Major Earthquake Swarm off Yemen – Trouble??
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What is going on off of the coast of Yemen?!
There has been a tremendous number of earthquakes that began early during 14-Nov, and are ongoing at this moment.
More than 30 strong earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.5 to 5.4 have rattled under the sea where the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea meet at a point off of Yemen.
The depths have been mostly around 10km, with a few deeper. A closer look reveals something that appears highly unusual. That is, so far 20 of the earthquakes have been at a depth of exactly 10.0 km.
This earthquake swarm is occurring right now, and is happening right in the middle of major oil and freight transit sea lanes, the busiest in the world.
Stay tuned and check back for more details and graphics as this unfolds…
Yemen Earthquake Swarm, closeup view, Gulf of Aden
This map will be updated as the event unfolds.
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The first earthquake occurred at 06:29, 14-Nov-2010 as a magnitude 4.6.
Just 3 minutes later, boom, a magnitude 5.4. Subsequent earthquakes have been shaking the ocean floor, some only minutes apart, and some just seconds apart.
The earthquake swarm location is at a tectonic plate boundary region where the Arabia plate meets the Somalia plate and the Nubia plate. A string of volcanoes are in the vicinity.
Update, 15-Nov, 04:00 UTC, they just keep on coming… 39 by my last count. Amazing. I wonder exactly where, and how deep the oil and gas fields are in the region, and what affect or hazard that an undersea volcanic eruption would present to that region.
Yemen Earthquake Swarm – Depths
What seems out of the ordinary, is how so many of the earthquakes have been at a 10 km depth. It’s as though there is a rift there, at that plane. The more recent earthquakes have varied a bit deeper, while there is one shallow 2.4 km event.
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<something feels unsettling about this one>
Update, 15-Nov, 1500 UTC, three additional earthquakes rumbled near magnitude 5 within 30 minutes of each other, bringing the current total count up to 42. Location map and depth chart have been updated.
Tectonics
The earthquake swarm just off the southeast coast of Yemen is actually located on the Aden Ridge. This ridge separates the Arabian Plate and the Somalia Plate (Somalia Plate is a subplate of the African Plate). The ridge itself is pulling apart (a divergent boundary).
During 2005 in an area just 400 km from the current Aden Ridge earthquakes, a 35 mile stretch of land suddenly ripped open in Ethopia as two parts of the African continent pulled apart.
Not long after, a University of Rochester study, apparently published in an issue of Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that boundaries along the edges of tectonic ocean plates may suddenly break apart in large sections, instead of little by little as has been predominantly believed.
Could the earthquake swarm that we are witnessing, be a precursor to an undersea tear in the Gulf of Aden Ridge? Time will tell.
Look at this image showing the tectonic plate boundary and see how a larger cluster of earthquakes occurred to the north on the Arabian Plate, while a smaller group occurred on the Somalian Plate. Both are pulling away from each other, and the trench can be seen on the sea floor.
Here is a different view, showing more of a topographical map structure under the sea, and Gulf of Aden.
Volcanoes
The following image shows the location of all volcanoes nearby. There are so many that it nearly looks like Indonesia over on the Ring of Fire.
Update, 15-Nov, 21:30 Pacific, (UTC – 8:00), although less frequent during day #2 then day #1, this does not appear to be over yet. Expect new updates and maps in the morning.
Update, 16-Nov, 07:30 Pacific, (UTC – 8:00), total earthquakes from swarm equal 46, and activity has definitely subsided. We’ll see how it goes today. Whoops, minutes after typing this, there goes another (magnitude 4.8 at 9.8 km depth), so make that 47 so far.
Update, 17-Nov, 07:30 Pacific, (UTC – 8:00), there have a total of 47 earthquakes in the swarm, which appears to have stopped.
- Day 1, 37 earthquakes
- Day 2, 7 earthquakes
- Day 3, 3 earthquakes
Update, 18-Nov, 07:30 Pacific (UTC – 8:00), activity has not yet ceased. There were no earthquakes during the 17th, however 2 additional quakes so far during the 18th has brought the total number to 49. The depth map and closeup location map above should now be updated.
