California residents may have dodged a big bullet.
A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Sunday night off the coast of northern California, making it the strongest quake to hit west coast since the 2010 Baja California quake that measured 7.2 on the Richter Scale.
The quake struck 50 miles west of Eureka, California in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of four miles. Several aftershocks struck closer to land, including a 3.4 magnitude shock that struck about 16 miles off the coast, but none were centered inland.
Police throughout the region reported no significant injuries.
“My car was rocking back and forth,” Sgt. Brian Stephens of the Eureka Police Department told the LA Times. “I thought someone was shoving my car back and forth, looked around and no one was there. Then I realized what was happening.”
Another resident described the quake as almost like ocean waves, slowly rolling and rocking their home but not causing any real shock.
The Oklahoma Geological Survey is reporting that over 150 earthquakes took place last week in the state.
According to data from the United States Geological Survey, Oklahoma would only experience three or fewer 3.0 or greater magnitude earthquakes in a year. In the firt two months of 2014, over 25 quakes topped that level.
An earthquake expert Michael Lewchuk says that likely one seismic event can trigger many other events. Last week, a dozen of the earthquakes above 2.5 on the Richter scale all took place around Liberty Lake near Guthrie, Oklahoma.
One local resident said the ongoing quakes impact “like a bomb going off” and that they are causing quakes in the foundations of homes.
It’s not only Oklahoma experiencing quake issues. Kansas governor Sam Brownback has issued an order calling for a public safety study on oil and gas drilling’s connection to quakes. Texas and Arkansas have also been looking into the connection.
Ocean City, Maryland is abuzz with speculation after a series of tremors that resembled an earthquake shook the town and neighboring communities.
One resident reported the boom that accompanied the strange quaking was so loud that it “sounded like somebody blew something up.” Bart Rader told the Baltimore Sun a 50-pound metal sculpture on his wall began shaking.
Geologists claim the tremors were not the result of an earthquake and speculated that supersonic jets from the Paxuxent Naval Air Station caused sonic booms. However, no station officials could confirm flights massing Ocean City.
“We’ve had sonic booms in town before, but this seemed different,” firefighter Michael Maykrantz said. “It was more sustained, and then there was a pause for about a minute and then it started again.”
Seismologists also said the tremor was not a result of a frost quake which has been happening during this frigid winter.
Scientists at Stanford University and MIT have found a new way to predict earthquakes and possible damage in areas where seismologists have struggled with oceans causing small seismic waves.
The scientists have developed a way to use ocean waves as a model for earthquakes and its impact on different types of soil.
The study says that Los Angeles is very vulnerable to a large quake from the San Andreas Fault.
The study shows that because the city sits on what’s called a ”sedimentary basin” shock waves from quakes could be magnified as much as three times their usual level. A sedimentary basin is softer, sandier dirt surrounded by a ring of rock. The waves would bounce off the rock and increase in magnitude.
One member of the scientific team said it was similar to a large bathtub full of water. If you shake the tub, the tub does not shake much but the water within violently shakes along with anything on top of it.
The study says the new system will allow scientists to test the impact of an earthquake on buildings in areas that have not experienced an earthquake for many years.
A major earthquake struck western Greece on Sunday afternoon.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck around 3:55 p.m. local time. The quake was centered about 12 miles below the town Lixouri on the island of Kefalonia. At least a dozen aftershocks of 3.5 or higher on the Richter scale have continued to shake the region.
Officials say that no one was killed in the quake but that many suffered minor to moderate injuries from objects falling in their homes. Some roads and highways had to be closed for cracked pavement or large rocks from landslides caused by the quake.
Local Greek websites are showing pictures of moderate to severe damage to old buildings around the epicenter of the quake. Residents of the areas closest to the epicenter were told by government officials to abandon damaged buildings overnight in the event of major aftershocks.
“Not dead yet.”
That was phrase used by U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough in a study published in the journal Science saying the major fault in the middle of the United States is still open to a major earthquake.
The New Madrid Fault Zone covers parts of seven states: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
The study was in response to studies claiming the fault was dying down and that any seismic actions were aftershocks or results of the major 1811-1812 earthquakes that devastated the central Mississippi River valley. The fault is considered to be less understood than other major faults because unlike those faults, it is located in the middle of a continent away from plate edges.
Hough and a USGS geophysicist analyzed past quakes in the New Madrid region and through computer modeling determined they are not related to the big quakes 200 years ago.
The USGS estimates a 7 to 10 percent chance of a 7.0 or greater earthquake in the region within the next 50 years.
A major earthquake struck New Zealand’s north island on Monday shaking buildings and putting tens of thousands without power.
The 6.2 magnitude earthquake was centered about 70 miles northwest of Wellington, the nation’s capital, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS reported the quake was located about 17 miles deep. A series of weaker aftershocks continued through the afternoon and evening.
While there were no immediate reports of casualties, electricity was cut off for thousands throughout the region. All trains on the rail network were stopped for railway inspectors to investigate for cracks on the tracks.
The quake was strong enough to bring down a giant eagle statue hanging from the ceiling of Wellington’s international airport. No one was hurt by the falling sculpture although commuters had to scatter. Airport authorities are investigating how the sculpture could have fallen.
New Zealand is on the southwestern edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Residents of Puerto Rico had a rude awakening in the middle of the night when a strong earthquake struck just off the coastline.
The 6.4 magnitude quake struck just after midnight local time about 35 miles north of city of Hatillo. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 17 miles deep.
The quake did not result in a tsunami.
Witnesses during the quake viewed buildings swaying as far away as the capital city of San Juan, 61 miles from the epicenter. Emergency services reported multiple calls of slight to moderate building damage and objects being thrown off walls and shelves.
The quake was the most significant to strike the area since a 5.4 magnitude quake in March 2011.
An earthquake struck off the coast of Cuba on Thursday, shaking buildings both in that nation and in the Florida straits.
The quake struck just before 4 p.m. local time about 100 miles east of Havana. The U.S. Geological Survey said that the closest city to the epicenter was Corralillo.
The quake was so strongly felt in Old Havana that buildings had to be temporarily evacuated because of the shaking. The quake reportedly shook buildings for over 30 seconds.
“Everything was moving,” NuriaOquendo told Fox. “You could really feel it, very clear, very defined.”
The USGS said that the quake was only six miles deep and not strong enough to develop tsunami.
A 4.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Southern Italy Sunday night.
Thousands of residents of Naples and surrounding villages rushed into the street as the quake struck around 6:08 p.m. local time.
Naples Mayor Luigi de Magistris said there were no reports of serious damage or injuries in the city. Towns closer to the epicenter, 35 miles northeast of Naples, reported damaged buildings but no serious injuries.
Italian news agencies said the quake could be felt all through the nation’s “bootheel” at the south tip.
Residents of Naples were reportedly so shaken up by the quake and the threat of aftershocks that they slept in their cars rather than going back inside their homes. Many buildings in the smaller towns are not constructed to withstand heavy quakes.
