Topic: Around the Globe in Real Time

[Nichi]

Quake, tsunami alert hit Chile as new leader sworn in

SANTIAGO, Chile – Chilean President Sebastian Pinera is urging citizens along the coast to move quickly to higher ground following five strongly felt aftershocks, including the biggest since last month's 8.8-magnitude temblor.

Pinera Chile's congress also was evacuated moments after Pinera was sworn in Thursday as a precautionary measure.

Aftershocks with preliminary magnitudes of 5.1, 7.2, 6.9 and 6.0, respectively, rocked Chile throughout the inauguration.

Pinera kept his cool but said Chileans shouldn't ignore the possibility of dangerous waves. The Chilean Navy issued a tsunami warning, but the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the aftershocks were too small to cause dangerous waves.

The 7.2 aftershock is the strongest yet. It was larger than Haiti's devastating magnitude-7 quake last month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100311/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_chile_earthquake


I haven't seen this stated yet, but it seems that things should have smoothed out a bit for Chile by now. One expects some aftershocks, but theirs have been more severe and more frequent, not less. This article cites 5 of them, but as you can see from the list above, it just hasn't stopped for them.  There have been far more than 5.

(A 7.2 is major in and of itself.)
What a nightmare it is.

[Nichi]

5+ Earthquakes in past 5 days
Grows less Chile-focused, though Chile is still rocking.

  MAG  UTC DATE-TIMEy/m/d h:m:s  LATdeg  LONdeg  DEPTHkm   Region

5.4   2010/03/16 12:25:26   -17.668   -178.827  566.1   FIJI REGION
5.8   2010/03/16 09:44:18    52.160    142.206  24.1   SAKHALIN, RUSSIA
5.0   2010/03/16 08:43:55   -36.034    -73.148  35.0   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.5   2010/03/16 03:04:40   -36.319    -73.023  35.0   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
6.7   2010/03/16 02:21:59   -36.124    -73.147  18.0   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE

5.0   2010/03/15 12:13:16   -36.046    -72.142  10.0   MAULE, CHILE
6.0   2010/03/15 11:08:28   -35.880    -73.283  10.0   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2   2010/03/15 09:35:29    28.796    128.428  50.8   RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
5.0   2010/03/15 00:42:55   -34.303    -71.809  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE


5.2   2010/03/14 22:42:26    -8.239    122.716  184.5   FLORES REGION, INDONESIA
5.4   2010/03/14 22:33:20   -58.273    -23.736  25.2   SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.3   2010/03/14 21:17:18    -7.064    67.971  10.0   MID-INDIAN RIDGE
6.0   2010/03/14 20:33:11    -2.763    83.678  10.0   SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN
5.6   2010/03/14 20:04:59   -38.379    -73.414  35.0   ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/14 19:10:51   -34.636    -72.238  35.0   OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/14 18:23:08    5.200    127.317  122.1   PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
5.0   2010/03/14 14:01:18   -38.434    -73.664  35.0   OFFSHORE ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.3   2010/03/14 13:52:25   -38.445    -73.615  35.0   OFFSHORE ARAUCANIA, CHILE
6.5   2010/03/14 08:08:05    37.780    141.562  39.0   NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.4   2010/03/14 07:31:25   -34.208    -71.739  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
6.4   2010/03/14 00:57:46    -1.710    128.051  52.4   KEPULAUAN OBI, INDONESIA


5.2   2010/03/13 21:42:39    52.794    160.354  25.7   OFF THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
5.0   2010/03/13 20:20:27   -36.813    -73.655  38.2   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/13 16:33:18   -34.066    -69.415  35.0   MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
5.1   2010/03/13 15:22:39   -34.410    -71.378  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.8   2010/03/13 14:59:03    1.296    97.151  35.0   NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
5.6   2010/03/13 12:46:26    37.582    141.306  72.6   NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.7   2010/03/13 10:34:44   -37.540    -73.463  35.0   BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.2   2010/03/13 07:12:08   -34.434    -71.519  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.3   2010/03/13 03:19:10   -36.518    -73.092  35.0   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1   2010/03/13 03:15:05   -36.569    -73.313  35.0   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.9   2010/03/13 02:53:15    2.209    133.016  10.0   PALAU REGION


