They have, upon review, raised it to a 9.0:
Magnitude 9.0 – NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2011 March 11 05:46:23 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 9.0
Date-Time Friday, March 11, 2011 at 05:46:23 UTC
Friday, March 11, 2011 at 02:46:23 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 38.322°N, 142.369°E
Depth 32 km (19.9 miles) set by location program
Region NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances 130 km (80 miles) E of Sendai, Honshu, Japan
178 km (110 miles) E of Yamagata, Honshu, Japan
178 km (110 miles) ENE of Fukushima, Honshu, Japan
373 km (231 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 13.5 km (8.4 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=350, Nph=351, Dmin=416.3 km, Rmss=1.46 sec, Gp= 29°,
M-type=centroid moment magnitude (Mw), Version=A
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc0001xgp
Don’t know what the method or criteria are for raising the rating.
What’s Happening Now
I’m adding a third panel, off to the East, as some small ones are showing up out there, too:
Quakes Japan Close up - A bit off to the right...
Quakes, Japan close up, More North
Japan Local Map, Near Honshu
Quakes in Japan / Eurasia
Original with clickable regions to zoom in
Australia / New Zealand
This is a map of the Australia / Indonesia / New Zealand area:
Australia / Indonesia / New Zealand Quake Map
Original with clickable regions to zoom in
Here is a “live view” of South America so you can watch anything “new” that develops there:
Southern South America Hemispheric View
South America with “clickable” areas for more details.
Southern Hemisphere
A view of Earthquakes from the South Pole
Original Image with Clickable Details
Northern Hemisphere
North Polar Earthquake Map
Original Image with Clickable Details
Reminder
The line of total seismic energy is continuing it’s very vertical climb… I think Iceland will be “sooner rather than later”…
Take a look again at the Iceland Volcano Watch Metric posting. The total seismic energy line continues to go ever more vertical.
Some Volcano Stuff
This page:
http://pangea.stanford.edu/~dsinnett/Pages/Links.html has a nice collection of links to volcano monitor pages. Just click the pictures for the different volcano observatories.
The Smithsonian page:
http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/usgs/
Is only updated on Wednesdays…
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/~jaherric/Observatories.html
claims to have an exhaustive list of observatories that does include a Filippino one. That link tells you the original site no longer exists… but assuming the rest of the links are valid, it’s still a nice list to have.
I put that link into a google search and got what I think is the new, valid, address:
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/
FWIW, it has some nice maps and general information, but does not look to be oriented toward “breaking news”…
At any rate, there’s some volcano links, but looks like the general news is a better source for “It JUST Blew UP!”…
North America
North America and Mid Atlantic Ridge Quake Map
Original with clickable details
We’ve got a nice little cluster going on, with ANOTHER one in the Gulf of Mexico. (And folks now know why I’m so keen on watch it: https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/plates-ridges-and-north-america/ )
Magnitude 4.0 – GULF OF CALIFORNIA
2011 March 14 01:43:49 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 4.0
Date-Time Monday, March 14, 2011 at 01:43:49 UTC
Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 06:43:49 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 25.440°N, 109.662°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region GULF OF CALIFORNIA
Distances 77 km (47 miles) WSW of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
150 km (93 miles) W of Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico
157 km (97 miles) NNE of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
917 km (569 miles) SSE of PHOENIX, Arizona
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 33.4 km (20.8 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST= 27, Nph= 27, Dmin=197 km, Rmss=1.44 sec, Gp=140°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=9
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc0002287
11 of them in this static close up capture:
Quakes Gulf of Mexico 14 Mar 2011
And remember, I have a dedicated CSZ page with closeups
California Map
Action Closer to Me
As I live in California, it makes it easier for me if I keep them in the list where I can see what’s shaking near me.
Current quake map in California
Original Image, with captions and description. The original is interactive with clickable regions for ‘close ups’.
Musings from the Chiefio 
I heard that the quake off of Japan might even be upgraded to 9.1.
Well, “by whom” matters… but…
Anytime you want to check what the USGS thinks, just click this:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0001xgp.php
that ‘end bit’ is the quake ID number. If they change their ideas, that specific quake ID will give you the then current statement. “It is what it is”…
Right now, it’s a 9.0
Nobody has ever seen such a swarm of aftershocks, ever…..except for Edgard Cayce, who predicted that most of Japan would go into the sea. ..
