Category Archives: Earthquakes

New Zealanders – like Jacinda Ardern – might not be shocked by earthquakes, but we do get scared | Charlotte Graham-McClay

Posted on by

Many of us recognised ourselves in the PM’s cool response to an earthquake on live TV, but we do fear the ‘big one’

As I awoke to the bedroom shuddering and rattling around me on Monday morning, my first thought was a frantic household census, followed by the realisation that I was alone at home and not responsible for anyone’s safety but my own. My second, before my eyes had even properly unstuck themselves from sleep, was: “Ugh, not this again.”

Moments later, the earthquake – a magnitude 5.9 shake that hit about an hour’s drive north of Wellington, New Zealand, where I live – was subsiding. It rattled the lower part of the North Island for just 15 seconds or so, long enough for a little tendril of fear to uncurl – would it build, or die away? Was this “the big one”?

Continue reading...

New Zealand earthquake: PM Jacinda Ardern live on TV in Wellington as North Island hit

Posted on by

Leader says she can feel ‘quite a decent shake here’ as the 5.8 quake strikes during a live interview

New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has developed a reputation for keeping her cool in the face of a crisis. But an earthquake first thing on Monday morning as she was interviewed live on television seemed like an unusually trying way to start a week.

“We’re just having a bit of an earthquake here,” Ardern told Ryan Bridge, a host for Newshub’s AM Show, live on air. Casting her eyes to the ceiling of the room she was standing in at New Zealand’s parliament in Wellington, she remained in place as the television camera jolted.

Continue reading...

Lockdown has cut Britain’s vibrations, seismologists find

Posted on by

There’s a kind of hush all over the world as the reduction in human activity stops the Earth buzzing so much

The dramatic quietening of towns and cities in lockdown Britain has changed the way the Earth moves beneath our feet, scientists say.

Seismologists at the British Geological Survey have found that their sensors are twitching less now that human activity has been curtailed, leading to a drop in the anthropogenic din that vibrates through the planet.

Continue reading...

Russia earthquake: tsunami warning issued after 7.5 magnitude event

Posted on by

US tsunami warning centre says quake capable of generating destructive wave

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit off Russia’s Kuril Islands on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, prompting a tsunami warning.

The quake hit at a depth of 59km (37 miles), around 1,400km north-east of the Japanese city of Sapporo, USGS added. There were no early reports of casualties.

Continue reading...

Zagreb hit by earthquake while in coronavirus lockdown

Posted on by

Croatian capital hit by its biggest quake in 140 years, according to PM, causing damage and injury

A strong earthquake has shaken the Croatian capital, Zagreb, bringing much of the population on to the streets after social distancing regulations to prevent the spread of coronavirus had been put in place.

The quake, which struck shortly after 6am local time on Sunday, caused widespread damage, including to the city’s cathedral, and the evacuation of hospitals. A 15-year-old was in a critical condition and 16 others were injured as a result of the quake, Croatian authorities said on Sunday afternoon.

Continue reading...

Strong earthquake shakes vast area from Mexico to Florida

Posted on by
  • 7.7 magnitude quake struck in the sea south of Cuba
  • No immediate reports of damage or injuries

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck in the sea south of Cuba, shaking a vast area from Mexico to Florida and beyond, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

Tsunami warnings for Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands were issued but lifted shortly afterward with no reports of major damage.

Continue reading...

‘I hope God will help us’: search for Turkey earthquake survivors continues – video

Posted on by

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit eastern Turkey stood at 29 on Saturday night and could rise further, warn officials.

Footage showed rescuers pulling the injured from under a collapsed building in Elâzığ province as the search for people continued

Continue reading...

Turkey earthquake: death toll rises as search for survivors continues

Posted on by

At least 29 people killed and more than 1,200 injured in 6.8-magnitude quake

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake in eastern Turkey has killed at least 29 people, with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers search for survivors under the rubble in freezing winter conditions.

The quake late on Friday injured at least a further 1,200 people in the hardest-hit Elazig and Malatya provinces and was followed by more than 390 aftershocks, 14 of which had magnitudes above 4 which were felt as far away as Iran and Lebanon.

Continue reading...

Puerto Rico: more power outages after magnitude 6.0 earthquake

Posted on by
  • Southern coast hit early on Saturday
  • Many remain in shelters or sleeping on streets

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday, causing further damage on the island’s southern coast, where recent quakes have toppled homes and schools.

The US Geological Survey said the 8.54am quake hit eight miles south of Indios at a shallow depth of six miles.

Continue reading...

Puerto Rico in state of emergency after most powerful quake in over 100 years

Posted on by

Island rocked by hundreds of earthquakes in recent weeks, killing at least one person and prompting power and water outages

Puerto Rico’s governor, Wanda Vázquez, declared a state of emergency and activated the national guard on Tuesday after a series of earthquakes including one of magnitude 6.4 that was the most powerful to strike the Caribbean island in 102 years.

