What do the destructive Ecuador, Japan, Burma, and Italy quakes—and the Louisiana flood—all have in common?
Answer: They are the ‘one percent.’
Oklahoma earthquake: M=5.6 quake shakes seven states
At 5:02 Saturday morning, a Magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 14km NW of Pawnee, Oklahoma. This was a fairly shallow quake occurring about 6.59 km below Earth’s surface, and it caused strong shaking.
Based on early reports, the USGS estimates that there will be no casualties or major damage. However, some injuries or economic losses may still be possible.
熊本地震: M6地震がM7地震を誘発し，その後周辺の活断層にも影響が
熊本での地震続発を報告してから４ヵ月が経過しました．本年４月14日に発生した最初のM6.5地震から28時間後の16日には，同じ断層帯でM7.3地震が発生しました．この地震で，熊本市，益城町，西原村，南阿蘇村など，日奈久断層帯，布田川断層帯に沿った地域で甚大な被害がもたらされました．以下では，これまで得られたいくつかの知見を紹介します．
How a M=6 earthquake triggered a deadly M=7 in Japan
It’s been over four months since we wrote about the powerful Kumamoto quake sequence: The 15 April 2016 Mw=6.2 (Mjma 6.5) Kumamoto, Japan, shock, which was succeeded 28 hours later by the very damaging Mw=7.0 (Mjma 7.3) shock on the same fault system. We can now give you a preview of crucial new discoveries by Japanese and other researchers.
New Zealand earthquake causes tiny tsunami
At 4:37 am Friday morning, a M=7.1 earthquake struck off the east coast of New Zealand, 166 km northeast of Gisborne. This was a moderately deep quake, occurring about 20 km below Earth’s surface, and it caused moderate to strong shaking on land.
Italy earthquake: NASA radar maps reveal massive damage
Last week’s M=6.2 Italy earthquake left many parts of the medieval city of Amatrice in ruin. In the old part of the city, most buildings were made of unreinforced masonry, leaving them susceptible to collapse [Guidoboni and Valensise, 2015]. Amatrice was all but destroyed in three large shocks over 19 days in 1703, and so the part of the town that was highly damaged on 24 August 2016 was composed of buildings largely constructed about 300 years ago. In contrast, the newer construction in the east side of the town came through the M=6.2 quake relatively unscathed.
Italy earthquake leaves seismic gaps that were last filled by three large earthquakes in 1703
Could this happen again now? As with precursory swarms, progressive earthquake sequences are uncommon.
24 Aug 2016 M=6.8 Burma earthquake reveals how oblique plate motion is accommodated by parallel transform and subduction faults
The M=6.2 Italy earthquake dominated the seismic headlines today, but an even larger quake just a few hours later was largely ignored. While unrelated, both earthquakes are important. Today’s magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck western Burma, 200 km northwest of the capital city of Naypyitaw.
M=6.2 earthquake strikes central Italy, 35 km north of the disastrous 2009 M=6.3 L’Aquila event
Today’s earthquake, 10 km southeast of Norcia, has a shallow depth of 10 km, and lies in the Central Apennines normal faulting system. It was felt from Rome to Bologna. One can see from the Temblor map that quakes of this size are expected one or two times in a lifetime at Norcia.
A second earthquake swarm hits west of the Hilton Creek Fault, in Long Valley Caldera near Mammoth Lakes, CA
By Ross Stein, Temblor The two recent swarms are 20 km (12 mi) apart. The 13 August swarm lies on the west side of the Hilton Creek Fault, about 5 …
Flood zone maps: Louisiana deluge had less than 1% chance of occurring per year
By Gabriel Lotto, Temblor The Louisiana floods, which have killed 13 people and damaged 40,000 homes, were the result of severe rainfall that drenched the Baton Rouge area. As much …
US Flood Maps: Do you live in a flood zone?
