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Magnitude-7.1 Earthquake in Alaska [+videos]

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The U.S. Geological survey reported a powerful earthquake – 162 miles (261 km) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska – which struck around 1:30 a.m. local time Sunday morning, January 24, 2016. It is being variously reported as a 7.1-magnitude and a 6.8-magnitude; USGS is saying 7.1 at this time. There were no immediate reports of injuries, although the quake did reportedly knock items off shelves and walls, and rattle nerves as you can see in the video below. A magnitude-4.3 aftershock struck about two hours later.

Ben Madrid posted this video to YouTube. He began recording about 20 seconds into the earthquake, until about 5 seconds after the peak magnitude, in Kenai Alaska.

The affected region of Alaska is located on what is called the ring of fire around the Pacific Ocean, and thus it is well known for earthquakes. USGS said the quake occurred as a result of the movement of great land plates, called tectonic plates, explaining:

In the region of the earthquake, the Pacific plate moves northwestward with respect to North America at a rate of [2.4 inches or] 60 mm/yr, and begins its decent into the mantle at the Alaska-Aleutian Trench almost [250 miles or] 400 km to the southeast of this earthquake …

(Read more from “Magnitude-7.1 Earthquake in Alaska” HERE)

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Earthquake Shakes Oklahoma, Kansas

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A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck northern Oklahoma early on Thursday, rattling residents out of their beds and shaking the ground across a 100-mile (160-km) radius that included the city of Tulsa and the state of Kansas.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 1:42 a.m. CST (0742 GMT) quake’s epicenter was 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Cherokee, Oklahoma.

With a shallow depth of 3.8 miles (6.2 km), it was one of the most-powerful temblors to shake Oklahoma since the strongest one recorded there struck in 2011 with a 5.6 magnitude.

There were no reports of any major damage or injuries, a Cherokee city hall official said. A local emergency management official said bridges did not appear to be damaged in areas around the quake’s epicenter.

Still, state’s oil and gas regulator, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), moved within hours on Thursday to implement additional curbs on the use of saltwater disposal wells that scientists have linked to a sharp rise in seismic activity in the state. (Read more from “Earthquake Shakes Oklahoma, Kansas” HERE)

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It’s Not Just California: Series of Earthquakes Rattles Oklahoma

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Two significant earthquakes and several smaller ones have been reported in Oklahoma Saturday. The USGS said the latest earthquake was at 12:29 p.m. The 4.2 magnitude quake was centered around 7.5 miles northwest of Medford.

Another earthquake woke up many Oklahomans Saturday morning. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit at 5:11:54 a.m., measuring 4.1 and was centered about 9 miles northwest of Medford.

It was followed by five smaller quakes over the next 40 minutes with the strongest measuring 3.1 . . .

Tami Laudett Morse, who lives in northeast Broken Arrow, said “It woke me. I thought someone was walking around upstairs.” (Read more from “It’s Not Just California: Series of Earthquakes Rattles Oklahoma” HERE)

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Nearly 600 Earthquakes Within Three Weeks in California

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A total of 583 small earthquakes have shaken San Ramon, California, in the last three weeks or so – more than five times the record set 12 years ago, according to the latest US Geological Survey updates.

“It’s the swarm with the largest number of total earthquakes in San Ramon,” said USGS scientist David Schwartz, who is more concerned about the size of quakes than he is the total number of them. Still, the number tops the previous record set in 2003, when 120 earthquakes hit over 31 days, with the largest clocking in at a magnitude of 4.2.

The largest magnitude earthquake in the current swarm, which began on Oct. 13, is a magnitude 3.6. (Read more from “Nearly 600 Earthquakes Within Three Weeks in California” HERE)

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Seismic Station in Alaska Records a Disturbance That Wasn’t an Earthquake: ‘Something Big Moving out There’

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Recordings taken at a station that detects seismic activity at Kultieth River Mountain in southeast Alaska would suggest that the area experienced a strong disturbance earlier this month.

But it was no earthquake.

The incident recorded by the Alaska Earthquake Center’s seismic sensor, according to KTUU-TV, was actually the work of a bear, or at least that’s what scientists think.

“We aren’t sure for certain it was a bear, but the data shows indicates it was something big moving out there before the data stopped coming in,” field engineer Scott Dalton told the news station.

The shaking detected by the station lasted for eight minutes and then transmission stopped. (Read more from “Seismic Station in Alaska Records a Disturbance That Wasn’t an Earthquake: ‘Something Big Moving out There'” HERE)

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Volcanic Activity, Earthquake Fears Increasing Worldwide

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Photo Credit: APBy The Japan Times. Authorities on Tuesday raised the volcano alert for Mount Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, restricting access to the area after a small eruption at the popular tourist site.

The Meteorological Agency said it confirmed volcanic ash was emitted from the area, which has been venting unusual amounts of steam in recent months.

The agency said the ash deposits indicate that a small eruption occurred between Monday evening and Tuesday.

Mount Hakone, about 80 km south of Tokyo, last erupted between the late 12th century and 13th century, according to experts.

