The Savage Earth: Earthquakes and Volcanos

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Earthquakes in the central or eastern United States affect much larger areas than earthquakes of similar magnitude in the western United States. For example, the San Francisco, California, earthquake of 1906 (magnitude 7.8) was felt 350 miles away in the middle of Nevada, whereas the New Madrid earthquake of December 1811 (magnitude 8.0) rang church bells in Boston, Massachusetts, 1,000 miles away. Differences in geology east and west of the Rocky Mountains cause this strong contrast.


http://quake.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/NewMadrid/

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New Madrid Earthquakes 1811-1812

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1811-1812.php

The area of strong shaking associated with these shocks is two to three times larger than that of the 1964 Alaska earthquake and 10 times larger than that of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.


The first and second earthquakes occurred in Arkansas (December 16, 1811 - two shocks - Mfa 7.2, MSn 8.5 and Mfa 7.0, MSn 8.0) and the third and fourth in Missouri (January 23, 1812, Mfa 7.1, MSn 8.4; and February 7, 1812, Mfa 7.4, MSn 8.8). Otto Nuttli, however, has postulated another strong earthquake in Arkansas on December 16 at 18:00 UTC (MSn 8.0). This would make a total of five earthquakes of magnitude MSn 8.0 or higher occurring in the period December 16, 1811 through February 7, 1812.

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Collectively known as the New Madrid earthquakes, these quakes affected more than 1 million square miles. By comparison, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake affected only 60,000 square miles, less than one-sixteenth the area of the New Madrid earthquakes.

Scientists believe that each of the three greatest tremors would have measured more than 8.0 on the Richter scale, had that measuring device been in place in 1811. Vibrations were felt from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast and from Mexico to Canada. The quake zone was in constant movement during this period. Five towns in three states disappeared, islands vanished in the Mississippi River, lakes formed where there had been none before, and the river flowed backward for a brief period.

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186323,00.html
from 2006


FEMA Worried About New Madrid Quake Zone
ST. LOUIS — Preparing for a catastrophic earthquake along the New Madrid fault is a priority, a FEMA official said Friday before a congressional field hearing on government readiness to handle natural disasters.

"New Madrid is at the top of the list," Michel Pawlowski, section chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said. "It's our primary objective."

Pawlowski told a congressional committee that FEMA has "significant concerns" for the potential of a catastrophic earthquake equal in magnitude to those that struck parts of the Mississippi River Valley in 1811-1812, and again in 1895.

The estimated magnitude of those earthquakes is 7.5 or 8. The probability of a magnitude 6 or larger earthquake is 25 percent to 50 percent over the next 50 years.

Even a magnitude 7 earthquake would destroy more than 60 percent of buildings in St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn., because most buildings predate building requirements aimed at resisting the shock, officials estimate.

"A catastrophic earthquake in the central United States along the New Madrid Seismic Zone could pose unprecedented problems and challenges," Pawlowski said.

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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

Update time = Thu Apr 24 9:00:01 UTC 2008


MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 2.8 2008/04/24 07:33:16 37.859 -118.064 0.0 NEVADA
MAP 3.6 2008/04/24 07:14:33 43.259 -125.778 10.0 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 2.8 2008/04/24 05:33:06 19.328 -155.434 31.7 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.0 2008/04/24 05:22:41 43.104 -126.330 10.0 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP 2.7 2008/04/24 05:17:53 56.026 -160.524 53.3 ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP 2.6 2008/04/24 03:19:16 51.811 -178.903 7.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.0 2008/04/24 02:21:52 37.051 -104.878 5.0 COLORADO
MAP 5.5 2008/04/24 01:19:11 -19.986 168.698 10.0 VANUATU



