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New Earthquake in Asia

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapc...ake/index.html

Quote:

Quake strikes off Indonesia coast

Monday, March 28, 2005 Posted: 12:31 PM EST (1731 GMT)

(CNN) -- An earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 struck off the coast of Indonesia Monday -- on the same fault line that originated a December 26 earthquake that launched a deadly tsunami.

The director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said scientists there feared another tsunami might hit the area.

Charles McCreary said he could not be certain that the quake, which was 30 km deep and 203 kilometer (126 miles) from Sibolga on Sumatra Island, would cause a tsunami.

"There is a potential for some wave activity," said Julie Martinez, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center, in Golden, Colorado.

Thailand issued a warning that the quake could bring a tsunami to its southern provinces.

The warning, which was carried on national television, cautioned people in the six provinces to be careful and vigilant, but did not order evacuations.

The quake occurred at 11:09 a.m. ET (1609 GMT), and is considered a "great" earthquake, the largest of seven grades.

The grades are very minor, minor, light, moderate, strong, major and great.

Tsunamis are distinguished from normal coastal surf by their great length and speed. A single wave in a tsunami series might be 160 kilometers (100 miles) long and race across the ocean at 960 kph (600 mph).

When it approaches a coastline, the wave slows dramatically, but it also rises to great heights because the enormous volume of water piles up in shallow coastal bays.

On December 26, a 9.0-magnitude quake triggered a massive tsunami that devastated Asian and African coastlines in nearly a dozen nations, killing at least 175,000 people.

this is SO not good news.

Can I just add....Dave was supposed to be going to singapore and korea, but they decided to keep him here to work on other things for the project they are doing....the group that went left yesterday.....I pray things are ok with this, not only for our friends but for the people over there too.

no bueno...hopefully it's not bad.

Watching CNN right now and still no word on a resulting tsunami or anything... I'm surprised they are calling this an 'aftershock' of the December quake that caused so much damage.

Well according to cnn's website, tsunami warnings have been issued and they are saying anywhere within a 620 mile radius could be in danger if a tsunami results

It looks like there are more people being injured in traffic accidents trying to get away from the coast than injured from the actual quake...so far...

Shani... given the location of the quake this isn't likely to have any effect on either Korea (way in the north) or Singapore (sheilded by the island of Sumatra).

Well thats good to know...for our friends sake....but I can promise you if Dave were in that part of the world right now...my brain would NOT process the information that danger was probably not imminent.

My mother called awhile ago to ask me if I'd heard about it, she knew that he'd have been flying there yesterday if he'd gone, and she decided to remind of it lol....so....I guess Im just like my mother

They've raised the magnitude from an 8.2 to an 8.7 now

Uh oh...I just saw that. And now reports of people dying are starting to come in. I remember the big one they had - the night before, I was up late and saw a preliminary report that had it at magnitude 6.5 with a couple hundred dead. The next morning I looked and it was so much worse. I hope this one isn't like that...

here is a report from reuters that has a little more information that cnn (note that it said the earthquake was felt in singapore)

Quote:

AKARTA (Reuters) - A massive earthquake killed dozens of people and destroyed hundreds of homes in the main town on Indonesia's Nias island Monday evening, a local government official told Metro TV.

"I can guarantee that dozens have died," Agus Mendrofa, the deputy mayor of Gunungsitoli town, said.

The massive 8.2 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Sumatra Monday close to where a quake triggered a tsunami that left nearly 300,000 people dead or missing across Asia, residents and officials said.

The latest quake had the potential to cause a "widely destructive tsunami" and authorities should take "immediate action," including evacuating coastlines within 600 miles of the epicenter, the Pacific tsunami warning center said.

One official said any possible tsunami could be headed toward the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.

Indonesia's Metro TV quoted a resident on the island of Nias, off western Sumatra, as saying buildings there were damaged.

"Things are quite bad right now," the resident said. "There is much damage. People are running in panic. Many people are also trapped."

