Posted on 12/24/2004 3:08:23 AM PST by bd476
A great earthquake occurred at 14:59:04 (UTC) on Thursday, December 23, 2004. The magnitude 8.1 event has been located NORTH OF MACQUARIE ISLAND. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)
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"EVALUATION
THIS EARTHQUAKE IS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE PACIFIC. NO TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS TO COASTLINES IN THE PACIFIC.
HOWEVER - THIS EARTHQUAKE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE A WIDELY DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI IN THE SEA NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE. AUTHORITIES IN THAT REGION SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY.
THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE BULLETINS FOR ALASKA - BRITISH COLUMBIA - WASHINGTON - OREGON - CALIFORNIA."
Ping.
24.12.04 1.00pm
An earthquake this morning under the south Tasman Sea was the largest in the world since 2001 but it did little more than wake people up in the south of the South Island.
Latest estimates from Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) suggested the 3.58am earthquake was centred 430km west of the Auckland Islands, southwest of New Zealand, at a depth of 10km, and may have been as much as 8.1 on the Richter scale.
"It was enough to wake me up," Senior Sergeant Neil Cruickshank of Invercargill Police told NZPA. "It was reasonably prolonged but it felt about half the strength of the one we had a few weeks ago."
That earthquake, on November 23, was of a smaller magnitude -- 7.2 on the Richter scale -- but was only about 70km off the Fiordland coast.
Mr Cruickshank was not aware of any earthquake damage caused in the area today.
Earlier estimates suggested today's earthquake was also 7.2 on the Richter scale, located 380km north of Macquarie Island at a 33km depth.
"We now have it recorded at 7.3 but it's difficult for us to measure because it was so far away from us," GNS duty seismologist Ken Gledhill said.
"But international data from institutions like the US Geological Survey suggests it was 8.1, which in our measurements is a great earthquake."
More than 80 people logged on to the GNS website to say they felt the earthquake, though after the November 23 earthquake there had been more than 800 reports, Mr Gledhill said.
Today's quake was felt in Tasmania, causing buildings in parts of the state to shake for up to 15 seconds. No one was injured.
- NZPA
It must be something in the air or water which makes Kiwis impervious to an 8.1 quake. :)
Year | Month | Day | Time UTC |
Latitude | Longitude | Depth (km) |
Magnitude | Region | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1994 | 06 | 09 | 00:33:16.2 | -13.841 | -67.533 | 631 | 8.2 | Northern Bolivia |
2 | 1994 | 10 | 04 | 13:22:55.8 | 43.773 | 147.321 | 14 | 8.3 | Kuril Islands |
3 | 1995 | 07 | 30 | 05:11:23.6 | -23.340 | -70.294 | 46 | 8.0 | Near Coast of Northern Chile |
4 | 1995 | 10 | 09 | 15:35:53.9 | 19.055 | -104.205 | 33 | 8.0 | Near Coast of Jalisco, Mexico |
5 | 1996 | 02 | 17 | 05:59:30.5 | -0.891 | 136.952 | 33 | 8.2 | Irian Jaya Region, Indonesia |
6 | 1998 | 03 | 25 | 03:12:25.0 | -62.877 | 149.527 | 10 | 8.1 | Balleny Islands Region |
7 | 2000 | 11 | 16 | 04:54:56.7 | -3.980 | 152.169 | 33 | 8.0 | New Ireland Region, P.N.G. |
8 | 2001 | 06 | 23 | 20:33:14.1 | 16.265 | -73.641 | 33 | 8.4 | Near Coast of Peru |
9 | 2003 | 09 | 25 | 19:50:06.3 | 41.815 | 143.910 | 27 | 8.3 | Hokkaido, Japan Region |
10 | 2004 | 12 | 23 | 14:59:04.3 | -50.240 | 160.133 | 10 | 8.1 | North of Macquarie Island |
South Latitudes and West Longitudes are indicated by NEGATIVE numbers.
Source: USGS NEIC PDE catalog; Data are preliminary.
Distance.
Reported y-day morning on FR as a 7.9.
Takes time to analyze a strong quake. Especially one in a remote area.
I agree. I just wanted to point out that there was only one EQ of this magnitude in that area, and it was y-day morning.
This was a great post, especially since they raised the mag estimate.
A moderate earthquake occurred at 05:31:44 (UTC) on Friday, December 24, 2004. The magnitude 5.5 event has been located NORTH OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
Still shakin'...
Surf's up again.
Kia Orana from the Cook Islands.
Is there a possibility that a tidal wave generated by the earth quake 'Magnitude 8.1 - NORTH OF MACQUARIE ISLAND' on Dec 23 would have hit the island of Aitutaki, location
S 18° 49' 51" - W 159° 45' 51" on DEC 23, 9:30am HST, approx 5 hours after the event occurent near Macquarie.
That morning i was kayaking near the reef when big waves out of nowhere hit the reef, turned the kayak over and washed me right over it. The subsequent waves and surge were so strong that i was unable to paddle back to the island and i was rescued by a barge which then also had problems passing a relatively large passage back into the lagoon. People ashore reported having to relocate property to prevent it being washed away by 'freak waves'.
In view of the unprecedented desaster that hit SE Asia this seems a laughable incident, yet it would be interesting to know.
Thanks
Marcus Gleinig
Rarotonga
Cook Islands
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