The quakes killed at least one person, provoked a protective power outage across the entire island and cut off drinking water to 300,000 customers, Vázquez told a news conference.

Continue reading...

Albania earthquake: at least 16 dead and hundreds injured

Posted on by

Magnitude 6.4 quake strikes at shallow depth, bringing down buildings in Tirana and nearby

At least 16 people have died and 600 people have been injured after a powerful earthquake hit Albania in the early hours of Tuesday, causing damage along the country’s Adriatic coastline and in the capital, Tirana. Several buildings collapsed, burying residents in the rubble.

The 6.4-magnitude quake struck shortly before 4am local time (0300 GMT), the US Geological Survey said, and was the second powerful tremor to hit the region in two months. It was centred 19 miles west of Tirana, at a shallow depth of 12.4 miles. Scores of aftershocks included three with preliminary magnitudes of between 5.1 and 5.4.

Continue reading...

Destruction and panic as quake hits Albania – in pictures

Posted on by

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Albania early on Tuesday, killing four people and sparking panic in the capital, Tirana, and other cities. The epicentre of the quake, the strongest in the region in decades, was about 20 miles north-west of Tirana, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre

Continue reading...

Typhoon Hagibis: death toll rises in Japan as ‘worst storm in 60 years’ roars through

Posted on by

Threat of widespread flooding and landslides compounded by earthquake in Chiba prefecture

At least seven people have been killed and 15 left missing after the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in decades paralysed Tokyo, flooding rivers and putting millions under evacuation warning before it ploughed up the north-eastern coast.

Authorities lifted rain and flood warnings for the Kanto region around a becalmed Tokyo before dawn on Sunday but imposed them on areas further north after super-typhoon Hagibis blasted through the capital.

Continue reading...

Pakistan earthquake leaves 19 dead and 300 injured in Kashmir region

Posted on by

A shallow earthquake near Mirpur has struck north-eastern Pakistan, tearing huge cracks in roads

At least 19 people have been killed and 300 injured after a shallow earthquake struck north-eastern Pakistan, tearing car-sized cracks into roads and heavily damaging infrastructure.

The quake sent people in Lahore and Islamabad running into the streets. With rescue operations expected to continue overnight, residents in the worst-hit areas described their horror as walls collapsed and houses fell.

Continue reading...

Cornwall quivers from magnitude-2.2 earthquake

Posted on by

Tremor rocks area near Falmouth, described as ‘a loud bang from beneath’ that shook windows

An earthquake has shaken Cornwall, with some describing the seismic event as like a “sonic boom” or a “loud bang from beneath”.

The British Geological Survey said a tremor with a magnitude of 2.2 rocked an area about three miles (5km) south-west of Falmouth at around 6pm on Thursday.

Continue reading...

California governor: Trump committed to helping earthquake recovery

Posted on by
  • Gavin Newsom says damage from 7.1 quake is ‘deceiving’
  • Fires and cracked buildings but no fatalities or major injuries

Officials in southern California expressed relief on Saturday that damage and injuries were not worse after the largest earthquake the region has seen in nearly 20 years, but voiced concerns about the possibility of major aftershocks in the days and months to come.

Related: ‘We should expect more quakes’: a top seismologist on California’s tremor

Continue reading...

California governor declares state of emergency after second earthquake

Posted on by
  • Gavin Newsom warns residents to be wary of new tremors
  • Damage from 7.1 quake could be worse, agency chief says

Crews in California continued to assess damage to cracked and burned buildings, broken roads, leaking water and gas lines and other infrastructure on Saturday after the largest earthquake the region has seen in nearly 20 years was felt from Sacramento to Mexico.

The governor, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency and warned residents to be wary of new tremors, after the southern part of the state was hit by a second significant earthquake in as many days.

Continue reading...

7.1 magnitude earthquake in California rocks buildings – video

Posted on by

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southern California on Friday, resulting in fires, damaged buildings and roads, and swaying rollercoasters. The latest tremor, which followed a 6.4 magnitude quake on 4 July, was the most powerful in the region for 20 years. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries

Continue reading...

Southern California towns assess quake damage as aftershocks continue

Posted on by

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake Friday morning was the largest aftershock thus far and damage appears limited to the desert region

Communities in California’s Mojave Desert tallied damage and made emergency repairs to cracked roads and broken pipes Friday as aftershocks from the largest earthquake in 20 years to hit the region kept rumbling.

The small town of Ridgecrest, close to the epicenter, assessed damage after several fires and multiple injuries that were blamed on the magnitude 6.4 quake. A shelter drew 28 people overnight, but not all of them slept inside amid the shaking.

Continue reading...