@Adolfo:
Well, from a ‘vision’ point of view, it sure LOOKED like Japan “went into the sea” even if the reality was the “the Sea went into Japan”…
And
We’ve picked up another one on the “far side” of Japan:
Magnitude 5.4 – NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2011 March 14 06:18:26 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 5.4
Date-Time Monday, March 14, 2011 at 06:18:26 UTC
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 03:18:26 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 38.037°N, 138.394°E
Depth 35.4 km (22.0 miles)
Region NEAR THE WEST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances 59 km (36 miles) WNW of Niigata, Honshu, Japan
155 km (96 miles) N of Nagano, Honshu, Japan
172 km (106 miles) W of Yamagata, Honshu, Japan
288 km (178 miles) NNW of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 30 km (18.6 miles); depth +/- 0.5 km (0.3 miles)
Parameters NST= 62, Nph= 77, Dmin=167 km, Rmss=0.9 sec, Gp=133°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=D
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc00022f1
very rare but a small earthquake has hit North Queensland
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/small-earthquake-shakes-north-queensland-20110315-1bvsw.html
“Far north Queensland residents have been shaken by a magnitude 4.0 earthquake off the coast, but authorities have been quick to assure residents there is no tsunami threat.
The shallow earthquake struck at 4.08pm about 30 kilometres east of Innisfail.”
..”Dr Bathgate said such 4.0 tremors had previously been recorded in the area, in November 1989 and May 1990.
“It’s not a common occurrence but it has happened in the past,” he said.
“Queensland doesn’t have as many earthquakes as other parts of Australia — some parts of Australia are much more seismically active than this area.”
Can I safely assume we’ll be getting more and more shakes and shimmies over the next 2 weeks of the Super Moon?
@Baa Humbug:
It all depends on if it’s the most gravitational loading up/ down or the most puttling junctions open “side to side”. Is it gravitational or ‘lateral thrust’?
So watch and see…
The Queensland Quake not on the USGS maps. Probably below thier cut off..
Nice 6.x in Japan (Again!) though…
They have been talking on various news sites about our readiness in the case of such a scenario. If we are talking about an 8+ in CA, no we are not ready enough. If we are talking about theh CSZ and another 9 or 9+ we are most definitely not ready. I don’t feel that the NMSZ is going to do anything big real soon; some “experts” think it is dead, but I don’t think that is the case. If, and that is a big IF, the NMSZ does what it did in 1811-1812, than the reactors in Illinois might be in trouble, no matter what the so-called nuclear experts here say. Rockin’ and Rollin’ is never a good thing for a reactor, as we have seen, for various reasons, not the least of which is the lack of electricity. There is also the possibility of large quakes on the East coast – the Carolinas, and I don’t think they are ready for that either.
If we look at Google Earth, we see the last eartquakes happening along a fault that divides Japan in two, the north side seemingly advancing westwards with respect to the southern part.
The last one on that fault:
M 6.1, eastern Honshu, Japan
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 13:31:46 UTC
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 10:31:46 PM at epicenter
Depth: 1.00 km (0.62 mi)
Details from USGS web site
NHK is reporting that a 6.4 quake occurred just over 4km south of Mt. Fuji.
USGS doesn’t have a magnitude yet:
Magnitude
? (uncertain or not yet determined)
Date-Time
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 13:31:46 UTC
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 10:31:46 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
35.325°N, 138.525°E
Depth
13.8 km (8.6 miles) set by location program
Region
EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances
36 km (22 miles) S of Kofu, Honshu, Japan
37 km (22 miles) NW of Numazu, Honshu, Japan
42 km (26 miles) NNE of Shizuoka, Honshu, Japan
116 km (72 miles) WSW of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 12.1 km (7.5 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters
NST=358, Nph=379, Dmin=135.8 km, Rmss=0.79 sec, Gp= 40°,
M-type=(unknown type), Version=D
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID
usc00023fx
Yeah that is all they need Fuji waking up.
