Free Republic

Earthquake

17:46:11 Universal time...

WELLINGTON—New Zealand's Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management issued a marine threat for the country's North Island after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck in the Kermadec Islands region in the southern Pacific Ocean early Thursday morning New Zealand time. "Confirmation been received that a tsunami was generated," the Ministry of Civil Defense said. It said a marine threat for Northland, Bay of Plenty, East Coast and Hawkes Bay had been identified. All are located on New Zealand's North Island. The ministry said the first wave would arrive in New Zealand round 8:52 a.m. local time. "

From USGS:This event has been reviewed by a seismologist. Magnitude 7.2 Date-Time Friday, June 24, 2011 at 03:09:40 UTCThursday, June 23, 2011 at 06:09:40 PM at epicenterTime of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 52.008°N, 171.859°W Depth 62.6 km (38.9 miles) Region FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA Distances 162 km (101 miles) E (97°) from Atka, AK228 km (142 miles) WSW (244°) from Nikolski, AK328 km (204 miles) E (86°) from Adak, AK1681 km (1045 miles) WSW (243°) from Anchorage, AK Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 13.8 km (8.6 miles); depth +/- 5.3 km (3.3 miles) Parameters NST=784, Nph=791, Dmin=231.5 km,...

A significant increase in magnitude 5+ earthquakes worldwide has occurred in the last 24 hours, especially in the area around Vanuatu Islands. A similar increase in 5+ earthquakes mainly near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, occurred prior to the magnitude 9.1 earthquake and resulting tsunami. MAP 5.0 2011/04/29 22:31:59 28.838 -113.088 10.5 GULF OF CALIFORNIA MAP 5.3 2011/04/29 22:19:33 38.915 141.932 51.3 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN MAP 5.1 2011/04/29 20:24:35 -3.502 100.614 29.8 KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA MAP 5.0 2011/04/29 16:00:41 -19.313 167.705 27.0 VANUATU REGION MAP 5.5 2011/04/29 13:12:46 21.182 121.980 176.7 TAIWAN REGION MAP...

A volcano in southwestern Japan erupted Sunday after nearly two weeks of relative silence, sending ash and rocks up to four kilometres (two and a half miles) into the air, a local official says. It was not immediately clear if the eruption was a direct result of the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked northern areas Friday, unleashing a fierce tsunami and sparking fears that more than 10,000 may have been killed.

(TheWeatherSpace.com) -- One of the most active volcanos in Indonesia has erupted, blasting lava and hot gas down the slopes. Mount Karangetang is located on Siau, part of the Sulawesi island chain. It erupted in August, killing four people. This mountain is along the "Ring of Fire, the volcano chain surrounding the Pacific Basin. The eruption took place hours after the Japan 8.9-magnitude Earthquake.

Residents look at Mount Bulusan spewing ash in Sorsogon province, south of Manila, February 21, 2011. Mount Bulusan spewed a three-kilometer ash column covering several villages in the southwest, but the volcano's status remains at Alert Level 1, meaning the source of activity is hydrothermal and shallow, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. REUTERS/Stringer

A one-mile cordon has been established around a volcano on Mount Kirishima after it erupted scattering rocks and ash across southern Japan and sending smoke billowing 5,000ft into the air. The Meteorological Agency raised the volcanic alert to level 3 as ash today continued to spew from Shinmoedake on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, and residents have been banned from going within a mile of the volcano following its worst eruption in 50 years. Force of nature: Lightning strikes as Shinmoedake erupts, scattering ash and rocks across a wide swathe of southern Japan Ash and smoke continued to billow...

TOKYO (AP) -- Officials urged more than 1,000 residents to seek safer ground on Monday and expanded a no-access zone around a volcano that has exploded back to life in southern Japan. The 4,662-foot (1,421-meter) Shinmoedake volcano erupted last week for the first time in 52 years. The volcano is located in a remote part of the Kirishima range on the southern Japan island of Kyushu. No injuries have been reported. On Monday, five days after it burst back to life, the volcano was still spewing a spectacular plume into the air, sending a blanket of ash out over a...

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Thousands of Indonesians were evacuated from the slopes of a volcano on Sunday after it erupted for the first time in more than 400 years, spewing out lava and sending smoke and dust 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) into the air. Mount Sinabung, in the north of the island of Sumatra, began erupting around midnight after rumbling for several days, prompting some villagers to panic before the mass evacuation got under way. Indonesia is on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and geological fault lines triggering frequent earthquakes around the Pacific Basin. The eruption...

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a Tsunami warning for all areas of the Indian Ocean after a 7.7 earthquake struck Nicobar Islands India Region. A Tsunami Watch is in effect for India / Indonesia / Sri Lanka / Myanmar / Thailand / Malaysia. Officials say earthquakes of this size have the potential to generate a destructive local tsunami and sometimes a destructive regional tsunami along coasts located usually no more than a thousand kilometers from the earthquake epicenter. It says areas further from the epicenter could experience small sea level changes and strong or unusual coastal currents. It...

2 killed so far.

On the radio KFI LA..

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit Guatemala's Pacific coast near the border with El Salvador on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The latest news is a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Argentina after the 7.0 Haiti Earthquake and the 5.6 Venezuela Earthquake, and all less than a week.

Mount Mayon volcano in the Philippines, which killed scores in an eruption 16 years ago, has spewed an ash plume leading to fears it may blow again.

Magnitude 7.9 Date-Time * Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 17:48:14 UTC * Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 06:48:14 AM at epicenter Location 15.554°S, 172.141°W Depth 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program Region SAMOA ISLANDS REGION Distances * 199 km (124 miles) SSW (192°) from APIA, Samoa * 211 km (131 miles) SW (227°) from PAGO PAGO, American Samoa * 396 km (246 miles) NNE (30°) from Neiafu, Tonga * 2415 km (1501 miles) W (272°) from PAPEETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 11.9 km (7.4 miles); depth fixed by location program Parameters NST= 59, Nph= 59,...

CARACAS, Venezuela – An earthquake rattled Venezuela's capital Saturday, but there were no reports of major damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 for the quake, saying the epicenter was off Venezuela's Caribbean coast 65 miles (110 kilometers) west of Caracas. The head of Venezuela's seismological agency, Francisco Garces, put the quake at magnitude 6.2, followed by an aftershock registering 4.0.

PARIS (AFP) – A few lucky people in the Indian Ocean will be treated to a rare event on Monday when an annular solar eclipse will transform the Sun into a dark disc with a blazing ring-shaped corona around its rim. In solar eclipses, the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow on the terrestrial surface. In an annular eclipse, a tiny shift in distance that results from celestial mechanics means the Moon does not completely cover the Sun's face, as it does in a total eclipse. Instead, for those directly under the alignment, the Moon covers...