Tag Archives: USGS

Earthquakes Rock Oklahoma, Kansas, Oregon

A series of earthquakes were felt in the United States Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.  

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake was reported Wednesday afternoon 43 miles from Lakeview, Oregon, according to the Geological Survey.  The tremor occurred at 5:50pm Pacific Time.  In the last 10 days, there has been one other earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

This morning residents in Oklahoma were awakened by a 4.7 magnitude quake that is reported to be the largest in that state since 2011.  The earthquake was felt from Norman, Oklahoma, to central Kansas, and from the Texas Panhandle to Missouri, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The epicenter was 8 miles southwest of Cherokee, Oklahoma with a depth of 3.8 miles.  

“It was a quick jolt with windows rattling with [the first waves], then 5-10 seconds later, [the second waves] rattled windows and shook appliances and computer monitors,” said AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Meteorologist William Clark, who felt the earthquake in Wichita, Kansas.

Local radar picked up thousands of birds that took off as the quake hit.  

Three other earthquakes were reported overnight in the area Thursday: a 3.1-magnitude at 3:46 a.m., a 3.7-magnitude earthquake at 6:03 a.m. and a 3.4 magnitude earthquake at 7:25 a.m. The 3.1 and 3.7 magnitude tremors were centered 9 miles west of Cherokee near the Kansas border. The 3.4 was centered near Crescent.

It is unclear if there was any damage or injuries at this time.

A strong undersea earthquake also struck off the coast near the Solomon Islands, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. These islands are located east of Papua New Guinea.  

The bureau initially reported that an earthquake of 7.1 had occurred at 5.31am ADET, which would be classified as a major earthquake, but the intensity was later reported as 6.8, which is considered strong.

The quake struck 119 kilometres south west of Dadali, in the Solomon Islands, and 176 kilometres north west of the capital, Honiara.  There are no reports of injuries and no tsunami watches or warnings issued.  

3 Small Earthquakes Hit Central Arizona

Central Arizona was rattled Sunday night after experiencing 3 small earthquakes within a 3 hour period.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the first earthquake had a 3.2 magnitude and struck just before 9 p.m. local time. At 11:29 p.m., a 4.1-magnitude earthquake struck the same area, and twenty minutes later, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake took place, according to Weather.com. No injuries or damages have been reported.

All three earthquakes were centered around Black Canyon City which is located about 45 miles north of Phoenix, and they ranged between 3-6 miles in depth.

“In general, it’s relatively small,” Zachary Reeves of the USGS said of the magnitude-4.1 peak earthquake Sunday, the largest of the series. “If people are in bed then people may not even be woken up by it.”

Residents in Phoenix did feel tremors from the quake. Geologist Michael Conway, chief of the Geologic Extension Service of the Arizona Geological Survey, told ABC News that central Arizona region has several inactive and active faults that reach throughout the state.

Since the USGS began keeping records of earthquakes, Arizona has seen 11 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or greater, and two of those 11 occurred on Sunday night.

Massive Quake Shakes Chile’s Capital

At least 8 people are dead and a million people have been displaced because of a massive magnitude 8.3 earthquake in Chile.

Violent aftershocks continue to shake the ground around Santiago and surrounding towns.  Residents were preparing for the possibility of a second strong quake although the tsunami warnings have ended for the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says the quake struck around 6:45 p.m., 29 miles west of the capital in a small city of Illapel.  The USGS reported the quake was the strongest to hit the region in 100 years.

Aftershocks of 6.3 and 6.4 have been recorded by the USGS.  A tsunami watch was issued for both California and Hawaii because of the quakes, although they were later retracted.  Residents are still being warned to watch for high waves and significant rip tides.

Chile is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because of two major plates connecting just off the coastline.  The strongest recorded quake in world history took place in the nation in 1960, magnitude 9.5.

Minor Earthquake Hits New Madrid Fault

A minor earthquake struck the New Madrid fault Tuesday, the second quake on the fault line in the last two weeks.

The magnitude 2.7 quake struck around 8:46 p.m. Tuesday about 5 miles from the town of New Madrid, Missouri.  The Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at the University of Memphis said the quake was 5.9 miles deep.

Residents in northwest Tennessee, southeast Missouri and western Kentucky all reported slight shaking from the quake.

It’s the second minor quake along the New Madrid Fault in two weeks.  A magnitude 3.5 quake struck near Memphis, Tennessee on August 25th.

The New Madrid fault line is twenty times larger than the San Andreas fault line in California.

One Missouri official is calling on residents to check to make sure they have earthquake coverage as part of their homeowners insurance.  The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the probability of a 7.5 or greater quake in the next 50 years at 7-10%, with the possibility of a quake stronger than 6.0 at 25-40%.

Minor Quake Strikes Oakland Area

Some residents of the Easy Bay area didn’t need their alarm clocks to start the week as a magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck the area early Monday morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported the quake struck at 6:49 a.m., three miles away from Oakland, California.  The quake was felt throughout the Oakland/San Francisco area.

Oakland police Lt. Chris Bolton reported on the department’s official Twitter feed that they had no reports of injuries or damage from the quake.

The quake struck along the Hayward fault, a major fault that remains a concern for geologists in the area.  The scientists believe that the fault could produce a potentially catastrophic quake that could kill tens of thousands.  The Hayward fault is part of the San Andreas fault system.