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MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 3.9 2008/04/23 23:39:50 66.923 -135.826 1.6 NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA
MAP 3.6 2008/04/23 23:38:50 51.486 -178.989 0.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.5 2008/04/23 22:46:57 36.854 67.575 35.0 CENTRAL AFGHANISTAN
MAP 4.7 2008/04/23 22:09:13 22.755 121.652 10.0 TAIWAN REGION
MAP 5.0 2008/04/23 22:04:15 22.795 121.719 10.0 TAIWAN REGION
MAP 2.6 2008/04/23 21:55:04 60.148 -152.870 100.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 3.0 2008/04/23 21:21:39 37.377 -114.696 9.9 NEVADA
MAP 5.8 2008/04/23 18:28:42 22.857 121.678 10.0 TAIWAN REGION
MAP 2.7 2008/04/23 17:37:35 19.172 -155.375 34.9 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 3.3 2008/04/23 16:56:15 18.878 -68.187 133.6 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP 2.8 2008/04/23 16:14:14 18.701 -64.632 46.1 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.7 2008/04/23 15:35:59 53.767 -165.719 75.7 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 4.1 2008/04/23 15:14:15 19.052 -108.652 10.0 REVILLA GIGEDO ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 2008/04/23 14:41:06 3.335 -82.966 10.0 SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP 4.8 2008/04/23 14:18:44 3.072 127.891 10.0 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
MAP 5.3 2008/04/23 14:05:47 -3.860 131.427 38.9 CERAM SEA, INDONESIA
MAP 2.9 2008/04/23 13:31:56 51.500 -178.196 39.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.3 2008/04/23 10:03:11 19.020 -65.336 119.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.7 2008/04/23 08:45:23 62.870 -148.780 80.1 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.9 2008/04/23 07:29:55 51.744 -178.761 6.9 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.4 2008/04/23 07:12:14 19.356 -67.363 4.1 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 4.7 2008/04/23 06:24:41 24.197 121.875 10.0 TAIWAN
MAP 2.9 2008/04/23 06:21:09 39.515 -119.923 1.7 NEVADA
MAP 2.5 2008/04/23 05:19:59 51.776 -178.766 8.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 3.3 2008/04/23 05:08:09 19.267 -155.551 9.8 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP 4.0 2008/04/23 05:01:59 63.671 -150.820 9.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 2.6 2008/04/23 03:36:38 32.405 -115.317 6.0 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 3.2 2008/04/23 02:06:54 37.992 -118.681 5.6 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.1 2008/04/23 01:55:29 34.866 -116.340 5.5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 2008/04/23 01:38:36 18.851 -64.259 35.1 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.2 2008/04/23 01:27:17 33.552 141.021 35.0 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP 4.9 2008/04/23 00:11:22 -13.702 166.673 135.3 VANUATU
MAP 5.2 2008/04/23 00:00:48 -25.713 -45.438 10.0 SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

[Joseph The Carpenter]

:waveThank you for all the information lighthouse:hug

[Cowgirl4Christ]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D908LDG00&show_article=1&catnum=0

A swarm of earthquakes rattled Reno on Thursday afternoon, causing downtown buildings to sway and cracking windows in residential areas.
The strongest quake, with a magnitude of 4.2, was centered 6 miles west of Reno, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It shook downtown for about 30 seconds just before 4 p.m. and followed a 4.1-magnitude quake minutes earlier. No injuries or major damage were reported.

"It shook the whole house real good," said Rick Dinoso, a resident of the northwest part of town that has been rattled by dozens of smaller earthquakes since the end of February.

"This was the strongest one in the last two months. I was wondering whether I should grab the kid and get under the table," he said. "You could see the sides of the house swaying."

The Geological Survey recorded more than 30 smaller earthquakes over about a two-hour period, including seven registering 2.4 and above.

Only the two largest quakes were felt throughout Reno's downtown casino and business district.

The University of Nevada, Reno's seismology laboratory reported the two largest quakes were "widely felt" throughout Reno and neighboring Sparks. It said aftershocks could be expected for several days.

Stuart Smith, the head golf pro at Somersett Country Club near the epicenter, reported "pretty violent shaking."

"Anytime you get a rattling like that, you are going to strike fear in some people," he said. "A couple of my employees were scared."

Earthquake magnitudes are calculated according to ground motion recorded on seismographs. An increase in one full number—from 6.5 to 7.5, for example—means the quake's magnitude is 10 times as great.

A quake with a magnitude of 6 can cause severe damage, while one with a magnitude of 7 can cause widespread, heavy damage.

There's that "swarm" word again!