Strage phenomena happening:
Look at this halo, formed at 15:50 UTC over Lima, City (75°W,12°S):
http://www.digitalglobe.com/index.php
The “sample image” shown is Daiichi reactor number 3. You can clearly see the steam coming from the spent fuel pool.
This morning’s status:
Reactors 1 and 3 stable.
Reactor 2 water level increasing (good sign)
Reactor 4 has hot spent fuel, they will attempt to add water to the pool today.
Reactors 5 and 6 spent fuel pool temperatures increasing.
They really need to get some infrastructure restored so they can circulate water around.
Where are they pouring the spent, and contaminated, cooling sea water?
They are venting it to atmosphere as it boils.
Note that venting to the atmosphere is a normal process with this type of reactor. Normally that vented gas would travel through activated charcoal filters (and still might if they are intact) to trap any radioactive materials and then vented to atmosphere.
Two recent quakes 6 or greater within the last three hours. One inland near tokyo where theplates bend downward. One on the northern end of the swarm.
I am expecting the possibility of another M8 within the next two years, probably North of where this quake occurred.
According to NHK, Japan, it occurred at the base of Mt Fuji.
Mount Fuji is located at the triple junction where the Amurian Plate, the Okhotsk Plate, and the Philippine Sea Plate meet. Those plates form the western part of Japan, the eastern part of Japan, and the Izu Peninsula respectively.
Interesting.
35.300°N, 138.700°E, yeah just Southwest of Fujiyama on the road to the mountain.
10km deep. Worth keeping an eye on.
Kilauea collapse:
@Adolfo:
Looks like ‘typical’ noctilucent clouds to me. I’d expect them to be found in more “odd” places due to a colder sky (they are microscopic ice crystals) and more cosmic rays…
Don’t know if they are common in that location, or not, but we get them a few times a year here, in winter.
Saw that crater thing earlier. Thought about putting up a volcano posting, but decided to just leave it as links above. My personal “wish list” for this “increased volcanism” cycle is for Mount Lassen to burb and toss some rocks. Not too much, just a few and just a couple of miles… but enough to remind folks it IS an active volcano ;-)
@George:
Based on what? (Just curious what “magic sauce” you have and will you share ;-)
@boballab:
It’s now called a 6.2:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc00023fx.php
Magnitude 6.2 – EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
2011 March 15 13:31:46 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 6.2
Date-Time Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 13:31:46 UTC
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 10:31:46 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 35.300°N, 138.700°E
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances 36 km (22 miles) S of Kofu, Honshu, Japan
37 km (22 miles) NW of Numazu, Honshu, Japan
42 km (26 miles) NNE of Shizuoka, Honshu, Japan
116 km (72 miles) WSW of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 12.1 km (7.5 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=358, Nph=379, Dmin=135.8 km, Rmss=0.79 sec, Gp= 40°,
M-type=centroid moment magnitude (Mw), Version=D
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc00023fx
It’s kind of hard to see, as you need to scan BOTH of the “close ups” up top, but…
There is an “arc” of 5 quakes on the “Far Side” (east) of Japan from the Swarm. They presently terminate at that Fuji quake. Start from it (South of Tokyo) and scan up…
Like something is breaking or bending at about that point now that the ‘leading edge” has gone all wobbly under that 9.0 and swarm.
Wonder if there are any GPS Altimeters on Fuji… if it were rising relative to, oh, places further east, as it rides over a new chunk of subducting plate… Hmmm….
3005 years ago. About 994 BC. with a solar cycle at 1024 BC (3 before a BE node in 844 BC)
2300 years ago a mud flow. ~289 BC. S.C. at 307 BC, three AFTER the B.E. node.
Jogan erruption in 864 AD. S.C. at 767 AD and BE at 588 AD.
Hoei erruption in 1707 AD. S.C. at 1841 AD three prior to this proposed BE-zero.
and the wiki note:
That 400 year quiet period is from just before the 2nd S.C. after BE-1 (1125 AD) and just after the 4th S.C. (1483).
It looks to me like it starts to get going about one before, or after, a BE node, then takes a nap in the middle.
