Earthquake Off Tokyo, Japan

Posted on May 13, 2014 by marcia

Moderate earthquake at intermediate depth near Tokyo, Japan

Last update: May 13, 2014 at 12:44 am by By Armand Vervacek

Update 00:13 UTC : In 1923 a M7.9 earthquake struck at a depth of 35 km to the south west of the current epicenter. This earthquake killed 142,000 people. In other words this is a highly dangerous area.

Update 00:07 UTC : The hypocenter depth can be called normal as the heavier Oceanic Pacific plate dives below Honshu, Japan (see image below).

Update 00:01 UTC : Question from ER for the people living in Tokyo who have felt the earthquake and having a Earthquake Warning App or alert – How much time was there in between the alert and the shaking? Thanks for replying with the form below.

Update 23:51 UTC : JMA Japan reports a Magnitude of M4.9 at a depth of 80 km. Max. shaking intensity is JMA 4
JMA 4 means : * Most people are startled.
* Hanging objects such as lamps swing significantly.
* Unstable ornaments may fall.
Based on all these data we can conclude that this earthquake will be harmless.
The earthquake happened at 08:35 local time.

Update : Harmless earthquake but this time very close to Tokyo. This is already the second earthquake in only a couple of weeks. This one was even closer to the city. The intermediate depth makes that the the earthquake will have been felt all over the greater Tokyo, Yokohama area.

6km (4mi) ESE of Ichihara, Japan
12km (7mi) S of Chiba-shi, Japan
15km (9mi) WNW of Mobara, Japan
15km (9mi) W of Oami, Japan
46km (29mi) ESE of Tokyo, Japan

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 5.1

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2014-05-13 08:35:03

GMT/UTC Time : 2014-05-12 23:35:03

Depth (Hypocenter) : 60 km

from: http://earthquake-report.com/2014/05/12/moderate-earthquake-near-east-coast-of-honshu-japan-on-may-12-2014/

Earthquake Off Panama

Posted on May 13, 2014 by marcia

Very strong earthquake South Of Panama

Last update: May 13, 2014 at 2:43 pm by By Armand Vervaeck

Panama TV is reporting that many walls collapsed in the Western Part of the country. Additionally, a water pipe broke in San Cristobal which set a number of houses inundated. In Chiriqui the facade from the National Bank of Panama was damaged.

The area felt many aftershocks so far.

Update 07:04 UTC : The map below shows the location of the epicenter in function of the (complicated) tectonics of that area – The Yellow line is the Convergent fault or the subduction zone where the Oceanic Cocos Plate dives below the Caribbean Plate. The Blue line the transform zone with a mainly horizontal movement.

Update 07:01 UTC : The seismogram of this earthquake

Update 06:54 UTC : Below the theoretical shakemap based on the USGS data (other agencies are showing a M6.4 Magnitude)

Update 06:47 UTC : It is currently the middle of the night in Central America. Based on the shaking numbers we are receiving from our readers (in back office) people are confirming what we expected from the beginning : Mex. a light shaking.

Update 06:44 UTC : ER does not expect serious damage from this earthquake – Main reason : Distance to the coast

Update 06:43 UTC : NO tsunami risk following the report of the PTWC (locally strong currents and minor waves are always possible)

126km (78mi) SSE of Punta de Burica, Panama
152km (94mi) SSE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama
153km (95mi) S of Pedregal, Panama
160km (99mi) S of David, Panama
373km (232mi) SSE of San Jose, Costa Ric

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 6.5

Local Time (conversion only below land) : Unknown

GMT/UTC Time : 2014-05-13 06:35:24

from: http://earthquake-report.com/2014/05/13/very-strong-earthquake-south-of-panama-on-may-13-2014/

Water Rationing in Venezuela

Posted on May 10, 2014 by marcia

Government Begins Emergency Water Rationing In Venezuela Amid Drought

| by JORGE RUEDA

Posted: 05/08/2014

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — In deeply polarized Venezuela even the rain can set off political fighting.

As the country’s dry season extends longer than normal, the water level at one of the three reservoirs ringing Caracas has fallen to near record lows. That prompted authorities on Wednesday to begin implementing a rationing plan that will leave some of the capital’s 6 million people without water for as many as three days a week.

