Quake activity along the San Andreas fault is picking up

No imminent volcano eruption in Yellowstone National Park, says U.S. expert
English.news.cn 2011-02-01 09:37:45

By George Bao

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) - No volcano eruption is expected imminently in Yellowstone National Park in the United States as speculated by some news reports, geophysicist Peter Cervelli said on Monday.

News reports both from the United States and some foreign countries said scientists were predicting that the world's largest super-volcano in Yellowstone National Park, one of America's most popular national parks, could erupt in the near future.

Reports said Yellowstone National Park's caldera has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years and researchers monitoring it say there could be in for another eruption.

They said that the super-volcano underneath the Wyoming park has been rising at a record rate since 2004 - its floor has gone up three inches per year for the last three years alone, the fastest rate since records began in 1923.

Asked to comment on the speculation, Cervelli of the Yellowstone National Park Volcano Science Center, told Xinhua in an interview that the eruption of a big volcano is possible, but it is " extremely unlikely it will erupt in a near term."

"You are talking about a volcano that has not been erupted for hundred thousand years or so. We do not really expect any imminent volcanic activity. There is no panic, there is no alarm. Basically things in Yellowstone are doing what they are always doing. It is a very active place geologically, but that does not mean a volcano is going to erupt imminently," Cervelli told Xinhua.

He said the volcano in the Yellowstone National Park is a very large volcano. It has three very large eruptions in the past 2.1 million years or so. The most recent eruption was 640,000 years ago.

He said a team of scientists are monitoring the Yellowstone National Park very closely with GPS and other advanced technology.

He said the volcano is quite well monitored. A few months ago, some scientists at the University of Utah and elsewhere threw out some observations where the GPS receivers had measured uplift of Yellowstone from 2004 and 2009.

He said the uplift was pretty consistent in that interval, but since 2009, the uplift slowed down.

Cervelli did not say whether the slowdown of uplift is a good sign or bad sign, but he stressed: "We think that all the activities that we have seen so far are normal activity for this volcano. It is not absolutely silent, it is not absolutely quiet. We do not expect it absolutely quiet because none of the active volcanoes all over the world are always quiet. The measurements from the GPS are not alarming. They are very interesting from a scientific view and they help us understand what's going on beneath the volcano. But they are not alarming."

He said over his career, he has participated in over 10 to 11 responses to volcanoes that actually did erupt.

"So I do have some experience in distinguishing signals or data we measured that pointing to the eruption and signals that are just part of the normal background behavior of the volcano. The signals received at Yellowstone are just part of the normal background," said Cervelli.

He said some people got to the television to give their opinions on whether the volcano will erupt, but if you have somebody who is educated and experienced and actually has worked at Yellowstone, " none of those people is alarmed," he affirmed.

He said the volcano research center will release its scientific report on a regular basis, and some intended to emphasize some points that are really not true.

He said if the volcano in Yellowstone did erupt, it will be the same size as the last eruption, which will be devastating and will have a very serious impact on global economy. Not only the United States, but the whole world will be impacted.

"But it is a very remote possibility. It does not happen very often especially on a time span of human life. I would say the chance of a big eruption in our life time is extremely very small. You are talking about something that is roughly the possibility of an asteroid striking the earth. You are talking about something that occurs on time of a hundred thousand to a million years. So it is not on the top of my list to be worried about. We do have all the instruments there to monitor the volcano. If something really bad would happen, we would know about it for months or even years in advance," said Cervelli.

The National Geographic News reported last week that beginning in 2004, scientists saw the ground above the caldera rise upward at rates as high as 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) a year. The rate slowed between 2007 and 2010 to a centimeter a year or less. Still, since the start of the swelling, ground levels over the volcano have been raised by as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) in places.

"It's an extraordinary uplift, because it covers such a large area and the rates are so high," the National Geographic News quoted Bob Smith from the University of Utah, a longtime expert in Yellowstone's volcanism, as saying.

Scientists think a swelling magma reservoir four to six miles ( seven to ten kilometers) below the surface is driving the uplift. Fortunately, the surge doesn't seem to herald an imminent catastrophe, Smith said.

"At the beginning we were concerned it could be leading up to an eruption," said Smith.