Volcanic activity in the area began intensifying in late April but recently showed signs of subsiding. (Read more from “Volcanic Activity, Earthquake Fears Increasing Worldwide” HERE)

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62: Indonesia Raises Alert as Mt Raung Volcano Erupts

By Channel News Asia. Indonesian authorities on Monday (Jun 29) raised the alert level after Mount Raung in East Java erupted, causing ash to land in surrounding villages.

The eruption at Mount Raung on Sunday evening was heard 20 kilometres away, and ash fall was seen in villages about 10 kilometres away from the summit. Aircraft pilots also reported seeing large amounts of ash at a height of 3,500 metres.

Authorities cordoned off a two-kilometre radius around the volcano, and raised the alert level to “Siaga”, the second highest level. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Fear of Volcano Eruption in Ukhrul, as Fire Gushes From the Ground

By Nagaland Post. A continuous flow of smoke and ashes from a swamp at a place near Old Wahong village of Manipur’s Ukhrul district has left villagers fearing of natural calamity in the form of volcanic eruption any time, a daily reported Tuesday.

Villagers said that smoke radius of about two feet along with ashes have been seen gushing out from the earth’s surface at Shitru area, since last two weeks.

Shitru is located a place border Manipur, Nagaland and Myanmar.

Villagers and onlookers feared volcanic eruption at the area in a short time. (Read more from this story HERE)
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Los Angeles Grows Even More Nervous About the ‘Big One’

By Yahoo News. When hi-tech movies are then replicated in life – we see it as a positive step forwards.

However, no-one wants to see disaster movies repeated in real-life, but it looks like LA may be on the verge of getting the ‘San Andreas’ treatment.

Geologists from UC Santa Barbara have found helium leaking from the Newport-Inglewood fault in central Los Angeles increasing the potential damage of an earthquake on the mega city.

This discovery comes after the US Geological Survey warned that the city is building up to a ‘big one’ in the next 30 years with chances of a magnitude 8 earthquake hitting the mega-city increasing from 4.7 to 7 per cent. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Helium Is LEAKING From Massive Earthquake Fault in LA Raising Fears ‘Big One’ Could Be More Devastating Than Thought

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A huge fault in the Earth’s crust near Los Angeles is leaking helium, researchers have found.

They say the unexpected find sheds new light on the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin.

It reveals the fault is far deeper than previously thought, and a quake would be far more devastating.

It follows a report from the U.S. Geological Survey has warned the risk of ‘the big one’ hitting California has increased dramatically.

UC Santa Barbara geologist Jim Boles found evidence of helium leakage from the Earth’s mantle along a 30-mile stretch of the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin. (Read more from “Helium Is LEAKING From Massive Earthquake Fault in LA Raising Fears ‘Big One’ Could Be More Devastating Than Thought” HERE)

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Strong Earthquake Rattles Large Swath of Alaska

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Photo Credit: Arthur ChapmanA powerful earthquake shook a large swath of Alaska on Thursday morning, knocking things off shelves and causing people to take cover but bringing no immediate reports of major damage.

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, and hit at 9:51 a.m. The epicenter was about 80 miles northwest of the state’s largest city, where it was strongly felt and lingered for at least a minute, the Alaska Earthquake Center said.

Staffers at the Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage felt the shaking in their office on the top floor of the six-story building.

“My computer tower fell off my desk,” said judicial assistant Ellen Bozzini. Everyone stood in doorways until an evacuation was ordered, then they took the stairs outside where they waited for about 20 minutes before being allowed back in.

Read more from this story HERE.

Earthquake's Timing Left Many Fumbling in Dark

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Photo Credit: AP / Eric Risberg

Photo Credit: AP / Eric Risberg

A powerful earthquake that struck the heart of California’s wine country caught many people sound asleep, sending dressers, mirrors and pictures crashing down around them. Scores were injured as the temblor knocked out power to thousands, caused gas and water lines to rupture and sparked fires.

The magnitude 6.0-quake struck at 3:20 a.m. PDT Sunday near the city of Napa, an oasis of Victorian-era buildings nestled in the vineyard-studded hills of Northern California.

The fires also flared in a mobile home park where four homes were destroyed and two others were damaged, officials said.

By midday Sunday, the fires were out and power was starting to be restored, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Read more from this story HERE.

Massive Quake Off Chile Triggers Tsunami Warning

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Photo Credit: alobos Life / Creative Commons

Photo Credit: alobos Life / Creative Commons

A massive 8.2 earthquake struck just off the coast of Iquique in northern Chile Tuesday night, triggering a tsunami warning.

The United States Geological Survey said the epicenter was about 62 miles northwest of Iquique.

Chile’s Office of National Emergencies ordered an evacuation of all its coastal areas, saying that kind of earthquake carries a risk of a tsunami.

This is a breaking news story; we’ll update as we get more.

Update at 11:09 p.m. ET. Two Dead, Three Injured

Chilean authorities are reporting two dead three seriously injured in Iquique, the city closest to the offshore quake. Reuters said Iquique Mayor Gonzalo Prieto reported the casualties to local radio station Cooperativa.

Read more from this story HERE.