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Subscribe to RSSIt may not have been a hurricane, but an earthquake and tsunami warning worried state agencies along the West Coast. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.
Updated at 6:23 p.m. ET: Hawaii state officials on Sunday canceled a tsunami advisory prompted by a powerful earthquake off the Canadian coast that sent thousands of people fleeing to higher ground. No major damage was reported.
The advisory was canceled shortly before 4 a.m. local time after the anticipated waves rolled in lower than expected, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Kevin Richards, earthquake and tsunami manager for Hawaii State Civil Defense, said water, gas and power lines were not damaged by the smaller-than-expected waves.
Eugene Tanner / AP
Visitors and Oahu residents watch the water level in the Ala Wai Harbor in Hawaii for the arrival of a tsunami on Saturday.
"Everything is normal,'' Richards said. "We're in good shape with this one.''
Gov. Neil Abercrombie said the Aloha State was lucky to avoid more severe surges.
"We're very, very grateful that we can go home tonight counting our blessings," Abercrombie said.
The tsunami began shortly after 10:30 p.m. Hawaii time (4:30 a.m. ET), according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, as motorists clogged roadways in a mass exodus from low-lying areas.
"The tsunami arrived about when we expected it should," senior geophysicist Gerard Fryer told reporters at a news conference, saying: "I was expecting it to be a little bigger."
Officials earlier warned locals to treat the threat as very serious.
"This is obviously a very, very dangerous situation," Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle told Hawaii News Now earlier as officials were urging residents to move away from the coastline immediately.
Fryer said the largest wave in the first 45 minutes of the tsunami was measured in Maui at more than 5 feet -- about 2 feet higher than normal sea levels.
Tsunami warning sirens in the islands were activated on short notice due to initial confusion among scientists about the quake's undersea epicenter and the extent of the tsunami threat posted by the temblor.
Carlisle earlier announced that all police and emergency personnel were being pulled out from potential flood zones shortly before the first wave, leaving anyone defying evacuation orders to fend for themselves. He urged motorists who remained caught in harm's way due to gridlocked roads to abandon their vehicles and proceed on foot.
"If you are stuck in traffic, you might consider getting out of your car and consider walking to higher ground. You will have to assess your own situation, depending on where you are right now. Right now it is critical," he said.
Scientists convicted for not predicting quake
Abercrombie issued an emergency proclamation for the state.
Canada quake
The warnings followed an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 that hit Canada's Pacific coastal province of British Columbia late on Saturday. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered 123 miles south-southwest of Prince Rupert at a depth of 6.2 miles.
Carsten Ginsburg, who lives in the small community of Bella Coola southeast of Prince Rupert, said the quake lasted about 40 seconds.
"It shook everything. The electricity went out, the power lines were swinging all over the place and stuff was falling off the shelves," he said, Canadian Press reported.
No major damage was reported.
The Earthquakes Canada agency said the quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including a 6.4 magnitude tremor that struck Sunday afternoon.
Click here for US news headlines
On Oahu, Hawaii's most populous island, tsunami warning sirens blared across Honolulu, the state capital, prompting an immediate crush of traffic, with many motorists stopping at service stations to top up with gasoline. At movie theaters, films were halted in mid-screening as announcements were made urging patrons to return to their homes.
The last time Oahu had a tsunami warning was after the devastating Japanese earthquake of March 2011.
NBC News' Wilson Rothman, who was staying on the island of Kauai, said that while there had been no noticeable rise in water levels, local officials and hotel staff had taken precautions.
Click here for World news headlines
"Non-essential hotel functions were shut down fast, and restaurants across the island closed early," he said. "Our hotel asked all guests to evacuate 'vertically' to the 4th, 5th or 6th floor, and asked guests on those floors to 'make new friends'."
On Honolulu's famed Waikiki Beach, residents of high-rise buildings were told to move to the third floor or higher for safety.
Stephany Sofos, a resident of Diamond Head near Waikiki, said most people had either evacuated or relocated to a higher floor.
"I moved my car up the hill, packed up my computer and have my animals all packed and with me," Sofos said, saying that she had not yet seen any obvious receding of the surf, a telltale sign that a tsunami wave is imminent.
