 km (30 miles) W of Calapan, Mindoro, Philippines
60 km (40 miles) SW of Batangas, Luzon, Philippines
150 km (90 miles) S of MANILA, Philippines
175 km (110 miles) SSE of Olongapo, Luzon, Philippines
Location Uncertainty   horizontal +/- 12 km (7.5 miles); depth +/- 26.8 km (16.7 miles)
Parameters   NST= 18, Nph= 18, Dmin=869.7 km, Rmss=0.67 sec, Gp=115°,
M-type=body magnitude (Mb), Version=7
Source   

 ;D   ;D   ;D    ROFL!

I thought you were kidding until I clicked the link. What will they think of next? I think that I'll pass on all the effects, but I am considering a news reader again with a variety of carefully selected sources. I understand that the Thunderbird Email program will probably do what I need. I had a Firefox extension called Sage installed quite some time ago. Sage worked extremely well, but I quickly got more news than I wanted.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Moderate earthquake and string of aftershocks jolt eastern Iran

 The Associated Press
Sunday, March 9, 2008

TEHRAN, Iran: A moderate earthquake with a magnitude 5.1 and its aftershocks rattled a sparsely populated remote area in eastern Iran on Sunday morning, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The earthquake hit the town of Arianshahr near Birjand some 1,300 kilometers southeast of the capital, Tehran at 7:21 a.m. local time. (0351 GMT)

"Some people took refuge in tents after the quake caused cracks on the old walls in the epicenter," the report said. Families kept their children from school out of fear and over the next two hours there were 11 aftershocks.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a magnitude of 4.9.

Iran is located on several seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake every day on average. In November, a medium-sized quake injured 20 schoolchildren in southwestern Iran.

In March 2006, three earthquakes and nine aftershocks hit western Iran, in quick succession, killing at least 70 people and injuring about 1,200.

Moderate earthquake and string of aftershocks jolt eastern Iran (http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=10832630)
~~~~~~~~~~~~

No details yet! update in a couple of min.

7.2 in a remote area,
That's good, that means low casulities...
My son has a friend in China.

Earthquake Details
Magnitude   7.2
Date-Time   

    * Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 22:33:01 UTC
    * Friday, March 21, 2008 at 06:33:01 AM at epicenter
    * Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location   35.424°N, 81.386°E
Depth   37.2 km (23.1 miles)
Region   XINJIANG-XIZANG BORDER REGION
Distances   230 km (140 miles) SE of Hotan, Xinjiang, China
375 km (235 miles) ENE of Leh, Kashmir
615 km (385 miles) ENE of Srinagar, Kashmir
3105 km (1930 miles) W of BEIJING, Beijing, China
Location Uncertainty   horizontal +/- 6.6 km (4.1 miles); depth +/- 10.2 km (6.3 miles)
Parameters   NST=134, Nph=134, Dmin=962.1 km, Rmss=0.89 sec, Gp= 54°,
M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source   

    * USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

USGS Website (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2008pvcl.php)

Earthquake damages China's network
(chinanews.cn)
Updated: 2006-12-28 11:08

Taiwan earthquake damaged telecommunication cables linking the Chinese mainland, disconnecting users with overseas Websites like MSN service, China Netcom said on Tuesday.

Two people were killed and 42 injured when three buildings collapsed in earthquakes hit southern Taiwan Province yesterday, which also damaged at least six undersea telecommunication cables, affecting users in China and South Korea.

The quake, measured at magnitude 7.2 by the the national earthquake observation network, hit the island's southern coast at 8:26pm on Tuesday.

Aftershocks through the evening in Taiwan were measured at up to magnitude 7.0 by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Earthquake damages China's network (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/citylife/2006-12/28/content_769814.htm)
~~~~~~

USGS reports 7.2 magnitude quake in SE China

40 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Geological Survey has verified a major 7.2 magnitude earthquake at 6:33 p.m. EDT on Thursday, in southeastern China, 141 miles SE of Hotan, Xinjiang.

The temblor was initially reported as 7.4 magnitude.

The depth of the quake was verified pegged at 23.1 miles.

USGS reports 7.2 magnitude quake in SE China  (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080320/ts_nm/quake_china_dc_2)

Strong quake shakes northern Chile
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:23:08

A strong quake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale has struck northern Chile, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake, centered 141 km east of the Chilean city of Iquique, struck at 2030 GMT Monday at a depth of 120 km, the US Geological Survey said.

"For the moment we have no reports of damage or power disruptions," a source at Chile's National Disaster Agency (ONEMI) said shortly after the quake, which struck near the Bolivian border.

Miners in the region said they felt the quake, but there were no initial reports of damage from major mines either in Chile or Peru to the north, Reuters reported.

Strong quake shakes northern Chile (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=48850&sectionid=351020706)

Powerful 7.1 quake in Southern Ocean

Fri Apr 11, 11:56 PM ET

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A strong earthquake hit near the remote Australian territory of Macquarie Island Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Web site said no tsunami alert has been issued following the magnitude 7.1 quake.

The U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors quakes around the world, reported the temblor hit at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and was centered beneath open ocean, 70 miles southwest of Macquarie Island, Australia's main sub-Antarctic territory.

It was located 1,240 miles south of the New Zealand capital, Wellington.

Powerful 7.1 quake in Southern Ocean (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080412/ap_on_re_au_an/new_zealand_quake;_ylt=AlnGYUEQf0gN0gBwQrXH3pZvaA8F)

Earthquake shakes hills near Rome

Sat Apr 12, 8:06 AM ET

ROME - Italian authorities say a small earthquake has shaken the Alban Hills southeast of Rome. No injuries or damage have been reported.

Many people were awakened by the quake, which struck at 1:44 a.m. EDT Saturday. Parts of eastern Rome also have reported feeling it.

Italy's Civil Protection Department says the quake had a 3.8 magnitude.

About 15 minutes after the quake, an aftershock shook the area of the epicenter, near the wine-growing towns of Frascati and Marino.

Ciampino, a town near the hills that has a small airport serving Rome, also reported feeling the tremors.

Earthquake shakes hills near Rome (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080412/ap_on_re_eu/italy_quake;_ylt=AqZrp39Qcerh0GXso.hebkp0bBAF)

Unusual Earthquakes Measured Off Oregon
Apr 12, 5:06 PM (ET)

By JEFF BARNARD

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) - Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption - except there are no volcanoes in the area.

Scientists don't know exactly what the earthquakes mean, but they could be the result of molten rock rumbling away from the recognized earthquake faults off Oregon, said Robert Dziak, a geophysicist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Oregon State University.

There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 150 miles southwest of Newport. The biggest was magnitude 5.4, and two others were more than magnitude 5.0, OSU reported.

On the hydrophones, the quakes sound like low thunder and are unlike anything scientists have heard in 17 years of listening, Dziak said. Some of the quakes have also been detected by earthquake instruments on land.

The hydrophones are left over from a network the Navy used to listen for submarines during the Cold War. They routinely detect passing ships, earthquakes on the ocean bottom and whales calling to one another.

Scientists hope to send out an OSU research ship to take water samples, looking for evidence that sediment has been stirred up and chemicals that would indicate magma is moving up through the Juan de Fuca Plate, Dziak said.

The quakes have not followed the typical pattern of a major shock followed by a series of diminishing aftershocks, and few have been strong enough to be felt on shore.

The Earth's crust is made up of plates that rest on molten rock, which are rubbing together. When the molten rock, or magma, erupts through the crust, it creates volcanoes.

That can happen in the middle of a plate. When the plates lurch against each other, they create earthquakes along the edges.

In this case, the Juan de Fuca Plate is a small piece of crust being crushed between the Pacific Plate and North America, Dziak said.