"But once we saw (the magma) was at a depth of ten kilometers, we weren't so concerned. If it had been at depths of two or three kilometers (one or two miles), we'd have been a lot more concerned, " said Smith.

He said studies of the surge may offer valuable clues about what 's going on in the volcano's subterranean plumbing, which may eventually help scientists predict when Yellowstone's next volcanic "burp" will break out.

Does Mt. St. Helens quake swarm point to another eruption?

by GLENN FARLEY / KING 5 News

Posted on January 31, 2011 at 7:38 PM

Updated yesterday at 10:53 PM

SEATTLE - The Seismology Lab at the University of Washington keeps close tabs on anything that shakes around Mt. St. Helens.

Lately, the area just north of the crater, left over from the explosive 1980 eruption, has been shaking again. It always gets the attention of scientists.

"That is why we keep actually looking at the seismicity so carefully, so we can pick up any sign of unrest," said Silvio De Angelis, a volcano seismologist. He has studied quakes at other volcanoes around the world, as well as in the Cascades.

The current swarm now totals between 30 and 35 quakes over the last few days. Some are so tiny they barely register on seismographs. The biggest came on Sunday the 30th, with a magnitude of 2.6, strong enough to be felt by somebody close by. The quakes are about two miles deep.

The main swarm is happening five miles north of the crater, putting it under Johnston Ridge, site of an observatory where most tourists and visitors can view into the open side of the crater.

Some other small quakes, including a handful today, are happening under the crater itself, but don't concern scientists.

They've seen swarms in this area before.

In September 2004, quakes under the mountain grew from a few to thousands in a matter of days as magma made its way up to the surface. Scientists both at the Cascades Volcano Observatory and at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at UW don't think that is what's happening now.

These quakes are "tectonic," meaning they show signs of being typical of earthquakes involving shifting fault lines, not a sign of the ground being distorted by the underground forces of volcanoes.

But a swarm of quakes is always worth paying close attention to.

"This is why we are always on alert, and when there's a swarm of earthquakes like these, we always have our pagers with us," said De Angelis.

Fresh blast rocks south Japan volcano

1 February 2011 Last updated at 03:47 ET
A violent blast from Shinmoedake, a volcano erupting in Kyushu, Japan, has broken windows 8km (five miles) away.

Building were showered with glass and the volcano threw out huge clouds of ash and gas. Hundreds of people have already fled their homes.

It was the most dramatic bang so far from the peak on Mount Kirishima, the location of the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice.

Volcanologists have warned of more large blasts and possible lava flows.

Since the volcano showed signs of life last Wednesday, the government has widened the exclusion zone to a 4km (2.4 mile) radius from the peak.

It is the first major activity at Shinmoedake in 52 years.

The latest bang could be heard more than 7km (4.3 miles) away, Japan's NHK television reported.

"I heard the bang then felt the boom, which was like wind pressure," one unidentified resident told reporters.
Map

Volcanic debris, including hot ash and rocks, was sent more than 2,000m (6,500ft) into the air; fine ash clouds have continued to rain down on the area.

No serious injuries have been reported, although an elderly woman was cut by flying glass. Hundreds of windows were smashed by the blast, officials said.

Domestic flights in and out of Miyazaki - about 950km (590 miles) south-west of Tokyo - were grounded last week.

Train services and schools have also been affected.

Volcanologists said that a dome of lava was growing larger inside the volcano's crater but it remained uncertain whether it would spill over the mountain's rim.

Magnitude 3.1 - SOUTHERN IDAHO
2011 February 01 11:24:30 UTC

Earthquake Details

Magnitude 3.1
Date-Time

* Tuesday, February 01, 2011 at 11:24:30 UTC
* Tuesday, February 01, 2011 at 04:24:30 AM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 45.046°N, 114.475°W
Depth 13.1 km (8.1 miles)
Region SOUTHERN IDAHO
Distances

* 47 km (29 miles) WSW (252°) from Salmon, ID
* 63 km (39 miles) NNW (342°) from Challis, ID
* 88 km (54 miles) N (356°) from Clayton, ID
* 212 km (132 miles) NE (41°) from Boise, ID
* 521 km (324 miles) NNW (337°) from Salt Lake City, UT
-----------------------------------
Magnitude 3.0 - WYOMING
2011 February 01 08:11:10 UTC