The government said the emergency plan is needed to confront a severe drought. They don’t expect water at the Lagartijo reservoir to return to normal levels until August or September.

But opponents of the socialist government said President Nicolas Maduro and not mother nature is to blame.

Carlos Ocariz, mayor of the capital’s Sucre district, said there hasn’t been a single reservoir built during 15 years of socialist rule. Instead of waiting for storage ponds to dry, the government should have implemented a less burdensome, water-saving plan months ago, he said.

“We didn’t have to wait for things to reach this point to begin taking action,” Ocariz said in a statement.

Water shortages are nothing new in Venezuela, especially in poorer neighborhoods that lack proper urban planning. During the last extended drought, in 2009, water levels at many hydroelectric power generators also fell to critical levels, triggering blackouts across the country.

While nobody is predicting such a severe crisis this time, the squabbling isn’t likely to abate. For months, opponents of Maduro have been on the streets protesting against everything from galloping inflation to rampant crime.

Still, as the rationing plan took effect Wednesday, there was one development that both sides could welcome: a late-afternoon shower.

from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/08/water-rationing-venezuela_n_5288748.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Hive Collapse and Pesticides

Posted on May 10, 2014 by marcia

‘Highly Likely’ Insecticides Trigger Bee Colony Collapse: Harvard Study

Activist Post

Two widely used neonicotinoids—a class of insecticide—appear to significantly harm honey bee colonies over the winter, particularly during colder winters, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The study replicated a 2012 finding from the same research group that found a link between low doses of imidacloprid and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which bees abandon their hives over the winter and eventually die. The new study also found that low doses of a second neonicotinoid, clothianidin, had the same negative effect.

Further, although other studies have suggested that CCD-related mortality in honey bee colonies may come from bees’ reduced resistance to mites or parasites as a result of exposure to pesticides, the new study found that bees in the hives exhibiting CCD had almost identical levels of pathogen infestation as a group of control hives, most of which survived the winter. This finding suggests that the neonicotinoids are causing some other kind of biological mechanism in bees that in turn leads to CCD.

The study appears online May 9, 2014 in the Bulletin of Insectology (link at bottom).

“We demonstrated again in this study that neonicotinoids are highly likely to be responsible for triggering CCD in honey bee hives that were healthy prior to the arrival of winter,” said lead author Chensheng (Alex) Lu, associate professor of environmental exposure biology at HSPH.

Since 2006, there have been significant losses of honey bees from CCD. Pinpointing the cause is crucial to mitigating this problem since bees are prime pollinators of roughly one-third of all crops worldwide. Experts have considered a number of possible causes, including pathogen infestation, beekeeping practices, and pesticide exposure. Recent findings, including a 2012 study by Lu and colleagues, suggest that CCD is related specifically to neonicotinoids, which may impair bees’ neurological functions. Imidacloprid and clothianidin both belong to this group.Lu and his co-authors from the Worcester County Beekeepers Association studied the health of 18 bee colonies in three locations in central Massachusetts from October 2012 through April 2013. At each location, the researchers separated six colonies into three groups—one treated with imidacloprid, one with clothianidin, and one untreated.

There was a steady decline in the size of all the bee colonies through the beginning of winter—typical among hives during the colder months in New England. Beginning in January 2013, bee populations in the control colonies began to increase as expected, but populations in the neonicotinoid-treated hives continued to decline. By April 2013, 6 out of 12 of the neonicotinoid-treated colonies were lost, with abandoned hives that are typical of CCD. Only one of the control colonies was lost—thousands of dead bees were found inside the hive—with what appeared to be symptoms of a common intestinal parasite called Nosema ceranae.

While the 12 pesticide-treated hives in the current study experienced a 50% CCD mortality rate, the authors noted that, in their 2012 study, bees in pesticide-treated hives had a much higher CCD mortality rate—94%. That earlier bee die-off occurred during the particularly cold and prolonged winter of 2010-2011 in central Massachusetts, leading the authors to speculate that colder temperatures, in combination with neonicotinoids, may play a role in the severity of CCD.