5.5   2010/03/12 23:19:56    23.053    94.582  106.0   MYANMAR
5.0   2010/03/12 19:29:02    28.611    142.577  43.8   BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.8   2010/03/12 17:32:09    34.888    141.636  18.5   OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.8   2010/03/12 16:50:02   -34.250    -71.805  7.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.1   2010/03/12 16:04:54   -34.006    -71.620  35.0   REGION METROPOLITANA, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/12 14:16:03    46.625    152.735  43.0   KURIL ISLANDS
5.0   2010/03/12 06:10:38   -34.377    -71.609  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.3   2010/03/12 03:22:51    -9.218    157.551  71.8   SOLOMON ISLANDS


5.1   2010/03/11 23:20:24   -23.784   -175.865  74.3   TONGA REGION
5.5   2010/03/11 22:34:06   -37.647    -73.496  36.9   BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/11 21:09:09    -7.498    128.215  174.1   KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
5.8   2010/03/11 20:11:20   -34.327    -71.680  2.3   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.5   2010/03/11 19:28:08   -34.307    -71.772  24.5   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.1   2010/03/11 17:18:51   -34.256    -71.845  23.3   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.3   2010/03/11 16:56:34   -34.407    -71.757  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/11 16:23:53   -34.384    -71.799  29.1   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/11 15:54:39   -34.328    -71.879  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.4   2010/03/11 15:26:18   -34.240    -71.844  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
6.0   2010/03/11 15:06:04   -34.218    -71.889  32.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
6.7   2010/03/11 14:55:28   -34.282    -71.837  18.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
6.9   2010/03/11 14:39:44   -34.259    -71.929  11.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.1   2010/03/11 12:44:07   -38.367    -71.702  56.1   ARAUCANIA, CHILE
5.1   2010/03/11 12:31:27   -15.349   -173.303  32.8   TONGA
5.0   2010/03/11 10:51:41   -34.205    -71.697  52.2   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.6   2010/03/11 06:22:19   -57.290    -28.114  309.1   SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION

[Michael]

Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

[Firestarter]

If I lived in chilie I would get the heck outa dodge!

[Nichi]

Same here ... if anyone there is having apocalyptic visions, it would be totally understandable!

[Nichi]

(I feel like the bearer of bad news. I'm hoping that we are just in a bad patch, though.)

The Fiji Islands are up there on the 5+ quake list, and to boot they had a cyclone which lasted for 3 days. Gads.

Fiji damage 'overwhelming,' PM says
March 17, 2010 -- Updated 0442 GMT (1242 HKT)
 
(CNN) -- Fiji emerged from the shadow of Tropical Cyclone Tomas on Wednesday, with officials reporting one death and widespread damage to the South Pacific island chain.

Authorities reported one death in northern Fiji.

"It is evident that wherever Tomas has struck, the damage has been overwhelming," said Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Fiji's prime minister and military chief. "However, the full impact of Tomas in the northern region, the Lomaiviti and Lau groups, is yet to be determined.

"All we can say at this stage is that the effect of Tomas in these parts of Fiji was extensive and damaging," Bainimarama said.

The northern and eastern parts of Fiji sustained severe property damage, and some areas experienced extensive flooding, according to Winston Thompson, Fiji's ambassador to the United States.

The one-time Category 4 storm battered Fiji's northern islands for parts of three days, with gusts up to 275 km/hr (170 mph).

The Ministry of Health issued an urgent call for blood donations after the storm. "Over the past four days, we have been using a lot of blood for surgery cases," a statement said.

Thompson said he expected damage from Tomas to top the estimated $25 million in damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Mick in December.

[Nichi]

Volcano erupts in Iceland; hundreds evacuated     
Gudjon Helgason, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 6 mins ago

REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Authorities evacuated hundreds of people after a volcano erupted beneath a glacier in southern Iceland, Iceland's civil protection agency said Sunday.

The eruption occurred around 11:30 p.m. Saturday (1930 EDT) beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the fifth largest glacier in Iceland.The volcano is covered by an ice cap.

