Posted on 03/02/2005 3:37:23 PM PST by TexKat
Darwin has been jolted by an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale but authorities are confident the quake caused no damage or injuries.
Geoscience Australia said the quake's epicentre was in the Banda Sea, 660km north of Darwin and 190km under the surface. It struck about 8.12pm (CST) on Wednesday.
"I'm sure it's rattled a few windows and shaken picture frames but it's unlikely to cause any damage in Darwin," Geoscience Australia seismologist Mark Leonard said.
"Normally with a quake like this you'd expect damage out to about 100 or 200km, that kind of distance."
Dr Leonard said that, at such a depth, it was extremely unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
Initial automated reports put the magnitude anywhere between 6.7 and 7.5 on the Richter scale but Geoscience Australia later clarified this to 7.1.
Northern Territory police said no reports of damage had been received by late Wednesday night and Darwin was carrying on as normal.
"There's absolutely nothing," a spokeswoman said.
"I've had no reports of injuries, no reports of evacuations, no reports of damage."
A Royal Darwin Hospital spokeswoman said nobody had presented to the hospital's emergency department with injuries as a result of the earthquake.
She said none of the hospital's equipment was affected by the tremor, but "a lot of the patients were quite concerned".
A Power and Water spokesman said the power supply company had not received a single call for help and there were no known problems such as blackouts or damage to powerlines.
In Darwin, the effect of the quake was put at 4.0 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, which measures the intensity of tremors away from the epicentre on a scale of one to 12.
A quake of Mercalli intensity 1.0 would be noticed only by birds, while intensity 12 designates total destruction.
A 4.0 on the Mercalli scale means a quake is generally noticed indoors, but not outside.
Resident Mike Emerson was in Newcastle at the time of the December 1989 quake which measured 5.6 on the Richter scale and killed 13 people.
He said the Darwin quake felt comparatively minor.
"It only lasted a few seconds. A few little waves went through the concrete floor, and the fans rocked back and forth. But there was no damage (here)," Mr Emerson said.
Darwin's SkyCity Casino and hotel said no one was evacuated from the beachfront building, despite earlier media reports.
A security surveillance worker said some patrons stepped outside the three-storey building of their own accord but returned soon afterwards.
NT News journalist Barry Doyle said tremors were felt as far south as Katherine.
"We had two good shakes. Probably the best shakes we've had," Mr Doyle said.
"It moved the building we're in and it's certainly got the town talking.
"But," he joked, "there's no truth to the rumour that it was caused by Prince Charles putting $200 on the bar in Alice Springs."
Dr Leonard said large earthquakes were relatively common in the Banda Sea region.
"The Banda Sea is one of the most seismically active areas in the world and gets an earthquake of about magnitude 5 every couple of months," he said.
Geoscience Australia said the last magnitude-seven earthquake to strike the Banda Sea region was in December 1995.
Not only is that very deep, but 660 kilometers is akin to the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco...not surprised at all at the lack of damage.
190KM is only a moderate depth, but deep enough to avoid significant damage.
Further reports will be given as they evolve.
In a related story, Michael Behe rattles Darwin.
Evolution Ping
Of course you know that Darwin predicted this ~160 years ago.
Is this survival of the .......fittest?
LIMA, Peru - A strong earthquake shook Peru's capital and the surrounding coast and mountains Wednesday, but it did not cause injuries or damage, Peru's Geophysics Institute said.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude 5.7 struck at 8:48 a.m. in the Andes about 60 miles east of Lima, where it was felt as a momentary shudder.
Closer to the epicenter, it caused people to flee their homes and shops in Matucana, a town 50 miles east of Lima, about 7,850 feet above sea level, local media reported.
PESHAWAR: Two earthquakes of moderate intensity jolted parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday. No casualties have been reported so far.
Pakistan Seismological Department official Ishtiaq Ahmed said that the first earthquake, on 7:21am, had a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter scale. The tremors epicentre was 300 kilometres north of Peshawar, in Afghanistans Hindukush range.
Later, a second earthquake, at 4:12pm, of the magnitude 5.0 on the Richter scale jolted Balochistan. Tremors were felt in Quetta, other parts of the province and across the border. Its epicentre was 500 kilometres southwest of Peshawar. No casualties or property damages have been reported so far, said Balochistan provincial spokesman Raziq Bugti. afp
Magnitude 4.6 earthquake strikes northern Arizona
By Ananda Shorey ASSOCIATED PRESS
8:38 a.m. March 2, 2005
PHOENIX A light earthquake struck northern Arizona Wednesday morning. People more than 100 miles away reported feeling the tremor.
The 4.6-magnitude quake occurred at 4:13 a.m. local time southwest of Winslow. It was the largest of seven quakes in the area since Jan. 28, said Waverly Person, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.
Residents in Scottsdale, Winslow, Prescott and Phoenix reported feeling the quake early Wednesday, he said. No damage was reported.
"People described it as a bump, the wind blowing, a truck going by," Person said.
A quake of magnitude 2.5 to 3 is the smallest generally felt by people. However, every increase of one number, say from 5.5 to 6.5, means that the quake's magnitude is 10 times as great. A magnitude 4 quake can cause moderate damage; a magnitude 5 quake can cause considerable damage.
Series of earthquakes like the recent ones in northern Arizona over the last month are not unusual, he said. There are about 60 earthquakes daily worldwide.
The other recent quakes in the area had magnitudes between 3 and 4, Person said. On Jan. 30, there was a 4.0 magnitude quake, he said.
This one is definitely not aligned with the moon phase, but there is a moose in my yard. A 1000 pounds of browser, it's a good size.
3 Micro Earthquakes Hit Maryland
23FEB05
http://www.nbc4i.com/weather/4224112/detail.html
We are now on March 2, 2005
On a U.S. kind of scale, 190 km is the center of the earth! Our Northridge was 18km and that one up around Seattle was only 52 - which was called very deep for these parts.
I've been to Darwin 3 times. It's a great place.
I think everyone made it out of the secret underground HQ, though.
Australia is just a minor outpost for Darwin Central. Only the platypus conspiracy is of any significance, and we can get along without it for a few months. Our true HQ's location is a carefully-guarded secret.
Australia actually rattled Wallace more than Darwin :)
And earthquakes around Tonga-Fiji (and other seismic zones around the world) approach 800km depth. Your original post made no mention of "...a U.S. kind of scale...".
Check your facts.
Whatever...
Just trying to provide some information.
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