“Although we have demonstrated the validity of the association between neonicotinoids and CCD in this study, future research could help elucidate the biological mechanism that is responsible for linking sub-lethal neonicotinoid exposures to CCD,” said Lu. “Hopefully we can reverse the continuing trend of honey bee loss.”
“Sub-lethal exposure to neonicotinoids impaired honey bees winterization before proceeding to colony collapse disorder,” Chensheng Lu, Kenneth M. Warchol, Richard A. Callahan, Bulletin of Insectology, online Friday, May 9, 2014. Press release source.

from: http://www.activistpost.com/2014/05/highly-likely-insecticides-triggered.html

Fracking – Quakes in Oklahoma 5/09

Posted on May 10, 2014 by marcia

5/09/2014 — 3.9M (4.0M) “Frack-quake” @ wind farm in Oklahoma + USGS “Frack-quake” Animation

May 9, 2014 Michael Janitch

Not much more to add to the description of this article. The title speaks for itself.

3.9M (4.0M) “Frack-quake” @ wind farm in Oklahoma + USGS “Frack-quake” Animation

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Here are the USGS statistics on the current 3.9M event:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000qfz9#summary

$fracking wind farm earthquake may 9 2014 oklahoma$

_____

Fracking has been confirmed, by the USGS / AGU, to be the cause of these multiple larger earthquake events in Oklahoma.

Here is an animation showing the earthquake swarms:

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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/ceus/products/newsrelease_05022014.php

“The rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma has increased remarkably since October 2013 – by about 50 percent – significantly increasing the chance for a damaging magnitude 5.5 or greater quake in central Oklahoma.

A new U.S. Geological Survey and Oklahoma Geological Survey analysis found that 145 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater occurred in Oklahoma from January 2014 (through May 2; see accompanying graphic). The previous annual record, set in 2013, was 109 earthquakes, while the long-term average earthquake rate, from 1978 to 2008, was just two magnitude 3.0 or larger earthquakes per year. Important to people living in central and north-central Oklahoma is that the likelihood of future, damaging earthquakes has increased as a result of the increased number of small and moderate shocks.

Oklahoma’s heightened earthquake activity since 2009 includes 20 magnitude 4.0 to 4.8 quakes, plus the largest earthquake in Oklahoma’s history – a magnitude 5.6 earthquake that occurred near Prague on Nov. 5, 2011. The 2011 Prague earthquake damaged a number of homes and the historic Benedictine Hall at St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee. Prior to the 2011 Prague earthquake, the largest earthquake of Oklahoma’s history was a magnitude 5.5 earthquake that occurred in 1952 near El Reno and damaged state buildings in Oklahoma City.

“While it’s been known for decades that Oklahoma is ‘earthquake country’, we hope that this new advisory of increased hazard will become a crucial consideration in earthquake preparedness for residents, schools and businesses in the area,” said Dr. Bill Leith, Senior Science Advisor for Earthquakes and Geologic Hazards at USGS. “Building owners and government officials should have a special concern for older, unreinforced brick structures, which are vulnerable to serious damage during sufficient shaking.”

USGS statistically analyzed the recent earthquake rate changes and found that they do not seem to be due to typical, random fluctuations in natural seismicity rates. Significant changes in both the background rate of events and earthquake triggers needed to have occurred in order to explain the increases in seismicity, which is not typically observed when modeling natural earthquakes.

The analysis suggests that a likely contributing factor to the increase in earthquakes is triggering by wastewater injected into deep geologic formations. This phenomenon is known as injection-induced seismicity, which has been documented for nearly half a century, with new cases identified recently in Arkansas, Ohio, Texas and Colorado. A recent publication by the USGS suggests that a magnitude 5.0 foreshock to the 2011 Prague, Okla., earthquake was human-induced by fluid injection; that earthquake may have then triggered the mainshock and its aftershocks. OGS studies also indicate that some of the earthquakes in Oklahoma are due to fluid injection. The OGS and USGS continue to study the Prague earthquake sequence in relation to nearby injection activities.