By Gabriel Lotto, Temblor Rivers are beginning to recede after several days of devastating flooding in Louisiana. On Tuesday, we showed how FEMA’s flood maps did a pretty good job …
Louisiana floods are “historic” but not surprising
By Gabriel Lotto, Temblor This weekend, record-breaking rainfall in Louisiana and Mississippi caused extreme flooding in the region. As of this posting, eight people have died and over 30,000 have …
Earthquake Swarm off the Hilton Creek Fault, which last ruptured in 1980
Ross Stein and Volkan Sevilgen, Temblor (Click here to check your seismic risk for free) An intense swarm, so far topped by a M=3.9 shock on 13 August 2016, is …
Liquefaction and the Leaning Tower of San Francisco
By David Jacobson, Temblor Check if you are in a liquefaction zone in Temblor New satellite imagery reveals sinking Millennium Tower While most high-rise buildings in modern cities are symbols …
Earthquake swarms do not signal that “The Big One” is coming
by Gabriel Lotto and Ross Stein, Temblor Does the name “Hollister” conjure up visions of surf-lifestyle clothing for landlocked teenagers? If so, it’s time to forget everything you know about …
Terremotos en Ecuador: Que paso y que sigue?
Click for English version by Gabriel Lotto and Ross Stein, Temblor Translated by Delvin Martinez Un día después del terremoto del 16 de Abril de 2016 (Mw=7.8), publicamos un artículo …
Ecuador earthquakes: What happened and what’s next?
La versión en español de la publicación del blog se puede encontrar aquí by Gabriel Lotto and Ross Stein, Temblor We first posted about the 16 April 2016 M=7.8 Ecuador …
M=5.2 southern California earthquake triggered a profusion of aftershocks on ‘bookshelf faults’ that link the active strands of the San Jacinto fault zone
Send me Earthquake Insights by Ross Stein (ross@temblor.net), David Jacobson, Ali Kim, and Volkan Sevilgen Temblor Today’s earthquake struck along the central San Jacinto fault, a major element of the southern …
Eastern California’s intense seismic and geothermal activity: Chicken or egg?
Send me Earthquake Insights A 13 May M=3.5 earthquake struck 30 mi (50 km) west of Death Valley at the northern tip of the Ash Hill fault. This earthquake is anything …
Is the San Andreas “locked, loaded, and ready to go”?
Send me Earthquake Insights Volkan and I presented and exhibited Temblor at the National Earthquake Conference in Long Beach last week. Prof. Thomas Jordan, USC University Professor, William M. Keck Foundation …
Kentucky Magnitude-3.5 quake highlights the liquefaction potential in the disputed New Madrid seismic zone
1 May 2016 | Quake Insights Today’s earthquake lies at the northern end of the New Madrid seismic zone, which ruptured in three Magnitude-7 or greater earthquakes in the winter …
Imperial seismic swarm lights up the southern tip of the San Jacinto fault in an area of extreme hazard
22 April 2016 | Quake Insights A seismic burst, so far topped only by a M=3.4 shock, struck beneath the city of Imperial yesterday. It’s a fascinating location, where the …
16 April 2016 Ecuador M=7.8 quake likely a repeat of a 1942 M=7.8 shock; such repeats are rare but important
La versión en español de la publicación del blog se puede encontrar aquí Click for the New Ecuador Earthquake Article 17 April 2016 | Quake Insights The event severely shook the …
The Tail that Wagged the Dog: M=7.0 Kumamoto, Japan shock promoted by M=6.1 quake that struck 28 hr beforehand
Was the M=6.1 a foreshock of the M=7.0, or was the M=7.0 an aftershock of the M=6.1?