External link: Tsunami messages issued in the past 7 days
"I'm pretty confident because we have a lot of reefs out there and that will prevent any major damage. Maybe it's a false confidence, but I'm not really worried," she said, adding, "It is nerve-wracking."
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service canceled tsunami advisories for Canada and Oregon.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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In the Pacific Northwest we've just finished with 14 months of the same swarms of slow-slip tremors that preceded mega-quakes in Chile and Japan. Now comes a 7.7 quake in the Prince Charlotte Islands.
Am I the only person nervous that these events are related to the advent of The Big One?
Look up HARP, Alaska, on the internet, then decide where this could all be coming from lately.
Hadit,
Yes. Instead of embracing the science of geology let's all blame it on a conspiracy that the Government is trying to destroy the world one Earthquake at a time.
Which one sounds more plausible to you?
don't attack him until science can explain what HAARP does? Explain it to all of us that don't understand why that much power needs to be used when experimenting on anything. Tesla's Oscillator used steam power, imagine what HAARP could do with amplified resonance?
You HAARP guys crack me up. Do you really think this M 7.7 could have been caused by HAARP? That's ridiculous in the extreme.
Do you guys think the earth is waiting around for some mad scientist to invent some death machine to create havoc? I think you may be watching too many Marvel movies or video games. Or Mayan calender 2012 paranoia.
Gee, will Barry leave the campaign trail to go check on his new 40 million dollar mansion?
How does a man afford such an expensive home on his salary?
I guess Michelle doesnt want the kids raised in violent prone Chicago anymore?
How do you function with no brain?
Three foot waves??? Be for real, 30 feet waves regularly strike the North Shore - it's the reason surfers come from all over the world to be here. This is the second time that we here on Oahu have had our lives impacted by a government warning about a "tsunami" that is smaller than the regular waves that hit the island. I'm all for safety and I'm all for being conservative, but if they keep us this nonsense no one will take them seriously when a real emergency strikes.
All science playing with power aside, isn't there something else everybody can take from this article which might be of more use in their lives than figuring out what HAARP does? Like when that emergency was declared with short notice, how many cars suddenly filled the highways because it became possibly a matter of life or death, and yet it mentioned folks had to stop and gas up their cars? For Pete's sake, hasn't anyone ever told those people it's always wise to never let your car's tank get below half empty?
I know there are probably many who think, why not just wait until it gets close to empty before filling it up again, what is the big deal? I have taught emergency preparedness for over thirtyfive years and on numerous occasions discovered how thankful it was I did this. I will tell you why.
First, you are going to end up spending the money anyway in the end. So you might as well get it over with. Stick those funds into your account or purse/wallet so it is already taken care of, and forget it so when you reach the halfway mark, go fill it up.
Second, in the event of unexpected business, needing to help someone in your family in a crisis, or last minute personal emergency, you won't have to stop causing a delay to refuel when perhaps a gas station will be closed, or you may be some place there isn't one for a long distance.
Next, if you need to get out of a location and a warning is issued, you can leave immediately, without having to find a gas station. Saving you valuable minutes you might not otherwise have to spare, and giving you a head start over so many others not prepared. In the event of a natural or man-made disaster, people are going to panic and gas will be a high valued commodity. It will allow you to get out of the area, or go to a safe place. But only if you have enough of it to get to where you need to go.
Next, you can use the fuel from you car for other types of transportation, should your car become disabled. So, having a garden hose available in your trunk is also helpful, and spare gas can. Now all you need is your 72 hour kit and you are set:P
It isn't a matter of if, but when an earthquake, disaster or personal crisis or unexpected situation strikes. Just being prepared will make a difference and give you peace of mind. On Dec 26, 2005, a tsunami struck which killed over 250,000 people without any warnings in the India Ocean area.How ironic with all our modern equipment, we were caught off guard and still surprised, in 2012. Imagine if we got hit along California's coastal shores, a continental shelf with nothing to stop a potentially tsunami upwards of 1,000 feet or more. There is evidence of such a devastating one on the northern west coast coming from Asia.
Sorry, date is 26 Dec, 2004, need my glasses!