Collaborative USGS and OGS research to understand earthquake rate increase in the central Oklahoma area includes quantifying the changes in earthquake rate, assessing the implications of the increased small and moderate earthquake activity for large earthquake hazards, and evaluating possible links between these earthquakes and wastewater disposal from oil and gas production activities. The OGS is also focused on seismicity in north-central Oklahoma.

To more accurately determine the locations and magnitudes of earthquakes in Oklahoma, the OGS has increased the number of monitoring stations and now operates a seismograph network of 15 permanent stations and 17 temporary stations, many of which are on loan from the USGS. There are also three permanent seismic stations operated by the USGS and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology. Data from this network are shared in real-time with the USGS National Earthquake Information Center, which provides 24×7 reporting on earthquakes worldwide.”

from: http://dutchsinse.tatoott1009.com/

Mount Baldy, Indiana Mysterious Holes

Posted on May 6, 2014 by marcia

Mysterious ‘Man-Eating’ Holes Appear in Sand Dune

By Marc Lallanilla, Assistant Editor | April 28, 2014

A number of deep holes have appeared in the shifting sands of Mount Baldy, Indiana, then disappeared within a day.
Credit: NPS

View full size image

Last summer, 6-year-old Nathan Woessner was walking across the sands of Mount Baldy in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore when he suddenly disappeared into a deep hole.

It took a team of rescuers about three hours to pull Woessner to safety from beneath 11 feet (3.4 meters) of sand and sediment, according to the Chicago Tribune.

More holes have appeared in Mount Baldy, forcing officials with the National Park Service (NPS) to close part of the park, located 55 miles southeast of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan. But why are these dangerous holes suddenly appearing in the sand dunes?

We don’t know exactly what’s going on out there,” Ken Mehne, law enforcement specialist for the park, told the Tribune. “We can’t let folks out onto the area until we know it’s safe.”

Deep holes appear and disappear

The incident deeply affected geologist Erin Argyilan, a professor of geosciences at Indiana University Northwest. She was doing research at the base of Mount Baldy when she heard the screams of Woessner’s parents.

“I cried for three days,” Argyilan, who was pregnant at the time and was unable to assist in the boy’s rescue, told the Tribune. “I couldn’t help in the moment. So now I have to do what I can to learn why this is happening.”

Other experts are also interested in the strange holes in Mount Baldy, several of which have appeared since last year, only to collapse and be filled in with sand a day later. Some of the holes were so deep they could not be measured with the researchers’ measuring tapes.

Is it quicksand?

According to scientists, quicksand — that old trope of jungle-adventure movies — actually does exist, though it’s not as deadly as it appears in Tarzan films.

Quicksand is a sloshy mix of sand and water that looks solid when viewed from above, but will collapse into a more liquid form if a heavy object, like a human or animal, disturbs it. After liquefying, the mix tends to solidify, trapping the legs of an animal in wet, heavy sand.

There are also dry forms of quicksand, according to researchers. Experiments under controlled laboratory conditions have shown that manmade sand can suck an object under its surface, but this type of deep, dry quicksand has never been observed in nature, and it’s not been established that Mount Baldy is an example of dry quicksand.

Using ground-penetrating radar

NPS crews have teamed with the Environmental Protection Agency researchers to get to the bottom of the mysterious holes in Mount Baldy. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been used to get a better understanding of the large sand dune.

The GPR surveys revealed a layer of soil buried beneath the shifting sands that now cover Mount Baldy. That layer of soil was exposed to the surface during part of the 20th century, according to an NPS statement.

“This particular dune has a complicated history,” Argyilan said, referring to Mount Baldy. The site was once mined for sand used in the manufacture of glass Mason jars. There are also manmade structures like an old wooden staircase buried beneath the surface of the dune.

Old photos reveal what’s buried

Argyilan has examined historical photographs of the area to determine what has changed since the 1930s. Trees and grass that once covered Mount Baldy are now also buried.

These discoveries have led researchers to what they consider their leading hypothesis: Some items buried beneath the sandy surface — trees, brush or manmade structures or debris — “were buried by the rapid landward movement of the dune during the late 1900s,” according to an NPS statement.

