A massive earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.9 hit the Gulf of Alaska at 09:31 UTC on January 23, 2018 (00:31 local time). The agency is reporting a depth of 25 km (15.5 miles). EMSC is reporting M8.0 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). Tsunami warnings, watches and advisories were issued following the quake. Over the next 3 hours, the USGS registered more than 20 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 5.3.
The epicenter was located 260.2 km (161.7 miles) SE of Chiniak (population 47) and 576.7 km (358.3 miles) S of Anchorage (population 291 826), Alaska, United States.
There are no people living within 100 km (62 miles). Some 14 000 people are estimated to have felt 14 000 light shaking.
August 7, 2017: Super Volcano at Yellowstone update on the earthquake swarm. The quakes showing no signs of letting up and is at 56 days straight of continuous activity.
The largest deep earthquake to strike in years has occurred in the West Pacific
(below the Philippines + Malaysia).
The forecast and earthquake watch issued on January 7, 2017 specifically called
for up to M7.9 earthquake activity to strike Philippines. This is also the
largest earthquake of the year for Philippines itself. An 72 hour earthquake
watch was issued 72 hours prior to this movement ...
The depth of the M7.3 is of particular concern... measuring in at over 610km
deep.
Deep earthquakes usually lead to shallower larger earthquakes which strike the
"silent zone fulcrum points" on every side of the deep event.
Thus Japan, Papua New Guinea (solomon sea), and Indonesia all three need to be
warned, and all three will be hit by larger activity (larger than anything
we've seen in the past several weeks). This could reach above M6.5 in several
locations.
The larger earthquakes could go a full 1-2 magnitudes LARGER than the deep M7.3
- thus making the potential for a very large earthquake (M8.3 to M9.3) much
greater than "normal".
The larger earthquakes, if they occur, should strike to the West of the Deep
earthquake with additional pressure fanning out across the area to the North
and slightly East as far as Papua New Guinea.
This is the largest deep earthquake we've seen in years, which means the whole
Pacific plate is about to be displaced (is being displaced). Areas such as the
West coast of the United States (Eureka to Cleft Segment) should be on
heightened alert for the potential for up to M6.8 to M7.0 .
Midwest USA should be on watch after California - watch for midrange M5.0 or
swarms = to this. Could be swarms of 3's mixed with a few midrange M4.0
earthquakes, but more likely something larger.
This week is going to be a week of displacement around the planet.. all the way
to Europe and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Italy, South Europe, Mediterranean -- you only have 3-4 days at the most before
you'll start seeing an influx of new seismic pressure which will increase
magnitudes by up to 3X. This means up to a 1,000% power increase from the
M3.0's we've been seeing. The potential for M6.0 activity in Greece is large.
The potential for M5.0 activity in Central Italy at the NEW swarm location
which popped up yesterday (Jan 9 2016).
Active
Volcanoes and recent Earthquakes world-wide
A swarm of more than 250 small earthquakes has
struck since New Year’s Eve near the California-Mexico border, causing unease
among residents and attention from scientists.
The earthquakes struck in the southern end of
the Brawley Seismic Zone, a seismically active region where tectonic plates are
moving away from each other and the Earth’s crust is getting stretched out “and
basically adding land,” said Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson.
The Brawley Seismic Zone is particularly
important to watch because it is the region that connects the San
Andreas and Imperial faults, both of which can produce damaging earthquakes. The
seismic zone extends for about 30 miles from the city of Brawley, across the
Salton Sea’s southern half, and ends near Bombay Beach.
The Brawley Seismic
Zone, which stretches between Brawley to an area near Bombay Beach, is
important to watch because it is a region that connects the San Andreas and
Imperial faults, which can produce major earthquakes.
The southern Brawley Seismic Zone is close in
proximity to the Imperial fault. The Imperial fault has caused two major
earthquakes in recent decades.
In 1979, a magnitude-6.5 earthquake sent
violent shaking into El Centro, injuring 91 and causing so much damage to the
concrete Imperial County Services Building that it had to be demolished.
The magnitude-7.1 earthquake that hit El Centro
in 1940 claimed nine lives and swayed buildings as far away as Los Angeles.
Irrigation systems were damaged, and railroad tracks were left warped where
they crossed the fault.
Earthquake swarms that occur in the other end
of the Brawley Seismic Zone — to the north — could trigger a major event on the
San Andreas fault, one of California’s most dangerous, that could send
catastrophic shaking into Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.
More than 250
earthquakes have rattled the Brawley Seismic Zone near the California-Mexico
border since December 31, 2016 and it is not stopping.
In late September, one such swarm began in the
northern Brawley Seismic Zone, with three measuring above magnitude 4. That
event led the U.S. Geological Survey to warn that chances of a magnitude 7 or
greater earthquake on the San Andreas fault had risen as a result of the swarm.
Another swarm of small earthquakes, topping out
at magnitude 3.5, struck the town of Niland near the eastern shore of
the Salton Sea on Halloween.
Brawley Mayor Sam Couchman said the earthquakes
have placed the city of 26,000 on edge since Saturday afternoon.
“We’re just kind of listening to it, and
when you can hear it coming, it’ll rattle things. Last night, we had the rain,
the earthquakes, and the fireworks. All we needed were frogs and locusts.”
At least 3 people have been killed and more than 47 injured after a strong and shallow earthquake registered by Ecuador's Geophysical Institute (IGEPN) as M5.7 hit Ecuador on December 19, 2016. The quake occurred at 07:11 UTC at a shallow depth of 5.2 km (3.2 miles). USGS registered it as M5.4 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.5 at the same depth.
According to the USGS, the epicenter was located 18.5 km (11.5 miles) SSW of Esmeraldas (population 165 2016), 38.4 km (23.9 miles) NE of Muisne (population 13 393), 61.6 km (38.3 miles) NNW of Rosa Zarate (population 42 121), and 96.9 km (60.2 miles) WSW of Valdez (population 11 441), Ecuador.
IGEPN recorded the quake off the coast of Atacames in Esmeraldas province, about 175 km (108.7 miles) NW of Quito, the capital. It was followed by 15 lesser-magnitude aftershocks (M3.4 - 4.5).
A tsunami alert was not issued but the institute warned that aftershocks could be expected.
A BIG CORONAL HOLE TURNS TOWARD EARTH: For the third month in a row, a large hole in the sun's atmosphere is turning toward Earth. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the yawning structure on Dec. 16th. This is the same coronal hole that lashed Earth's magnetosphere with solar wind on Oct. 25-28 and again on Nov. 23-26. It is spinning around with the sun, strobing Earth lighthouse-style every ~27 days. The last two times we experienced its solar wind, intermittant G1-class geomagnetic storms and bright auroras were observed in the Arctic. A repeat performance is likely when the solar wind returns on Dec. 20-22.