@Robert-385246 - Obviously you do not understand the mechanics of ocean waves at all. There is a big difference between a typical ocean wave of 30 feet and a tsunami. A typical ocean wave has a much shorter period and moves at a much slower speed. These factors have a huge impact on how high the wave will reach when it breaks. A tsunami may be much smaller in the open ocean, but because of the speed the wave moves at, typically around 600 mph hundred of miles per hour, and the horizontal distance between the crests, typically many miles and sometimes close to 300 miles, these waves build to great heights when they reach shallow water at the coast. This compares to a typical ocean wave with a speed of around 60 mph with a wavelength of maybe 300 feet. The speed of the tsunami means it has a great deal of energy. As the tsunami approaches shallow water the leading edge slows considerably. This causes the back end of the wave to catch up with the front, with this compression transforming the energy from the speed of the wave into a massive buildup in the height. This is how a tsunami that is only a few feet high in open ocean can transform into a 100 foot high surge of water as it hits the coast.
I am both surprised an disappointed that the people of Hawaii were given such short notice of the impending tsunami. Even with the great speed a tsunami travels at, scientists should have had at least a few hours to realize their error about the location of the earthquake epicenter and get a warning out. The fact that the warning was not issued sooner shows a major breakdown in communications that should be addressed to prevent something like this from happening in the future. They got lucky this time that the tsunami did not have a lot of energy, otherwise we could be reading about a lot of people being killed due to this inadequate warning time.
Robert-385246 Three foot waves??? Be for real, 30 feet waves regularly strike the North Shore
Yes, but there is a HUGE difference between surf waves and wind driven waves, and a Tsunami.
A Tsunami is an 'impulse' of water caused by displacement, not just the top of the water pilling up and falling over. A 3' or 6' Tsunami is much more like 10 mile long river that's 3' or 6' deep that's flowing at 50 mph that has suddenly appeared in your town's streets. It's not at all the same as Wind driven waves on a lake, or surf in an ocean. Plus, depending on the local topography, they can be concentrated and amplified by the underwater structures, the bays and inlets, in river mouths - they are a dynamic beast and not at all the same as a natural 30' wave.
Well, at least it's better to overreact to a tsunami than to underreact.
Well, I'm watching these "100 foot waves" and I will tell you people here are letting little toddlers go to the beach. Frankly I'm a lot more concerned about thieves taking advantage of the situation and breaking into homes than I am about this "compression transforming the energy from the speed of the wave into a massive buildup in the height." I'm sorry but if scientists need to go back to school and re-think their models. The ones they have right now suck.
I'm not trying to be rude either, I know you mean well, but the theories have met the real world twice in the last three years and the real world won....
See comment above.
It will not be a lack of warning time that kills us next time - what will kill us next time is everybody, including me, is going to ignore the warning. To understand why I'm so upset why don't all of you start a small fire in a metal trash can, then evacuate half the city due to the "inferno." Repeat that drill in a few years too. After that you can read on the Internet about how your small fire could have become a raging inferno. I won't bore you with stories about exactly how bad this impacted us, but trust me when I say the warning caused far more damage than the "typhoon" did.
I live near (very near, way too near) the Cascadia subduction zone. Here, in my Pacific Northwest neighborhood, we've just finished the swarm of so-called "silent" or "slow-slip" quakes that return every 14 months. Silent quakes like these preceded both the recent Chile and Japan megaquakes. This swarm was particularly intense and now comes tonight's 7.7 quake right up the road, as it were. So, am I, like, the only person here going hmnnnn.. ?
No, you're definitely not the only person. Over the next week, there is a much higher than normal chance of a larger earthquake in the area around it as this quake has changed the stresses on the faults around it. Just as the M7.2 quake occurred two days before the M9.0 quake hit Japan last year. It doesn't mean a larger quake is probable but it's a much larger than normal chance. So yes, now's the time to watch closely, especially over the next week. If you live on the Pacific Northwest coast and a big earthquake occurs that lasts for more than two minutes that means it's large enough to cause a big tsunami and you need to move to higher ground as soon as possible.
Nope, I live in California (Los Angeles) and I'm waiting on pins and needles for the big one. I suspect it's coming to a west coast near you and I, any second now!
