2011 Earthquakes
December 23, 20112011 was another shaky year for earthquakes, meaning, there were more earthquakes than ‘normal’ again this year, a year in which a rare magnitude 9 changed or extinguished the lives of countless thousands in Japan and beyond.
The definition of ‘normal’ is arguably a stretch, but it’s the best we have in today’s modern world. The earthquake quantity and magnitude data of 2011 is being compared to data that has been collected since 1990 by the USGS, which is conveniently listed on their website.
Magnitude 7 – 7.9
Average # per year (14)
2011 (19)
136% of normal
Magnitude 6 – 6.9
Average # per year (131)
2011 (183)
140% of normal
Magnitude 5 – 5.9
Average # per year (1,290)
2011 (2,226)
173% of normal
Map of the largest 5,000 earthquakes of 2011
Japan earthquake map – 2011
Puerto Rico earthquake map – 2011
Christchurch New Zealand earthquake map – 2011
United States earthquake map – 2011
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Christchurch New Zealand Quaking Again
December 22, 2011
Just off the coast of Christchurch New Zealand, several moderate earthquakes shook within minutes of each other including the strongest quake to ring the planet in at least a week.
First, a magnitude 5.8. Eight minutes later, a magnitude 5.3. Twenty four minutes later, a magnitude 4.2. At this point the magnitudes were diminishing somewhat. However, forty-eight minutes later, the strongest yet, a magnitude 5.9. It’s not over yet… an hour and a half later, a magnitude 4.8. Hopefully that’s it, as of this post time.
Hopefully those in Christchurch who suffered through the devastating 7.0 earthquake in September 2010, are prepared for another possible upset. Lets hope this recent group of quakes goes to rest. However when moderate quakes occur in such short time, separated by distances of 5 to 10 kilometers, it appears as though stresses are cracking all over that region rather than at just one location exhibiting a shock, and then aftershocks, etc.
Something’s up… or should I say, ‘down’. Plus, a new moon in a couple of days?
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San Francisco Earthquakes, USGS Coverup?
October 20, 2011
Today, the San Francisco Bay Area shook with two decent size earthquakes in the magnitude 4 range on the Hayward fault. Two quakes of this magnitude in one day is unheard of.
Having experienced both of these earthquakes myself today (I happen to live only a handful of miles away from today’s epicenter), and having more than a decade of earthquake experience in this geographical area, the 2nd earthquake today felt without a doubt stronger than the first, while at the same time they (the USGS) immediately downgraded the 2nd quake from a 4.2 to a 3.9, then to a 3.8! No way! I’ve felt enough 3 and 4-range quakes to know what these feel like. This 2nd one today really shook the place strongly.
I wonder if ‘they’ do not wish to alarm the populace that this 2nd quake is stronger than the first, and therefore is not an aftershock but possibly another fore-shock? You see, aftershocks are smaller than the initial quake, and additionally also begin to occur almost immediately after the initial quake. Today, the 2nd, seemingly larger quake came nearly 6 hours later. Seems suspicious.
This time it seems so obvious to me that there may be some conspiracy going on over at USGS. I hate to say it, because I’m not a conspiracy nut. However there is all sorts of history regarding government ‘officials’ not wanting to alarm the public one way or another, so, why should this be any different… ?
While watching the live TV news coverage after the event, as they continue to interview lots of people on the air, nearly every single one of them have said that they are amazed and astounded at the magnitude reported now by the USGS. The people saying this are mostly experienced long-time residents of earthquake country…
I have just lost nearly all credibility of the USGS, and the methodology that they are using to measure quakes today. How is it that they ALWAYS (90% of the time) downgrade a quake? Why not mix some upgrades with the downgrades – over the years on average? It’s always down… That tells me that either their measuring equipment or methodology is entirely faulty, or there is a deliberate intention to downgrade quakes. I believe now that it may be deliberate. They are a government organization after all, who answers up the chain of command. Think about it.
All I can say is that I’m glad I’m moving out of this area within a few months!
Update,
I dug up a few waveforms of the two quakes, as shown below for simple non-scientific comparison (C043 NC HNZ, C033 NC HNZ). USGS says Quake-2 was weaker than Quake-1.
In addition, to put the USGS initial reporting ‘error’ into perspective, in the particular case of Quake-2, they initially rated it magnitude 4.2, then downgraded to 3.8, which is a difference in strength of 2.5 times! In other words, their error was 250%. (Note, it’s a logarithmic scale, e.g. a magnitude 5 is 10x stronger than a magnitude 4)
Seems like their computer algorithms are a bit off-the-mark.
Update, October 27, 2011
Yet another earthquake rattled the Bay Area originating from the Hayward Fault in the East Bay, again not too far from where I currently live. This time, around 5:30 in the morning, I had just sat down with my morning coffee and turned on the laptop, then …Bang-Jolt ~~followed by shaking for about 8 seconds. Sure got the heart pumping. I popped on the TV, minutes later the initial report was a magnitude 3.9. Then, wouldn’t you know it, about 15 minutes later it was downgraded to a 3.6. What’s up with that?
