Earthquakes and volcano

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6.1-magnitude quake hits off

 

 

central Indonesia

 

 

A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of central Indonesia Monday, the US Geological Survey said, sending panicked people rushing into the streets but there was no tsunami alert.

Times of India,

17 December, 2012

The quake struck at 0916 GMT more than 160 kilometres (99 miles) south-southeast of Gorontalo in central Indonesia's Sulawesi island at a depth of 18 kilometres.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency (BMKG) measured it at 6.0 at a depth of 10 kilometres.

"The epicentre was in the sea but it doesn't have the potential to trigger a tsunami," BMKG official Agung Utomo told AFP. "We haven't received any report of damage so far."

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said the ground shook for several seconds.

"The quake was quite strong and all the guests here -- about 30 people -- panicked and ran out into the street," said Rudi Gowarno, manager of Ramayana hotel in the town of Luwuk.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Ecuador declares volcano alert, as eruption from Tungurahua grows more violent

ECUADOR has issued an orange alert -- the second-highest warning level -- for towns near the Tungurahua volcano, as its level of activity rose, civil defence officials say.

TheAustralian,

17 December, 2012

The area of the warning covers the adjacent provinces of Tungurahua and Chimborazo, according to the national civil defence agency.

Greater activity has been building since Wednesday, along with a slight increase in gas emissions from the 5,029-metre volcano, located about 135km south of the capital Quito, the Geophysical Institute said.

Eruptions at Tungurahua, which means "Throat of Fire" in the indigenous Quechua language, peaked in 2006, killing six people in a Chimborazo village.

Several communities near Tungurahua, including the tourist town of Banos with 15,000 people, also were forced to evacuate during the volcano's violent eruption in 1999. Residents could only return to their homes a year later.

(Major) Earthquakes list December 17, 2012 – Very strong earthquake out of the Sulawesi coast (Indonesia)

Very strong earthquake out of the Sulawesi coast (Indonesia)

The preliminary Magnitude has been set to 6.

We do only see light shaking on the islands as the epicenter is far enough away from the coast to avoid material damage.

This earthquake is NOT strong enough to generate tsunami waves.Update 09:43 UTC : As expected above the max. shaking calculated by seismologists is IV MMI. This should have been felt by 191,000 people.
119km (74mi) ENE of Luwuk, Indonesia

Image courtesy USGS

Moderate shallow earthquake in the Philippines

Update : It looks to be very localised as all the I Have Felt It reports are coming from the Ormuc City area.

Update : NO official report from Phivolcs that an earthquake occurred. In case of weak earthquakes, this can take a little time. Reports from our readers tell us that the shaking lasted only a few seconds, but that it felt like very strong.

Important update 00:41 UTC : Phivolcs has just reported that the quake was indeed in Ormuc City, had a Magnitude of 4.8 at a depth of 14 km. Phivolcs reports that they expect no damage or injuries or aftershocks.Shaking intensity (Phivolcs Intensity scale – add approx. 1 point to ressemble MMI)  :

Intensity IV – Dulag, Tolosa / Ormoc City
Intensity III – Palo, Tacloban City
Intensity II – Leyte, Leyte

....  Astonishing that this earthquake which was very local, but heavily felt by people in Ormuc City has not been reported by the international agencies.

SRC	Location	UTC Date/time	M	D	INFORMATION
ER	I Felt A (not Listed) Strong Earthquake	Dec 17 23:59 PM	4.6	0.1	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Kermadec Islands, New Zealand	Dec 17 11:28 AM	5.1	63.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Kermadec Islands, New Zealand	Dec 17 11:28 AM	5.1	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Kermadec Islands Region	Dec 17 11:28 AM	4.8	2.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Kermadec Islands Region	Dec 17 11:28 AM	4.7	41.4	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Sulawesi, Indonesia	Dec 17 09:16 AM	6.1	20.0	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Minahassa Peninsula, Sulawesi	Dec 17 09:16 AM	6.1	46.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Sulawesi, Indonesia	Dec 17 09:16 AM	6.1	18.5	MAP	I Felt It
PHIVOLCS	Ormuc City, Philippines	Dec 17 00:58 AM	4.8	14.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Kuril Islands	Dec 17 00:29 AM	5.6	44.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Kuril Islands	Dec 17 00:28 AM	5.6	38.9	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Kuril Islands	Dec 17 00:28 AM	5.3	47.0	MAP	I Felt It