Fearing flooding from the glacier melt, authorities evacuated some 400 people in the area 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of the capital, Reykjavik, as a precaution but no damage or injuries have been reported, said Vidir Reynisson, the department manager for the Icelandic Civil Protection Department.

A state of emergency has been declared in communities near the 100 square mile (160 kilometers) glacier.

"We do not at this moment know the full extent of the eruption but a team is flying over the site now to evaluate the situation," said Reynisson.

A European volcanic island in the North Atlantic, Iceland is largely an arctic desert with mountains, glaciers and volcanoes and agricultural areas in the lowlands close to the coastline.

The last time the volcano erupted was in the 1820s.

[Nichi]

Update time = Thu Mar 25 6:00:03 UTC 2010


MAG  UTC DATE-TIMEy/m/d h:m:s  LATdeg  LONdeg  DEPTHkm   Region


6.1   2010/03/25 05:29:32    13.744    120.069  72.4   MINDORO, PHILIPPINES


5.1   2010/03/24 19:50:16   -17.510   -171.923  35.0   TONGA REGION
5.0   2010/03/24 11:30:13   -36.522    -73.504  35.0   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.1   2010/03/24 09:11:50   -15.035   -174.190  8.8   TONGA
5.6   2010/03/24 02:44:51    32.509    92.830  10.0   XIZANG-QINGHAI BORDER REGION
5.5   2010/03/24 02:06:12    32.503    92.703  10.0   XIZANG-QINGHAI BORDER REGION


5.2   2010/03/23 20:19:24   -15.317    -74.559  41.4   NEAR THE COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
5.3   2010/03/23 15:23:39    52.874    171.986  23.9   NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
5.4   2010/03/23 06:33:27   -33.904   -178.646  10.0   SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.1   2010/03/23 03:44:59   -34.755    -73.801  35.0   OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE


5.1   2010/03/22 21:45:26   -12.024    165.834  35.0   SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.9   2010/03/22 19:58:15    18.454    120.856  42.6   LUZON, PHILIPPINES
5.3   2010/03/22 08:52:21   -41.165    -89.081  10.0   SOUTHEAST OF EASTER ISLAND
5.1   2010/03/22 04:36:09   -17.577    -12.951  10.0   SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0   2010/03/22 01:00:40   -16.217    -69.525  169.8   SOUTHERN PERU


5.2   2010/03/21 23:41:30   -14.744    167.134  86.8   VANUATU
5.2   2010/03/21 21:00:02   -22.858   -175.460  76.9   TONGA REGION
5.5   2010/03/21 18:31:05   -36.334    -72.975  35.0   OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/21 06:55:37   -29.487    60.904  10.0   SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE


5.3   2010/03/20 21:55:49    16.047    -91.236  82.4   GUATEMALA
5.1   2010/03/20 21:21:16   -34.440    -71.698  37.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.6   2010/03/20 18:08:09    19.704    -75.302  16.7   CUBA REGION
5.1   2010/03/20 17:21:25    51.727   -166.440  29.0   SOUTH OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
6.6   2010/03/20 14:00:50    -3.380    152.221  415.8   NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.0   2010/03/20 10:04:37   -34.426    -71.772  35.0   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE


5.2   2010/03/19 17:10:49   -34.395    -71.733  46.2   LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/19 14:20:48   -33.148    -72.003  35.0   OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.3   2010/03/19 10:50:06    -5.264    147.709  171.8   EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
5.3   2010/03/19 09:30:40    54.483    110.236  10.0   LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA
5.4   2010/03/19 08:54:49   -35.456    -72.846  20.5   OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.0   2010/03/19 02:55:55   -33.494    -72.123  35.0   OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE


5.0   2010/03/18 23:49:14   -27.179   -176.504  64.2   KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.0   2010/03/18 18:51:51   -22.285   -179.543  603.6   SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
5.2   2010/03/18 09:32:24   -43.723    -72.578  10.0   LOS LAGOS, CHILE
5.6   2010/03/18 09:14:07   -23.352   -177.195  168.3   SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
5.0   2010/03/18 08:36:24    0.947    120.816  24.9   MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.1   2010/03/18 07:07:32    1.344    126.451  61.2   MOLUCCA SEA
5.1   2010/03/18 06:42:09   -48.528    164.933  10.0   OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.
5.5   2010/03/18 06:28:51   -48.659    164.649  10.0   OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.

