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CURIOUS EVENTS IN NEBRASKA: Earthquakes don't rock Nebraska very often. In fact, seismically speaking, it is one of the quietest places in North America. Nevertheless, on Dec. 16th at 8:54 pm CST, USGS seismographs detected a magnitude 3.5 temblor centered near Auburn, Nebraska: Click to view earthquake details and Nebraska seismic probabilities"It sounded like those loud grain haulers that drive by, but about five times louder," reports Laurie Riley, who lives near the epicenter. "The whole house shook. My kids came running down stairs – they were scared. It even moved my car, [which was parked outside on icy ground]."...

December 17, 2009 Head of Geopower Basel faces jail for causing earthquakes David Charter A geologist searching for cheap, clean energy is facing up to five years in jail for causing a series of earthquakes after drilling 3 miles (5km) down in an effort to generate electricity from hot rocks. Markus Häring, the head of Geopower Basel, a thermal energy company, was testing pioneering technology to blast cold water deep underground and create steam to drive electric turbines. Mr Häring’s company had to stop when it recorded an earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale and a series of smaller...

EVENTS IN NEBRASKA: "At 9 p.m. Central Time on Dec. 16th, a very bright meteor lit up the completely overcast sky like lightning in southeast Nebraska," reports Trooper Jerry Chab of the Nebraska State Patrol. "It flashed for approximately 2 seconds and was followed by ground shaking, which prompted many calls by the public to law enforcement in a three county wide area." The USGS says there was a magnitude 3.5 earthquake near Auburn, Nebraska, at 8:53 pm Wednesday night, about the same time and place as the fireball. Coincidence? Readers in Nebraska with photos or eyewitness accounts are encouraged...

Many people in Baldwin and Wilkinson Counties say they felt a tremor Sunday. The U.S. Geological Survey's website confirmed an earthquake with a 3.2 magnitude in southern Baldwin County just before 7:30 p.m. The website says the quake was about 7 miles west of Deepstep in Washington County and 12 miles east-southeast of Milledgeville. Linda Webster from Milledgeville called the 13WMAZ newsroom and said she felt the tremble. "It was like a big truck rumbling," she said. Dwayne Hancock, who lives between Milledgeville and Gordon, said he felt the quake around 7: 25 p.m. He said it shook the glass...

The Great Rift Valley extends some 4,000 miles southward from Syria north of Israel, through the Gulf of Aqaba, through Ethiopia, and all the way to Mozambique in southeast Africa. It harbors a giant fault, which has been under investigation as a model for sea floor spreading. A recent geologic event rent a gaping crack through the desert of Ethiopia, causing safety concerns for locals. These crustal plate motions may foreshadow rifting events further north in the Great Rift Valley...

Region QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION Distances 250 km (155 miles) SSW (197°) from Prince Rupert, BC, Canada 315 km (195 miles) WNW (303°) from Port Hardy, BC, Canada 331 km (206 miles) S (178°) from Metlakatla, AK 662 km (411 miles) WNW (302°) from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 5.5 km (3.4 miles); depth +/- 10.5 km (6.5 miles)

When the Wenchuan earthquake killed some 80,000 people in southwest China in May of last year, suspicion immediately fell on the reservoir behind the nearby Zipingpu Dam. Seismologists knew that several hundred million tons of water had filled the reservoir in the preceding few years and that either the water itself or its weight might have weakened a nearby fault and unleashed the quake. A new analysis finds that both scenarios are plausible, but further insight will require the cooperation of the Chinese government. Last December, an American researcher was the first to prominently report (Science, 16 January, p. 322)...

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TOKYO — A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit off Japan's southern coast Friday, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The agency said there was no danger of damage from a tsunami, though there may be a small tidal increase. The quake hit off the northeastern coast of Amami Oshima island in southern Japan at a depth of 37 miles. The small island is about 800 miles southwest of Tokyo. The offshore quake also shook Kagoshima and dozens of towns on the southern main island of Kyushu, but the temblor was not felt in...

Here is a video, released today by the Washington State DOT, of a computer simulation of what is expected to happen if a magnitude 7.0 quake hits the area near downtown Seattle..... YouTube video This video focuses on the effects such a quake would have on the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the seawall on the waterfront. Make no mistake about it...this video is designed to scare the heck out of anyone who uses the viaduct. Why release it? According the the WSDOT, a private citizen, name withheld, made a public disclosure request through the FOIA.

Hope this hasn't already been posted.

A strong earthquake has shaken buildings in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 and was centered in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. That's according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was felt in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Head Up, no link yet!

Just had a sudden sharp quake here

Just had an earthquake in San Jose. It was small, but the 2nd one this week.

QUITE A WORLD SERIES MEMORY FROM SAN FRAN

Pictures of before and after the devastation of the tsunami in Samoa.

THE Bureau of Meteorology has issued a tsunami watch for the offshore waters of North Queensland. The BoM issued a tsunami watch for the Great Barrier Reef offshore water areas between Yeppoon and Bowen at 8.44am (AEST). The 7.8-magnitude quake hit the Santa Cruz islands in the South Pacific early today, seismologists said, and a tsunami warning has also been issued for Vanuatu and other nearby countries. BoM senior forecaster Geoff Doueal said the tsunami wasn't expected to make it past the Great Barrier Reef. "The reef pretty much kills this tsunami," he said. "So there is no real direct...

tsunami warning has been issued for 11 nations in the south-west Pacific, including Papua New Guinea, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake off Vanuatu.