Calaveras swarm: Something Learned and Something Lost
A burst of seventeen 1.0≤M≤3.2 earthquake struck 0.2 mi (0.5 km) east of the Calaveras fault trace, east of San José, California, on 29-30 March 2016 at about 5-6 mi …
Pair of magnitude-4 earthquakes lights up one end of a 25-mile-long fault in Oklahoma that could host a larger quake
Temblor Insight|Mar 29, 2016 The M=4.2 shock, and a M=4.1 aftershock 5 hr 26 min later, struck just 45 miles north of Oklahoma City, between the West Lawrie and Sooner …
Living with Liquefaction
During intense earthquake shaking, water-saturated sediments can turn into a slurry (liquefaction), causing buildings, cars and other heavy objects lying on top of what were formerly stiff, dry sediments or …
Magnitude-4.0 earthquake strikes 20 mi east of the magnificent Teton fault near Jackson, Wyoming
26 February 2016 | Quake Insights Today’s earthquake was strongly felt in Jackson, WY. It is a strike-slip event with the center of the rupture at a depth of about …
Magnitude-5.7 Valentine’s Day Earthquake Brings Canterbury Earthquake Sequence Back to Life
Quake Insight | Feb 22, 2016 Over 5 years since the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence started, the city of Christchurch is still being rattled by large aftershocks. The magnitude 5.7 earthquake, …
Magnitude-4.8 shock near Big Pine, CA, strikes just north the 1872 M=7.6 Owens Valley quake, recalling the contemporary account of naturalist John Muir
16 February 2016 | Quake Insights The M=4.8 Big Pine, CA quake was followed by a M=4.2 aftershock and several smaller ones; both are right-lateral ruptures at a depth of about …
Could a great quake strike on the enigmatic San Jacinto fault?
Today’s magnitude-3.5 Moreno Valley, CA, quake near the San Jacinto fault begs the question The 13.5 km (8 mi) deep right-lateral strike-slip earthquake was widely, though weakly, felt in the …
Magnitude-5.1 northern Oklahoma quake produces aftershocks over a surprisingly broad 5 by 8 mi area
13 February 2016 | Revised Quake Insights The foreshock has been removed from the catalog, so perhaps this was a phantom event. Five hours after the mainshock, improved earthquake depths and locations, …
Terremoto en Taiwan, Febrero 05, 2016
Febrero 10, 2016 Con el reciente terremoto ocurrido en Taiwan (Febrero 5,2016; 6.4Mw, de acuerdo al USGS), algunas cosas interesantes pueden ser escritas. Hasta ahora los reportes oficiales indican el …
Magnitude-6.3 earthquake near Tainan, Taiwan, highlights the danger of blind thrust faults around the world
6 February 2016 | Quake Insight | Revised The 5 Feb 2016 M=6.3 event struck at a depth of 20 km (12 mi) about 40 km (25 mi) east of …
Temblor on the NASA Hyperwall
Temblor presentation on the NASA Hyperwall by Ross Stein & Volkan Sevilgen at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. http://temblor.net
What would you do if a Japanese tsunami boat washed ashore? Students transform a tragedy into a homecoming
I attended the January meeting of the California Seismic Safety Commission, which looks out for the needs of Californians to prepare for quakes, to be resilient to their effects, and …
Why don’t the earthquakes line up with the San Andreas fault?