[Angela]

Interesting website, V ... I checked out Las Vegas and this morning we had 1.4 mag just North of Las Vegas. I know we have many fault lines here. Over the past twenty or so years, I've felt a couple here.

Did you check out the California map? ... lots of little tremors there. Alaska and Puerto Rico too, just in the last week.  Wow!

[Nichi]

Hurricane Season 2010: Tropical Storm Ului (South Pacific Atlantic)25 March, 2010

 
Tropical Cyclone Olga, which made landfall on the east coast of Queensland just south of Cairns back in late January, brought widespread rains to the region. The most recent cyclone to hit Queensland is Tropical Cyclone Ului, which also made landfall on the east coast of Queensland but much farther south near Airlie Beach south of Townsville.

Ului, which formed near Vanuatu in the South Pacific, was at one time a powerful Category 5 cyclone with winds estimated at 140 knots (~160 mph) as it passed well to the south of the Solomon Islands. The cyclone then weakened as it turned southwest and headed through the Coral Sea towards Australia. Ului hit the Whitsunday Islands, located just off the Australian mainland, early Sunday morning (about 1:30 am local time) on the 21st of March 2010 as a Category 3 cyclone with winds gusting to 200 kph (~125 mph, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane on the US Saffir-Simpson scale).

The storm quickly weakened to Category 2 as it made landfall near Airlie Beach on the mainland. Proserpine, just south of where the center crossed the coast, reported a wind gust of 146 kph (~90 mph). In addition to the strong gusty winds, which resulted in widespread power outages, Ului dumped heavy rains over the area.

Launched back in November of 1997 and armed with an array of active and passive sensors, the primary objective of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (better known as TRMM) is to measure rainfall from space. For increased coverage, TRMM can be used to calibrate rainfall estimates from other additional satellites. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. is used to monitor rainfall over the global Tropics.

TMPA rainfall estimates for the 1-week period of March 15 to 22, 2010 for the central east coast of Queensland, Australia show that Ului dumped upwards of 180 mm (~7 inches, shown in orange) of rain along its path. Mackay airport, located about 100 km (~60 mi) south of Airlie Beach, reported 145 mm (~6 inches) of rain in 24 hours. Ului then quickly weakened as it moved westward and further inland and was downgraded to just a tropical low.

TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_Ului.html

Here's another coincidence of earthquake and cyclone (see listing above): the cyclone began around "Vanuatu in the South Pacific".   Wonder if there is a connection.

[Nichi]

Interesting website, V ... I checked out Las Vegas and this morning we had 1.4 mag just North of Las Vegas. I know we have many fault lines here. Over the past twenty or so years, I've felt a couple here.

Did you check out the California map? ... lots of little tremors there. Alaska and Puerto Rico too, just in the last week.  Wow!

California and Alaska get lots of little quakes every day --  but Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and even Haiti earlier? Those were odd and remarkable, from what I can see....

[Nichi]

This one and its aftershocks felt by my step-father in San Diego County!  He was shaken from his usual boredom by these things, and sounded quite excited, so it must have been bad.

Magnitude-7.2 quake strikes Baja California
Christopher Weber, Associated Press Writer – 12 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Damage reports from the U.S.-Mexico border region are growing after a magnitude-7.2 earthquake in Baja California that was felt from Tijuana and Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Phoenix.

The quake struck south of Mexicali, Mexico, at 3:40 p.m. Sunday, but damage also was being reported north of the border.

Calexico Fire Chief Peter Mercado tells KABC-TV in Los Angeles that there is substantial damage in the older section of the southeastern California city. Mercado says there is structural damage and broken windows, leaking gas lines and damage to the water system. But he says no injuries have been reported.

Across the border, a parking structure at the Mexicali city hall has collapsed. Mexicali is a bustling commerce center where trucks carrying goods cross into California.