Really needs better data to plot it properly though…
I expect we’ll get a ‘mud burp’ like in 2300 BP…
Fox had a ‘teaser’ about the fish kill off the California coast. Said they would have Jim Berkland on who they implied is predicting a major quake for California.
I didn’t watch the bit, as I’ve other pressing things, but this is the guy who “called the ball” on the Loma Prieta quake (and got fired from his Santa Clara County job for accurately predicting a quake… as they don’t DO predictions…)
At any rate, he uses lunar position as a big part of his method (the max tide kind of thesis but with finess added…)
Will be interesting to see.
What I’m seeing on that Mexico / California chart is NOT making me happy… Also, a dozen times today and yesterday I’ve felt little “jiggle bits”. Not a shake, but a mild balance disorientation. I get those before and sometimes during quakes. Yesterday my DSL was cranky again, too. (Folks will remember that the OLD box would just flat out fail, and did so prior to some quakes… this one is much more reliable, but did go into a ‘retrain’ a time or two…. Perhaps indicating trivial EMP on the wires…)
At any rate, the indicia are leaning towards “something is afoot”…
Looking at the “part near me” I see a tiny red dot right now, to join that herd of blue and yellow ones all over the state. I also note a larger blue one above the Mammoth Lake end of things and another about The Geysers. That “line of hypothetical subducted spreading center”…
It’s like the energy is trying to move up the spreading line, then translates out to a quake fault slip. And the fault that looks like it’s getting the “action” is the Hayward.
I’m sorry, but I’m just not liking the looks of this…
Magnitude 3.7 – NEVADA
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 3.7
Date-Time Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 18:14:40 UTC
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 11:14:40 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 38.385°N, 118.727°W
Depth 12.5 km (7.8 miles)
Region NEVADA
Distances 18 km (11 miles) SSW (210°) from Hawthorne, NV
19 km (12 miles) WNW (296°) from Qualeys Camp, NV
30 km (18 miles) SE (132°) from Wichman, NV
239 km (149 miles) E (94°) from Sacramento, CA
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 2.6 km (1.6 miles); depth +/- 3.7 km (2.3 miles)
Parameters NST= 14, Nph= 14, Dmin=32.4 km, Rmss=0.16 sec, Gp=126°,
M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=7
Source Seismological Laboratory, University of Nevada, Reno
Event ID nn00329237
“Looking at the “part near me” I see a tiny red dot right now”
That might be a blast at the quarry sort of between Los Altos and Cupertino.
George,
Can we have more commentary on the happenings in Japan?
I’d wondered if it had gotten to where the information available to you was insufficient to really explain what is happening.
What I read that I think I understand seems very sobering and doesn’t at all seem the work of the usual hysterical terror mongers.
You and Boballab have provided a very valuable service to E.M.’s readers.
Thank you both.
@j ferguson
Unlike with the other two big explosions at Units #1 and #3 the one from Unit #2 doesn’t seem to have any video so far (I have looked a couple times on Youtube and such and have not seen one). Also both the TEPCO and NISA sites have not had a single report on them about Unit #2 (again unlike Units #1 and #3). However NHK has been reporting that NISA believes that the explosion at Unit #2 was around the suppression ring and that it might have damaged it. Also the IAEA has on their website this:
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html
Well, at the moment it is just “wait and see”. Reactors 1 and 3 are stable and cooling. Reactor 2 appears to be improving. The problem right now is the spent fuel in the pools on the refueling decks of the various reactor buildings. That spent fuel is hot and does eventually boil off the water in those pools. There is no electricity up there right now so they can’t circulate or replenish that water.
Radiation levels are dropping at the site. Most of the radiation on the site appears to be from debris scattered during the various hydrogen explosions.
The news organizations are really drumming up the hysteria and you would think there were three reactors in full meltdown spewing toxic waste across the countryside from reading them. All of them are guilty of it. I have not seen what I believe to be an unbiased, non-hysterical report out of any of them.
Yes, radiation levels will be above background but if you flew today to Tokyo, you would get more radiation exposure on the flight there and from the body scanner than you would on the ground once you got there.
Heck, you get more radiation from the body scanner than you get in the town right next to the reactors.
Even 40x normal background radiation is nearly nothing. 40x almost nothing = still almost nothing.