Unusual Earthquakes Measured Off Oregon (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080412/D900I9U80.html)
~~~~~~~~~


Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;

Thinking about this, the Juan de Fuca plate is off Oregon. With 600 earthquakes, this almost sounds like a volcanic eruption about to happen. The only problem with that is, there are no volcanoes on the Juan de Fuca plate. There are volcanoes though in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. It could be one of the following volcanoes are getting ready to erupt. But this is only an opinion.

They are, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Glacier Peak, Mount St. Helens, in Washington. Mount Bailey, Belknap Shield Volcano, Crater Lake, also known as Mount Mazama,  Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Mount McLoughlin, Newberry Caldera, Mount Thielsen, Three Sisters, are in Oregon. Mount Shasta, Lassen Peak, are in California.

I think I named them all for y'all. :D

I subscribe to the USGS website that will email earthquakes to you. My current subscription is for earthquakes worldwide over 5.0. I have been getting these for about 3 years now and see many obvious patterns in places that get them on a regular basis in and around the ring of fire and elsewhere. But, for the past week my inbox has been overflowing like nothing I have ever seen. Does anyone else subscribe to these and see what I am talking about? After the past 3 years of watching these, it really does seem like there is some excessive moving and shaking going on! Here is the past few days.

04/17/2008      USGS ENS      2008-04-17 17:02:52 (Mb 5.5) SAIPAN REG., N. MARIANA ISLANDS 15.9 144.8

04/16/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-16 00:35:48 (Mw 6.2) TONGA -18.7 -175.7

04/16/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-16 19:19:34 (Mw 5.7) NEAR WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN 39.0 139.9

04/16/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-16 08:11:32 (Mb 5.8) MOLUCCA SEA 0.8 126.1

04/16/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-16 05:54:35 (M 6.6)  ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS. 51.0 -179.9

04/16/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-16 05:54:23 (Mw 6.5) ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS. 51.9 -179.1    

04/16/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-16 05:54:35 (Ml 5.9) ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS. 51.7 -177.2

04/16/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-16 00:35:48 (Mb 5.5) TONGA -18.7 -175.7

04/16/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-15 22:59:54 (Mw 6.3) ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS. 52.0 -179.4    

04/15/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-15 17:25:01 (Mb 5.5) FIJI REGION -18.6 -176.1

04/15/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-15 03:03:10 (Mw 6.1) NEAR COAST OF GUATEMALA 13.7 -90.6

04/14/2008      USGS ENS      2008-04-14 09:45:22 (Mb 6.0) SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION -56.0 -28.2     

04/14/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-11 16:35:58 (Mw 5.9) LOYALTY ISLANDS -20.4 168.9

04/14/2008     USGS ENS     2008-04-12 08:50:16 (Mw 5.5) MID-INDIAN RIDGE -14.9 67.2

AHHHHH! I lived NEAR to most of them! (Guam) (http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff133/onionethan/onion_Emoticons/006_.gif)
Scary thought.

I felt this one this morning and another one within the last hour. Schools here have been let out until gas lines can be checked for possible leaks but there is no apparent damage anywhere nearby where I live as of yet.



5.2 quake shakes large part of Midwest
Rattles skyscrapers in Chicago, homes in Cincinnati

Residents across the Midwest were awakened Friday by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Chicago's Loop and homes in Cincinnati but appeared to cause no major injuries or damage.

The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered six miles from West Salem, Ill., and 66 miles from Evansville, Ind.

"It shook our house where it woke me up," said David Behm of Philo, 10 miles south of Champaign. "Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It's not like California."

Bonnie Lucas, a morning co-host at WHO-AM in Des Moines, said she was sitting in her office when she felt her chair move. She grabbed her desk, and then heard the ceiling panels start to creak. The shaking lasted about 5 seconds, she said.

The quake is believed to have involved the Wabash fault, a northern extension of the New Madrid fault about 6 miles north of Mt. Carmel, Ill., said United States Geological Survey geophysicist Randy Baldwin.

The last earthquake in the region to approach the severity of Friday's temblor was a 5.0 magnitude quake that shook a nearby area in 2002, Baldwin said.

"This is a fairly large quake for this region," he said. "They might occur every few years."

Baldwin said the USGS revised the quake's magnitude from 5.4 to 5.2.

Irvetta McMurtry of Cincinnati said she felt the rattling for up to 20 seconds.

"All of a sudden, I was awakened by this rumbling shaking," said McMurtry, 43. "My bed is an older wood frame bed, so the bed started to creak and shake, and it was almost like somebody was taking my mattress and moving it back and forth."

Lucas Griswold, a dispatcher in West Salem, said the Edwards County sheriff's department received reports of minor damage and no injuries.

"Oh, yeah, I felt it. It was interesting," Griswold said. "A lot of shaking."

Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Todd Ringle in Evansville said there were no immediate reports of damage.

Correction: It was just a little over an hour ago for the second one.

An aftershock of magnitude 4.5 follows the 5.2 Illinois Quake

Few minutes ago, the usgs website reported an aftershock of magnitude 4.5. This quake occurred at 10:14:16 AM (local time) today. According to the U.S. Geological Survey it had a magnitude of 4.5. It was located about 5 miles from the first quake this morning in West Salem, Ill.

This aftershock was felt by far more people compared to the original quake as most people in the region have woken up by now.

There were 2 more aftershocks between the 4.5 and 5.2 magnitude earthquakes. The U.S. Geological Survey said two small aftershocks during the next three hours measured 2.6 and 2.5.

There were no immediate reports of injuries after the first quake.

As per wikipedia : An aftershock is an earthquake that occurs after a previous earthquake (the main shock). An aftershock is in the same region of the main shock (generally within a few rupture length) but is always of smaller magnitude. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock.

I felt both here in kitchener, Ontario

Hello Pastor Roger,

I heard about this quake this morning from several sources, including my daughter. According to her, they've had some interesting ROCK AND ROLL in St. Louis. They said that it was more than just obvious at their home. We've had some tiny quakes in Oklahoma, but they've talked for years about the possibility of some big ones on a fault line within 20 miles of us. We actually have a very old and unmanned seismic station in a tiny town called Meers. There's a very old seismic machine in the main building of the tiny town. I assume that someone picks up the paper readings, but I don't know who.

If I understand correctly, there were multiple quakes from more than one fault line, and these fault lines are old and inactive. I think that Meers is the intersection of 2 fault lines, so this might be the beginning of some interesting things for the entire area. I just give thanks that there are no reports of anyone being hurt or killed.

Hello Brother David,

WOW! - I see that we made our posts 11 seconds apart. By the way, I don't remember feeling anything at all here. However, we're used to hearing and feeling artillery, bombs, and you name it from the ranges on Ft. Sill.

Yes, there were two quakes about 5 miles apart then two aftershocks later on. This was the largest earthquake in Illinois since they started keeping records. There was a large number of quakes in 1811-1812 but the region was sparsely populated then so other than some anomolies called sandblasts and a report that the Mississippi River flowed backwards it cannot be said just how big those quakes were as there were no recording devices in the area.

Yes, there probably will be more coming soon. The release of pressure on this area can most likely increase the pressure on other areas of the New Madrid fault lines.

Brothers, lets not forget the "Wrath of the Lamb" earthquake. This one will be felt through out the whole world.

Revelation 6:12, 14-17 12 When He [the Lamb] broke open the sixth seal, I looked, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun grew black as sackcloth of hair, [the full disc of] the moon became like blood.

14 And the sky rolled up like a scroll and vanished, and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place.  15 Then the kings of the earth and their noblemen and their magnates and their military chiefs and the wealthy and the strong and [everyone, whether] slave or free hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 And they called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on (before) us and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne and from the deep-seated indignation and wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of His wrath (vengeance, retribution, indignation) has come, and who is able to stand before it?

East Timor shaken by strong earthquake, causing panic

Sat Apr 19, 1:56 AM ET

DILI, East Timor - An undersea earthquake rocked East Timor's coastal capital Saturday, shaking buildings and sending screaming residents running into the streets.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the magnitude 6.4 tremor, according to a witness and meteorological agencies.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the tremor at a magnitude 6.0, while the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysics Agency registered a more powerful 6.4.

The agencies said it struck 55 miles north of the capital, Dili, at a depth of 7 miles.