1 February 2016 | Quake Insights Magnitude-2.7 shock near Hollister highlights a string of quakes lighting up the San Andreas fault A M=2.7 quake occurred on 1 Feb 2016 with …
Magnitude-4.3 shock strikes on 30 Jan 2016 near Helena, Montana
31 January 2016 | Quake Insights On 30 January 2016, a M=4.3 shock struck at a shallow 5 km (3 mi) depth in central Montana. The shock was felt in …
Temblor will be presented to Gavin Newsom at a public event on Feb 11
Upcoming Event with Temblor presentation “Innovations in Earthquake Preparedness” event will be held at UC Berkeley with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom at 1-3 pm on February 11; all are welcome Lt. …
Today’s Magnitude-4.1 Joshua Tree, CA, quake and seismic swarm appear to be delayed aftershocks of the 1999 M=7.1 Hector Mine earthquake
24 Jan 2016 | Quake Insight The M=4.1 is part of a very shallow 12-day-long seismic swarm A magnitude-4.1 shock struck at very shallow depth (2-5 km, or 1-3 mi) …
Temblor: Una aplicacion para estimar nivel de amenaza sismica y costos de reforzamiento estructural
Jan 17, 2016 Tanto en la tienda de Google, como en la de Apple se pueden encontrar varias aplicaciones, que permiten convertir nuestro smarthphone en un instrumento de medicion sismica …
California homeowners in 100 zip codes can receive up to $3,000 for a ‘brace and bolt’ retrofit, but you need to apply by February 20
Editorial|14 January 2016 The Earthquake Brace+Bolt program is offering up to $3000 in over 100 zip codes towards a retrofit of older wood-frame homes with a ‘cripple wall’ or ‘stem …
Garlock fault lights up in a Magnitude-3.5 seismic swarm in the high desert of southern California
Temblor Insight | Jan 13, 2016 A M=3.5 shock at a depth of 5 km struck on the active Garlock fault. The mainshock has a focal mechanism consistent with the …
How to shop for a safe home in earthquake country
8 January 2016: Editorial We’ve all been there You’ve finally zeroed in on a home that you can actually—somehow—afford. It’s within commute range, in a good school district, and has enough …
Jan 7, 2016 M=4.8 Oklahoma mainshock and its M=4.4 foreshock felt throughout north-central Oklahoma and southern Kansas
Jan 8, 2016: Quake Insights The Jan 7, 2016 M=4.8 event followed 30 seconds after a M=4.4 at a distance of 4 km (3 mi) to the southwest. This means …
Magnitude-4.5 Banning quake struck the San Gorgonio Pass, where the San Gorgonio thrust fault links the right-lateral San Andreas and San Jacinto faults
Jan 6, 2016: Quake Insights Today’s Magnitude-4.5 shock probably slipped the San Gorgonio fault Pass fault, which has a longterm slip rate of 1.4-1.5 mm/yr, making it active but not …
Imphal, India earthquake (3 Jan 2016 M=6.7) struck in a highly active belt, and was felt in northeast India, Bangladesh, and western Myanmar
3 Jan 2016: Quake Insight The Imphal, India earthquake struck at 55-60 km (30-36 mi) depth. Its great depth will reduce its impact on the many poorly built homes, factories, …
M=4.2 Edmond earthquake on January 1, 2016, just north of Oklahoma City, continues swarm of induced seismicity
1 January 2016 Like its predecessor on 30 December 2015, the event is a strike-slip earthquake, perhaps involving left-lateral slip on a northwest-striking fault. It is somewhat shallower than it …
Victoria, Canada earthquake (magnitude 4.8) widely felt in Victoria, Vancouver and Seattle
Dec 30, 2015 10:37am The earthquake was widely felt in Victoria (home of the Pacific Geoscience Centre of the Geological Survey of Canada), Vancouver, and Seattle. The 50 km (30 …
M=4.4 San Bernardino quake strikes at the junction of three major Southern California faults
Dec 29, 2015 6:45pm The most likely source of the earthquake is slip on the San Jacinto fault The M=4.4 has been followed by 10 aftershocks in the first 30 …
M=4.3 earthquake in Edmond, OK (suburban Oklahoma City) this morning
29 Dec 2015, 8:30 am PST A deep M=4.3 mainshock and shallow M=3.4 aftershock A magnitude 4.3 shock struck this morning in Edmond, OK, shaking all of Oklahoma City and …
Southern California: Magnitude 4.3 earthquake hit Eastern California Shear Zone
The Mojave Desert was hit by a magnitude 4.3 earthquake at 10:31 this morning (27 December 2015). Even though the epicenter was located in the sparsely populated Southern Californian high …
Concord, CA: More earthquakes after the 2014 Napa quake?
