Over FIFTY earthquakes in the last several hours in Alaska and still counting

To find out the scoop and scope of the situation? Is it common, uncommon, being watched closely, not of great significance and the whys of their response?

Would be interesting to hear it from the professionals as to what's going on. If nobody has emailed, I'll send a quick request - not sure how long it takes to get a reply, but if no one else has contacted them I don't mind posing the questions to them

Japan has had 6+ eathquakes as well...those have made the news, as well as the Indonesian quakes and the Californian quakes...curious as to why ALAska isn't being mentioned a bit more than a couple of blurbs.

I know it's not a heavily poulated area, and the loss of life, property etc etc is minimal, but is that the only thing that makes it to the news these days - death and destruction - what about the scientific interest in the quakes?

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- A magnitude 4.7 earthquake and multiple aftershocks shook the south San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday morning.

The effects were felt in a 28-mile radius.

The earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey deemed "light," happened at 5:24 a.m. PT.

Its epicenter was six miles east of San Martin and eight miles northeast of Gilroy, a town about 30 miles southeast of San Jose.

"You won't have much damage from a quake this size," said Bob Johnson, a geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey.

No one was hurt, and there were no reports of damage, according to police officers in nearby Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.

Aftershocks of up to magnitude 2.0 followed.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.1, caused widespread damage and more than 60 deaths in the Bay Area.

www.cnn.com...

I don't know if anyone saw this I just found it on Cnn.com. What do you guys think does it have anything to do with Alaska? Does anyone know what the latest number is for how many quakes up there?

[edit on 16-6-2006 by digitalassassin]

thanks justgeneric... we contacted USGS last night about all this activity in Alaska and they got back to us pretty fast... saying that these are indeed individual quakes and that they are keeping a close eye on the 'situation'. And I believe that d1k just emailed them again. Hopefully we will hear something more about it tonight. My opinion, the more the merrier... email someone and see what ya hear. The more info we can get the better. Even if nothing does happen big... this has been pretty fun to watch. I know i've never seen this many quakes before.

~Candyman~

It really is amazing what goes on in the ground...I am an info junkie and I've just been surfing my face off on all of these really cool websites with seismic info and data - even historical stuff...old pictures of the 46 (or was it 64 - me and #'s don't get along) in Alaska...and SanFran...it's awesome the power that contained within huh?

I even surfed a few "growing/expanding" earth sites LMAO...nifty pictures.

I did send an email to the "local" newsroom asking if they had discussed the quakes in their meetings and if so why it hasn't been covered. Maybe they can offer a contact in the geology field that they get their info from? O(r maybe they can ellaborate on what makes it to the screen and what doesn't and why? (in the later example I am assuming death and destruction definitely make it to the screen LOL).

If I hear back I may have some info as to why the media hasn't won't cover it?

Likely the "lack of destruction and loss of life" factor...but really, it's an amazing thing from a geographical and scientific stand point...

I think we need to create a NEW mainstream Media agency...for geeks, nerds, science buffs, UFOenthusiasts, paranormal enthusiasts...maybe even reptilian enthusiasts...yeah...I'll get right on it

*sigh* Thanks to d1k for all his work updating and monitoring the quakes! get some sleep!!

[edit on 6/16/2006 by justgeneric]

DearWife - I am not sure about the sun being brighter and whiter or if it has been scientifically demostrated, but I can tell you that I have to use sunglasses now since a few months ago, because I cannot stand the sunshine.

Even though, my feelings can be something normal as I am living in a sunny country and a place where the sun shines most part of the year...


Though it is the first time that I really need the sunglasses. I never used them before... Maybe my eyes are tired...

In my opinion, I think it is difficult to check such an event* just with individual experiences... We would need a scientific poll... Or similar.
Don´t you think so?

(* the sun being brighter).

Originally posted by thecandyman
thanks justgeneric... we contacted USGS last night about all this activity in Alaska and they got back to us pretty fast... saying that these are indeed individual quakes and that they are keeping a close eye on the 'situation'. And I believe that d1k just emailed them again. Hopefully we will hear something more about it tonight. My opinion, the more the merrier... email someone and see what ya hear. The more info we can get the better. Even if nothing does happen big... this has been pretty fun to watch. I know i've never seen this many quakes before.

~Candyman~

Thank you for getting in touch with the USGS. I appreciate the good work of many who are taking part in this interesting thread.

Please, share any further information, as soon as you can.

We have been following these specific quakes for 2 days and it is still going on... I hope it is just something interesting and unusual and that nothing serious happens...
But I cannot avoid being worried and feeling as if something big is going to happen...



Are the quakes always on the same location or are they going towards a specific zone?
I wonder if we could find a pattern, a clue...
I wish we could predict if a big one is going to happen.


Seems like the only thing we can do is wait and see...

Well, they are mostly in the same area... but as you can see by the posts and also by looking on the USGS site, there seems to be increased activity all over the world. But yes, most of the ones in Alaska are all within close distance to one another. Not really moving in a pattern.

USGS CALIFORNIA quake

Magnitude ? (uncertain or not yet determined) - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

2006 June 16 10:58:06 UTC
Location 40.706°N, 122.374°W
Depth 20.1 km (12.5 miles)
Region NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Distances 3 km (2 miles) N (354°) from Shasta Lake, CA
14 km (9 miles) N (359°) from Redding, CA
21 km (13 miles) NW (326°) from Palo Cedro, CA
251 km (156 miles) NNW (342°) from Sacramento, CA

Magnitude has just been established.

2.6 California quake

Originally posted by thecandyman
Well, they are mostly in the same area... but as you can see by the posts and also by looking on the USGS site, there seems to be increased activity all over the world. But yes, most of the ones in Alaska are all within close distance to one another. Not really moving in a pattern.