"The tremor was very strong and shook everything in my house," said Ruben Ximenes, a technician for the United Nations. "All I could do was run away."

Women and children were screaming and some people used bamboo drums to sound the alarm, he said.

No tsunami alert was issued following the quake.

East Timor shaken by strong earthquake, causing panic (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080419/ap_on_re_as/east_timor_earthquake;_ylt=Ar7P46LMEWF22q3INmYt5mwBxg8F)

Reno's swarm of quakes defies the odds
'When you get a hundred of them in 1 day, you start to feel like you are in Berlin in 1944'

Residents of the Reno suburb of Mogul are so shaken by an intense swarm of earthquakes over the past two months that some have taken to sleeping outside in campers and trucks.

Since an April 25 temblor knocked pictures off the walls and broke the family crystal, Phil Oberlander has spent nights in his Cuddy Cabin boat parked in front of the house.

"I was in a car wreck that was less violent than the earthquake," Oberlander said. "When you get a hundred of them in one day, you start to feel like you are in Berlin in 1944."

Since Feb. 28, more than 1,000 earthquakes have struck the small community about 2 miles west of Reno. The strongest one, of 4.7 magnitude, hit a week ago, knocking over furniture and cracking walls. Along with California, Nevada is one of the most seismically active states in the country. Nevada experienced magnitude 6 quakes in Verdi, west of Reno, in 1948 and in Reno in 1914.

But scientists say the "Mogul earthquake sequence" is unusual.

"Normally, Nevada and California earthquakes are 5 to 10 kilometers deep, and these here are unusually shallow," said Rasool Anooshehpoor, research associate professor at the Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada. "Hopefully, we can learn and see what causes them, but right now I don't think we have enough information."

Scientists are also puzzled over the progression of the swarms - usually, the main shock is followed by a series of smaller quakes that eventually fade out. In the Mogul sequence, smaller temblors led to a large one, Anooshehpoor said.

On April 25, for example, the area was hit by a magnitude 3.3 quake, followed by a 4.7 and at least 30 smaller ones. Since then, the scientists have counted more than 600 quakes.

"It is certainly intriguing, and it will be interesting to see when all this comes together," said David Hill, a veteran seismologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. "We see a lot of sequences like this in volcanic areas, where they are associated with stresses as the magna moves around."
Mogul residents uneasy

Earthquakes historically have occurred away from population centers, and Mogul residents say all the moving and shaking right beneath the town has put them on edge.

"I know people in the Bay Area think we are wimps, and 4.7 is not very big," said Sandy Wyosnick, who took all her paintings off walls, duct-taped her kitchen cabinets shut and now sleeps in a camper in the backyard. "But when it's right under your feet, it's big."

Len and Gail Sims decided not to take their chances and moved into a downtown hotel.

"It's very nerve-racking; you don't know when the big one is coming," Sims said. "Our nerves are just fried."

Last week, Len Sims was awakened by a loud crack - the 4.7 temblor sent a TV set and paintings to the floor. The Sims spent the rest of the night in the back of their truck and in the morning got an emergency supply of water and food.
Temblor smashed bar

The April 25 quake also pushed the fireplace several inches off the wall and took down a bar filled with collectible wine and liquor in Garrett Rucker's two-story house.

"It was just unreal," said Rucker, who now sleeps in a motor home outside the house with his parents. "I looked at the book shelves, and they were moving from side to side."

In the past several days, the number of the earthquakes has been declining, but scientists are being careful with their predictions about future seismic activities in the area. Historically, there is a 5 percent chance that any earthquake can be followed by another one of a higher magnitude in the following 10 days.

"People have been studying to see if there is a precursor," said Anooshehpoor. "But no scientist can tell you that there is going to be an earthquake tomorrow at 5 p.m."

The talk around town is about a big one hitting the area in the upcoming weeks. Some residents are staying with their relatives in Reno, while others, like Wyosnick, are camping outside.

"One good thing that has come out of this," she said, "is that we have finally met our neighbors."

Thousands evacuated as frequent earthquakes rock southern Chile

Some 4,000 people have been evacuated from Chaiten in southern Chile since Friday night, as minor but frequent earthquakes struck the region.

According to the University of Chile's Seismological Service, more than 10 moderate earthquakes have hit the Chaiten region between Friday night and Saturday morning.

No casualties or damage have been reported so far.

The quakes, some experts believe, were triggered by the eruption of Chaiten volcano early Friday morning. Regions around the volcano have been covered with dense clouds of ash and dust.

The volcano, located 10 km from the city of Chaiten, is small and not expected to produce huge eruptions, but possible eruptions at any time pose a deadly threat due to the volcano's proximity to the city. Local authorities have declared a red alert.

Quake 100 miles away wakes up Tokyo residents
Strong temblor struck off coast of Japan

A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Japan early Thursday, the national Meteorological Agency said, waking up people 100 miles away in Tokyo.

Two people suffered minor injuries from falling furniture, public television broadcaster NHK reported. An 18-year-old man was hit when his stereo speakers fell onto his bed, and a 25-year-old man was hit by objects rattled off shelves.

There were no other immediate reports of injuries or damage from the magnitude 6.8 earthquake, NHK said. No tsunami warning was issued.

The earthquake occurred at 1:45 a.m. offshore at a depth of about 25 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was about 100 miles northeast of Tokyo.

A second quake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck the same area about 30 minutes later, and more aftershocks could follow, Tamotsu Aketagawa, an official who monitors earthquakes for the country's Meteorological Agency, told The Associated Press.

"Since it was a very large-scale earthquake, we would expect to see some modest aftershocks," he said.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because it sits atop four tectonic plates. Tokyo has not been hit by a major quake since 1923, when 140,000 people died in the Great Kanto Earthquake.

Magnitude 5 quake strikes off Legaspi City

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck off Legazpi City at 1:38 p.m. Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, about four-and-a-half hours after Albay and Sorsogon were hit by a 4.8 magnitude tremor.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The latest undersea quake was located 45 kilometers south of Bicol region’s southeastern city and 50 kilometers north-northeast of Masbate island at a depth of 31.6 kilometers, the USGS said.

Alex Baloloy, senior science research analyst of the Philippine Institute
of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in Bicol, said the first quake, with a 4.8 magnitude, struck at 8:59 a.m.

It was measured at intensity 5 in Bulan, Sorsogon, and intensity 3 in Legazpi City.

He said the earthquake's epicenter was detected 41 kilometers south and 17 kilometers west of Legazpi City with a depth of 21 kilometers.

The earthquake, caused by the movement of tectonic plates under the earth's surface, was not destructive since it was below magnitude 6, Baloloy said.

He added it had nothing to do with any activity on Mayon Volcano, which had been showing an intensified crater glow during the past weeks.

"The intensified crater glow is a sign of rising magma. But Mt. Mayon's alert warning is maintained at level 1," Baloloy said in a mobile phone interview.

He said visual observation of the crater glow is just one parameter in determining volcanic activity.

"We are now monitoring other parameters such as seismic activity, ground deformation, and sulfur dioxide emission," Baloloy said.

He added that the alert level status may only be heightened when all the parameters show a significant increase.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a zone where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Small earthquake reported in northern Virginia

The U.S. Geological Survey says a small earthquake shook the Washington area today, and some residents reported feeling tremors.

There were no reports of damage or injuries.

The earthquake occurred at 1:30 p.m., and the epicenter was about a mile from Annandale in Fairfax County. The Geological Survey estimates its magnitude at 1.8.

County spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald says the county received several dozen calls from people wondering what it was they were hearing or feeling. In neighboring Arlington County, officials also received calls from residents reporting rumbling.

Bruce Presgrave is a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado. He says earthquakes with a magnitude of about 2.0 or less are usually called microearthquakes, and about 1,000 occur around the world each day.

China says massive quake has killed thousands
7.8 temblor topples schools, factories, hospital in Sichuan province

A massive earthquake struck central China on Monday, killing more than 8,500 people and trapping nearly 900 students under the rubble of their school, state media reported.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake was among the worst to strike China in decades, devastating a hilly region of small cities and towns in Sichuan and nearby provinces. The official Xinhua News Agency said 8,533 people died in Sichuan and dozens of other deaths were reported elsewhere.

Xinhua said 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed in Beichuan county in Sichuan province after the quake, raising fears the overall death toll could increase sharply.