Magnitude 3.0
Date-Time

* Tuesday, February 01, 2011 at 08:11:10 UTC
* Tuesday, February 01, 2011 at 01:11:10 AM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 42.623°N, 108.249°W
Depth 4.9 km (3.0 miles) set by location program
Region WYOMING
Distances 35 km (25 miles) WNW of Jeffrey City, Wyoming
45 km (30 miles) ESE of Lander, Wyoming
45 km (30 miles) SSE of Riverton, Wyoming
330 km (205 miles) WNW of CHEYENNE, Wyoming

Magnitude 5.9 - ALASKA PENINSULA
2011 February 02 00:38:17 UTC

Earthquake Details

* This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude 5.9
Date-Time

* Wednesday, February 02, 2011 at 00:38:17 UTC
* Tuesday, February 01, 2011 at 03:38:17 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 54.979°N, 160.433°W
Depth 35 km (21.7 miles)
Region ALASKA PENINSULA
Distances 40 km (25 miles) S of Sand Point, Alaska
60 km (40 miles) WNW of Chernabura Island, Alaska
930 km (580 miles) SW of Anchorage, Alaska
1635 km (1010 miles) W of JUNEAU, Alaska

The San Andreas has been relatively quite the last few days.

3.5 Ml - CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 3.5 Ml
Date-Time

* 8 Feb 2011 00:28:41 UTC
* 7 Feb 2011 16:28:41 near epicenter
* 7 Feb 2011 18:28:41 standard time in your timezone

Location 37.212N 117.846W
Depth 6 km
Distances

* 22 km (13 miles) SE (146 degrees) of Deep Springs, CA
* 23 km (14 miles) SSW (208 degrees) of Sylvania, NV
* 40 km (25 miles) E (82 degrees) of Big Pine, CA
* 51 km (32 miles) ESE (109 degrees) of Bishop, CA
* 260 km (162 miles) WNW (297 degrees) of Las Vegas, NV

4.7 Mb - OFF COAST OF OREGON
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 4.7 Mb
Date-Time

* 8 Feb 2011 07:44:36 UTC
* 7 Feb 2011 22:44:36 near epicenter
* 8 Feb 2011 01:44:36 standard time in your timezone

Location 43.634N 127.744W
Depth 10 km
Distances

* 275 km (171 miles) WNW (283 degrees) of Bandon, OR
* 279 km (173 miles) W (278 degrees) of Barview, OR
* 281 km (174 miles) WNW (292 degrees) of Port Orford, OR
* 357 km (222 miles) NW (307 degrees) of Crescent City, CA
* 455 km (283 miles) WSW (244 degrees) of Portland, OR

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-jack-popejoy-20110208,0,2677884.story

3.7 Ml - NEVADA
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 3.7 Ml
Date-Time

* 10 Feb 2011 14:55:42 UTC
* 10 Feb 2011 06:55:42 near epicenter
* 10 Feb 2011 08:55:42 standard time in your timezone

Location 38.552N 118.359W
Depth 4 km
Distances

* 16 km (10 miles) WNW (288 degrees) of Luning, NV
* 20 km (12 miles) SSW (195 degrees) of Midway, NV
* 23 km (14 miles) E (83 degrees) of Hawthorne, NV
* 270 km (168 miles) E (89 degrees) of Sacramento, CA

6.7 M - CELEBES SEA
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 6.7 M
Date-Time

* 10 Feb 2011 14:41:57 UTC
* 10 Feb 2011 22:41:57 near epicenter
* 10 Feb 2011 08:41:57 standard time in your timezone

Location 3.966N 123.124E
Depth 512 km
Distances

* 329 km (204 miles) SE (135 degrees) of Jolo, Sulu Archipelago, Philippines
* 330 km (205 miles) SW (224 degrees) of General Santos, Mindanao, Philippines
* 336 km (209 miles) NW (325 degrees) of Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia
* 911 km (566 miles) E (96 degrees) of BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei

7.0 M - OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 7.0 M
Date-Time

* 11 Feb 2011 20:05:30 UTC
* 11 Feb 2011 17:05:30 near epicenter
* 11 Feb 2011 14:05:30 standard time in your timezone