“The age of the materials and the wet conditions during the spring of 2013 may have forced these materials to become unstable, collapsing and creating openings to the surface,” according to the statement.

The National Park Service is continuing to use GPR and core samples to determine what lies beneath Mount Baldy, and how that may contribute to the appearance of deep holes in the dune. For the time being, the area remains off-limits to park visitors.

from: http://www.livescience.com/45182-mysterious-man-eating-holes-appear-in-sand-dune.html

Chiang Rai Thailand Area – Damaging Quake 5/05

Posted on May 6, 2014 by marcia

Very strong shallow damaging earthquake close to Chiang Rai, Thailand – At least 1 dead and 32 injuries

Last update: May 6, 2014 at 3:44 pm by By Armand Vervaeck

Update 15:37 UTC : A 4.7 aftershock has been reported a little while ago – This will go on for several weeks although the Magnitude will radually decrease BUT some big ones cannot be excluded ! This came in now : Chiang Rai Earthquake felt 20min ago. Desk was shaking & my drinks swapped forwards & backwards in the glass #Thailand #bangkok #earthquake

Update 14:57 UTC : @NickOlsen reports : 28 hours after the quake in Chiang Rai, the aftershocks are still going strong

Update 09:55 UTC : The Bangkok Post wrote a little earlier : Seven districts of Chiang Rai have been declared disaster-stricken areas to facilitate quick assistance for people affected by the earthquake that rocked the northern province on Monday evening. The declaration in the wake of the quake of the 6.3 magnitude quake covers Phan, Mae Lao, Mae Suai, Wiang Chai, Muang Chiang Rai, Pa Daet and Phaya Mengrai districts. More than 3,500 houses, 10 temples, three schools, three hospitals, a hotel and a road were damaged there.

Update 09:40 UTC : CHIANGRAI, 6 May 2914 (NNT) – Chiang Rai province is urging all sectors to assist victims from the earthquake especially in Mae Lao district and Phan district. So far it’s known that four houses totally collapsed in Mae Lao district. Reports to date say no one was wounded nor died (this is in conflict with reports we have seen in the Thai press).
Ajarn Chalermchai Kositpipat who built Wat Rong Khun has surveyed the damage that resulted from the earthquake and this morning’s aftershocks. Wat Rong Khun cannot be opened for visitors. The top of the Stupa at Wat Rong Khun fell off. Wall paintings were torn away and roof tiles fell off. Ajarn Chalermchai said there won’t be any reconstruction of this temple since he is far too old.
Meanwhile, the Chiang Rai Governor asks all sectors to assist as a matter of urgency and give aid to the victims. Moreover, Phan district has been declared a disaster area since it is situated at the quake’s epicenter.

Update 07:00 UTC : The map below shows the distribution of the strongest aftershocks. The last M5 was at an equal distance from the epicenter than Chiang Rai, but in the opposite direction. Our warning from yesterday is becoming reality. A shallow M5 can further damage houses and infrastructure!
– The number of wounded has in the meantime increased to 32

Screen Shot 2014-05-06 at 09.38.57

Important Update May 6, 04:30 UTC : Officials confirmed the death of at least one woman (83) from Mae Lao district, which was hit by a collapsing wall. At least 30 other people were injured.

Update 21:44 UTC : Below a recent aftershock measuring M4.4 at a depth of 13 km which sparked a readers peak. The colors are the shaking intensities. Red square is the 4.4 aftershock. The biggest blue square the mainshock and the smallest blue another 4.4 aftershock
Warning for Chiang Rai and for Mae Lao : The image below is also very good to see the distribution of the epicenters. Aftershocks can hit in a 0 to 50 km radius or even more. Both cities are within this radius and in case of a strong to very strong one, people should at all times be prepared.

Screen Shot 2014-05-05 at 23.44.04

Update 21:20 UTC : A new aftershock has just been reported from the epicenter area

Update 20:41 UTC : A security video from a Buddhist temple shows a) the serenity of the young monks and b) what happens when the shaking starts

Update 18:35 UTC : This evening, many families in Chiang Rai are sleeping outdoors due to many aftershocks

A reader wrote :
Heard loud noises like construction piling and thunder which got louder, followed by severe to violent shaking of the building, glass doors and curtains, lasting over 60 secs. Several aftershocks felt for the next 5 hours.