He did not elaborate on what he meant by people were "trapped."

Tens of thousands of people across northern and western Sumatra fled their homes and drove or ran to higher ground, TV and residents said.

Thailand urged people living along parts of its west coast, including tourists on the resort island of Phuket, to evacuate while Malaysia issued a warning to coastal residents.

"About 3,000 to 4,000 tourists and locals have been evacuated from Patong and Kamala beaches to higher places," Phuket deputy governor Wichai Buapradit told Reuters.

"We've told them to take their valuable belongings and to go to higher places," he added. Authorities in India's Andaman and Nicobar islands, north of the epicenter, issued a preliminary tsunami warning as did the federal government in New Delhi. Sirens were ringing in the eastern Sri Lankan town of Trincomalee and many coastal areas were evacuated, residents said.

NO REPORTS OF TSUNAMI

Indonesia's information minister said there were no reports of a tsunami along the coast.

"There is no report of any damage," the Andaman and Nicobar islands' Lieutenant-Governor Ram Kapse told Reuters by telephone. "We have issued an initial warning. If there is any problem, we will evacuate."

A spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey told Reuters the quake struck 125 miles west northwest of Sibolga, Sumatra or 880 miles northwest of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta at 1609 GMT, close to where the 9.0 magnitude quake struck in December.

It was felt as far away as Singapore and the Malaysian coastal city of Penang, jolting people out of their beds just past midnight.

"It felt stronger than on Dec. 26," said Arumugam Gopal, a resident of Penang.

A telephone operator in the Sumatran city of Medan said: "It was very strong. We all ran out of the building."

An NGO official in Banda Aceh, the town worst hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami, sent out a telephone message saying thousands of people fled their homes and headed for higher ground after feeling what he described as "a very damn big earthquake."

U.S. Geological Survey spokesman Don Blakeman said Monday's quake was considered a "great earthquake" because it was larger than a magnitude 8. He said it was an aftershock from December's temblor but was a "very serious earthquake in its own right."

But the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake had the "potential to generate a widely destructive tsunami in the ocean or seas near the earthquake."

"Authorities can assume the danger has passed if no tsunami waves are observed in the region near the epicenter within three hours of the earthquake," it added.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squishor

It looks like there are more people being injured in traffic accidents trying to get away from the coast than injured from the actual quake...so far...

Yes, I could see panic being a major cause of death if there ISN'T another tsunami.
And everyone there was probably just starting to get their lives back in order, and then WHAM, another quake. Those plates are just movin' and shakin' this season. :(

I'm curious why you wouldn't consider it an aftershock? It's smaller than the last one, and is in the same spot. I don't know much about quakes though...is there a time limit maybe on what's considered an aftershock?

This is a little sensationalistic but it gives an idea of the scene there.

Quote:

Panic Sweeps Indonesia After Earthquake

By MICHAEL CASEY
Associated Press Writer

March 28, 2005, 2:32 PM EST

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Women ran into the darkened streets, crying and praying. Some held onto a fence to steady themselves, chanting "Allah Akbar," or "God is Great." Other people grabbed small bags of clothes and fled their tents and homes for higher ground.

The shaking and swaying was gentle but lasted a full two minutes -- far longer than most of the frequent aftershocks that have rocked Aceh province since the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami.

Then, there was little warning of the tsunami which followed the quake. This time, people were taking no chances of a repeat.

"People are still traumatized, still scared, they are running for higher ground," said Feri, a 24-year-old recovery volunteer who goes by one name.

Others, however, were fatalistic.

In Uleelhe, one of the low-lying Banda Aceh neighborhoods worst hit by the Dec. 26 disaster, a man rushed to the local mosque.

"Where can I go, you can't outrun a tsunami," said the man, who would not give his name.

There was no sign of fresh damage.

The quake, which struck at 11:09 p.m. Monday as many people were sleeping, knocked out electricity. The only light came from camp fires around this city of refugees from last year's earthquake and tsunami.