- Day 4, 0 earthquakes
- Day 5, 2 earthquakes
Update, 20-Nov, 08:30 Pacific (UTC – 8:00), after a quiet period, one more popped today at 9.8 km depth.
- Day 6, 0 earthquakes
- Day 7, 2 earthquakes
Update, 21-Nov, 13:00 Pacific (UTC – 8:00), it hasn’t given up yet… one more yesterday, and so far one more today.
- Day 8, 2 earthquakes
Update, 24-Nov, although the swarm frequency of occurrence is negligible at this time, after 2 quiet days, another earthquake at 10 km depth brings the total to 53.
- Day 9, 0 earthquakes
- Day 10, 0 earthquakes
- Day 11, 1 earthquake
Update, 25-Nov, two more today, so far, 10 and 11 km.
Update, 30-Nov, after five days of quiet, the deepest quake so far popped at magnitude 4.6, depth 18.2 km.
Update, 5-Dec, 1 today, 9.5 km depth, magnitude 4.6
Update, 11-Dec, 1 today, 11.2 km depth, magnitude 4.8
Update, 31-Dec, after 20 days of silence, suddenly 2 new earthquakes pop here today, 11.4 and 9.6 km depth, magnitude 4.6 and 4.8.
Update, 10-Jan, it hasn’t stopped yet, 1 more today
Here is a map of the Yemen – Gulf of Aden earthquakes which shows more specific location detail. Many of the earthquakes seem to form a pattern, the way I see it. I drew lines connecting the earthquakes that appeared related in some way. Again, it’s just the way my eye sees it. Interesting.
Update, 19-Apr-2011
After a period of quiet, 2 Earthquakes within 30 minutes shake the sea floor of the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen and Djibouti, a magnitude 4.9 and 4.7. Could this be the beginnings of a new swarm? We’ll see…
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There might be an answer, CERN has started in the last 2 days massive collisions of lead hadrons in bunches of 121 (billions of them).
Prior to this date it only collided a few insignificant bunches. Let us remember that CERN seats in the border of the African plaque where those swarms are happening and this is the strongest swarm on the African plate recorded on modern times.
On the casual relationship between CERN’s magnetic field and the Earth’s magnetic field that causes such earthquakes see:
http://www.cerntruth.com/?p=105
Yumping yemenie !
This is disturbing. I wonder if that area is normally earthquake prone. If not, then even more so.
Yes, this is very unusual for that region to encounter such a swarm, all of quite moderate magnitude, in such a short time. A quick check of the IRIS database shows that there have been some EQ’s there before, however it looks like many or most of them have just occurred today!
Having said that, the location is right at a major tectonic zone, so this seems to indicate something may be ready to rip right about there. My next curiosity is to discover where the oil fields are there, and their depths, while wondering if an undersea volcanic eruption could present an extra hazard.
In 2009 there was a rift formation in Ethiopia that is just inland from where the swarm is forming. An article regarding it is here: http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3486 (zoom out on the google map in the middle of the article and you’ll see where you are) I have to think they are connected somehow! We may have a new sea forming right before our eyes!
I think the reason they all keep showing up as 10KM is because that’s the default preset depth shown when the depth is unknown.
@CrunchyBoogers (interesting handle…
Based on my observations with past USGS reporting, I don’t think that is the case. If they don’t know, they don’t even acknowledge the event.
Today’s computations can pinpoint these events quite accurately. Have a look at my recent update and graph regarding depths. There are some at 10.1, 9.9, and 10. They can resolve the depth pretty well. Who knows though… time will tell I suppose. Thanks for the comment.
@Modern Survival Blog,
Nope, CrunchyBoogers is right, look at the USGS FAQ. There are preset depths the USGS will use by default if the depth is unknown or unable to be precisely determined.
