Monday, February 19, 2018

Birth Pangs: Earthquakes in Diverse Places

Birth Pangs: Earthquakes in Diverse Places

Earthquake swarm in Iceland intensifies, 2000 earthquakes in four days

Plus, Dutchsinse projects big 7.0 quake off west coast...

People are constantly being shaken awake on Grimsey Island, in North Iceland. A Magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit around 5:30 this morning. One hour later a Magnitude 4.5 quake hit the same region, which is under high seismic activity with more than 2,000 earthquakes detected since February 14th.

Both tremblors, as well as more than 6 aftershocks, were felt by residents of the island. This is not the first swarm to occur in the area, though such an active one has not occurred since 1988, nearly 30 years ago. A lot of tension has accumulated around Grimsey Island because it has been a long time since there was a big earthquake there. People have begun to think that there could be a big earthquake on the way. READ MORE

Second earthquake in three days shakes Southern Mexico

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck southern Mexico early on Monday, sending frightened residents into the streets as seismic alarms echoed across the capital, although there were no immediate reports of damage. The quake hit 32 km (20 miles) east of Santa Catarina Mechoacan in the state of Oaxaca at a depth of 40 km at 12.57am (6.57am GMT), the US Geological Survey said, revising its strength down slightly from an initial 6.1 magnitude.
The tremor was strong enough to trigger earthquake alarms in Mexico City, more than 200 miles (320 km) away, but was shorter and less intense than one of Friday in the same area that damaged about 1,000 houses. Many in Mexico City slept through the shaking. Residents who rushed into the streets when the alarms sounded quickly returned to their homes once the quake stopped. The head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, Luis Felipe Puente, said state emergency procedures had been activated in the affected states. READ MORE

DEVELOPING: Earthquake swarm taking place under Cumbre Vieja volcano in Canary Islands

A new seismic swarm started under Cumbre Vieja volcano (La Palma), the Canary Islands on February 10, 2018. Quakes in this latest swarm are stronger than those in the previous swarm in October 2017, the first swarm in this area in 30 years. National Geographic Institute (IGN) registered a total of 83 earthquakes between 23:23 UTC, February 10 and 07:32 UTC, February 15 with magnitudes ranging from 1.6 to 2.6. In addition, there have been several hundred more which weren’t detected due to their magnitude and depth.
The depth of the quakes decreased during the course of the swarm, suggesting an upward movement of magma towards the surface. The Canary Government called for an urgent meeting of the Scientific Committee for Evaluation and Monitoring of Volcanic Phenomena to discuss why the quakes are happening again and what might happen in the future. This is the second such meeting in four months. INVOLCAN said that this new series is something expected based on geochemical measurements made in the Cumbre Vieja volcano. READ MORE