And the sad part is that the media are ignoring the herculean effort of those engineers and technicians at that site that have been battling one problem after another day and night and have so far managed to avoid a disaster. No, the media wants to pretend the disaster occurred.
People say “why are they evacuating people”. That is a precaution. Because if you waited until something really did happen, you wouldn’t have time to evacuate them. So Japanese law says they have to evacuate them when an incident like this happens. But people assume that if they are being evacuated, something must have already happened.
You have people needlessly buying iodine here in the US. You have a media hyping the story. More people died on Deepwater Horizon that have died at Fukushima Dai-ichi and there have been no deaths from radiation exposure. (one death due to physical injury, one death possibly due to natural causes very early in the incident).
I expect all three plants to be in cold shutdown by the weekend. There probably won’t be any release of radiation at anything approaching harmful levels outside the boundary of the site. There certainly hasn’t been to date.
The highlight of the Evening News was a Prof. Heppel from Princeton being goaded into saying something like “If it gets to be as bad as Chernobyl, the effects will be as bad as Chernobyl.”
One of the pernicious consequences of being to visit E.M.’s place and a few others is that I can read intelligent informed stuff and then find myself frustrated by the ignorance (well let’s call it innocence) of the folks around me.
The Washington Post had a column today wondering at if the product of the culturally meticulous, careful, creative, Japanese scientists and engineers could fail so alarmingly, what must be the risks of what we have do.
I assume she thinks GE is a Japanese outfit.
Sorry, If only English were my second language.
Maybe it is. First was baby talk. I was good at that I’ve been assured.
The problem I have are that all the political agitation think tanks are trotting out people as “experts” to talk to the media while banging the drum of their own agenda. The latest is Kyodo saying things have become “much worse” and when I look at the article, it is quoting the Institute for Science and International Security.
So it looks like the political left is making hay out of a terrible natural disaster attempting to frame it in the context of operational accidents of times gone by. They would have you believe this is somehow the fault of TEPCO when they are dealing with a natural disaster 1000 times greater than the design maximum of the plant.
Regarding that first map, way up at the top of the post:
I look at the USGS earthquake pages … well, not regularly, but at least a few times every time I read of a major earthquake somewhere in the world.
I don’t recall ever seeing a map in which the square for the original big quake was completely hidden behind the smaller squares of aftershocks. Well, maybe once or twice, for the first few hours, or the first day or two. The site of the Sendai quake is still like that five days after it happened. As I write this there’s a red (within the last hour) marker for a magnitude 4.9 quake not terribly far from the big quake’s epicenter. Other aftershocks range as high as 6.2 — a major quake in its own right.
I don’t know what this means, but I don’t like it. At all.
The other problem I see is the reporting of what is obviously steam from those pools as “smoke” by such outlets as NHK.
It is about 32F this morning and the water in those pools is around 190F so they are going to steam like crazy.
@George:
I saw one interview on Fox with ONE guy (who’s name I didn’t catch) who “had clue”. One.
Also, Yeah, those guys each and every one need a medal, international honors, and a full retirement on a tropical beach of their choosing…
Also heard on pMSNBC that the US fleet had detected radiation some miles out to sea, so had moved. The response from the mumbling heads? ~”Wow, it must be bad if they moved the fleet”… Not a clue that if you detect it you know you are down wind and in the off chance something DID melt down in the future it is not a bright place to be hanging out…
I, too, am very thankful for the folks here ‘with clue’ who are sharing that with the rest of us.
@wolfwalker:
There was at least one 7.2 aftershock, also buried at this time…
What it means is that a whole lot of different parts of the rocks are breaking and shifting. I’ve not seen anything like this either…
I fear it means that a whole lot of stress got moved ‘on down the line’ and there will be ANOTHER “big one” in a few {days / weeks / months }
I’m also pretty sure we’re going to get a volcano or two wake up and shake a bit, but I’m hoping they stay small events.