As for the swarm itself, it is highly unusual but not unprecedented. A couple years back, scientists were puzzled by a swarm that happened right off the coast of Orgegon. There were over 600 moderate earthquakes in a few days’ time span, the largest being a m5.4. Pretty similar to this! Notice everything is back to normal and nothing catestrophic happened… Just sayin’…
@Aeroman
Thanks for the information – makes sense regarding having a default value (most systems do need defaults), but with today’s measurement equipment, particularly with moderate size earthquakes, I find it hard to accept that their seismos could not properly triangulate and determine an accurate depth. In fact, they were able to determine other seemingly accurate depths throughout the same swarm with similar magnitude earthquakes. Hmmmmm….. Maybe they will update their data once a human looks it over, after the weekend.
Also, we certainly are not looking for catastrophe here, but do enjoy observing the wonders of nature.
Thanks for commenting.
Krakatau sits above a junction of three plates. There have been some increased earthquake action and Krakatau itself has shown some increased activity lately.
These Yemeni/Djibouti swarm action might be just a bit of stress relief. The Red Sea itself is a product of the plate movements here.
Forgive me if this is from left field. This would seem to fit with what Half Past Human has been predicting as the ‘tipping point’. This Seems to have the potential to dwarf the Gulf oil spill, as an ecological disaster. Then add in the disruption of shipping in that area, the outcome would be horrendous, at best.
Yesterday and today 14 and 15 November 2010 I feel my building shaking in Aden, Steamer Point, what is going on?
that’s where the stargate is! I hope you are all ready for the ride. End of days approaches. I sure hope their positive ET’s.
Come on guys, 24 navys of the world in the same area chasing somalian speedboats. Um I don’t think so.
Hopefully this is start of something big. The world needs change.
@Modern Survival Blog,
The accuracy of determining the depth of the earthquake is proportionate to the number of seismographs in the area and their distance from the epicenter. I’ve watched the USGS site for quite a while now and have even noticed earthquakes in the continental U.S. itself display a default reading for its depth because it couldn’t be accurately determined. It is a good question, though, as to why some of those quakes are being recorded more accurately than others. Maybe just having to do with the nature of the quake itself…idk.
In any case, the earthquakes could be caused by magma coming through the surface at the bottom of the sea…a reason speculated for the swarm off Oregon a couple years back. It appears, though, that the swarm has dramatically subsided (although not yet completely halted), with, at times, 12 hr intervals between recorded quakes, so that could be good news.
And finally, I did want to point out that the reason we’re not seeing quakes below about m4.5 is because the USGS doesn’t keep track of anything less than m4.5 internationally, only domestically, due to the huge numbers that would entail. Also, Yemen IS seismically active… if you look at this link, http://www.iris.edu/dms/seismon.htm notice all those little pink dots? Those are recorded earthquakes m4.5+ that have occurred around the world in the past 5 years. Notice the many around the vacinity of Yemen (those are NOT from the recent swarm).
There will wars and rumours of wars, signs in the heavens, moon sun and stars, earthquakes in different places (and intensifying) and then the end will come.
Matthew 24, read the whole chapter. Luke 21 Seas roaring (Tsunamis) distress of nations, famines, read the whole chapter. and then the son of man comes. Jesus.
God Bless all those who read and keep what you read. Look up for your redemption draws near.
1. a natural disaster like haiti could provide possibility to send a lot of marine over
not so far to iran …
2. if it would be a magma bubble squeezing through two plates then the time pattern would have been more irregular. the tension breaks in such processes not at an equal energy release, cause the structure down has to break and this causes an irregular pattern. prob the pattern it is enforced by some magnetics coming from CERN or HAARP, or prob they like working together
lets see what shapes the world.
keep swinging.
It looks like a new DUMB (Deep Underground Military Base) constructed in a jiffy, with a ground access entrance in Yemen, and a high-speed subway leading to the main chambers beneath the sea floor. The corporatista propaganda press would inform the people about such an unusual natural occurrence — unless their masters instructed them to disregard the event, as they have.
