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Near Real Time Earthquake List
Posted on 08/19/2002 9:44:21 AM PDT by HAL9000
SUVA, Fiji, Aug 19, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Two powerful earthquakes, one with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7, struck the South Pacific late Monday south of Fiji, the United States Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center reported.
There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties on Fiji, a nation of 845,000 people spread over 332 islands of which only 110 are inhabited. Residents in the capital, Suva, did not feel the quake.
The stronger of the two quakes happened about 625 kilometers (390 miles) south of Suva at 11:08 p.m. (1108 GMT), the Denver-based center reported. It said the earthquake was at a depth of nearly 694 kilometers (430 miles).
Just seven minutes earlier a 7.4 magnitude temblor struck under the Pacific about 455 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of Suva at a depth of nearly 587 kilometers (360 miles).
Although both quakes were severe, authorities did not expect them to cause any damage or casualties because they happened deep under the Earth's surface and in remote locations.
A magnitude 7 earthquake is capable of widespread, heavy damage.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
Often a large release will cause several other smaller releases all over the planet. This release may have relieved the stress enough that there will be no larger release during maximum tidal stress. Of course, you never know, and 7.7 isn't huge. Anchorage in the 60s, Good Friday, was 9.3. That's huge.
| Scale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mercalli | Richter | Description |
| I | 0-4.3 | Vibrations are recorded by intruments. People do not feel any Earth movement. |
| II | People at rest upstairs notice shaking. A few people might notice movement if they are at rest and/or on the upper floors of tall buildings. | |
| III | Shaking felt indoors; hanging objects swing. Many people indoors feel movement. Hanging objects swing back and forth. People outdoors might not realize that an earthquake is occurring. | |
| IV | 4.3-4.8 | Dishes rattle; standing cars rock; trees shake. Most people indoors feel movement. Hanging objects swing. Dishes, windows, and doors rattle. The earthquake feels like a heavy truck hitting the walls. A few people outdoors may feel movement. Parked cars rock. |
| V | Doors swing; liquid spills from glasses; sleepers awake. Almost everyone feels movement. Sleeping people are awakened. Doors swing open or close. Dishes are broken. Pictures on the wall move. Small objects move or are turned over. Trees might shake. Liquids might spill out of open containers. | |
| VI | 4.8-6.2 | People walk unsteadily; windows break; pictures fall off walls. Everyone feels movement. People have trouble walking. Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall off walls. Furniture moves. Plaster in walls might crack. Trees and bushes shake. Damage is slight in poorly built buildings. No structural damage. |
| VII | Dificult to stand; plaster,bricks, and tiles fall; large bells ring. People have difficulty standing. Drivers feel their cars shaking. Some furniture breaks. Loose bricks fall from buildings. Damage is slight to moderate in well-built buildings; considerable in poorly built buildings. | |
| VIII | 6.2-7.3 | Car steering affected; chimneys fall; branches break; cracksin wet ground. Drivers have trouble steering. Houses that are not bolted down might shift on their foundations. Tall structures such as towers and chimneys might twist and fall. Well-built buildings suffer slight damage. Poorly built structures suffer severe damage. Tree branches break. Hillsides might crack if the ground is wet. Water levels in wells might change. |
| IX | General panic; damage to foundations; sand and mud bubble from ground. Well-built buildings suffer considerable damage. Houses that are not bolted down move off their foundations. Some underground pipes are broken. The ground cracks. Reservoirs suffer serious damage. | |
| X | Most buildings destroyed*; large landslides; water thrown out of rivers. Most buildings and their foundations are destroyed. Some bridges are destroyed. Dams are seriously damaged. Large landslides occur. Water is thrown on the banks of canals, rivers, lakes. The ground cracks in large areas. Railroad tracks are bent slightly. | |
| XI | 7.3-8.9 | Railway tracks bend; roads break up; large cracks appear in ground; rocks fall. Most buildings collapse. Some bridges are destroyed. Large cracks appear in the ground. Underground pipelines are destroyed. Railroad tracks are badly bent. |
| XII | Total destruction; "waves" seen on ground surface; river courses altered; vision distorted. Almost everything is destroyed. Objects are thrown into the air. The ground moves in waves or ripples. Large amounts of rock may move. | |
Looks like "Good Friday" is off the top of the chart. Anything less is not "Huge." Earth-changes earthquakes would be beyond huge, --10, 11, 12--, capable of flipping continents over. 7.7 isn't in the neighborhood.
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