The fault runs for more than 60 miles through the region from Fremont to Hayward.  The fault runs under hospitals, freeways and reservoirs.  It even runs from end zone to end zone at the football stadium for the University of California Berkeley.

The quake was followed by six aftershocks.

New Jersey Hit by Small Earthquake

Residents of central New Jersey were surprised Friday morning by a small earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says a magnitude-2.7 quake struck around 3:41 a.m. centered 2 miles north of Bernardsville, NJ.  The quake had a depth of 3.5 miles.

“In the middle of the night we both looked at each other and said what the heck was that?,” resident Danielle Carlson told CBS New York.

“Kind of just like a thunder clap, like a rumble. I woke up because the windows were shaking,” resident Tom Wood added.

The USGS said there was no damage and quake of that magnitude usually does not show damage.  The agency added that quakes usually hit the region every two to three years, although the last quake to strike the area was in December 2014.

One resident said that she knew something was coming because of her dog’s strange behavior.

“The dog was pacing back-and-forth, very neurotic, she’d never been like that before,” Ruth Levin told NJ.com. “She was frightened and stayed next to me all night.”

The USGS admitted there is anecdotal evidence dating back millennia of animals acting in a strange manner hours or weeks before an earthquake.

Earthquakes Shake Oklahoma; San Francisco

The last 24 hours have shown active seismic activity in the Midwest and on the West Coast.

A significant magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Oklahoma Monday afternoon near the town of Cherokee, OK.  The shaking of the quake was reported outside the Sooner State in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Texas.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) also reported a second quake striking near Pawnee, OK about half an hour later with a magnitude of 3.2.  Then a few minutes after the Pawnee quake, a second quake struck in the area of the Cherokee quake that measured 3.7 on the Richter scale.

The USGS said all the quakes were around three miles deep.

Local officials said there were no injuries or significant damage from the quakes.

In San Francisco, a magnitude 4.0 quake struck the San Francisco area on Tuesday.

The USGS says the quake struck around 2:30 a.m. near Fremont, or 35 southeast of San Francisco.  The quake struck at a depth of 5 miles.

No injuries or significant property damage was reported in the Fremont quake.

Quakes Shake Oregon, Alaska, Utah

The Fourth of July weekend had more than fireworks shaking things up in Utah, Oregon and Alaska.

Oregon residents started their day out in an unusual way when a 4.2 magnitude quake struck around 8:42 a.m. Saturday.  The quake was centered about 12 miles east of Eugene.

Officials from the Lane County Sheriff’s office and the Oregon Department of Transportation reported no damage being reported.  Residents say that the quake caused some shaking of homes, pictures to fall off walls and wood piles to shift.

In Utah, a 4.0 magnitude quake struck around 10 a.m., 1 mile south of Panguitch or 200 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Panguitch Fire Chief Dave Dodds told the Deseret News the quake lasted between three and four seconds but caused no major damage.

Alaska was the most shaken up with weekend quakes.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported Alaska was shaken by two quakes within one minute.

The first, a 4.9 magnitude quake, struck around 4:49 p.m. about 24 miles southwest of Talkeetna.  The second quake a minute later in the same area was reported at magnitude 5.1.

Also, the Arctic community of Kaktovik in the Arctic Ocean reported a quake around 11:26 a.m. that measured 4.6 according to the USGS.

China Struck By 6.5 Magnitude Quake

At least four people are dead and the toll is expected to rise after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Xinjang region of China.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake took place in one of the “most seismically hazardous regions on Earth” and centered the quake 59 miles southeast of Yilkiqi, China.

“If many people are gathered in one place during an earthquake, it can lead to a serious disaster, but in this case, there were relatively few people so it isn’t so serious,” China Earthquake Networks Center researcher Sun Shihong told state broadcaster China Central Television.

Dozens are reported injured by multiple sources and the government reported thousands of homes and buildings in the region were damaged or destroyed.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs put the number of damaged homes alone at 3,000.

Over 1,000 tents are being sent into the region to provide temporary shelter for families who have lost their homes.

Scientists Puzzled By Michigan Earthquake

Scientists are trying to explain a 3.3 magnitude earthquake that struck 13 miles southeast of Battle Creek, Michigan Wednesday.

The quake was recorded 20 miles from the epicenter of a 4.2 magnitude earthquake that struck on May 2nd, the strongest recorded in Michigan in 67 years.

The Wednesday quake was far enough apart from May’s quake that scientists say it’s not an aftershock of the first.  Apparently there are two separate fault lines in the region. The first quake revealed a fault line that had only been previously speculated by scientists but had not been proven.

“After the May event, I suspected we wouldn’t see another event, so I was a bit surprised by this one,” said Harley Benz, a seismologist with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). “What more surprised me is that they weren’t in the same locations.”

John Yellich of the Michigan Geological Survey concurred the two quakes were not connected.

“Two separate ones today. That’s what it looks like,” Yellich said. “Nothing unusual and the fact that we are getting two of them in the same area, it could be that it’s all of this movement just readjusting. It appears to be two different areas.”

Benz said the quakes could be “glacial rebound”, a conditions where land masses pressed down by tons of ice during Michigan’s last glacial period are starting to rise.

While some environmentalists were quick to related the quakes to the process known as “fracking”, Benz said that evidence shows the quakes are tectonic, or related to the natural movements of the earth’s crust.