Update 17:10 UTC : Hard to believe that nobody got hurt during this earthquake when we look at the dame – Only 1 stone on somebody’s head can be fatal. May we be a little unsure about this NO injuries ! We will continue to look around the following hours to see whether we can keep the No injuries / No fatalities situation which we have now.

Update 16:49 UTC : We are happy that we have still no reports about injured people. Damage is hard to accept but can be repaired. Injured people or loss of live on the other hand is much harder to deal with. We had to delete the video because it restarted automatically after the refresh of the page. Click here to view it.

Update 15:01 UTC : The Thai Press is talking about the biggest Earthquake with an epicenter in Thailand since 100 years. We think they are wrong. Except for a very cruel one in 460 we could not find any other in the NOAA catalog since then, this makes the M6.0 to be the BIGGEST EARTHQUAKE SINCE 1554 YEARS ! (see also NOAA table with historic earthquakes below. Neighboring Myanmar had some bigger ones, but these epicenters were all across the border. Especially the Tashileik earthquake (Yellow encircled on the map) who occurred in 2011 was just across the border and maybe part of the same fault lines (has to be confirmed by scientists). That 2011 earthquake had sadly enough 75 fatalities. Many houses collapsed in Myanmar and more than 10,000 houses were damaged!
Update = After writing this update we found the following in the local press which we were not aware off as this quake wasn’t listed in the international NOAA catalog : Penneung (Asian Institute of Technology seismological expert Dr Penneung Wanitchai) said the quake, which damaged several properties, was the largest in Thailand since 1935, when a 6.5-magnitude quake hit Nan province and an area near the Lao border.

Screen Shot 2014-05-05 at 13.56.51

Update 15:01 UTC : The 2 YouTube videos below are telling us a lot about what happened.
* The supermarket video shows total chaos to get out of the building while the shaking was going on. With 0.5 Magnitude more you won’t be able to run away (to be compared with Beaufort 7 on a ship = running impossible) – This running away may lead to even more chaos + a lot of injuries.
* The parking lot video shows us in essence that the shaking lasted only a very short time and this is the main reason what we call until now a “lucky escape (no injuries or fatalities yet)” – Long strong shaking (30 seconds or more) makes many more houses and buildings to collapse !

Update 14:35 UTC : The earthquake occurred close to the border of Myanmar and we have some preliminary reports that damage was also recorded in Myanmar. Tashileik is a city closest to the epicenter in Myanmar. Doi Pha Hom Pok and Haui Nam Dang National Park are National Parks in Thaland to the west of the epicenter but still within what we see as a potential damaging area. The tallest peak is Doi Pha Hom Pok at 2,285 meters the third highest in Thailand. This indicates at the same time that the risk for damaging/injuring landslides in the area is a reality. The Park has some thermal spring confirming the activity in the underground.

Update 14:25 UTC : Thai sources are reporting that this earthquake was the strongest they had during the last 100 years!

Update 14:08 UTC : The Airport of Chiang Rai is functioning again like nothing happened. What with an eventual strong aftershock while a plane is lifting or landing? Has anyone looked into this risk ? This was a major earthquake at very close distance from an important airport! A very strong aftershock is a real possibility as the ground layers have to find a new balance !

Update 13:52 UTC : It is currently 20:52 in Thailand. The evening and night will be an additional backlash for SAR (Search and Rescue) teams and Civil Defense personnel.

Update 13:47 UTC : It was in the north part though .. in Chiang Rai, Thailand .. but lots of roads damaged and houses/buildings fallen – This does not look comforting at all – we are still looking for news of eventual injuries. When we get it (hope we dont find it) we will write it in an update

Update 13:30 UTC : A reader of wiangpapao just wrote : 2 hours later still have some aftershocks

Update 13:19 UTC : We have found out that the Chiang Rai hospital has been damaged also (mainly cracks in walls). Useless to say that there where widespread blackouts

Update 12:53 UTC : People in the epicenter area are reporting a lot of aftershocks

Update 12:45 UTC : Reports which we received from our own readers and from close to the epicenter. Mixed reports which are due to the house or office they are living in and also the underground of their houses. We truly thank our readers for sharing their experiences with our readers.