An 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the northwest of Santo, Vanuatu, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Wednesday. The epicenter of the quake was located 232 miles north-northwest of Santo, Vanuatu, at a depth of 20.5 miles, the agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries...

Earthquake in Vanuatu - 7.8 22.03.15 UTC

Wife just rang from Samoa, reported second earthquake 5.9 magnitude, no tsunami warning yet, happened about 20 mins ago.

Village Deaths To Increase Indonesia Quake Toll 400 at wedding party feared dead in mudslides in rural area Rescue workers remove debris as they attempt to locate victims inside the collapsed Ambacang Hotel on Saturday. Survivors buried under the hotel sent a cell-phone text message to a relative saying he and some others were alive. But, disappointed rescue workers were unable to locate anyone. PADANG, Indonesia - The death toll from Indonesia's massive earthquake will likely double as officials on Saturday reached rural communities wiped out by landslides that buried more than 600 people under mountains of mud, most of...

It took only eight minutes after the most powerful earthquake she'd ever felt knocked her to the ground, for a wall of water to slam through the sleepy Samoan surf resort where she was staying and sweep it away. As she fled in a van, Cristiane "Kiki" Martins said she and others screamed at villagers to escape to higher ground. But the Paia resident said she saw some families stay behind in their homes, waiting for a warning or evacuation order that wouldn't come in time. Back home safely on Friday, but still fragile and shaky from her ordeal, Martins...

Thousands of people may have died in remote village areas when a powerful earthquake struck Sumatra last week, emergency workers and officials fear. Some villages were completely destroyed in landslides, with access roads torn apart by the quake preventing medical teams reaching the injured. Aid is now arriving in Indonesia, but hopes are fading of finding survivors in the worst-hit city of Padang. More than 1,000 people have died in the city. About 3,000 others are missing. Australian, British, Japanese and South Korean rescuers have arrived in Indonesia and the EU and Russia are also sending help. The 7.6-magnitude quake...

Samoa is planning a mass burial for victims of the tsunami, the government said Friday. The funeral will take place next Tuesday, a week after the deadly waves swept ashore following a powerful 8.0-magnitude earthquake. There were 123 confirmed dead in Samoa with another 16 people missing, government spokeswoman Vaosa Epa said Friday. There were 32 confirmed dead in neighbouring American Samoa and nine killed in nearby Tonga. Samoan families who have already buried their dead in their own villages would have the choice of leaving them to rest in the family plot or transferring them to the mass grave...

A POWERFUL earthquake has struck off Tonga and the Samoan islands as the Sumatran death toll rises further. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off Tonga and the Samoan islands today, two days after a giant tremor caused a devastating tsunami which killed almost 150. No immediate tsunami alert was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii.

At least 529 people have been killed from a powerful quake on Indonesia's Sumatra island and the country's health minister said he fears the death toll could reach thousands. Meanwhile, a second powerful quake rocked the Southeast Island nation just as rescue efforts were underway for those trapped under collapsed buildings. The 6.8 magnitude tremor struck Wednesday about 180 miles from the epicenter of the earlier 7.6 magnitude quake just off the coast of regional capital Padang, the U.S. Geological Survey said. At least 376 people have been killed and 500 buildings destroyed in Padang, a city of 900,000,...

SIUMU, Samoa, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Rescuers fished bloated corpses from the South Pacific off Samoa and pulled bodies from the mud and twisted rubble of devastated islands as the death toll from a series of tsunamis neared 200 on Thursday. Officials feared it could go much higher. A spotter aircraft circled the ocean looking for bodies, dropping smoke flares to pinpoint their location for a boat to collect. Within an hour five were hauled ashore. The confirmed death toll stood at 149 in Samoa, 31 on American Samoa and nine on neighboring Tonga, but officials feared that whole towns...

A moderate 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck close to the earth's surface in Central California early on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey reported. The quake struck in a sparsely populated area eight miles (12 km) south of Keeler, California, and 148 miles (237 km) west of Las Vegas, Nevada, the USGS said on its website.

A major relief operation has begun in the Samoan islands, which were hit by a tsunami that killed at least 119 people and wiped out villages and resorts. Rescue officials said planes carrying medics, food, water and other supplies were heading to the stricken Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa. They said tens of thousands of people need help in villages swamped by waves triggered by a huge earthquake. The United Nations said it was sending an emergency team to Samoa. According to the latest reports, at least 83 people were killed in Samoa, more than 30 in American...

An early warning system introduced after the disastrous Christmas 2004 tsunami worked as planned, U.S. officials say, but failed to prevent the deaths of more than 100 people in Samoa and American Samoa on Tuesday because of the proximity of the originating earthquake. It was the first practical test of the system, set up in response to the 2004 wave that killed more than 220,000 people in the Indian Ocean region, primarily in Indonesia. Officials scrambled after an 8.0-magnitude earthquake shook just before dawn Tuesday, and after a flurry of phone calls within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)...