Location 36.432S 73.050W
Depth 18 km
Distances

* 45 km (28 miles) N (0 degrees) of Concepcion, Chile
* 164 km (102 miles) SW (229 degrees) of Talca, Chile
* 260 km (162 miles) N (352 degrees) of Temuco, Chile
* 392 km (243 miles) SSW (213 degrees) of SANTIAGO, Chile

2011-02-11 23:39:21 (Mw 6.3) OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE -37.2 -73.5 (1d99c)


6.3 Mw - OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 6.3 Mw
Date-Time

* 11 Feb 2011 23:39:21 UTC
* 11 Feb 2011 20:39:21 near epicenter
* 11 Feb 2011 17:39:21 standard time in your timezone

Location 37.181S 73.484W
Depth 13 km
Distances

* 55 km (34 miles) SW (225 degrees) of Concepcion, Chile
* 189 km (117 miles) NNW (337 degrees) of Temuco, Chile
* 251 km (156 miles) SW (220 degrees) of Talca, Chile
* 482 km (300 miles) SSW (211 degrees) of SANTIAGO, Chile

3.7 Ml - NEW MEXICO
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 3.7 Ml
Date-Time

* 13 Feb 2011 11:44:52 UTC
* 13 Feb 2011 04:44:52 near epicenter
* 13 Feb 2011 05:44:52 standard time in your timezone

Location 36.991N 104.902W
Depth 5 km
Distances

* 30 km (19 miles) SW (236 degrees) of Cokedale, CO
* 36 km (23 miles) WSW (247 degrees) of Starkville, CO
* 40 km (25 miles) WSW (240 degrees) of Trinidad, CO
* 144 km (90 miles) S (190 degrees) of Pueblo, CO
* 304 km (189 miles) S (179 degrees) of Denver, CO

Magnitude 4.3 - MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
2011 February 14 18:35:25 UTC

* This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude 4.3
Date-Time

* Monday, February 14, 2011 at 18:35:25 UTC
* Monday, February 14, 2011 at 10:35:25 AM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 46.279°N, 122.215°W
Depth 5 km (3.1 miles) set by location program
Region MOUNT ST. HELENS AREA, WASHINGTON
Distances

* 9 km (6 miles) NNW (343°) from Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA
* 31 km (20 miles) S (171°) from Morton, WA
* 35 km (22 miles) SE (143°) from Mossyrock, WA
* 59 km (37 miles) ENE (75°) from Longview, WA
* 78 km (48 miles) NNE (23°) from Vancouver, WA

Cant believe I havent bumped into this thread. I love this sort of stuff.....I have some reading to catch up on....Page 1, post 1...in the beginning...

3.5 M - ARKANSAS
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 3.5 M
Date-Time

* 16 Feb 2011 21:46:17 UTC
* 16 Feb 2011 15:46:17 near epicenter
* 16 Feb 2011 15:46:17 standard time in your timezone

Location 35.270N 92.407W
Depth 5 km
Distances

* 5 km (3 miles) NNW (340 degrees) of Greenbrier, AR
* 5 km (3 miles) SSE (163 degrees) of Twin Groves, AR
* 9 km (6 miles) NNE (29 degrees) of Wooster, AR
* 60 km (37 miles) N (353 degrees) of Little Rock, AR
* 420 km (261 miles) SSW (208 degrees) of St. Louis, MO

Welcome. More observers are always needed.

I have been in several earth quakes. My first one I lept out of bed to check the safety of the kids. I was bashed into the walls and had trouble staying on my feet. They didnt even wake up. Every other one I stayed in bed or sat down and enjoyed the ride. Much safer that way.

Arkansas is having quite a swarm of small earthquakes. It was Oklahoma's turn earlier.

Yet another one.



4.3 M - ARKANSAS
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 4.3 M
Date-Time

* 18 Feb 2011 08:13:35 UTC
* 18 Feb 2011 02:13:35 near epicenter
* 18 Feb 2011 02:13:35 standard time in your timezone

Location 35.269N 92.381W
Depth 6 km
Distances

* 4 km (3 miles) N (9 degrees) of Greenbrier, AR
* 7 km (4 miles) SE (143 degrees) of Twin Groves, AR
* 7 km (5 miles) SW (214 degrees) of Guy, AR
* 59 km (37 miles) N (356 degrees) of Little Rock, AR
* 419 km (260 miles) SSW (208 degrees) of St. Louis, MO