A chemical plant collapsed in Shifang city, to the northeast of the quake’s epicenter, burying hundreds of people and sending more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia leaking from the site, state media reported.

The earthquake sent thousands of people rushing out of buildings and into the streets hundreds of miles away in Beijing and Shanghai. The temblor was felt as far away as Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand.

The quake was one of the deadliest in three decades and posed a challenge to a government already grappling with discontent over high inflation and a widespread uprising among Tibetans in western China while trying to prepare for the Beijing Olympics this August.

Middle of the school day
Monday’s quake hit 60 miles northwest of Chengdu in the middle of the school day, toppling at least eight schools, leaving hundreds of students and teachers trapped, state media said. There were several smaller aftershocks, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.

The temblor struck hilly country leading up to the Tibetan highlands, toppling buildings in small cities and towns in the largely rural area. About 1,200 pandas — 80 percent of the surviving wild population in China — live in several mountainous areas of Sichuan.

The earthquake occurred in an area with numerous fault lines that have triggered destructive temblor before. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake in Diexi, Sichuan, that hit on Aug. 25, 1933 killed more than 9,300 people.

Xinhua said 50 bodies had been pulled from the debris of the school building in Juyuan town but did not say if the children were alive. Xinhua reported students also were buried under five other toppled schools in Deyang city.

‘Crying out for help’
Xinhua said its reporters saw buried teenagers struggling to break loose from underneath the rubble of the three-story building in Juyuan “while others were crying out for help.”

Two girls were quoted by Xinhua as saying they escaped because they had “run faster than others.”

Photos showed heavy cranes trying to remove rubble from the ruined school. Other photos posted on the Internet and found on the Chinese search engine Baidu showed arms and a torso sticking out of the rubble of the school as dozens of people worked to free them, using their hands to move concrete slabs.

Calls into the city did not go through as panicked residents quickly overloaded the telephone system. The quake affected telephone and power networks, and even state media appeared to have few details of the disaster.

“In Chengdu, mobile telecommunication convertors have experienced jams and thousands of servers were out of service,” said Sha Yuejia, deputy chief executive officer of China Mobile.

Although it was difficult to telephone Chengdu, an Israeli student, Ronen Medzini, sent a text message to The Associated Press saying there were power and water outages there.

“Traffic jams, no running water, power outs, everyone sitting in the streets, patients evacuated from hospitals sitting outside and waiting,” he said.

Xinhua said an underground water pipe ruptured near the city’s southern railway station, flooding a main thoroughfare. Reporters saw buildings with cracks in their walls but no collapses, Xinhua said.

Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Chengdu and President Hu Jintao ordered an “all-out” rescue effort, Xinhua reported.

Olympic venues survive unscathed
The earthquake also rattled buildings in Beijing, some 930 miles to the north, less than three months before the Chinese capital was expected to be full of hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors for the Summer Olympics.

Many Beijing office towers were evacuated, including the building housing the media offices for the organizers of the Olympics, which start in August. None of the Olympic venues was damaged.

“I’ve lived in Taipei and California and I’ve been through quakes before. This is the most I’ve ever felt,” said James McGregor, a business consultant who was inside the LG Towers in Beijing’s business district. “The floor was moving underneath me.”

In Fuyang, 660 miles to the east, chandeliers in the lobby of the Buckingham Palace Hotel swayed. “We’ve never felt anything like this our whole lives,” said a hotel employee surnamed Zhu.

Patients at the Fuyang People’s No. 1 Hospital were evacuated. An hour after the quake, a half-dozen patients in blue-striped pajamas stood outside the hospital. One was laying on a hospital bed in the parking lot.

Skyscrapers in Shanghai swayed and most office occupants went rushing into the streets.

In the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, 100 miles off the southeastern Chinese coast, buildings swayed when the quake hit. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Thousands of army troops and paramilitary People’s Armed Police carrying medical supplies were also headed to the region, state television said. But a landslide had blocked a mountain road leading to Wenchuan, preventing troops from reaching the scene, state radio said.

The quake was felt as far away as the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, where some people hurried out of swaying office buildings and into the streets downtown. A building in the Thai capital of Bangkok also was evacuated after the quake was felt there.

Major event
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake is considered a major event, capable of causing widespread damage and injuries in populated areas.

The last serious earthquake in China was in 2003, when a 6.8-magnitude quake killed 268 people in Bachu county in the west of Xinjiang.

China’s deadliest earthquake in modern history struck the northeastern city of Tangshan on July 28, 1976, killing 240,000 people.

I was thinking today after reading about 9,000 killed in an earthquake that the Lord's coming must be soon--I hope.

Hello Jon-Marc,

I hope so too. TODAY WOULD BE JUST GREAT!

Love In Christ,
Tom

 

AMEN!!

I know, I'm ready to go to my real home.

An earthquake of 6.0 just hit the Rat Islands, a portion of the Aleutian Islands, just off the Alaskan Coast. This is the second one of this or greater magnitude in the last several weeks in this area. This area is a portion of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The ring of fire area has experienced many earthquakes of high magnitude in the last month throughout the Pacific region. While it is common for the Aleutian Island area to experience numerous earthquakes in succession it is not normal for earthquakes of this magnitude.

There are no current reports of damage or tsunami warnings at this point.

Earthquake may destroy Jerusalem shrines - Al Aqsa Mosque and the Wailing Wall

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4738 (http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4738)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"At that moment a powerful earthquake struck. One-tenth of the city (Jerusalem) collapsed, 7,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven" Revelation 11:3

The Middle East expects a powerful earthquake that endangers not only dozen thousands of human lives, but also world famous shrines such as the Church of the Holly Sepulcher, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Wailing Wall, the scientists warn.

Minor shakes on the territory of Israel become more frequent and it gives nother reason for anxiety. They don't measure more than three-five balls aren't dangerous for people, the MK.ru website has reported to Interfax-Religion on Friday.

However, according to Israel seismologists, a 7.00 earthquake may happen any time.

"The country is located in the earthquake region near the Syrian-African rift and earthquake measuring 6.00-7.00 on the Richter scale may kill not less than 16,000 people, injure over 90, 000 people and cause material damage to the whole country," Chairman of the Construction engineers and infrastructure association Dr. Serna said.

According to the experts, about 17 per cent of buildings constructed before establishing of the Israeli state and in its first years are to be destroyed by the upcoming earthquake in Jerusalem only. Considerable damage will be inflicted to 11 per cent of modern buildings with average construction quality and 6 per cent of modern buildings with high construction quality.

According to Dr. Ron Evny from the Beer Sheva University, powerful earthquakes have taken place in the Holy Land once in 84 years from the mid 18th century. The last powerful earthquake (6,25) was registered in Palestine on July 11, 1927 and caused 300 deaths.

Besides, a 5,30 ball earthquake was recorded in Israel two years ago. Over 80 unique items were harmed in the architectural conservation area of the excavated ancient town of Hazor founded in the 18th century B.C.

That verse is Rev 11:13 not verse 3.

This particular verse speaks of the time during the two witnesses and the reign of the anti-christ in Jerusalem. In the book of Rev it speaks of earthquakes many times and the great destruction that will come from them.

It might have been a misprint, but interesting how their observations coincide with prophecy.

Hello GrammyLuv and All,

I think there are thousands of pieces to the giant puzzle of Bible Prophecy, and I have no doubt at all that they will all fall in place perfectly at GOD'S Appointed time. This is a wild and fascinating time that we live in for Bible Prophecy.

Love In Christ,
Tom

 

 Crews search for missing in Japan's 7.2 quake

Rescue squads and military helicopters raced to find 11 people missing after an earthquake in mountainous northern Japan sent hillsides crashing down Saturday, killing at least six and injuring more than 140.

The 7.2-magnitude quake triggered several major landslides, blocking roads and stranding about 100 bathers at a hot spring resort. Crews searching for the missing had to hike mountain trails and dig their way to the worst-hit areas.

"It was the worst quake I have ever felt," said Rinji Sato, whose grocery store in this town near the epicenter was a mess of shattered bottles and food thrown from shelves. "We were just lucky this didn't hit a big city."