Hope everything goes well up there! Sending them good thoughts!
†Once again, Elohim shakes this earth by the sound of His voice. His voice can be seen, and heard, through the far reaching ends of the earth. All have seen, all have heard, and for those that have not seen, they have heard, and for those who have not heard, they have seen. Events of this nature will continue to expand, ever more present, and visible to all. In manifold ways will Elohim bring His judgment upon all, for our ever growing sins, in which are growing each day. The Eternal One begins to cleanse this world, and is giving us ample warning in advance. Not to see, or recognize the Power, is to deny the True Authority which is returning to this earth, to set up His Kingdom, for He alone is Sovereign. We hope that all may begin to understand, and see that we are living in the days of travail, and by no means shall anything be stopped. The time and hour is set to bring about change, and to renew the face of the earth. We know not the hour, for only Elohim has been reserved unto the time, neither His Son knows. Yet, Our Creator has spoken loudly many times, to awaken us from our sleep, the sleep as we have been so accustomed to. To look away, continue in our ways, not to clearly see the dire events being set into motion by Elohim, will surely be our demise. We continue in prayer, and hope that the evil, which is encompassing this world, shall be stopped.
I was praying this morning when Elohim interrupted and told me such supplication is silly since he knows what all of us are thinking. Apparently, he has always been annoyed by the many kinds of public reverence going on. "It's unnecessary and uncalled for! Tantamount to worshipping idols!" he boomed, making my framed picture of his son fall from the wall. He was not happy so I asked if he had any punishments in mind, like earthquakes, tsunamis, and he assured me he has given up on Earth and moved on to messing with other places in the universe. He kindly offered to take me with him. I'm hurriedly packing now.
Huh. Okeedoke.
Earthquakes have been happening way before humans were here and will happen after we disappear.
Elo... who?
You mean Yahweh- califragilisticexpiallidocscious
What a kissup. You think you are going to get a special seat? My seat? For flattery?
I think not.
Oh, do shut up, synoptica. Don't you have an alter down in the fallout shelter you should be tending to instead of posting on here?
LOL
Its the end of days, don't you know. :)
Alternatively, one could argue that the Earth is a geologically active planet, that earthquakes are a natural product of its geological activity, and that the claim that "Elohim" is causing earthquakes is about as plausible as the ancient claim that Zeus causes thunderstorms. I almost can't believe that there are people who believe in such primitive nonsense here in the 21st Century.
I wonder how long it will take for someone to blame either President Obama or Romney for this? Actually more likely, whoever loses will blame Quakenstorm 2012 as the reason for their loss.
Simply, the immorality, deceit, and transgression has brought breaches to the hedge of protection we were blessed with when we were one nation under God.
It all depends on how you define Elohim. There should be a Eloher, and a Eliyou and Eliwe, that is what comprises the spirit of the life in general. The power of unity is greater than anything.
But none of that has anything to do with this earthquakes and volcanoes. You can pray all you want, earthquakes happen, just like anything else on this dynamic planet.
If you get smart (through science and technology), you stay out of their way, but no amount of praying is going to stop or start earthquakes.
That is, unless maybe youre fracking for oil, but that's another story. Those quakes are low magnitude and very shallow.
Not only should you belive it, you need to understand that this neanderthal thinking has taken over the highest political offices in North America including the Prime Minister of Canada - Stephen Harper and likewise in the USA with wannabees like - Mit Romney & Paul Ryan. These guys are motivated by their religious beliefs and every word in the Bible including such nonsense as this planet of ours being less than 10,000 years old when God created it and everything on it and in it. Unfortunately, they have millions of religious followers who think the same and support them. They don't believe in scientific fact regarding climate change or evolution because of their "faith" that its all in God's hands and therefore no need to concern ourselves with such silly notions - the Bible told them so.
Ordinarily, this "primitive nonsense" wouldn't be such a concern except for the FACT that these neanderthal thinkers are at the top of the political spectrum in our two countries and it is they making all the decisions based on their biblical "faith". Unfortunately, the very definition of FAITH is: "the giving up of REASON". Obviously, it's the young who inherit this planet including the bloody mess we've made of it - so my advice is - WAKE-UP and breathe the air while you still can! FAITH, with all it's primitive advice and theory has infested POLITICS and that's where the action is whether you like it or not. Young people - thinkers like yourself, need to get involved - and fast!