I’ve added a third “close up panel” off to the right of the first one. Why? Some quakes are “off page” out that way on the first panel now…
@George:
It’s this kind of piddly stuff on that line south of Freemont that’s the southern end of the Hayward / Calaveras system:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/36.38.-123.-121.php
(I’m near the S in San Jose)
Latest being:
Magnitude 1.9 – SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
2011 March 16 03:10:15 UTC
Details
Maps
Scientific & Technical
Earthquake Details
This is a computer-generated message — this event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 1.9
Date-Time Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 03:10:15 UTC
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 08:10:15 PM at epicenter
Location 37.413°N, 121.811°W
Depth 0.1 km (~0.1 mile) (poorly constrained)
Region SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
Distances 5 km (3 miles) NNE (14°) from Alum Rock, CA
8 km (5 miles) ESE (108°) from Milpitas, CA
11 km (7 miles) NE (42°) from San Jose City Hall, CA
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 0.4 km (0.2 miles); depth +/- 4 km (2.5 miles)
Parameters Nph= 22, Dmin=6 km, Rmss=0.17 sec, Gp=112°,
M-type=duration magnitude (Md), Version=1
Source California Integrated Seismic Net:
USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID nc71543706
I’m feeling them (not via shaking, but via that ‘woozy’ head thing) and it’s very annoying. I’m just going along fine, then the “disorient” and gone in 2 seconds… check map a while later, dinky red spot…
Sometimes it feels like the ground is ‘wiggling’ a little, but there is no noise from all the ‘stuff’, so I know it’s not really moving.
It’s the same thing I get before a really big quake…
I don’t know if I’m just whistling past the graveyard or if I just ‘feel’ small enough quakes to pick up the micro-sized pre-shocks of a bigger one, and that means a ‘falsing’ on a bunch of small ones.
At any rate, I wish it would just go away…
I understand what you mean. I lived in Riverside in the early 1990’s and we were having several quakes leading up to the Landers event. I think it started with the Upland quake and we just never seemed to stop having quakes after that.
But it got so I could somehow “sense” the quake before the shaking even started (only a second or two, mind you, just enough to realize “earthquake!” and then the shaking would start). It is a very strange feeling that is very hard to describe.
The hit parade just keeps on comin’
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/nc71544421.php (3.1)
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/220_60.php (2.1 AND a 4.1)
@MichaelM:
Yup…
Magnitude 6.3 – VANUATU
2011 March 17 02:47:59 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 6.3
Date-Time Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 02:47:59 UTC
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 01:47:59 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 17.339°S, 167.743°E
Depth 15.2 km (9.4 miles)
Region VANUATU
Distances 75 km (46 miles) NW of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu
209 km (129 miles) SSE of Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
293 km (182 miles) NNW of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu
1885 km (1171 miles) NE of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 15.3 km (9.5 miles); depth +/- 0.5 km (0.3 miles)
Parameters NST=235, Nph=247, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=1.17 sec, Gp= 25°,
M-type=centroid moment magnitude (Mw), Version=A
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc00024wv
And Chile is still hot ;-)
Magnitude 5.1 – OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
2011 March 17 11:14:24 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 5.1
Date-Time Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:14:24 UTC
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 08:14:24 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 32.518°S, 71.537°W
Depth 19.2 km (11.9 miles)
Region OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
Distances 58 km (36 miles) N of Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile
94 km (58 miles) WNW of Los Andes, Valparaiso, Chile
104 km (64 miles) SSW of Illapel, Coquimbo, Chile
132 km (82 miles) NW of SANTIAGO, Region Metropolitana, Chile
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 25.1 km (15.6 miles); depth +/- 3.5 km (2.2 miles)
Parameters NST=114, Nph=116, Dmin=70.1 km, Rmss=0.68 sec, Gp=148°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=8
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc0002513
While the Sandwich is jiggling:
Magnitude 5.4 – SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
2011 March 17 01:00:08 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 5.4
Date-Time Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 01:00:08 UTC
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 11:00:08 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 57.913°S, 25.685°W
Depth 85.8 km (53.3 miles)
Region SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
Distances 132 km (82 miles) NNE of Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands
164 km (101 miles) SSE of Visokoi Island, South Sandwich Islands
2157 km (1340 miles) ESE of STANLEY, Falkland Islands
3567 km (2216 miles) SE of BUENOS AIRES, D.F., Argentina
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 20.1 km (12.5 miles); depth +/- 0.4 km (0.2 miles)
Parameters NST=206, Nph=232, Dmin=784.8 km, Rmss=0.83 sec, Gp= 72°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=5
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc00024v2
And China isn’t quite Chop Suey but is at least wonton soup:
Magnitude 5.0 – SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
2011 March 17 15:34:33 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 5.0
Date-Time Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 15:34:33 UTC
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:34:33 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 40.512°N, 79.057°E
Depth 18.7 km (11.6 miles)
Region SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
Distances 122 km (75 miles) SW of Aksu, Xinjiang, China
225 km (139 miles) SSE of Karakol (Przhevalsk), Kyrgyzstan
277 km (172 miles) ESE of Naryn, Kyrgyzstan
3154 km (1959 miles) W of BEIJING, Beijing, China
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 14.7 km (9.1 miles); depth +/- 0.5 km (0.3 miles)
Parameters NST=114, Nph=123, Dmin=394.1 km, Rmss=0.75 sec, Gp= 83°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=6
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc000254v
And if you take just a moment to look at California you will see a nice line of “3 Scale” events running more or less up the San Andreas and right past me. Three of them on land and number 4 just out to sea. And more little red micro dots as I type.