People ran out into the streets, wearing prayer shawls, a sarong, sleeping garments.

Quickly, the city's main roads became clogged with traffic -- motorbikes, pickup trucks loaded down with entire families.

One police vehicle was seen driving around and telling people not to panic, but there was nobody telling people where to go. Most police officers stood around, seemingly not knowing what to do.

At the biggest refugee camp in Banda Aceh, people milled around the streets near the local television network, known as TVRI. Others huddled around television sets in cafes trying to watch for news of the quake.

After some time, a voice on the camp intercom announced that people could return to their tents. There was tsunami, the voice said.

Subscribe to Newsday home delivery

Copyright © 2005, The Associated Press

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...orld-headlines

from cnn....

Quote:

Small' tsunami detected after 8.7 quake

Monday, March 28, 2005 Posted: 2:40 PM EST (1940 GMT)
(CNN) -- A tidal gauge has detected a small tsunami in the Indian Ocean several hundred miles southwest of the earthquake that struck off the coast of Indonesia on Monday.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that an instrument near the Cocos Islands recorded the passing wave, but the magnitude of the "small" tsunami was not clear.

The agency said no major tsunami has been observed near epicenter of the earthquake which was upgraded from a magnitude of 8.2 to 8.7. An aftershock measuring 6.0 struck 30 minutes after the initial quake.

Scientists say the threat of a tsunami striking Indonesia and Thailand may have passed because a wave like the one that hit the region on December 26 would have reached those countries almost immediately. Monday's quake struck at 11:09 a.m. ET (1609 GMT).

However, a damaging tsunami is still possible and should be "presumed," said Robert Cessaro of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The quake may have sent its energy further to the south than last year's quake, which measured above 9 and ruptured to the north, he said.

"So all that pressure to the north would have been relieved" by that quake, said Cessaro. "We think this event probably ruptured to the south, with the beam of energy probably propagated to the south toward Mauritius and the Rodrigues."

Residents of coastal regions around the Indian Ocean have been rapidly evacuating after the earthquake .

In Thailand, thousands of people in the six provinces affected by the December 26 tsunami were moving to higher ground or 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) inland, the governor of Phang Nga province said.

Sri Lanka also issued a warning that the earthquake may spawn a tsunami that would reach Sri Lanka's shores by about 3 a.m. Tuesday (4 p.m. ET Monday) and urged those living in low lying areas to move to higher ground.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lindseylatch

heck it's so subjective to the layperson and scientists these could even be foreshocks.

well they saying now that its been over 3 hours, which is the time frame in which a tsunami would have likey hit, so fingers cross the worse is over and there will be know more damaged.

for those that don't have a tv watch the whole thing down a live stream from the bbc. @bbc.co.uk then click on the news.

But all clears are coming through now in some places.

The Age has one headline reading <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/100-per-cent-chance-of-tsunami-expert/2005/03/29/1111862351697.html?oneclick=true">"100 per cent" chance of tsunami: expert</a> and then directly beneath it is <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Tsunami-nations-cancel-warnings/2005/03/29/1111862351747.html">Tsunami nations cancel warnings</a>. Just goes to show how incredible difficult it is to predict these things I guess.

But this article (<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Small-tsunami-heading-towards-Perth/2005/03/29/1111862355609.html?oneclick=true">Small tsunami headed towards Perth</a>) does make me a bit angry: "He said the 23cm tsunami detected this morning by monitoring equipment in the Cocos Islands was significantly smaller than the 35cm wave recorded there following the 9.0 Boxing Day quake that sparked the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster." It seems odd to mention a 23cm wave (10 inches or so) in Perth in the same headlines as the 'real' tsunami.

I know I will burn for this one in the wake of the horrible disaster last December, but when I read the article awhile ago saying that the small tsunami that registered was 25 cm (10 inches) and the one in December was 13 inches I died laughing and made little jokes about 10 inch wave trying to take out my knee caps.

Its just awesome to thing that the 13 inch one grew to....what was it 16 meters?