Harry - that is ridiculous mindless drivel. You can disagree with their policies and ideas, but to suggest that Prime Minister Harper or that Mitt Romney actually believe that the Earth is 10,000 years old is totally ridiculous. Besides, this is a science & Tech forum - please quit jumping in with unrelated political nonsense. This article is about a Tsunami, not about anyone's paranoia about what the Conservative/Republican or Liberal/Democratic agenda is.
The only mindless drivel is coming out of ToddC-1160496,s pie hole via his keyboard.
Google Mormon beliefs.
Not only are the present republicans primitive in their ideas, they are also adamant that you follow their beliefs as law of the land.
As far as science & tech forum goes check the beliefs of the republicans sitting on the related committees in congress. These morons are way scarier then any tsunami.
This truly is the year of American Taliban Republicans.
Yeah, even if you believe in God I don't think there is a need to assume that every earthquake, even major ones are the product of divine will. Some simply occur as a matter of the rules of physics I would guess.
People who think that are a bit....uh....hyper-religious. Unfortunately, when people have taken their religion and faith to that point you can't really rationalize that concept to them. Everything is a sign to them. It's unhealthy, and unfortunately they don't realize it. Their overzealousness makes God look bad. They don't care nor are they able to understand that concept of how overzealous people don't attract other people to their belief system.
Keep an eye on birdlife and other animal behaviour, they often provide a clue that an 'event' is imminent.
Best wishes to all in the zone.
In Seattle, about an hour after the quake my power flicked a ton and the dog next door started barking (he never never barks). Rolled my chair to the middle of the room for a minute. Hopefully ill be able to sleep tonight!
What you want is the dog that barks BEFORE the earthquake, not afterwards :)
A lot of California dogs are known to have that ability. I knew a poodle that would bark incessantly just before even a mild earthquake for an hour before it happened. This dog was in Santa Cruz, CA when the '89 quake hit, very close to the epicenter.
It took NBC a LONG time to report on this one.
NBC does not have time for real news anymore, they make it up now
I noticed that too . I guess they don't do breaking news anymore. It's pretty alarming that when something like this happens in another country we know more about it than the locals and in short order. But when it happens closer by, it takes two hours to report it.The weather channel was on it right after it happened and just so you know the Tsunami warning area has been extended and right now the sirens are going off in Hawaii.
And yet you are both here... Thank you for your insightful posts.
If it doesn't happen in NY or the northeast, it didn't happen.
@Dee, your not alone. the CSZ is well within it's window for a major event. I'm no expert but we have seen a major event on 3/4th of the rim lately Chile, New Zealand and japan.
The Cascadia subduction zone is the only portion to yet let loose it's energy. stay safe and heed the warnings.
I live in Colorado, but frequently check on the Cascadian subduction zone as my mother lives in Chehalis, WA. I worry so much as many of you, that this is just a preview of a much bigger event. We can only pray that this is not the case. On the phone with my mom right now, and she says she did not feel anything, but she already plans to head further inland, and away from the volcanoes.
This been a pattern here that appears to be ignored and it looks like a really big quake is going to hit somewhere in the middle of North America or in the Caribbean basin.
It seems the Pacific has become quite active in recent days.
Here is a record of the many quakes over the previous 7 days.
http earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
228 earthquakes - M2.5+ events in the past 7 days
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for all coastlines of all islands of Hawaii at 7:09 p.m. HST based on DART buoy readings. First wave is expected to arrive in the islands at approximately 10:28 p.m. HST.
It's going to be a wild night here! This is much shorter notice than usual.
Thank you. That's better info than anything being reported.
HI Dave We are ready here on Maui. Are you on one of the islands?
I live on an Island with an active volcano cooking away. The ocean often has waves as large as big palm trees in the winter. Right now there are 14 foot waves hitting the north shore, on top of that it is a full moon and now a tsunami alert, sometimes paradise can be a bitch. But as the old Hawaiians used to say,"sometimes you get chicken, and sometimes you get rice"!.