Update 12:45 UTC : reports of fallen ceilings in Chiang Rai Airport and in residential houses

Update 12:26 UTC : So far only images and reports of a lot of damage (will run into the millions of $). No word of any injuries or even worse fatalities so far.

Update 12:19 UTC : On some places the ground has been ruptured totally as can be seen here on the Facebook photo from https://www.facebook.com/stephendarby77?fref=photo (the way to his house !)

Important Update 12:08 UTC : Based on the USGS data, Max Wyss who is specialized in the theoretical calculation of possible fatalities / injured, he reports that ESTIMATE OF HUMAN LOSSES = Injured Exp. min/max: 300/2000 and Fatalities Exp. min/max: 100/600.

Update 12:04 UTC : The picture below (courtesy Twitter account @Mtjunerr) shows what we mentioned a little earlier. It will certainly be the first one in a series of many.

Update 12:02 UTC : Some experience reports are being send in from Myanmar, but we believe (100% sure) that it will have been felt also in neighboring China (Yunnan) and Laos.

Update 11:57 UTC : The historic earthquake list for Thailand is giving us hope.

Update 11:45 UTC : What we expected has been confirmed. This earthquake is a dangerous strike/slip earthquake where the main movement of the ground is horizontal. Houses who are not build with an earthquake resistance have a hard time to survive in the epicenter area. The movement can either be from the North-West to the South-East or or from the South-West to the North-East (white plane to the orange planes)

Update 11:38 UTC : At ER we think that the shaking values in the (theoretical) USGS tables below are a little exaggerated based on the testimonies we receive from Chiang Rai (about 1 point)

Update 11:34 UTC : Earthquake-report.com reader messages are giving us hope that the damage will not be widespread as a number of people living in Chiang Rai are telling us that they had NO damage + the MMI values they are telling us are confirming this hope : Max. strong shaking

Update 11:29 UTC : Earthquake-report.com does expect certainly a lot of damage and even injuries based on the current seismological data.

Update 11:28 UTC : Good News AND Very bad news : The preliminary Magnitude has been decreased by USGS to M6.0 BUT the depth has now been set at only 7 km. That is exstremely shallow and makes this earthquake much more dangerous !

Update 11:20 UTC : Following EMSC is the epicenter at only 11 km from Chiang Rai !

356 km NW of Vientiane, Laos / pop: 196,731 / local time: 18:08:47.0 2014-05-05
11 km S of Chiang Rai, Thailand / pop: 78,756 / local time: 18:08:47.0 2014-05-05

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 6

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2014-05-05 18:08:47

GMT/UTC Time : 2014-05-05 11:08:47

Depth (Hypocenter) : 2 km

from: http://earthquake-report.com/2014/05/05/strong-earthquake-thailand-on-may-5-2014/

Ambalu Island, Indonesia Earthquake

Posted on May 3, 2014 by marcia

Strong earthquake damages dozens of houses on Ambalau Island (Buru Island), Indonesia (also felt on Ambon)

Last update: May 3, 2014 at 2:55 pm by By Armand Vervaeck

Update May 3 : Local newspaper kabartimur reports : In Ulima dozens of homes + the Nur Hamza Mosque (Ambalau Island) were damaged to various extend (some severely). One person got injured by a collapsed wall. Most of the houses in the village are showing cracks in the walls. People spend the night outside out of fear for aftershocks.

Update May 3 : Our first estimate was unfortunately the good one. At least 20 houses were damaged to various extend in the village of Uilima (District Ambalau) a tiny island near Buru Island (Palau Buru). The quakes epicenter (preliminary location of the epicenters has always a serious error margin) was closest to Ambelau Island. The regency has not yet asked for help from the regional BPBD.

