Earthquakes Rattle Southern Mexico Tuesday

A series of earthquakes rattled southern Mexico Tuesday driving residents into the streets as quake alarms squealed through the countryside.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported two quakes within ten minutes of each other with the first striking at 8:04 a.m. Central Time. The 5.5 magnitude quake centered on the Pacific Coast and was 227 miles south-southeast of Mexico City. The 5.5 magnitude was a downgrade from the initial reports of 5.9. Continue reading

Southern California earthquake largest in greater L.A. since 2010

The magnitude-4.7 earthquake that rattled Southern California on Monday was the largest centered in the greater Los Angeles area since 2010, officials said.

“It’s been three years since we had anything this size this close to Los Angeles,” said Susan Hough, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. She cited a magnitude-5.4 quake that struck the desert area in July 2010. Continue reading

Strong Earthquake Strikes Russia’s Kuril Islands

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.

Source: Live Science – Strong Earthquake Strikes Russia’s Kuril Islands