The next big quake has been predicted to happen in this area soon, this may be a prelude to what comes next. Hmm, I moved out here to Tacoma a year ago to escape the harsh winters and brutal summers in the Midwest...
Read my lips. There are no perfectly safe places.
Excessive drilling + Excessive "fracking" + ignorance = worldwide earthquakes.
Shale is there for a reason. To keep the earth's crust stable.
So according to your theory there were no earthquakes before the "excessive drilling and excessive fracking"
There was no shale fracking 6 miles deep and 123 miles off shore of British Columbia.
i like how many people are so set in thinking frakking can't have global consequences. Man can't cause earthquakes of any unsafe magnitude? I bet that's rendered false in the next 10 years.
People say that frakking only causes low level earthquakes..? oh does it? How do you know? Where's the evidence of what frakking actually does other than make people money? You don't know for sure, nobody does. The companies that have pioneered the process sure won't say if their money generating industry is damaging anything.
What is peculiar is that none of the media has thought to interview anyone in British Columbia to find out what they experienced. Is it that hard to link up to Canadian coverage of this? The event on the east coast is certanly important and we know all about what it might do. What about the coverage of what has happened already. They've got these things now called telephones and computers not to mention the internets.
I live in Vancouver and I didn't even know about it until my family from abroad in Europe and Asia phoned me to ask if I am okay. I didn't even know there was an earthquake and the people around me certainly didn't know about it until I told them. It seems like foreign media really made this a breaking news but less so in North American media outlets. I wonder why....
Hate to direct anybody to a site such as FOX NEWS but they covered it pretty good so far, with interviews.
With grammar like that, I do not doubt your viewership of Fox Noise.
I just took a look at Fox Noise and the only reason their coverage is done well is that it's not their own, it's just a repost of an AP article.
It hit off shore of Haida Gwaii island in the Queen Charlotte chain of British Columbia Canada. Other than shaking up the place (it's a rather underpopulated area), smashing some plate and knocking out some power it really didn't cause any major damage, and no injuries or deaths. The highest tsunami came ashore near Bella Coola on Haida Gwaii and at 69cm(27.2in) did not cause any damage either
Evacuations have been ordered here in Oahu. Time to impact is 1030 Hawaii time.
LIVE-Seismograph Canada: #p3318
Direct:
Imagine spelunking inside a cave when this happened. It sounded like the biggest diesel engine, trying but failing to start. Too far to feel but deep enough to hear. Wow. The earth groaned.
1st wave hitting now in Honolulu. Water rise all over the warning area but no big waves fortunately.
i hope everyone is ok.
The earthquake occurred where they dumped all the iron oxide right??? Conspiracy theories engage!
Could enough iron oxides speed up development of concretions; My crazy theory being that man made concretions can act like ball bearings within sedimentary rock down at those deep water depths... i liken it to how "Fracking" causes earthquakes, basically lubricating all the loose shale trapped within the earth's crust.
This is from Sedimentology, by Brian R. Pratt: "Septarian concretions may thus preserve a signature of basin seismicity as it relates to their cementation history." This is stated as one explanation for the septarian (concretions exhibiting cracked interiors) concretions that exhibit interior cracking that could only be developed very quickly in occurrence with a geological event.
"Rupture, brecciation, displacement of fragments, loss of shear strength, liquefaction and injection of unconsolidated granular sediment suggest that deformation events were rapid, if not virtually instantaneous. Previous explanations for the internal cracking, such as gas generation, spontaneous chemical dehydration or localized overpressuring due to compaction, seem either untenable or fail to account for the spectrum of observed features. However, syndepositional earthquake-induced shaking of cementing bodies of varying rigidity at shallow burial depths seems to be a plausible source for the requisite short-lived, variable to anisotropic, high-stress regime inside the concretions." This for me, especially the part that reads: "injection of unconsolidated granular sediment," is enough for me to wonder.
That is being said of naturally forming concretions, without the help of man.. what if they went down where they dumped the iron oxide and find out fields of concretions have been formed by the dumping, combined with natural geological forces.
Going further down my rabbit hole, does the iron oxide amplify any electro magnetic forces resulting in geological byproducts like earthquakes (in the same manner as HAARP is thought to cause earthquakes)? Is this all mumbo jumbo?