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

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A powerful earthquake in Baja California rocked the U.S.-Mexico border region Sunday, collapsing a parking structure south of the border and causing power outages in both countries as it sent out seismic waves felt from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Arizona.

The 7.2-magnitude quake struck at 3:40 p.m. about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, a bustling commerce center on the Mexican side of the border where trucks carrying goods cross into California. More than 900,000 people live in the greater Mexicali area.

It was the largest earthquake in the region in nearly 18 years and was followed by aftershocks or distant "triggered" earthquakes on both sides of the border, said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones.

A multistory parking structure collapsed at the Mexicali city hall but no one was injured, said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo.

Other early reports indicated only minor damage, but communication in the region more than 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles is often slow.

"I grabbed my children and said, 'Let's go outside, hurry, hurry!'" said Elizabeth Alvarez, 54, who said the quake hit as she was getting ready to leave her house with her children in an eastern Tijuana neighborhood, across the border from San Diego.

Hundreds of people fled Tijuana's beach fearing a tsunami, said Capt. Juan Manuel Hernandez, chief of aquatic rescue at the Tijuana fire department. Tsunami experts quickly reported that no tsunami was expected along the West Coast, and Hernandez said the beach filled back up with people within an hour.

Tijuana Fire Chief Rafael Carillo said firefighters were rescuing people trapped in an elevator at the Ticuan Hotel in downtown Tijuana, but mostly were responding to reports of fallen cables and minor damage to buildings.

The Crowne Plaza hotel in Mexicali had minor damage — burst pipes and broken windows — but no on was hurt, said receptionist Juan Carlos Fernandez.

"There was a little bit of panic," Fernandez said. "Wait, it's trembling again."

Guests fled their rooms at the Hotel Playa Club in San Felipe, on the Gulf of California, but there was no damage, said receptionist Araceli Marquez.

Seismologists said there have been many earthquakes in the region including many in the magnitude-3.0 range before Sunday's big shock.

"The last time we had an earthquake this large in either Baja or California was in 1992 with the Landers Earthquake, which was 7.3," Jones said.

The USGS reported three strong aftershocks within the hour, including a magnitude-5.1 jolt in the Imperial County desert east of San Diego. Magnitude-4.5 and magnitude-4.3 aftershocks were also reported. Another occurred off Malibu.

The 7.2-magnitude quake was felt as far north as Santa Barbara, USGS seismologist Susan Potter said. It was one of the strongest to hit California in recent history. Only one has been stronger — a 7.3 quake that hit Landers, Calif., and left three dead in 1992 — and there were at least two other 7.2-magnitude quakes in the last 20 years.

Seismologists also said a number of small quakes were triggered in a geothermal area in Northern California.

More than 5,000 Southern California Edison customers were affected, mostly with about 30 seconds of flickering lights. Several hundred had longer outages.

In Arizona, 3,369 customers in the Yuma area had a "relatively momentary outage" from the quake, Arizona Public Service Company spokesman Don Wool said.

Only about 70 people were still without service in the rural Gadsden and Summerton areas. But Wool said he expected electricity to be restored there in about two hours.

Clint Norred, a spokesman for the Yuma, Ariz., Police Department, said the quake was very strong there but he'd heard no reports of injuries or major damage.

In the Phoenix area, Jacqueline Land said her king-sized bed in her second-floor apartment felt like a boat gently swaying on the ocean.

"I thought to myself, 'That can't be an earthquake. I'm in Arizona,'" the Northern California native said.

___

Associated Press Writers Mariana Jimenez in Tijuana, Mexico, Andrew Dalton and John Antczak in Los Angeles, John S. Marshall in San Francisco, and Matt Reed and Katie Oyan in Phoenix contributed to this report.

[Angela]

hey ... I heard about this ... some ppl say the felt it in the southwestern part of the Las vegas valley 

Maybe 2012 is coming sooner than predicted ... heh!

There's a child born every 7 seconds on Earth ... I don't think She can hold us all.

[Nichi]

I was wondering if y'all felt it too!

[Angela]

I saw on the news that it rocked Palm Springs ... Della probably felt it.