If there is no pattern, nothing to get an idea from, ... is it possible that these quakes are generated by a strong tectonic pressure and that a big one will take place right there or on the other side of the Earth?

When it started, I thought it was just an unusual event, hoping it had no bad consquences, but today I feel there are more possibilities that these quakes are showing us the force of what generates them. I am not sure if these quakes are helping to relief the pressure or if they are just the forecast of something big....

Well If I counted right then there are 143 quakes in alaska since June 14th. As mentioned earlier in this thread these are individual quakes and not aftershocks.

USGS has included a quake before the Northern California one:

4.9 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU; JAPAN.

USGS link to the quake´s page

Hi everyone - I've been watching this with you here in the Uk since yesterday mid morning our time. I had NO idea what was going on for you out there - you all seem pretty calm but you must be worried. My fingers are crossed that this doesn't become something huge and no-one is hurt as a result. I shall keep watching and reading your comments through the weekend. I've looked at a lot of the websites you have mentioned - really interesting. Good luck.

Well 2 days and still the earth is rumbleing in the same area.

The USGS map for the last 7 days for the US shows over 700 quakes listed, some very small, but still when you look at the map it is interesting.

earthquake.usgs.gov...

Well I received a reply from the Deputy Director, USGS Nevada Water Science Center but he just copy pasted a reply he gave someone else and refered me (us) to the Geological Science office in Anchorage and said we should ask them for specific answerers.

Here is the email

From: Michael L Strobel [[email protected]]
Sent: June 16, 2006 8:28 AM
To: Daryl
Subject: Re: Recent quakes in Alaska

Thee are good questions, and I have had other similar questions today on the
topic. I will copy an earlier answer I gave and hope this helps you:

"Because you live in an area of much seismic activity and because you look at
our website (thanks), you are probably well aware of changes in the rates and
intensity of earthquakes. The entire Pacific Rim (also referred to as the Ring
of Fire by some) along the South American and North American continents, along
the Aleutian Islands, and down the eastern edge of Asia, is one of much
seismic activity because of the subduction of the Pacific plate beneath
continental plates. Plate movement and subduction is the movement of one rock
mass against another, and because of the friction involved, the movement is
not always at a constant rate. Often, pressure will build up and then release
as the plates shift relative to one another, causing periods of increased
activity, and in some cases, larger magnitude earthquakes. You are correct in
that there often is an increase in seismic activity prior to volcanic events,
but there are many other factors and indicators that need to be considered
when making predictions about volcanism and increased seismic activity in
itself may just mean normal plate movement. I encourage you to explore our
webpage on volcanoes to
learn more at volcanoes.usgs.gov... and about earthquakes at
earthquake.usgs.gov... (which, if you are using our real-time
data, you are probably already aware of this site) (some of the links for
students on this site are wonderful and have powerpoint presentations on
various topics of interest). Information about plate tectonics can be found at
pubs.usgs.gov..."

A link that may answer some of your questions is at
earthquake.usgs.gov...

I believe the information you are using is at the following link, but if not,
you may wish to check this out:
www.aeic.alaska.edu...

Because of the specific nature of your questions to Alaska, I would suggest
you contact our Geological Science office in Anchorage directly and ask an
expert in this area. The link to the directory is
alaska.usgs.gov... and someone there can
provide you with better answers than my generalized discussion.

I hope this helps.

Michael L. Strobel, PhD
Deputy Director, USGS Nevada Water Science Center 2730 N. Deer Run Road Carson
City, NV 89701
(775) 887-7604

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get from it, but what
they become by it" -John Ruskin

Hello, I have been watching the recent activity in Alaska at the Rat Islands
and was wondering if you would be so kind as to answer a few questions I have.
We are up to 115 quakes that have been coming steady for the past day and a
half now. Is this normal for this region to have constant and steady quakes
every 15-60 minutes for so long? Is this prolonged activity the norm for
movement of the subducting plate? Or could this be one the dormant volcano’s
Kanaga or Moffett waking up?

From my limited knowledge the number of magnitude 3+ quakes is well above the
average with this activity and has even seen two 6.0+ quakes thirty minutes
apart when the average is five a year for the state (according to
www.giseis.alaska.edu...)

Any insight on the situation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.
Daryl

So now I will email all the Geologist's on the list he refered me to (and there is quite a few).

[edit on 16-6-2006 by d1k]

well, if it continues... tonight we will try to contact the night guy on at USGS and see what he has to say also. Good job getting some kind of response out of them d1k... maybe if we keep on them they might actually tell us what they think is going on.

Still tuned in!
~Candyman~

Well hopefully its nothing. It could however be a prelude to something big..

It could eventually result in several things:

Volcano eruption
Tsunami
Land Slides
The Big one in California
Another Big one in Alaska
It could even set off the Yellowstone Super Volcano if enough magma gets moved around to the wrong places, moves the right plates pushes things in the wrong directions. When it gets traped it will probably blow somewere...

It could also simer down and nothing happen.

I think there was a earthquake in the Carolinas today as well. North Carolina Quake

The earth is moving all over right now. Anything could happen when the stuff under us start shifting because it can set of chain reactions that could take hours to years to see the results of.

list of quakes for last 7 days

pretty interesting. these are quakes just in the usa

[edit on 16-6-2006 by l0rds0fcha0s]

Could be due to Haarp? What do you think?
Strange how all the Earthquakes have been in muslim countries recently isn't it?

Originally posted by Dr X
Could be due to Haarp? What do you think?
Strange how all the Earthquakes have been in muslim countries recently isn't it?

Hmm actually most of the quakes have been in alaska

we just had a 3.0 at unimak island regioen in alaska.

[edit on 16-6-2006 by l0rds0fcha0s]