Two M=1.5 quakes on December 28 in Concord appear to be part of a subtle increase in seismicity rate since the August 2014 M=6.0 Napa mainshock struck. Even without this …
Nevada Earthquake: A M=4.4 struck the Mount Rose Fault Zone in south Reno, Nevada
A shallow magnitude 4.4 quake struck the Mount Rose Fault Zone in south Reno, Nevada, this morning. The Nevada earthquake, its foreshocks and aftershocks struck 10 miles south of Downtown …
The perfect gift: An earthquake emergency kit
There’s been a lot of political talk recently about protecting our safety. But for those of us living in earthquake country, perhaps the most important way to make our family …
Retrofit: What’s wrong with this home appraisal?
Last week, our home was appraised for a mortgage refinance. I asked the certified real estate appraiser if he wanted to know if we had retrofit. He said, “No, it …
Todays’ Gerlach, Nevada, M=4.1 quake highlights a geothermal swarm
The Gerlach, Nevada M=4.1 is the second largest quake in the past month, part of a swam of 231 events near the Nevada-Oregon border. The swarm lies at the junction …
Deep M=4.3 quake stuck today southwest of the recent M=4.7 shock 6 days ago
A M=4.3 quake struck the town of Waynoka, OK. The quake resulted from sudden slip on a strike-slip fault, similar to the two M=4.7 quakes that struck over the past …
Oklahoma: A second Magnitude 4.7 earthquake strikes in 11 days
A second M=4.7 earthquake shock struck northern Oklahoma at 3:49 am local time, at a shallow depth of 5 km (3 mi). The shock was felt as far away as …
Earthquake (M=6.2) near Taltal, Chile, felt in Antofagasta, Calama, Copiapo, Diego de Almagro
Show me the aftershocks of the Chile Earthquake in Temblor Map
S.F. Chronicle featured Temblor App and touches on the back story of the app
Today’s S.F. Chronicle and sfgate.com published a feature article by David Perlman about Temblor App as it also touches on the back story of the app. I’d like read the …
Peru-Brazil border struck by two M=7.6 earthquakes
Earthquakes occurred 5 minutes and about 30 miles (50 km) apart. The two events also had approximately the same type of faulting (focal mechanism). Such “doublets” rarely occur. The earthquakes …
Ongoing Earthquake Swarm near Nevada-Oregon Border Suggests Creep on the Guano Valley Fault
Some 237 earthquakes occurred in the last 30 days Temblor Map shows the epicenters of the earthquakes. You can take a look at the interactive Temblor map. It is updated …
Oklahoma rattled by a magnitude 4.6 quake
A mid-size earthquake with magnitude 4.6 occurred in Oklahoma on Nov 20, 2015 16:40:40. This is one of 232 earthquakes recorded in Oklahoma in 30 days. The epicenter is 120 mile North …
Oklahoma earthquake with magnitude 4.7 is the largest of 200 earthquakes in the last 30 days
Oklahoma earthquake hit rural part of the state Oklahoma earthquake was felt strongly in Cherokee, Helena, and Alva, lighter shaking was felt in Kiowa, Fairview, Enid and Edmond. There are …
California earthquake with magnitude 3.5 struck where three loaded faults meet
Today’s California earthquake lies in one of the most active knots of seismicity. The temblor struck at the junction of the major San Jacinto fault, which extends to the southeast, …
Could the magnitude 6.5 Greece earthquake trigger another large shock?
Not only have there been many large shocks in this region during the past century (eight M≥6.5 events within 80 km, a rate of one a decade), but they often …
A large magnitude 6.5 Greece earthquake felt most of Greece
A large earthquake occurred at 2015-11-17 07:10:08 (UTC) near west coastline of the country. The Greece earthquake felt strongly in the cities: Lefkada, Nidri, Preveza, Aneza, Vonitsa, Agios Spyridon. It …
Underwater pier detonated on old San Francisco Bay Bridge on Nov 14 shows up in Temblor map equivalent to Magnitude 2 quake.
Underwater pier detonated on old Bay Bridge early Saturday shows up in Temblor map equivalent to Magnitude 2 quake. Follow recent quakes or learn your own seismic hazard at http://temblor.net