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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

Update time = Mon Apr 28 8:17:06 UTC 2008


MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 2.7 2008/04/28 07:39:08 45.129 -120.940 18.8 OREGON
MAP 3.0 2008/04/28 06:32:27 51.590 -178.904 0.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 5.2 2008/04/28 04:27:17 2.796 127.393 37.3 MOLUCCA SEA
MAP 3.5 2008/04/28 01:23:53 37.400 -118.517 7.3 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 2008/04/28 00:54:39 51.616 -175.938 40.7 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.9 2008/04/28 00:29:42 60.650 -151.964 5.5 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 3.5 2008/04/28 00:14:25 39.909 -114.476 16.0 NEVADA
MAP 5.8 2008/04/28 00:06:31 18.024 -99.944 85.8 GUERRERO, MEXICO



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MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 4.8 2008/04/27 21:18:05 48.983 -128.406 10.0 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
MAP 2.6 2008/04/27 20:31:17 60.835 -146.879 22.0 SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP 4.5 2008/04/27 19:48:00 51.967 -169.657 35.0 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP 3.3 2008/04/27 19:47:04 40.461 -115.661 16.0 NEVADA
MAP 4.8 2008/04/27 19:21:58 -22.250 -175.020 35.0 TONGA REGION
MAP 2.6 2008/04/27 18:58:45 34.793 -120.226 0.0 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.9 2008/04/27 18:31:11 39.550 -119.913 0.0 NEVADA
MAP 3.0 2008/04/27 17:49:50 39.529 -119.918 1.8 NEVADA
MAP 5.1 2008/04/27 17:32:12 24.813 124.942 35.0 SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
MAP 2.9 2008/04/27 17:06:19 18.983 -66.623 14.6 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 2.5 2008/04/27 16:59:31 32.149 -115.872 9.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 2.5 2008/04/27 16:57:15 51.739 -178.806 15.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.5 2008/04/27 15:16:00 32.164 -115.890 0.2 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.5 2008/04/27 15:15:45 16.621 -86.237 7.4 OFFSHORE HONDURAS
MAP 3.4 2008/04/27 14:57:24 69.280 -146.028 0.0 NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP 5.0 2008/04/27 14:35:29 -35.410 -16.614 10.0 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP 2.5 2008/04/27 13:40:55 38.911 -123.618 0.5 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 2.5 2008/04/27 11:12:38 63.299 -144.894 0.0 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 3.3 2008/04/27 10:41:37 18.820 -64.318 87.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.8 2008/04/27 09:51:55 13.523 -91.733 32.4 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
MAP 5.0 2008/04/27 09:41:08 -9.766 160.172 35.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAP 3.0 2008/04/27 08:51:54 19.145 -64.386 22.4 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 5.1 2008/04/27 07:21:55 51.633 -176.475 35.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP 2.8 2008/04/27 06:48:58 18.861 -67.067 11.8 PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP 3.9 2008/04/27 06:29:41 63.147 -150.294 105.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 5.1 2008/04/27 05:02:36 -7.704 107.935 10.0 JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP 3.0 2008/04/27 05:02:06 18.982 -65.107 19.1 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.9 2008/04/27 04:37:53 28.384 142.695 35.0 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
MAP 3.0 2008/04/27 03:57:54 18.996 -65.110 19.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.1 2008/04/27 03:56:00 38.538 -117.217 0.0 NEVADA
MAP 3.0 2008/04/27 03:54:13 18.928 -65.146 28.5 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.0 2008/04/27 03:42:23 18.939 -65.132 12.9 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.0 2008/04/27 02:13:27 18.957 -65.082 14.1 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 3.0 2008/04/27 01:37:56 39.901 -115.707 16.0 NEVADA
MAP 5.3 2008/04/27 01:16:11 -3.422 101.222 35.0 SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 4.6 2008/04/27 01:15:28 -21.617 -176.603 137.7 FIJI REGION

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http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080427/D90AFSV01.html

Series of quakes takes toll on rattled residents of Reno

Scientists have urged residents to prepare for worse, saying the recent activity is unusual because the quakes started out small and continue to build in strength.

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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/nevada/history.php

Earthquake History
Nevada ranks among the most seismically active States.

A number of the larger shocks have produced some spectacular examples of surface faulting; these include shocks at Pleasant Valley (1915), Cedar Mountain (1932), Excelsior Mountain (1934), Rainbow Mountain (1954), and Fairview Peak - Dixie Valley (1954). Although these events are classied as major earthquakes in terms of magnitude, no fatalities were reported and building damage was minimal because of the sparse population of the epicentral areas.

The earliest reported earthquake in Nevada occurred in 1851. A newspaper article in 1865 cited reports of an earthquake 13 years earlier near Pyramid Lake. The account stated that great cracks opened from which water spouted 100 feet high. Large landslides were also reported.


On October 2, 1915, three strong earthquakes within about 7 hours disturbed a large part of northern Nevada. The third tremor had an estimated magnitude of 7.75