Officials said at least 144 people were injured, a number that would surely have been higher if the quake had hit a more heavily populated area. Sato described the temblor as a sharp vertical jolt followed by a powerful sideways swaying.

"It was impossible to stay on your feet," he said.

The government responded quickly, mobilizing troops, police and fire department rescue teams to find and care for the injured and to recover the dead.

"Our most important task is to save as many lives as possible, and we are doing the best we can," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said.

Access, however, was a major obstacle.

The quake — followed by more than 150 aftershocks — buckled roads, including one highway that was severed when a stretch of land collapsed, turning it into a sudden drop-off. Trains also were halted throughout most of the region while workers checked the safety of the tracks.

Hundreds of people in several isolated towns with disrupted roads were waiting for rescuers to arrive more than 12 hours after the quake.

"We're getting growing reports of damage, but we can't even get out there to assess the situation with roads closed off because of landslides," said city official Norio Sato in Kurihara, one of the worst-hit cities in northern Miyagi prefecture (state).

Seven people at Komanoyu hot springs were missing and believed buried after a landslide hit the resort, said another Kurihara city official, Katsuyuki Sato. Another 100 or so people were stranded but safe. Kurihara officials said four more were missing elsewhere bringing the total missing to 11.

At a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, about 60 miles away, the jolt splashed a small amount of radioactive water from two pools storing spent fuel. Trade and Industry Ministry official Yoshinori Moriyama said there was no leakage outside the plant.

The Defense Ministry dispatched a dozen helicopters and patrol aircraft to the region to conduct flyovers and assess the extent of damage. The government also sent a CH-47 helicopter carrying Disaster Minister Shinya Izumi to the region.

The 8:43 a.m. quake was centered about 5 miles underground in the prefecture (state) of Iwate. It was felt as far away as Tokyo, 250 miles to the southwest.

"It shook so violently that I couldn't stand still. I had to lean on the wall," said Masanori Oikawa, a city official in nearby Oshu who was at home when the quake struck. "When I rushed to the office, cabinets had been thrown onto the floor and things on the desks were scattered all over the place."

Electricity was cut to about 29,000 households and water to about 500 others, though services were mostly restored by Saturday night.

The dead included three construction workers who were on a hillside when the morning quake struck. The ground gave way beneath them, and they tumbled about 300 feet to their deaths in the avalanche. Twelve others at the site managed to dig themselves out of the landslide.

Another victim ran out of a building in fear and was hit by a passing truck.

Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the world. The most recent major quake in Japan killed more than 6,400 people in the city of Kobe in January 1995.

Strong quake 7.0 shakes east coast of Japan
The Associated Press
10:22 p.m. MT, Fri., July. 18, 2008

TOKYO - A strong earthquake with a preliminary 6.6 magnitude struck off of Japan's eastern coast Saturday, the country's meteorological agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The 11:39 a.m. quake, which occurred off the coast of Fukushima prefecture about 150 miles northeast of Tokyo, was followed by several aftershocks.

The quake, which struck about six miles below the ocean's surface, shook buildings as far away as Tokyo.

The agency issued a tsunami warning for parts of Japan's eastern coast, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said there was no broad threat in the Pacific.

However, earthquakes of this magnitude can generate local tsunamis that can be destructive within a 60-mile range, the tsunami center said.

"There are no reports of damage, but tsunamis are still a threat and so we have evacuated the beaches. There were a lot of people out because the weather was so nice today," said Toshihiko Keiokawa, a policeman near where the quake hit.

He had no immediate estimate on the number of evacuees.

Surfers were brought in to land in neighboring Miyagi Prefecture, where there were also no reports of damage or injury, said Norio Watanabe, a local police spokesman.

Japan sits atop four tectonic plates and is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.

Last month a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck sparsely populated rural areas in northern Japan, killing at least 12 people, leaving 10 others missing and injuring more than 300.

Strong quake shakes east coast of Japan (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25743607/)

Tsunami warning in northeast Japan after 7.0 quake

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning in northeast Japan on Saturday after an earthquake measuring 7.0 in magnitude struck off the east coast of Honshu.

There were no initial reports of damage from the quake.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said the tsunami warning was for around 50 cm.

The epicentre of the quake was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, the same area as a June 14 quake which killed at least 10 and left as many again missing.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the Niigata region in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring more than 3,000.

That was the deadliest quake since a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.

Tsunami warning in northeast Japan after 7.0 quake (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/19/worldupdates/2008-07-19T084238Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-345853-2&sec=Worldupdates)

An earthquake was just reported as hitting the area from San Diego to Los Angeles. The most recent report says it was 5.8, a major seismic event. so far there are no reports of damage but it is still early in the reporting stages.

1,200 flee as quake hits southern China

Wed Aug 20, 1:42 AM ET

BEIJING - A report says about 1,200 people have evacuated their homes after a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit southern China near its border with Myanmar.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency says no deaths were reported in Wednesday morning's quake, but many homes collapsed.

A report on the U.S. Geological Survey's Web site says the quake's epicenter was about 140 miles west of the popular tourism city of Dali in China's Yunnan province.

The chief of publicity with Yingjiang County's Communist Party committee told Xinhua that many homes in the epicenter of Sudian Township collapsed.

1,200 flee as quake hits southern China (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_re_as/china_earthquake;_ylt=As6UvdzvUG5DerEjvwNm1sEBxg8F)

12 killed in Russian North Caucasus quake

Sat Oct 11, 1:29 PM ET

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia - A strong earthquake hit Chechnya and other parts of Russia's North Caucasus Saturday, killing at least 12 people and damaging scores of hospitals, schools and other buildings, emergency officials said.

The quake hit around 1 p.m. (0900 GMT) and was centered northeast of the Chechen capital, Grozny, Russian emergency officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor had a magnitude of 5.3.

At least 12 people were killed in the quake and a series of aftershocks, which were felt throughout the North Caucasus and which rattled Grozny for more than 30 seconds, the regional Emergency Situations Ministry office said. The toll was expected to rise as officials got information from outlying districts.

Most victims were killed by falling debris or furniture in homes and apartment buildings, said Oleg Grekov, a regional emergency official. More than 60 people sought medical help in the hardest hit Chechen towns, which included Grozny and Gudermes, he said.

Russia's Caucasus Mountain region only sees occasional earthquakes. Most buildings are not reinforced against severe structural shocks and even small quakes can cause serious damage.

Emergency officials said buildings in some districts saw serious structural damage, including hospitals in two Chechen districts.

Chechnya is one of Russia's poorest regions, having suffered through two devastating wars in the past 15 years. Many people in the region are unemployed, and sporadic fighting between separatist rebels and federal and regional forces erupts regularly.

12 killed in Russian North Caucasus quake  (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081011/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_caucasus_earthquake;_ylt=AvhIC.ICLEhv1bSREWy_4lV0bBAF)

Quake shakes British Virgin Islands
Posted: 07:21 AM ET

(CNN) — A 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook the British Virgin Islands at 6:40 a.m. ET Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There was no immediate information about possible damage.

The quake was centered about 50 miles (81 km) north of Little Harbour, British Virgin Islands, at a depth of 18 miles (29 km), the USGS said.

Quake shakes British Virgin Islands (http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/11/quake-shakes-british-virgin-islands/)

Quake in remote Pakistan border region kills 170
Estimated 15,000 left homeless, rescuers digging for survivors

A strong earthquake struck before dawn Wednesday in impoverished southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 170 people and turning mud and timber homes into rubble.

An estimated 15,000 people were left homeless, and rescuers were digging for survivors in a remote valley in Baluchistan, the remote province bordering Afghanistan where the magnitude 6.4 quake struck.

Officials said they were distributing thousands of tents, blankets and food packages and sending in earth-moving equipment to dig mass graves. Many of those who survived were left with little more than the clothes they had slept in, and with winter approaching, temperatures were expected to drop to around freezing in coming nights.

Worst-hit was the former British hilltop resort of Ziarat and about eight surrounding villages, where hundreds of houses were destroyed, including some buried in landslides triggered by the quake.