I think it's harder to wrap my head around why we're allowed to do anything to the environment at all anymore, than to try and imagine if something like this is possible.
Any scientists out there able to tell me i'm down the wrong path, or maybe confirm anything?? How many fault lines lay off the coast of the village that started the iron oxide dump?
I can guarantee you that this 7.7 quake at a depth of 10.9 miles had nothing to do with anything humans could have brought on. It was along a major known active fault line and it's healthy activity because it relieves pressures on the fault lines and because it was far from populated areas.
There is no doubt that mining and especially fracking can lead to low level earthquakes and possibly influence larger faults if aggravated. A lot of these recent quakes in the Midwest and Northeast USA are very suspect.
But there is no way this 7.7 earthquake had anything to do with human intervention.
.
Agreed johnbarker, the smaller earthquakes in Ohio are definitely induced by human activities but not this one and nothing of this size.
This was definitely a major quake but thankfully it was far away and deep enough to probably result in minimal damage. But this is actually good because it relieves pressure on the subduction zone and reduces the chances of larger quakes later on.
I don't know why NBC keeps getting the depth wrong though, it was not 3 miles deep, it was 10.9 miles deep. That makes a huge difference. But even at 10.9 miles deep, you would not want to be within 50 miles of it.
There was a tsunami generated that is headed for Hawaii though, I hope everyone is ok there. But it's far enough away from Canada that it's probably not a huge threat.
JohnBarker- NBC is not exactly getting it wrong. It was 10 kilometers deep, not miles.
Thats wrong too. It was 17.5 kilometers deep. On the Italy quake they confused kilometers for miles, but on this one, I don't know where NBC is getting these numbers.
Here is the actual USGS link:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000df7n#summary
Weird. CBC news reported:
"It was centred 198 kilometres south-southwest of Prince Rupert at a depth of 10 kilometres, the USGS said." This whole thing is absured. Two governments websites, two different depths. Alaska said it was 7.7 magnitude, B.C. said it was 7.1. I guess none of us will really ever know will we : )
Loretta, that's interesting, but NBC.com is quoting the USGS as saying it is a depth of 3 to 6.2 miles (depending on the update).
The simple fact is, the USGS has been reporting the depth at 10.9 miles almost since the first reports. So I don't know where those depth numbers are coming from, but it's not the USGS.
OK, we got it.
Sorry to keep harping on that issue of depth, but depth is just as significant as the magnitude is. The more shallow the quake, the more energy that is dissipated at the surface and the more violent the shaking is for a given magnitude. The Haiti quake's enormous damage was due largely to the shallow depth of the quake and not as much due to the actual magnitude (M number).
It's extremely important to report accurate depth numbers and not just the M numbers because it makes a huge difference to how violent the shaking will be at the surface of the earth.
Recently NBC.com has been very inconsistent with the depth numbers on recent quakes and are inaccurately quoting the USGS. I have no idea why this is happening but I feel it is a lack of understanding on how significant the epicenter depth really is. 3 miles is hugely different from 10 miles deep when it comes to the earths crust. I get the idea the NBC writers don't quite get that.
As an example, dig a hole 1 foot deep, drop a stick of TNT in it and light it. Now dig another another hole 100 feet deep, drop the same charge and blow it up, nothing....
Same thing with earthquakes. Depth is everything. An earthquake that originates 3 miles deep has much less earth to go through than one that it is 10 miles deep. The magnitude alone is a measure of the energy of the earthquake at depth and not the energy that reaches the surface.
I agree as well, the hypocenter matters.
Nothing seems to have happened here in Oahu. All that evacuation for nothing, I guess.
Glad to hear that, but with a tsunami you never know, better safe than sorry. 40 feet (4th floor at the beach) above sea level is supposed to be safe.
Coves or anywhere the water can be funneled, are the most dangerous for high waves.
Well, it is looking like we managed to dodge another disaster. Thank goodness. Would hate to see all those idiots lined up on Waikiki beach get swept away by a tsunani.
Johnbarker- Maybe USGS has has updated since their first report.