Update 09:31 UTC : we decrease our damage estimate based on the reports of local BMKG who is predicting a max. weak shaking at Ambon vs a light shaking as predicted by USGS

Update 09:19 UTC : The theoretical injuries/fatalities engine from Max Wyss expects neither injuries nor fatalities as a result of this earthquake. ER maintains his slight damage expectation

Update 09:11 UTC : The below data are showing a max. shaking of MMI V (and not MMI III as said earlier) = Moderate shaking may have been felt by 21000 people

Update 09:07 UTC : The picture below is the Geofon seismogram at the Indonesia station of Bandaneira (Banda Sea area)

Update 09:05 UTC : USGS reports a Magnitude of Mw6.0 at a depth of 54 km. Max. expected shaking MMI III (weak shaking).

Update : the earthquake occurred at intermediate depth of 45 km. We maintain however our moderately dangerous outlook precisely because of the depth. The epicenter is located in the sea in between both islands, but the intermediate depth will bring the shaking in a wider area and thus also on the islands.

572 km N of Dili, East Timor / pop: 150,000 / local time: 17:43:37.0 2014-05-02
75 km W of Ambon, Indonesia / pop: 355,596 / local time: 17:43:37.0 2014-05-02

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 5.8

Local Time (conversion only below land) : Unknown

GMT/UTC Time : 2014-05-02 08:43:34

from: http://earthquake-report.com/2014/05/02/strong-earthquake-seram-indonesia-on-may-2-2014/

Loyaty Islands Area Earthquake

Posted on May 1, 2014 by marcia

Very strong earthquake in the Loyalty Islands region (felt in Vanuatu / New Caledonia) – NO tsunami

Last update: May 1, 2014 at 7:53 am by By Armand Vervaeck

17 0 98

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Update 06:51 UTC : A DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI WAS NOT GENERATED BECAUSE THIS EARTHQUAKE IS LOCATED TOO DEEP INSIDE THE EARTH.

Update : The distance to the closest islands is big enough to call this earthquake “harmless” (no damage expected)

206km (128mi) WNW of Ile Hunter, New Caledonia
321km (199mi) ESE of We, New Caledonia
393km (244mi) ENE of Mont-Dore, New Caledonia
404km (251mi) E of Dumbea, New Caledonia
406km (252mi) ENE of Noumea, New Caledonia

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 6.6

Local Time (conversion only below land) : Unknown

GMT/UTC Time : 2014-05-01 06:36:37

from: http://earthquake-report.com/2014/05/01/very-strong-earthquake-southeast-of-loyalty-islands-on-may-1-2014/

Northern Sumatra Earthquake

Posted on May 1, 2014 by marcia

Strong earthquake in northern Sumatra, Indonesia (also felt in Medan AND parts of Malaysia)

Last update: May 1, 2014 at 3:21 pm by By Armand Vervaeck

Update 15:16 UTC : The focal mechanism as portrayed below shows a compression type of mechanism

Update 15:12 UTC : The epicenter was following local agency BMKG at in the sea 67 km far southwest Kab.ACEH Singkil. Depth 12 km. Max. MI intensity Sibolga III, III Mount Sitoli, III Naidoo, Mulberry III (thats after all weaker than we previously were expecting).

Update 15:00 UTC :

Update 14:56 UTC : Theoretically a Maximum MMI V (moderate) shaking is expected to have been felt. The earthquake was felt until Malaysia. The stronger Sumatran earthquakes are often felt in nearby Malaysia

Update 14:49 UTC : BMKG reports a Magnitude of 5.7 at a depth of only 12 km. Slight damage cannot be excluded in the coastal areas nearest to the epicenter (also based on our experience with another similar earthquake in the same region).

200 km SW of Medan, Indonesia / pop: 1,750,971 / local time: 21:35:37.8 2014-05-01
104 km W of Sibolga, Indonesia / pop: 79,714 / local time: 21:35:37.8 2014-05-01

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 5.8

Local Time (conversion only below land) : Unknown

GMT/UTC Time : 2014-05-01 14:35:38

Depth (Hypocenter) : 58 km

from: http://earthquake-report.com/2014/05/01/strong-earthquake-northern-sumatra-indonesia-on-may-1-2014/

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