The place is creaking, straining, giving little grinders, and some larger rocks in the 3 scale are starting to break.
IMHO, it’s odds of an event have just gone “high”. Not certainty, but I’m off to check my water levels and make sure the quake kit is not in the wrong corner of the garage… Car is already full of gas, but maybe I’ll “freshen” the generator gas can… I think it’s only about 1/2 fulll…
I also note that Cascadia quake at the far end is not a good thing, especially in the context:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/1707-hoei-49-days-fuji/
OK, and on that same Edge of N.A. plate arc:
Magnitude 5.1 – NEAR THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
2011 March 17 08:28:28 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 5.1
Date-Time Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 08:28:28 UTC
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 08:28:28 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 53.244°N, 159.364°E
Depth 74.6 km (46.4 miles)
Region NEAR THE EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA
Distances 54 km (34 miles) ENE (62°) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
361 km (224 miles) NE (37°) from Severo-Kuril’sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
482 km (300 miles) WSW (246°) from Nikol’skoye, Komandorskiye Ostrova, Rus.
2481 km (1542 miles) NNE (32°) from TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 24.1 km (15.0 miles); depth +/- 5.1 km (3.2 miles)
Parameters NST= 46, Nph= 48, Dmin=53.4 km, Rmss=1.06 sec, Gp=140°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=7
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc00024zq
And lets not forget the potential for a volcanic “baked Alaska” as they have a quake too:
Magnitude 4.1 – SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
2011 March 17 17:05:13 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 4.1
Date-Time Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 17:05:13 UTC
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 09:05:13 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 58.307°N, 137.671°W
Depth 13.6 km (8.5 miles)
Region SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
Distances 78 km (48 miles) W (279°) from Elfin Cove, AK
93 km (58 miles) WNW (295°) from Pelican, AK
113 km (70 miles) W (265°) from Gustavus, AK
748 km (465 miles) ESE (110°) from Anchorage, AK
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 0.6 km (0.4 miles); depth +/- 0.1 km (0.1 miles)
Parameters NST= 54, Nph= 0, Dmin=148.1 km, Rmss=0.96 sec, Gp=148°,
M-type=local magnitude (ML), Version=2
Source Alaska Earthquake Information Center
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Event ID ak10193394
While further down our Gulf of California “issue” has added on a modest one:
Magnitude 4.2 – GULF OF CALIFORNIA
2011 March 17 10:52:42 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 4.2
Date-Time Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 10:52:42 UTC
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 03:52:42 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 25.324°N, 109.696°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region GULF OF CALIFORNIA
Distances 87 km (54 miles) SW of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
143 km (88 miles) NNE of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
155 km (96 miles) W of Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico
929 km (577 miles) SSE of PHOENIX, Arizona
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 24.1 km (15.0 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST= 80, Nph= 83, Dmin=183.7 km, Rmss=1.4 sec, Gp=133°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=7
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc000250v
Yes, the 17th is a “shaky day in the neighborhood”…
The whole place is trying to readjust to the new forces, post Japan, IMHO.