NBC keeps getting the depths of the earthquake epicenters wrong. Not sure what they are looking at, I am looking at the same data from the USGS they are. But it's not an update mistake, it seems to be an interpretation mistake.
NBC.com made the same mistake with the southern Italy earthquake a couple of days ago. Off by miles on the depth.
BTW, this story was was updated just a couple of hours ago and still haven't corrected the depth. It was 10.9 miles not 3.3 miles for this 7.7
This is the link for the 7.7 quake as reported by the USGS and it hasn't changed on the depth since I looked at least 3 hours ago, 10.9 miles and 17.5km. The above article has been updated several times since then and still don't have the depth right.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000df7n#summary
The depth of the epicenter? The epicenter the origin of earthquake on the SURFACE, hince EPIcenter. The hypocenter is the point of origin of the actual quake deeper into the ground. What you really are saying is that the depth of the HYPOcenter is reported incorrectly, not epicenter, because that will remain the same since it is above the point of origin.
What a great time to make the Scientific Community Gunshy....The Italians put 7 Scientists on trial for Manslaughter for not Predicting the quake in Italy that killed over 300 people..over 5000 scientists in the international arena signed a petition urging the italian government to rethink this....So now, what would you do if YOU were in the Geological service?? A Little shake and you better Warn everyone they could die..If you dont and a quake kills someone, you could go to jail and be fined Huge plus have to recompense those who lost property and loved ones.....This is Ludicrous..No wonder the Italian government is a total FAIL!!
My best wishes to those of you out west....Here is hoping the area settles down rather than ramps up!!
I don't think the scientific community is all that gun shy, but it made me think of the Italians as well. The verdict to find the scientists guilty for the loss of life due to an earthquake was an indicator, just like p waves in an earthquake, of just how stupid the influence of religion is on a population. In Italy's case, it's because it's home to the Vatican. I hardly think that the Italian scientists which were convicted, have enough financial resources among them to pay for the earthquake damage that caused 300 deaths. That's a distraction so the Catholic Church in Rome can defer payment to victims of the crimes it is accountable for such as to the victims of the pedophile priests. Scientific predictions seem to be working a lot better than prayers for the most part in society, so if you think the scientific predictions were faulty, it just shows the greater weakness of prayer to protect the world from natural disasters.
The Cascadia Fault/Subduction Zone that runs across the Straits of Juan de Fuca which is North of Washington State and east of Seattle, stretches from Northern Vancouver Island British Columbia to Northern California is the Fault that concerns me most.
If that Baby ever slips, you better get to high ground Pronto!
Rubberduck-6168328 I'm not sure how your family in Europe were a more reliable source than National media. Wouldn't it have been in the middle of the night in Europe? What news do you watch/read? CBC was live reporting a half hour after the quake, and since then is still live reporting on both news network and local stations. Not to seem nasty, but I was very impressed at the coverage, especially since the warning has gone abroad and they're still tracking the story. Try a new source for news.
No, LorettaJolene, you clearly don't do math. Vancouver = PST, Europe is GMT +1 or +2, making it morning over there. Not middle of the "night" it is even brighter in Asia. I don't get why you have to come and assault me over what I thought was a simple observation. It really shows your ignorance and ethnocentric point of view-as if NO other news source can be better than your North American news source.
I stated North American news source, not local TV or Canadian TV. I am one of those people who don't own TV and I googled the story like everybody else where in Vancouver who didn't feel it and didn't know about it.
And of course, I came to find that major american coverage = almost zero. Also I went to the CBC website as well and it's story was almost identical to the preliminary report by the USGS. Nothing fancy and nothing major there.
As a student who is kind of studying earthquakes at the moment, I also received an immediate email from my instructors, informing us about this earthquake.
I am simply commenting on the general north american lack of coverage compared to the apparent headline news by BBC and some foreign press in Asia who had this as major news as well. My friends and family members called me within half a hour of this happening. I would say MOST people of Vancouver didn't know about this in half an hour.
I have it from a reliable source that "George Bush did it"
The fault line that ruptured was named "BUSHS FAULT"
starbuck, at the risk of replying to this kind of post..., good one!
wehavehadenough, do you really look anything like your avatar? Big hair went out in the '80's I think. And you're always off topic on your election mission.