M 6.3 Earthquake Hits Off Southern California Coast

A strong earthquake strikes off the coast of Southern California.

A large earthquake struck at 2:36A.M. in the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island. The quake was measured at 6.3 according to Caltech seismic anaylst Anthony Guarino.

The quake, which was centered some 163 miles southwest of Santa Catalina Island, was followed by 2 larger aftershocks of magnitude 4 or larger.

Ron Eroen from the Catalina Harbor Patrol said the quake felt like a rolling motion that lasted some 25 seconds. 

There were no early reports of damage or injuries.

New Zealand M 6.3 earthquake hits New Zealand's northern island

A magnitude-6.3 earthquake hit northern New Zealand Friday.

There are no immediate reports of damage or injures as a result of the earthquake, which struck at about 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

update:

quake have a depth of  146 - 167 km (EMSC-USGS)

update:

7.19am. It was 175 kilometres deep and centred 20km south east of Tokoroa.

It was felt widely throughout the central North Island and in Wellington, GeoNet reported. It was also felt as far north as Auckland and as far south as Marlborough.

Major quake strikes off Japan, raising risk of tsunami

(CNN) -- A powerful earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday evening, rattling buildings in Tokyo and raising the risk of a tsunami.

The 7.3-magnitude quake hit 492 kilometers (306 miles) east-northeast of Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned a tsunami as high as two meters could hit the country's northeast coast following the quake, which struck out at sea.

The agency issued the warning for Miyagi Prefecture, the hardest hit area by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck in March 2011.

But the quake Friday hasn't created a widespread threat of a tsunami in the Pacific, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

                                                                                    source:  cnn.com

Update:  Tsunami of 1 meter hits the Coast of Japan 

6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southeast of Lakatoro, Vanuatu!

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake has struck southeast of the Pacific island nation Vanuatu, just after 00:54:23 UTC local time and was located 17.012° south 167.626° east.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the tremor had a depth of 34.1 kilometres (km) or 21.2 miles. The epicentre was determined to be at 101 km (63 miles) southeast of Lakatoro, Vanuatu; 108 km (67 miles) northwest of Port-Vila, Vanuatu; 170 km (106 miles) southeast of Luganville, Vanuatu; 433 km (269 miles) north of We, New Caledonia; and 581 km (361 miles) northeast of Dumbea, New Caledonia.
There is no immediate report of damage and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there’s no threat of a tsunami.

6.8 Magnitude Earthquake - Russia

An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 6.8 struck today near the Kuril Islands, a remote archipelago between Russia's Far East and Japan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The temblor's epicenter was 100 miles (161 km) south-southwest of Severo-Kuril'sk, Russia, and 1,231 miles (1,981 km) northeast of Tokyo, Japan. It originated 3 miles (4.9 km) deep and struck at 4:12 a.m. Saturday local time [1812 Friday UTC], the USGS reports.
Earthquakes of this size are considered major and can cause significant damage, especially with poorly built structures. Even well designed buildings can be damaged or, in some cases, destroyed depending on the severity of the quake and a building’s proximity to the epicenter. Earthquakes of this size are sometimes followed by significant aftershocks.
But the damage caused by any single event depends on the quake's depth, proximity to populated areas, building standards in the region, as well as the type of earthquake. The USGS frequently updates the magnitude of an event after more data is analyzed.
An earthquake's magnitude is a measure of the energy released at the source. It is just one predictor of the shaking that may ensue, which is affected by local and regional geology. Scientists know in a general sense what causes Earthquakes but are unable to predict specific quakes.

Earthquake Warning for Major Quake in western Chile.

The Warning is Valid for the Next 100 Hours (4 days). An extention of the Warning is Possible. Follow carefully the instructions of the competent authority. The Risk of a Major quake is high!


Team Earthquake Diary

M 6.1 Strong earthquake hits Chile

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake has struck western Chile.

centred 480km north of the capital, Santiago and 89km north-west of the port city of Coquimbo was at a depth of 61.8km.  It hit at 4.02pm Wednesday local time.
No reports of injuries

Chile's state emergency office, Onemi, said there were no reports of injuries, disruptions to basic services or infrastructure damage as a result of the tremor.

The navy said the quake did not meet the conditions needed to trigger a tsunami.

World No.1 copper producer Codelco said its operations were normal, and no mines in the metal-producing country reported damages.

Seismically active Chile was battered in February 2010 by an 8.8 magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami, which caused billions in damage and killed hundreds.