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JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island Wednesday afternoon, killing at least 100 people and trapping thousands of people beneath flattened buildings. A complete death toll wasn't possible in the immediate aftermath but Indonesian officials indicated the toll could rise significantly. Podcast from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. More Back-to-Back Temblors Were Unusual The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.6, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and hit offshore 30 miles from Padang, a city of about 750,000 on Sumatra's western coast. The quake was felt as far as Bangkok, about 1,000 miles...

AFP – This photo taken on September 29, after an 8.0-magnitude quake and tsunami struck in the early morning … APIA (AFP) – Dozens of aftershocks rocked the South Pacific Wednesday, 24 hours after a huge earthquake churned up towering tsunamis that killed at least 113 people when they wiped out villages and flattened tourist resorts. Huge waves that witnesses and officials said measured between three and 7.5 metres high pounded the remote Pacific islands of Samoa and Western Samoa after an 8.0-magnitude undersea quake struck early Tuesday. While the quake toppled buildings and sent thousands fleeing to high ground...

Disaster Highlights Challenge of Establishing Effective Warning Systems See link for slides....

BREAKING NEWS — A powerful magnitude 7.9 earthquake has struck near the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey reports. The quake damaged houses and bridges, and caused fires in the city of Padang in Sumatra, a Reuters witness said on Wednesday.

Not sure how long ago...

Video showing a walk-through from the scene on American Samoa.

Just felt an earthquake here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - I think this was a big one

APIA, Samoa – A police official says 63 people are confirmed dead in Samoa following a tsunami that smashed the southern shore of the South Pacific nation. Samoan police commissioner Lilo Maiava told The Associated Press that police have confirmed 63 deaths, and officials are still searching the devastated areas, so the number of deaths might rise soon. A powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3 spawned towering tsunami waves that swept ashore early Tuesday on Samoa and American Samoa, flooding and flattening villages, killing dozens of people and leaving scores of others missing. At least...

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa – A powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake spawned towering tsunami waves that swept ashore on Samoa and American Samoa early Tuesday, flattening villages, killing at least 34 people and leaving dozens of workers missing at devastated National Park Service facilities. Cars and people were swept out to sea by the fast-churning water as survivors fled to high ground, where they remained huddled hours later. Hampered by power and communications outages, officials struggled to assess the casualties and damage. The quake, with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3, struck around dawn about 20 miles below the ocean floor,...

Magnitude 7.9 Date-Time * Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 17:48:14 UTC * Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 06:48:14 AM at epicenter Location 15.554°S, 172.141°W Depth 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program Region SAMOA ISLANDS REGION Distances * 199 km (124 miles) SSW (192°) from APIA, Samoa * 211 km (131 miles) SW (227°) from PAGO PAGO, American Samoa * 396 km (246 miles) NNE (30°) from Neiafu, Tonga * 2415 km (1501 miles) W (272°) from PAPEETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 11.9 km (7.4 miles); depth fixed by location program Parameters NST= 59, Nph= 59,...

M7.9 - Samoa Islands region - 2009 September 29 17:48:19

10 foot tsunami also hit Samoa: http://news.bnonews.com/upti less than a minute ago

BULLETIN TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 1 NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI 805 AM HST TUE SEP 29 2009 TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WATCH A TSUNAMI WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT 0805 AM HST. AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS ORIGIN TIME - 0748 AM HST 29 SEP 2009 COORDINATES - 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST LOCATION - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION MAGNITUDE - 7.9 MOMENT EVALUATION BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A TSUNAMI MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY THIS EARTHQUAKE THAT COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE ON...

Major 7.9 Earthquake 120 Miles off the American Samoa coast. Developing.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Sept. 25, 2009) — More than 200 National Guard officials and representatives of civilian agencies from eight states attended the New Madrid Seismic Zone Workshop sponsored by the Missouri National Guard. The event’s purpose was to coordinate the National Guard response to a catastrophic earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Missouri adjutant general, Brig. Gen. Steven L. Danner, said the reason for the workshop — which drew participants from Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana, and Arkansas — was preparedness. “We want the citizens to have the knowledge that the National Guards of each of...

CARACAS, Venezuela – An earthquake rattled Venezuela's capital Saturday, but there were no reports of major damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 for the quake, saying the epicenter was off Venezuela's Caribbean coast 65 miles (110 kilometers) west of Caracas. The head of Venezuela's seismological agency, Francisco Garces, put the quake at magnitude 6.2, followed by an aftershock registering 4.0.

Video at the Website:**************************************** Rescuers search through rubble to look for survivors Rescuers in Indonesia are searching the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors after a powerful earthquake, with the toll expected to rise.At least 57 people are confirmed dead and thousands of homes ruined after the 7.0-magnitude quake hit on Wednesday. More than 100 people are in hospital and dozens are still missing. Damaged roads and poor weather are hampering efforts to get heavy rescue equipment to the worst-hit areas in the West Javan district of Cianjur. At least 40 people remained missing in the village of Cikangkareng after...