Expect more of these in the not-too-distant future.
it could be CERN/HAARP, it could be subterranean reptoid alien wars, it could be deep-underground nuclear engineering, it could be the aden stargate. or just common plate techtonics and caffeinated overimaginative speculation.
Hawkeye77 – Same point of view !
http://news.antiwar.com/2010/11/15/us-hopes-to-establish-bases-as-yemen-fight-escalates/
us moving some military equipment towards iran?
why not operate on multiple fronts if you have the possibility?
just an coincidience with the earthquakes? – nothing to worry about?
keep swinging
I’d say the primary swarm has ceased. Activity may not have totally come to a halt, but that’s to be expected. Keep in mind the USGS will only log and keep track of earthquakes of m4.5 or higher. This means that there could still be eq’s in the lower 4′s, 3′s, 2′s, and below occuring as aftershocks of the main swarm’s moderate quakes. And due to all the shifting, you still may see an occasional moderate quake over the next few weeks, such as the two that occurred on 11/18, again due to aftershocks. This doesn’t mean that they belong to the swarm, but are rather at this point a result of the swarm. Any increased activity from this point would likely be considered a second, separate swarm, although that’s probably not likely.
As you’ve pointed out, there certainly are volcanoes in that region. A handful of these have erupted within the past few hundred years and another few within the past few thousand years. Although they don’t erupt very often, when they do, eruptions are primarily either basaltic flows (think eruptions like Hawaii) that produce large lava fields or explosive eruptions generally not exceeding a VEI of 3.
Furthermore, the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program/USGS Weekly Volcanism Report 10 November – 16 November shows no indication of increased volcanic activity in that region. They issue a report every Wednesday by 23:59UTC. Also, the Smithsonian GVP Current Activity Report shows no indication of increased activity in that region. So, all we can do is keep an eye out over the next few weeks and see if anything develops!
Can I suggest that people read about ‘Project Bluebeam’ –
All your thoughts and info are true and as some have said it may be just plain old reliable nature. However, conspiracy is so much fun! Remember ‘project Bluebeam’!!
For those wondering about the accuracy of the locations on the earthquakes in this swarm, check out http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/station_book/DHMR_NETWORK.html, which indicates there are several monitors in the area.
While the depths may be default values, there may also be a layer of strata that is being torn apart.
Sounds like H.A.R.R.P. is penatrating this area for some reason. 10km is the usual for H.A.R.R.P. or maybe there’s a new toy out there which hasn’t made its way on you tube yet. Who knows? Really, who knows?
Maybe just a plate slip?
In the westren part of Somaliland, a town called Borama(lat.9.95 – long 43.18) is getting some seismic activites since 20th Nov. There is damages but the slight tremors is causing panic and worry among the residents. The place has history of these activities. is this linked to the Yemen earthquakes?Does anyone know about it? Borama is about 170km south to the Red sea.
Thnx
@PoorNomad
I’ve checked the IRIS database, around Borama, and the latest earthquakes appear to be around 2006. Not seeing anything since then in that location on their db. No doubt though, there is and has historically been lots of activity to the north at the plate boundary running through the Gulf of Aden.
I agree with Hawkey77, Eagle eye, & Hm. because of the accuracy in depth and strength of these quakes, it looks like HAARP. to form kind of DUMB, or even to plow out this unstable area of the world, Eritrea, Somalia & Yemen to form the NEW MIDDLE EAST. the disaster will look natural like Haiti, and huge military presence will be for HUMANITARIAN reasons.
¿Que pasó que ya no nombran el vórtice??? ¿Será que prohibieron publicar al resecto??
(translated: What happened to no longer appoint the vortex?? Will post to resective banned?)
Maybe this is what caused sharks in the area off the coast of Dubai to be more aggressive. Certainly a better explanation than the sharks having been trained by the Mossad and sent by Israel.
there is a big fire coming out of the city of aden in yemen …that fire is bigger than your imagination….it is going to make all the people move out of tha arabian peninsula……only GOD knows when that is going to happen