This State sure has been shaking lately. Last night a 4.7 up near Truckee. Oh, by the way, that earthquake was initially a 5.2, then downgraded to a 4.7. Downgraded by the USGS? Really? (insert sarcasm …shocking)
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Strong Earthquake Rocks East Coast USA, Virginia
August 23, 2011
VIRGINIA: STRONG EARTHQUAKE ROCKS EAST COAST USA
Magnitude 5.9
(later downgraded to 5.8 by USGS)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 17:51:03 UTC
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 01:51:03 PM at epicenter
Location 37.975°N, 77.969°W
Depth 1 km (~0.6 mile) (poorly constrained)
(later updated to 6 km (3.7 miles)
Region VIRGINIA
Distances
6 km (4 miles) SSE (152°) from Louisa, VA
6 km (4 miles) SW (236°) from Mineral, VA
26 km (16 miles) SE (133°) from Gordonsville, VA
66 km (41 miles) NW (318°) from Richmond, VA
134 km (83 miles) SW (219°) from Washington, DC
Earthquake depth was VERY SHALLOW, ~1km, meaning lots of shaking…
(update, USGS just changed depth to 3.5 miles still pretty shallow)
Shook much of Washington, D.C., felt as far north as Rhode Island, New York City
Brings down cell phone / landline service to New York (apparently now restored)
All Flights Grounded at New York Airports
Pentagon Evacuated
Office Workers Scramble onto Streets in Washington DC
Rattles Manhattan
US Capitol Building Evacuated
2 Nuke Reactors Taken Offline
Downtown Baltimore: Office Workers Run to Streets
Felt in Toronto Canada
Geologist Warns of Aftershocks
Union Station Evacuated, Chunks of Ceiling Falling…
National Monuments Evacuated and Closed
LaGuardia Airport Evacuated
Verizon and ATT say Very High Volume Making Service Spotty
Nuclear Regulatory Commission: …not immediately aware of any damage
NRC: Officials are still assessing the situation
North Anna Nuclear Power Station, now using four diesel generators to maintain cooling
People “Panicking”
News Agencies telling people to ‘Calm Down’
JFK resumes flights
Could be some structural damaged buildings: being inspected
University of California, R. Allen: “Cannot rule out larger quake to come”
Workers return to Pentagon…
Washington Monument Reportedly LEANING?!
Tremors felt as far north as Bath, Maine
President to speak and calm people’s nerves
Californians chuckle…
USGS: The largest damaging earthquake in that zone since 1875
Wall Street Surges, Rallies while earth shakes
Broken Spire at the National Cathedral, DC
“a thunderous noise”
The largest to ever hit the D.C. area
White House Roof Snipers Scramble From Hiding Holes During Quake
Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard Courthouse Evacuated During Quake
Obama didn’t feel it while on Golf Course, but apparently ‘double bogeyed’ oops…
and the best news is…
DC Employee Evacuation Results in Temporary Economic Recovery
Washington DC earthquake damage
(sorry, i couldn’t resist…)
Cracks Found at Washington Monument
Quake waves raced west, 500 miles/min, reaching CA seismo monitors in 5 minutes
…even on the East Coast you want to be prepared
Virginia Earthquake Seismic Waves Race Across the Country
Food For Thought,
Could This Be A Foreshock??
(probably not, but it is possible)
You may be interested in
Earthquake History East Coast USA Continental Shelf
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Earthquake History, East Coast USA, Continental Shelf
August 23, 2011
Map of US East Coast Earthquake History
(updated to include the August 23, 2011 earthquake location)
Latest major activity (on land):
UPDATE, AUGUST 23, STRONG EARTHQUAKE ROCKS EAST COAST USA, VIRGINIA
…original post
An unusual magnitude 3.9 earthquake rumbled beneath the Atlantic Ocean seafloor off the East Coast of the United States on November 30, 2010. It was unusual in the fact that it was located offshore of the east coast United States, where there is just a spotted history of earthquake activity.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 6.6 km, only about 100 miles off the coast of New Jersey and Long Island at the mid-Atlantic continental shelf region.
The eyebrow raising fact of this earthquake was its location. That is, right on the edge of the continental shelf where the seafloor drops from a depth of 500 feet all the way down a steep cliff to about 7,000 feet before gradually dropping further to depths as deep as 20,000 feet.
The location of the earthquake, although 4 miles below the surface (about 21,000 feet), is centered literally right on the top edge of the 7,000 foot cliff.
It is unimaginable to think about the consequences if part of the 7,000 foot cliff were to crack and fall away to the seafloor. Can you say, ‘Tsunami’?
There is no indication that this is a current possibility, simply an observation based on the location coupled with the fact that we don’t often see earthquakes in this general location.
Earthquake history of the mid-Atlantic continental shelf
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Earthquake Fatality Trends – Increasing?