This isn’t over.
Hi EM
a thought… We had a very bright moon last night in Australia (apparently 30% brighter than normal). One of the reasons given for this is that the moon and earth are at their closest in 20 years. I wonder is this linked to earthquakes in some way?
@Sandy McClintock:
There are folks who think so. See:
http://www.syzygyjob.com/
Quakes in Japan not done yet. Three of 6.x in a few hours:
Magnitude 6.6 – OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2011 March 22 07:18:47 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 6.6
Date-Time Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 07:18:47 UTC
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 05:18:47 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 37.249°N, 143.956°E
Depth 26.5 km (16.5 miles)
Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances 274 km (170 miles) E of Iwaki, Honshu, Japan
293 km (182 miles) ESE of Sendai, Honshu, Japan
313 km (194 miles) E of Fukushima, Honshu, Japan
415 km (257 miles) ENE of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 13.9 km (8.6 miles); depth +/- 0.5 km (0.3 miles)
Parameters NST=300, Nph=305, Dmin=518.7 km, Rmss=1.18 sec, Gp= 32°,
M-type=”moment” magnitude from initial P wave (tsuboi method) (Mi/Mwp), Version=7
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc00028pe
Magnitude 6.4 – NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2011 March 22 09:19:05 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 6.4
Date-Time Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 09:19:05 UTC
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 06:19:05 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 37.334°N, 141.861°E
Depth 27 km (16.8 miles)
Region NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances 92 km (57 miles) ENE of Iwaki, Honshu, Japan
131 km (81 miles) E of Koriyama, Honshu, Japan
132 km (82 miles) ESE of Fukushima, Honshu, Japan
262 km (162 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 14.3 km (8.9 miles); depth +/- 0.8 km (0.5 miles)
Parameters NST=430, Nph=433, Dmin=337.3 km, Rmss=0.76 sec, Gp= 50°,
M-type=”moment” magnitude from initial P wave (tsuboi method) (Mi/Mwp), Version=7
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc00028qt
Magnitude 6.6 – OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2011 March 22 09:44:29 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 6.6
Date-Time Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 09:44:29 UTC
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 07:44:29 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 39.863°N, 143.436°E
Depth 15.5 km (9.6 miles)
Region OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances 181 km (112 miles) ESE of Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan
196 km (121 miles) E of Morioka, Honshu, Japan
252 km (156 miles) ESE of Aomori, Honshu, Japan
565 km (351 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 12.6 km (7.8 miles); depth +/- 1.1 km (0.7 miles)
Parameters NST=426, Nph=427, Dmin=240.5 km, Rmss=0.67 sec, Gp= 40°,
M-type=”moment” magnitude from initial P wave (tsuboi method) (Mi/Mwp), Version=A
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc00028qz
Well, slowing down quite a lot. Lots of “yellow all over the world” and “blue not so much”. Looks like we’re past the peak of the Supermoon.
Japan did pick up this one rather close to shore:
Magnitude 6.4 – NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2011 March 25 11:36:24 UTC
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.Magnitude 6.4
Date-Time Friday, March 25, 2011 at 11:36:24 UTC
Friday, March 25, 2011 at 08:36:24 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 38.763°N, 141.942°E
Depth 39.2 km (24.4 miles)
Region NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances 107 km (66 miles) ENE of Sendai, Honshu, Japan
124 km (77 miles) SSE of Morioka, Honshu, Japan
150 km (93 miles) ENE of Yamagata, Honshu, Japan
392 km (243 miles) NNE of TOKYO, Japan
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 14.2 km (8.8 miles); depth +/- 7.1 km (4.4 miles)
Parameters NST=451, Nph=463, Dmin=376.3 km, Rmss=0.75 sec, Gp= 32°,
M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=C
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usc0002bc9
They are saying the fault moved 30 meters.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/26_02.html
That’s 30 meters more material subducted into the melt zone for a couple hundred kilometers length.
We’ve picked up a 4.4 off the coast of Oregon…
Well, 30 meters is a whopping large chunk of crust. So, start your timer on Fuji?….
I am going to bet on “May Day” ;-)