See later Articles: After Dec. 31, 2009

Pacific Quakes Stir Panic But Tsunamis Tiny

Oct. 8, 2009 - Three large earthquakes occured yesterday beneath the seas between Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. The magnitude of the quakes were 7.8, 7.3, and 7.0.

Because of a recent deadly tidal wave the earthquakes caused fear and triggered a tsunami watch.

Undersea earthquakes caused panic in the South Pacific on Thursday, sending islanders fleeing to higher ground on fears of a second devastating tsunami in as many weeks, but a series of waves proved to be tiny and harmless.

Source: NY Times

Second quake hits Indonesia death toll to surpass thousands

Oct. 1, 2009 - A third major earthquake to strike South Asia in two days hit South Sumatra yesterday. The 6.8 magnitude quake came one day after a 7.6-magnitude quake struck close to the city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province. Rustam Pakaya, head of Indonesia's health ministry's disaster centre said, "Our prediction is that thousands have died."

Given the intensity and the spread of the damage officials expect the death toll will surpass those of the massive Yogyakarta earthquake three years ago.

Source: L.A. Examiner

Strong quake jolts south Sumatra Island, Indonesia

Sept. 30, 2009 - Another major earthquake has shaken the South Pacific.

A magnitude-7.6 quake, which was followed by a magnitude-6.2 aftershock, jolted West Sumatra province at Sumatra Island on Wednesday morning, causing the collapse of a number of buildings, local meteorology and geophysics agency said.

Source: Xinhuanet

Earthquakes weaken distant faultsThe major 2004 earthquake in Sumatra may have weakened the San Andreas fault, 8,000km away in California. - BBC

8.3 Earthquake and Tsunamis in Samoa

Sept. 30, 2009 - News and videos give glimpses of major earthquakes that struck several South Pacific islands Tuesday. The death toll is more than 100 and rising.

The 8.3-magnitude quake struck at 1748 GMT on Tuesday, generating 15ft (4.5m) waves in some areas of the islands.
The Samoa islands comprise two separate entities - the nation of Samoa and American Samoa, a US territory. The total population is about 250,000.

Whole villages were destroyed. Tsunamis swept cars and people out to sea.

Source: BBC

USGS reports 7.9 magnitude earthquake off Samoa

Sept. 29, 2009 - Details are not yet available, but a tsunami watch was sent out in case the quake generated a tsunami.

A tsunami watch was issued for Vanuatu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Kosrae Island, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Pohnpei in Micronesia, the Wake Islands, Pitcairn and the Midway Islands.

Source: Brisbane Times

7.6 magnitude quake hits Indian Ocean

Aug. 11, 2009 - A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean today. A regional tsunami watch was issued for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh but was lifted later

Also Monday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 shook Tokyo and surrounding areas.

Source: Washington Times

Hundreds injured in China earthquake

July 10, 2009 - A magnitude-6.0 earthquake in southwest China injured at least 336 people and destroyed 10,000 homes. Another 30,000 homes were damaged.

Source: Guardian - UK

San Andreas Fault and the next 'Big One'

July 10, 2009 - Berkeley Seismological Laboratory researchers Robert Nadeau and Aurélie Guilhem published the results of a seven-year study (2002 through 2009) of the San Andreas Fault. The study shows increased tremor rates and increasing stress on the fault.

In their paper, Nadeau and Guilhem say that “the persistent changes in tremor suggest that stress is now accumulating more rapidly beneath this part of the San Andreas Fault, which ruptured in the moment magnitude 7.8 Ft. Tejon earthquake of 1857.”

They also say that the fault was predicted to produce another big earthquake sometime between 1942 and 1999. We are now 10 years overdue!

Source: Examiner - LA

How Does Geothermal Drilling Trigger Earthquakes?

Jun. 29, 2009 - A company called AltaRock plans to install a new geothermal project near the Northern California town of Anderson Springs, about 90 miles north of San Francisco. They plan to bore down more than two miles to enhance the capacity of existing natural geothermal vents. Local residents are nervous because since engineers began to crank up the production levels, small earthquakes have been occuring.

Just a few years ago, a now-infamous geothermal project in Basel, Switzerland, which drilled three miles into Earth's crust, set off a magnitude 3.4 earthquake, rocking the town and shutting the operation down entirely, The New York Times recalled recently.

Source: Scientific American

Powerful Italian quake kills many

Apr. 6, 2009 - A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Italy north of Rome.

At least 90 people are believed dead and tens of thousands homeless after an earthquake hit L'Aquila and other towns in central Italy, rescuers say.

Source: BBC

Update: Apr. 8, 2009 - Death toll in Italy quake reaches 260, some 28,000 left homeless - Jerusalem Post

Tsunami Warning Canceled Hours After 7.9 Magnitude Quake Hits South Pacific

Mar. 19, 2009 - Tonga

Source: Fox

Chinese earthquake may have been man-made, say scientists

Feb. 02, 2009 - An earthquake that killed at least 80,000 people in Sichuan last year may have been triggered by the construction of the 511 ft-high Zipingpu Dam, which lies just 550 yards from the fault line, and three miles from the epicenter of the earthquake.

Scientists in China and the United States believe the weight of water, and the penetration of water into the rock, could have affected the pressure on the fault line underneath.

Fan Xiao, the chief engineer of the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau in Chengdu, said it was "very likely" that the construction and filling of the reservoir in 2004 had led to the disaster

Source: Telegraph - UK

Magnitude 4.5 quake felt across Southern California

Jan 9, 2009 - A moderate earthquake struck San Bernardino, CA, near the northern end of the San Jacinto fault, which is considered part of the San Andreas fault system. No serious damage was reported.

Source: Los Angeles Times

World earthquake deaths rose in 2008

Jan. 8, 2008 - The U.S. Geological Survey reports that 88,070 people died in earthquakes in 2008. This was the highest total since 2004, when the great tsunami was responsible for 227,898 deaths.

The year's strongest quake was in Sichuan, China, on May 12. At least 69,185 people died; 18,467 are missing and presumed dead, and 374,171 were injured in the magnitude 7.9 quake.

There were killer quakes in 13 other countries during the year. They were Algeria, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Peru, Russia and Rwanda.

On Aug. 7, 1976 Tangshan, China suffered the worst earthquake anywhere in the world during the past four centuries. The official death toll from that quake was 225,000, but the estimated true number is thought to have been as high as 655,000.

Source: Freep

7.6 earthquake strikes near West Papua, Indonesia

Jan. 3, 2009 - CNN

5.9 Earthquake Rocks Afghanistan, Pakistan

Jan. 3, 2009 - Fox

See older Articles: Before Jan. 1, 2009