June 23, 2011
Are earthquakes around the world increasing, compared to the historical recorded ‘normal’? Some suggest yes, while others argue no due to technological advancements in earthquake detection and reporting – which is partly true – but mostly for lower magnitude quakes. Given that ‘large’ earthquakes seem to be occurring at a higher than normal rate, I thought that it would be worth data-mining the fatality statistics – to have a slightly different angle approach on the subject.
My data is sourced from the USGS (United States Geological Survey).
Before some of you immediately discount the results due to advancements in technology and data reporting during recent times compared to say, 50 years ago or further… consider this…
Similar to how recent technology has enabled more accurate accounting of small earthquakes compared to years ago, today’s communications technology has no doubt contributed somewhat to a higher number of reports of fatalities due to earthquakes around the world compared with years ago.
There is without a doubt some percentage of ‘skew’ in the numbers because of this. However, I would argue that the skew is somewhat slight when considering that strong-high magnitude earthquakes (and fatalities) are fairly easy to measure and account for – and have been, even 50 or 100 years ago.
In addition, although expected along tectonic boundaries, the random nature of where a large earthquake will occur, will affect the number of recorded fatalities. Logically, if a large quake occurs near a major city region, we will surely encounter higher fatalities. World population has also increased, thus increasing the odds of earthquake fatality (and all other fatalities for that matter…).
Nevertheless, it is interesting to look at historical data, while keeping in mind the known arguments for-and-against an increase in earthquakes or fatalities during recent times.
My instinct tells me that we are in a period of higher than ‘normal’ earthquake activity while looking at magnitude 5 or greater, and while looking at overall fatalities (given the arguments).
Curiously, the highest hit nations with regards to earthquake fatalities since the year 1900 are China, Sumatra, Haiti, Japan, Pakistan, Peru, Italy, Turkey, and Iran.
Earthquake Fatality Trend – 10 year intervals to 2011
As of the end of June, 2011, the world has already received the average (1) quake of magnitude 8 or greater, plus we’re 117% ahead for magnitude 7-7.9, 197% ahead for magnitude 6-6.9, and 212% ahead for magnitude 5-5.9 earthquakes as of percentages for day#174 of the year.
Given these interesting statistics, you may ask, what can I do about it? It’s out of my control…
You can take some preparedness precautions by storing some extra food and water (a ‘survival’ form of life-insurance), build a simple (or complicated) survival kit for you home or vehicle, or think about or make a disaster plan (where you would go – what you would do).
Remember, by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail…
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Earthquake Hazard – Pipelines
May 5, 2011When faults rupture and generate earthquakes, that rupture can extend to the surface, rupturing aqueducts and pipelines. It is estimated that there are 32,000 miles each of water and sewer distribution pipes or pipelines in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving more than 7 million people.
When contemplating what could happen as a result of a significant earthquake, anywhere in the world, serious consideration should be given towards the potential damage to buried infrastructure such as water supply pipelines, sewage pipes, natural gas pipelines, and communications and electrical cables.
An earthquake of sufficient magnitude that can severely damage homes and buildings, could also just as easily damage critical infrastructure – something that may be overlooked while thinking about your planning and preparations.
According to ABAG (Association of Bay Area Governments), “Examining the locations of dams, water and wastewater treatment facilities, and pipeline networks that make up the water supply and wastewater collection system, shows earthquakes to be the greatest hazard. Because these systems have to be located in urban areas to serve those communities, their general hazard exposure is similar to that of the areas they serve.”
This is not unique to the San Francisco Bay area. It is most certainly the case elsewhere within earthquake hazard zones.
In the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the SF Bay Area experienced 507 water pipeline breaks or major leaks (the earthquake epicenter was 60 miles away). ABAG has estimated that there could be 6,000 – 10,000 water pipeline breaks or major leaks in a future earthquake on the Hayward fault, which is located directly within the Bay area itself.
For those that live in or close to known earthquake hazard zones, careful thought should be designated for planning to live for a period of time without the most basic of necessities such as running water, sewage treatment, communications, and electricity, many of which criss-cross earthquake fault zones in an array of distribution pipelines.
A major concern is also one of Fire. Not only will fires erupt from buildings whose infrastructure damage sparks flames, but if any natural gas distribution pipelines burst, as happened during a devastating instance during 2010 in San Bruno, California, entire neighborhoods or larger zones could be incinerated in a short period of time. Pacific Gas and Electric has kept secret their location of underground gas pipelines, so we (the public) really don’t know where they all are.
The idea here is to think beyond preparedness plans of just food and water. Imagine other likely scenarios including dam bursts, flooding, fires, and backed up sewage systems. Many geologists predict that the most dangerous earthquake fault in the world today is the Hayward fault located on the East Bay side of San Francisco, as there are millions of people that live immediately upon it and around it. It is projected to release a magnitude 7+ at any time, and is well overdue. Time to take action and prepare now, before it is too late.
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