"There is great destruction," said Ziarat Mayor Dilawar Kakar. "Not a single house is intact."

Aftershocks rattled the area throughout the day, including one estimated at magnitude 6.2 in the late afternoon. There were no reports of additional casualties or damage.

Kakar said the death toll from the quake was 170, with 375 injured. Around 15,000 people lost their homes, he said.

Kakar appealed to "the whole world" for help, but the head of Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority said an international relief effort would not likely be necessary.

In the village of Sohi, a reporter for AP Television News saw the bodies of 17 people killed in one collapsed house and 12 from another. Distraught residents were digging a mass grave in which to bury them.

"We can't dig separate graves for each of them, as the number of deaths is high and still people are searching in the rubble" of many other homes, said Shamsullah Khan, a village elder.

Other survivors sat stunned in the open.

Hospitals in the nearby town of Kawas and the provincial capital Quetta, 50 miles away, were flooded with the dead and injured. One patient, Raz Mohammed, said he was awoken by the sound of his children crying before he felt a jolt.

"I rushed toward them but the roof of my own room collapsed and the main iron support hit me," he told an AP reporter in Quetta Civil Hospital. "That thing broke my back and I am in severe pain but thank God my children and relatives are safe."

Farooq Ahmad Khan, head of the disaster authority, said 2,000 houses were destroyed and that teams were scrambling to erect shelters for 2,500 to 3,000 people.

The main quake struck at 5:10 a.m. local time and had a preliminary magnitude of 6.4, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It was a shallow 10 miles below the surface and was centered about 400 miles southwest of the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan is prone to violent seismic upheavals. Wednesday's quake was the deadliest since a magnitude-7.6 quake devastated Kashmir and northern Pakistan in October 2005, killing about 80,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

A temblor of magnitude 7.5 that hit Quetta in 1935 killed more than 30,000 people.

Baluchistan is home to a long-running separatist movement, but is not considered a major battleground in the fight against Taliban insurgents that plague other border regions.

Ziarat, a hilltop resort ringed with juniper forests, has long attracted summer visitors. British officials retreated there from Quetta when the area was part of British India. Pakistanis flock to the former residence of Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and the shrine of a revered saint.

US Government warns of "catastrophic" quake
Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:42pm EST

By Carey Gillam

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - People in a vast seismic zone in the southern and midwestern United States would face catastrophic damage if a major earthquake struck there and should ensure that builders keep that risk in mind, a government report said on Thursday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said if earthquakes strike in what geologists define as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, they would cause "the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States."

FEMA predicted a large earthquake would cause "widespread and catastrophic physical damage" across Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee -- home to some 44 million people.

Tennessee is likely to be hardest hit, according to the study that sought to gauge the impact of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in order to guide the government's response.

In Tennessee alone, it forecast hundreds of collapsed bridges, tens of thousands of severely damaged buildings and a half a million households without water.

Transportation systems and hospitals would be wrecked, and police and fire departments impaired, the study said.

The zone, named for the town of New Madrid in Missouri's southeast corner, is subject to frequent mild earthquakes.

Experts have long tried to predict the likelihood of a major quake like those that struck in 1811 and 1812. These shifted the course of the Mississippi River and rang church bells on the East Coast but caused few deaths amid a sparse population.

"People who live in these areas and the people who build in these areas certainly need to take into better account that at some time there is ... expected to be a catastrophic earthquake in that area, and they'd better be prepared for it," said FEMA spokesperson Mary Margaret Walker.

US Government warns of "catastrophic" quake (http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USTRE4AJ9EV20081120)

Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning
Nov 28
By JON GAMBRELL

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- A series of small earthquakes that rattled central Arkansas in recent weeks could be a sign of something much bigger to come.

By this weekend, seismologists hope to install three measurement devices to gather data about future temblors in the area. That information could show whether the rumbles come from heat-related geological changes or from an undiscovered fault - which could mean a risk of substantial earthquakes in the future.

"The potential for generating a high-magnitude earthquake is real," said Haydar Al-Shukri, director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Five earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 2.2 to 2.7 have hit central Arkansas this month. Quakes with a magnitude of 2.5 to 3 are typically the smallest felt by people.

While hundreds of earthquakes occur each year, including several in Arkansas, the location of the recent ones give Al-Shukri pause. Arkansas quakes generally occur in the state's northeast corner, part of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where three temblors with magnitudes of around 8 struck during the winter of 1812 and smaller ones continue today.

But central Arkansas does not have any seismic history, Al-Shukri said.

"It is abnormal. It is significant," he said. "We need to carefully watch this activity."

The area does not have any permanent seismograph, so researchers asked the University of Memphis in Tennessee if they could use its portable equipment. The nearest seismographs aren't close enough to provide the detailed readings scientists need to determine what could be causing the tremors or properly locate their origin, said Scott Ausbrooks, the geohazard supervisor for the Arkansas Geological Survey.

"I don't know if you've looked at a map of where these events are located, but they've got a scatter on them," he said. "We're thinking this is probably the inherited error built in when you try to locate events of this small a magnitude from that far away."

Ausbrooks said officials would install the three seismographs around Magnet Cove, a Hot Spring County community near where a magnitude-2.7 earthquake hit on Nov. 1. Residents told police dispatchers they heard what sounded like an explosion.

One possible culprit could be a hydrothermal quake, caused by extremely hot fluid pushing into rocks under the surface. The hot fluid percolates into the cracks of the rocks and causes movement, Al-Shukri said.

That theory matches the geologic history of the area. Central Arkansas is home to Hot Springs, a city that grew up around its namesake spas. The springs have 143-degree waters rushing to the surface continuously.

If that's the case, the earthquakes likely wouldn't pose a drastic danger to the area, Al-Shukri said. At their strongest, such quakes reach only a magnitude of 5, the U.S. Geological Survey's threshold for "moderate."

However, if the earthquakes are caused by a previously unknown fault, that could mean a much more powerful temblor in the future. A recently discovered fault in eastern Arkansas near Marianna caused an earthquake with a magnitude of between 7.2 and 7.5 in the past 5,000 years, Al-Shukri said. That could cause widespread, heavy damage.

"Now, it's not active, but in geologist time, that's yesterday," he said.

Ausbrooks wouldn't speculate on what could be causing the earthquakes, saying he wanted to see what data the seismographs capture. However, he acknowledged an unknown fault could be running through the area.

"There are numerous faults across the state, both known and unknown," Ausbrooks said. "This area has got a lot of faults associated with it from the mountain building of the Ouachitas, but they're considered inactive."

Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning  (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ARKANSAS_EARTHQUAKES?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US)

Scientists eye swarm of Yellowstone quakes
Were the more than 250 tremors a sign of something bigger to come?

Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come.

Swarms of small earthquakes happen frequently in Yellowstone, but it's very unusual for so many earthquakes to happen over several days, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

"They're certainly not normal," Smith said. "We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years."
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here

Smith directs the Yellowstone Seismic Network, which operates seismic stations around the park. He said the quakes have ranged in strength from barely detectable to one of magnitude 3.8 that happened Saturday. A magnitude 4 quake is capable of producing moderate damage.

"This is an active volcanic and tectonic area, and these are the kinds of things we have to pay attention to," Smith said. "We might be seeing something precursory.

"Could it develop into a bigger fault or something related to hydrothermal activity? We don't know. That's what we're there to do, to monitor it for public safety."

The strongest of dozens of tremors Monday was a magnitude 3.3 quake shortly after noon. All the quakes were centered beneath the northwest end of Yellowstone Lake.

A park ranger based at the north end of the lake reported feeling nine quakes over a 24-hour period over the weekend, according to park spokeswoman Stacy Vallie. No damage was reported.

