Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake - OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA

USGS Earthquake Hazards ^ | 2004 December 26 00:58:55 UTC

[bd476]

Magnitude 8.1 - OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
2004 December 26 00:58:55 UTC

Preliminary Earthquake Report
West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center/NOAA/NWS

A great earthquake occurred at 00:58:55 (UTC) on Sunday, December 26, 2004. The magnitude 8.1 event has been located OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)

Magnitude	8.1
Date-Time	Sunday, December 26, 2004 at 00:58:55 (UTC) = Coordinated Universal Time Sunday, December 26, 2004 at 6:58:55 AM = local time at epicenter
Location	3.400°N, 95.700°E
Depth	40 km (24.9 miles) set by location program
Region	OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
Distances	235 km (145 miles) S of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia 330 km (205 miles) W of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia 1620 km (1000 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia 3405 km (2120 miles) SE of NEW DELHI, Delhi, India
Location Uncertainty	Error estimate not available
Parameters	Nst=020, Nph=020, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=0.98 sec, Gp=101°, M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=1
Source	West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center/NOAA/NWS
Event ID	at00000264

Location Maps: 10-degree NEIC Maps Did you feel it? Report shaking and damage at your location. You can also view a map displaying accumulated data from your report and others. Historical Moment Tensor Solutions Seismic Hazard Map Historical Seismicity Theoretical P-Wave Travel Times Magnitude 7 and Greater Earthquakes This Year TsunamiBulletin Archive of newsworthy events

[bd476]

It's now been revised from an earlier reading of 8.1 to 8.5. Local tsunamis are possible, but far ranging tsunamis are not predicted.

[Lokibob]

Look back at the seismometer chart, it is updating in a real near time basis. the earth continues to ring even an hour after the event. I have not seen this many echos on an EQ.

[bd476]

Yeah, well I assume you're kidding but some of us in Southern California have seen an increase in large quakes during Santa Ana conditions. It may be perceptual.

[bd476]

From past experience, the mainstream media will be filtering in new reports for the next 24 hours.

[bd476]

Sure is. It's now been revised upward from 8.1 to 8.5. Big boom.

[bd476]

If they called it anything but "great" it would be more fitting. Monstrous, Extra large... something like that. :)

[Quix]

How would you rate the increase in echos? X's or in %?

[bd476]

Exactly, it's a monster quake. There's nothing "great" about it. :)

[bd476]

Lokibob said: "Look back at the seismometer chart, it is updating in a real near time basis. the earth continues to ring even an hour after the event. I have not seen this many echos on an EQ."

Thanks, and please keep us updated, Lokibob.

[bd476]

Ping.

[ken5050]

Can I please ask the obvious dumb question?..How do you have two quakes that huge and NOT generate a tsunami? I understand they are a "pulse" in the water near the souce..and spread out..and rise only as they approach land..a shallow bottom...but..where are they?

[bd476]

The Earth is a dynamic place, that's for sure.

[Quix]

A witness also told the radio from Sigli, in Aceh's Pidie district, the quake caused the dome of the main mosque there to collapse. The witness said there were no reports of any casualties.

Have prayed God would leave authentic churches standing and crash all the idol focused temples in quakes in Asia--whatever His Spirit's wisdom dictated in each situation but to make increasingly and abundantly clear where HE STOOD on such matters.

I don't know when I'll start to see answers to such prayers. But I believe I will in my lifetime. So this was a bit startling to read.

[bd476]

Good question and you partially answered it, Ken. A local tsunami close to the epicenter is possible but not guaranteed within the next several hours.

The previous 8.1 quake near Macquerie Island two days ago generated a tiny tsunami - 20 cm. in height. The most common and typical tsunamis cause shoreline damage from the increased volume of water inundating the shoreline rather than a large wave breaking over treetops.

[rabidralph]

I hope the tsunami brings me some fresh, ground coffee!

[BIGLOOK]

The 8.1 day before yesterday and this one sounds like a plate shift. As long as they're deep (sea floor, which they seem to be), seismic sea wave unlikely.

[bd476]

LOL!

[Lokibob]

Here is the chart from last friday with the 8.1. You can see that it isn't where near as strong as this one.

http://www.seis.utah.edu/helicorder/heli/utah/Uuss.BMUT_EHZ_UU.2004122300.gif

[Arizona Carolyn]

We felt that one here in Arizona, too... but it was on the desert side of the San Bernardino Mountain range ...

[Arizona Carolyn]

This is a terrible thing to say -- but since those islands have become sooooooo Islamic how appropriate for a wakeup call on Christmas Day --