"There doesn't seem to be anything to be alarmed about," Vallie said.

Smith said it's difficult to say what might be causing the tremors. He pointed out that Yellowstone is the caldera of a volcano that last erupted 70,000 years ago.

He said Yellowstone remains very geologically active — and its famous geysers and hot springs are a reminder that a pool of magma still exists five to 10 miles underground.

"That's just the surface manifestation of the enormous amount of heat that's being released through the system," he said.

Yellowstone has had significant earthquakes as well as minor ones in recent decades. In 1959, a magnitude 7.5 quake near Hebgen Lake just west of the park triggered a landslide that killed 28 people.

Hello Pastor Roger,

I heard a few news spots about Yellowstone, and you already know what I was thinking about. We really have only beginner's knowledge about the POWER GOD has locked up in HIS CREATION. We barely have a clue, but we do know that man has nothing to compare. We also know that all men will be HUMBLED BEFORE GOD one day, and I think that day is soon.


Love In Christ,
Tom

Proverbs 29:15 NASB  The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.

On the 4^th I will post all the information on Yellowstone earthquakes from the volcanic information website I use.

Although I already know they will say Yellowstone is not expected to erupt The program they use, can't be programed for "Super Volcanoes".

All will be done in God's time, not mans...........

Brother,

I never cease to be amazed at folks who think that they have GOD'S CREATION all figured out. In reality, they can take all of the super computers in the world and not unlock all the secrets in a single grain of sand. This single grain of sand is just a tiny example of the MAJESTY, MIGHT, POWER, AND GLORY OF OUR CREATOR - ALMIGHTY GOD!

You're right, all will be done according to GOD'S Time. When GOD displays just a tiny sample of HIS Power, it's beyond man's comprehension. The only thing to do is fall at HIS Feet and say "ONLY YOU ARE THE ALMIGHTY - THE CREATOR - THE GREAT I AM". As Christians, we already do this in hearts of love and appreciation. HE has foretold us about what is yet to come, and we know it will come to pass exactly as HE said it would thousands of years ago.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Colossians 2:2 NASB  that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

Amen.

Yes, the computer models used only have what they understand or want in them. It is the same with all of the models, earthquakes, volcanoes and weather. The old saying "garbage in garbage out" does apply. Computer models can be manipulated according to the operators desires. As Brother Tom said, they always leave out the most important factor "the MAJESTY, MIGHT, POWER, AND GLORY OF OUR CREATOR - ALMIGHTY GOD! ...  The only thing to do is fall at HIS Feet and say "ONLY YOU ARE THE ALMIGHTY - THE CREATOR - THE GREAT I AM"."

AMEN!

AMEN and AMEN again!!

Grim conditions force Chinese president to revisit site of Sichuan earthquake
By Malcolm Moore in Beichuan
30 Dec 2008

Only a handful of the five million people whose homes were destroyed by the strongest earthquake to hit China in half-a-century have managed to rebuild before the arrival of winter.

Piles of bricks and bags of cement line the road to Beichuan, near the epicentre of the quake, as peasants desperately try to erect structures that will shield them from the elements. The temperature in this mountainous region has already dipped to zero and will fall to as much as minus 20 degrees centigrade in the coming months.

As he surveyed the refugee camps, where the cold weather has triggered flu outbreaks, Mr Hu said: "The most important thing is to make sure all people are housed, have clothes and quilts to resist the cold, have enough food for the winter and coming spring and [that] medical services and epidemic prevention are in place."

Hong Xiuqiong, 34, lives in a shack made of reclaimed wood and with a straw roof. "The government has stopped paying out the relief money and we have barely any food," she said. "We only have a plastic sheet to wrap around the hut to try to make it waterproof."

Mrs Hong, who lives with her baby, her husband and his family in the tiny hut, said she thought her 90-year-old father-in-law "may not make it". She added: "I was tempted to commit suicide myself after the earthquake."

A rash of suicides has spread across Beichuan as the survivors of the earthquake contemplate the years of poverty and helplessness ahead. In Lei Gu, a town of prefabricated cabins where many of the residents of Beichuan have moved, there have been two suicides and a third attempt in the past few weeks.

In Mianyang, the closest big city, two government officials have recently taken their lives. The 40-year-old director of the city's human resources department leapt from a 15th floor window while Dong Yufei, a director of the disaster relief operation, hanged himself.

Dong's 12-year-old son was one of the earthquake's 88,000 victims, and the director was widely praised for his heroic actions during the disaster. He left a letter saying the pressure was too great, and that he needed "a good rest".

Although China has pledged to spend £100 billion on rebuilding Sichuan, the province has only received £7 billion so far, and many charitable pledges have failed to materialise.

The relief operation in Lei Gu has housed 10,000 and the main thoroughfare of the town already boasts seven mobile phone shops in a row. But villagers complain that jobs are scarce, and that their cabins are damp and ill-equipped for the freeze.

"We don't have any land to grow food for ourselves anymore," said Xie Caijun, a 37-year-old fruit-seller. "The few people here with jobs work for the local schools. We will have hot water and heat this winter, but it will be hard. The residents of Lei Gu have been told they will have to stay in their cabins for at least three years before a rebuild can begin, so that proper planning can be carried out.

Some areas inside the earthquake zone now have an unemployment rate of 80 per cent, according to Li Chengyun, the vice governor of the province. More than a million farmers lost their land and tools, and the local economy has been devastated.

The economic crisis throughout the rest of China is also expected to weigh heavily on Sichuan. During China's boom, the province sent over 20 million migrant workers to China's cities. Now that jobs have dried up, a stream of migrants is returning home. The authorities have equipped many refugee camps with satellite television to try to diffuse tension and give residents something to do.

On the road to Lei Gu, Huang Jinchang has just started building his new home. "We started two months ago, it took a long time to get permission," said the 44-year-old farmer. "Each family received between 16,000 rmb (£1,600) and 22,000 rmb from the government in compensation, and we've been given interest-free loans from the banks. But the price of bricks has doubled in the rush, as has the price of steel and cement. We're not going to manage to finish before Chinese New Year [Jan 25]."

Grim conditions force Chinese president to revisit site of Sichuan earthquake  (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/4030640/Grim-conditions-force-Chinese-president-to-revisit-site-of-Sichuan-earthquake.html)

Mysterious tremors detected on San Andreas Fault      

breitbart.com

Scientists have detected a spike in underground rumblings on a section of California's San Andreas Fault that produced a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in 1857.

What these mysterious vibrations say about future earthquakes is far from certain. But some think the deep tremors suggest underground stress may be building up faster than expected and may indicate an increased risk of a major temblor.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, monitored seismic activity on the fault's central section between July 2001 and February 2009 and recorded more than 2,000 tremors. The tremors lasted mere minutes to nearly half an hour.

Unlike earthquakes, tremors occur deeper below the surface and the shaking lasts longer.

During the study period, two strong earthquakes hit—a magnitude-6.5 in 2003 and a magnitude-6.0 a year later. Scientists noticed the frequency of the tremors doubled after the 2003 quake and jumped six-fold after 2004.

Tremor episodes persist today. Though the frequency of tremors have declined since 2004, scientists are still concerned because they are still at a level that is twice as high as before the 2003 quake.

The team also recorded unusually strong rumblings days before the 2004 temblor.

Results of the research appear in Friday's issue of the journal Science. The work was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Science Foundation.

"The fact that the tremors haven't gone down means the time to the next earthquake may come sooner," said Berkeley seismologist and lead researcher Robert Nadeau.

Nadeau first discovered tremors deep in the San Andreas Fault in 2005. Before that, the phenomenon was thought only to occur in Earth's subduction zones, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another.

USGS seismologist Susan Hough found the latest observations intriguing, but said it's too soon to know what they mean.

"We don't have enough data to know what the fault is doing in the long term," said Hough, who had no part in the research.

Quake shakes wide area of US-Mexico border region
By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press Writer
Wed Dec 30, 6:53 pm ET

SAN DIEGO – A magnitude-5.8 earthquake rocked the U.S.-Mexico border region Wednesday, causing hospitals to evacuate in the Mexican industrial city of Mexicali as buildings swayed more than 100 miles to the west in San Diego and southwestern Arizona.

There were no reports of injuries or major property damage.

The main quake was centered about 20 miles southeast Mexicali, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed quickly by a 4.8 quake and dozens of other aftershocks.

In Mexicali, five hospitals were briefly evacuated, 90,000 customers lost electricity for 14 minutes and cell phones failed to work for 20 minutes, said Rene Rosado, director of the city's civil defense.

City government offices closed for the day after the quake struck at 10:48 a.m. local time. About 300 employees emptied City Hall.

"People were very frightened throughout the city," Rosado said.

There was "minor damage" to several buildings in Mexicali, a city of 750,000 people and capital of Baja California state, said Alfredo Escobedo, the state civil defense director.

In Calexico, a California city of 40,000 people across the border from Mexicali, crews found no damage to bridges, buildings or roads, said City Manager Victor Carrillo.

"Basically it was a quick, shake-and-bake, jolt-type of thing that seemed to last 15, 20 seconds, 30 seconds at the max," said Carrillo, who was in a meeting at City Hall during the quake. "I have quite a few items on the shelves in my office and they're all intact."

Citizen reports to the USGS indicated it was also felt in southern Nevada and metropolitan Los Angeles.

In Yuma, Ariz., Sally Zeller, a 31-year-old waitress at Brownie's cafe, said she and most everyone in her restaurant felt the quake for several seconds.

"It rumbled under our feet and the soup counter rumbled against my hip," Zeller said. "The chandeliers were swaying. It was like, 'Whoa!'"

The quake was centered in a seismically active desert valley near cities with low-rise buildings.

It occurred 4.3 miles deep and was considered a shallow quake. Shallower quakes have the potential to cause more damage than deeper ones.

A quake the size of Wednesday's main shock rattles the region about every 10 years, said Kate Hutton, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology.

Quake shakes wide area of US-Mexico border region (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091230/ap_on_re_us/us_border_quake)

Destructive tsunami crashes over Solomon Islands
Jan 4, 11:32 am ET

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A tsunami unleashed by a major earthquake plowed into the Solomon Islands on Monday with the crashing waters devastating at least one village.

Initial reports said no one was seriously hurt.

A series of major quakes have rocked the South Pacific region since Sunday, with three powerful temblors striking Monday, including a 7.2 magnitude tremor. The Solomon Island's National Disaster Management Office said reports of the devastation were beginning to filter in late Monday.

The tremors were centered beneath the ocean floor near the town of Gizo, which was badly damaged in April 2007 when a 8.1-magnitude quake sent a tsunami crashing into the coast, killing more than 50 people.

Monday's tsunami devastated a village on Rendova Island, some 188 miles (300 kilometers) from the capital Honiara, disaster management official Loti Yates told The Associated Press.

"One report from police was that one village was hit by a 6 to 10 foot (2-3 meter) wall of sea water," Yates said. "It was a total inundation police saw in a fly over."

Rendova is home to about 3,600 people.

Yates said in Baniata village on Rendova's coast, 16 houses were destroyed and 32 damaged by the quake and the wave.

"It could be several hundred houses have been damaged ... but that is still not verified," said Yates. "There are two to three villages where the situation could be much worse."

Ten foreign tourists were staying on Tetepare Island, an uninhabited eco-tourism site, and the four Germans, four Britons and two New Zealanders were evacuated. Unconfirmed reports said two had been injured.

Yates said there were no other reports of injuries. "We're lucky that whatever happened happened during the day and people were able to hike up the hills," he said

Two helicopters and a police boat were carrying out damage assessments and a vessel carrying water, food and tarpaulins was dispatched from Honiara.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded eight earthquakes in the region since late Sunday. The magnitude 7.2 was centered 64 miles (103 kilometers) southeast of Gizo, and followed a magnitude 6.5 tremor less than two hours earlier centered 54 miles (90 kilometers) southeast of Gizo at a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers).

The latest aftershock was magnitude 6.1 and struck late Monday, 22 miles (36 kilometers) southeast of Gizo, U.S. Geological Survey said in a statement.

Pacific Tsunami Warning Center geophysicist Gerard Fryer in Hawaii said it was too small to create a tsunami. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The Solomon Islands lie on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.

Destructive tsunami crashes over Solomon Islands (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100104/ap_on_re_as/as_solomon_islands_quakes)

Sources: US takes control of Haiti
'We are the only ones who can get things done.'
Stewart Stogel
World Net Daily

UNITED NATIONS - Informed US State Dept sources tell WND that Washington has taken de-facto control of earthquake ravaged Haiti.
Vice President Joe Biden told reporters at Homestead AFB, Fla., where relief efforts are underway, that Haiti is a nation that's "totally collapsed".
Secy of State, Hillary Clinton, was the first White House cabinet member to arrive on the scene. She made a brief tour of the Port au Prince region on Saturday.
UN relief efforts, however, have been criticized as "disorganized" and "haphazard" by US sources.
The UN's Haiti operations center was destroyed in last weeks quake. Secy Genl Ban Ki moons special representative, Hedi Annabi, who remained 'missing' more than 4 days later, was found dead Saturday. Annabi was believed to be in the complex at the time of the quake.
In a statement released Saturday evening, Ban called Annabi the 'gold standard' of international civil servants.
UNICEF which operated separately from the UN system, saw its headquarters survive, but was also severely impacted because many of its personnel were in the field at the time of the quake. A substantial number of those still remain unaccounted for...
     Cont'd...

Cont'd...

US souces confirm to WND that Haitian relief efforts could easily pass $1 billion in the next few months, much of that aid being financed by Washington.
The UN has already announced a $550 million int'l emergency fund raising drive.
Not only could the rescue and rebuilding efforts reach billions of dollars, but they could also take years to accomplish.
US sources point out that even today, more than 4 years later, New Orleans is still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina.
  Meanwhile, in a hasty move, Ban Ki moon will fly this weekend for a brief one day tour of Haiti.
It is not clear what Ban can do. UN sources tell WND that Ban will not venture beyond a few miles from Port au Prince airport.
He has no intention of trying to reach the city of Jacmel, which sources say is in worse shape than Port au Prince.
  Bans special Haitian envoy, Bill Clinton, elected not to accompany the UN chief to Port au Prince. Speculation says that Hillary did not want to be 'upstaged' by the former president.
  Meanwhile, UN sources admit that part of the problem that now exists in Haiti squarely fallls on the UN and the international community.

        Cont'd...

Cont'd...

Virtually nothing of substance has been done to build a credible infrastructure in Haiti since the military govt of Gen. Raul Cedras was overthrown by the Clinton administration military invasion in 1994.
   More that 20,000 US troops participated in the 1994 naval and air campaign.
The US forced Cedras to flee the country, but since, Haiti has seen its "elected" govt's vacillate between Jean Betrand Aristide and his political nemesis Rene Preval, resulting in a near political paralysis.
  Preval saw his presidential palace collapse last week, fled to the Port au Prince airport (where he now resides) and has only made some carefully orchestrated "trips" into the city.
Preval, it was pointed out by US officials, is president of a government that does not exist.
  Coincidentally, CNN showed video on Friday of a collapsed and deserted Haitian parliament building.
Of more immediate concern is the expected influx of Haitian refugees into the US.
  "Months and years" of continuous US aid to Haiti was mentioned by Obama at the White House on Saturday. Obama announced that former president George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will lead US fundraising efforts to aid displaced Haitians. For Pres. Bush, it was his first return to the White House since leaving office a year ago.
  "They (Bush and Clinton) will send an unmistakable message to the Haitian people", Obama explained.
"We ae in it for the "long haul"", Biden  added. "It is going to take years."

The U.S. control only extends to that for earthquake relief. Local police forces have regathered and working to maintain control of the population, enforcing some semblance of peace.

There was a hospital unit from the IDF in Israel that were on site and set up for operation within 24 hrs. Within less than 1 and a half days later they had already taken care of well over 1,000 injured and sick people. The hospital was only designed to handle 500 max per day. The IDF hospital was the first to set up and be in operation way ahead of even the U.S.

I've watched and tried to keep up with the news in Haiti. I must say that the U.N. doesn't appear to be worth much to these suffering people. What the IDF was able to accomplish in such a short period of time is amazing. I realize much of this expertise is because of being under fire and siege for over 50 years, but we could learn much from them. I have no doubt that we will do much of the heavy lifting, and we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for a lot of help from the U.N.

The UN isn't worth much to anyone except for the purposes of evil.

The IDF does have the expertise. They also have more concern for people that are suffering than they do for their own comforts. When I went to Desert Storm I was with a unit that set up a 500 bed hospital tent unit. We set it up in record breaking time and it still took us 6 days to do it. Of course there was time spent on putting in concrete slabs under the tents for sanitation and a lot of comfort items for us. Even with that I was amazed at the 8 hr set up time the IDF had. (16 hrs of that 24 hr period was travel time to get there)