7.7 Magnitude Earthquake hits Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean, Tsunami Watch in Effect

So we've had an earthquake hit Japan AND one here in the Indian Ocean, all in the span of 24 hours?


Uh oh....

Thanks for the post!

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Actually the two quakes were only 12 minutes apart...

reply to post by Hellmutt


Wow! 12 minutes apart?

That's just nuts. Anyone got a map of both of these on the same image?

Originally posted by antar
reply to post by Hellmutt

 

So how high is a two foot tsunami? how much higher is it than the land?

0.6096 m

I don't know how high Japan is, but I assume it's not the same level all over the place. Anyway, a tsunami's strength is not in it's height, but in it's force. Even a 0.6 meter tsunami can create lots of damage, and it's extremely powerful. A tsunami's long wavelength gives it it's power. Don't be tricked by "small waves", if they are tsunami waves...

Originally posted by JWash
Hi, I'm sorry if this is a little off topic but has anyone noticed the number of airplane incidents that happened today?

RSOE link.

What are you talking about?? The little "airplane" icons on that page you linked?

Hover your cursor over them and you will see they are not events. It means that an EQ (even the small ones, that there are plenty of on a daily basis) was "near" the EQ.

Again, if there have been ANY "airplane incidents" then provide a better source. I know of none.

Wow there is definitely a major body in space that is coming to earth soon and it's countdown to 2011

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
reply to post by Hellmutt

 

Wow! 12 minutes apart?

That's just nuts. Anyone got a map of both of these on the same image?

Here ya go.

Originally posted by Hellmutt
A tsunami's long wavelength gives it it's power. Don't be tricked by "small waves", if they are tsunami waves...

Yes very true, and to add a bit more clarity because this is easy to misunderstand for newer readers to the subject, the wavelength is measured from the front of the wave to the back of the wave, and not how long the wave is along the shore.

While two feet of water may not seem like much vertically, the critical wavelength measurement is just as, if not more important in determining the actual volume of water in motion behind the leading edge of the wave. For earthquake generated tsunamis this tends to be somewhat limited because usually tectonic plates will only shift up to 50 feet on a real bad, rare day- and only displace a limited amount of water. Even so, they can still be very deadly, as was the case with the Sumatra quake/tsunami of 2004.

But on this earth lurk many a hidden danger much worse. Imagine a 1500 foot high wave, with a wavelength measuring in the hundreds of miles long! This is actually possible, but not really from an earthquake. I recently posted a very interesting documentary on this here done by Discovery Channel:

Mega Tsunami - Wave of Destruction

Interestingly, the USGS states regarding this earthquake of today:

Earthquake Summary

WP 7.6 (GS).
Tectonic Summary

The Andaman Islands earthquake of August 10, 2009, occurred in the boundary region of India plate and the Burma plate, near the north end of the rupture zone associated with the great Sumatra—Andaman earthquake of December 26, 2004.

Early analysis of seismographic data implies that the earthquake occurred as the result of normal faulting on a north-northeast or northeast trending fault plane. This style of faulting is consistent with the earthquake occurring as a result of stresses generated by bending of the India plate as it subducts beneath the Burma plate.

The August 10 earthquake was therefore an intraplate earthquake, in contrast to the great 2004 earthquake, which was an interplate thrust-fault earthquake on the interface between the India plate and the Burma plate. Although the style of faulting that caused the August 10, 2009 earthquake differs from the style of faulting that caused the great 2004 earthquake, it is possible that changes in regional tectonic strain-field caused by the 2004 earthquake made conditions more favorable for the occurrence of the 2009 earthquake than would otherwise have been the case.

It is noteworthy that in the days immediately following the 2004 earthquake there were a large number of normal-faulting earthquakes in the subducted India plate of the Andaman Islands region. The largest Andaman Islands intraplate normal-fault earthquake in the immediate aftermath of the 2004 earthquake was more than an order of magnitude smaller than the August 10, 2009, earthquake.

So they are stating this was actually an intraplate quake instead of an interplate quake, when given it's location right along the India/Burma plates it appeared to be an interplate quake.

But regardless, it was very powerful. Between that and the 6+ that hit in Japan 12 minutes later, that entire area of the world was consumed in subsequent S-waves which I observed in GEE on a multitude of stations. I was able to capture a screenshot in GEE of the big one from the closest available public stations I could find in the area and posted it in the GEE screenshots thread here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Please see that post in the thread for more info, but here it is:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8042e8d1e0b9.jpg[/atsimg]

Pretty amazing, and that set some new personal records for me in my GEE adventures.

reply to post by JWash

I tend not to believe everything that site posts it is often inaccurate. Also, as you all are watching this unfold, keep in mind the magnitudes have been increasing over the last few months and in frequency.

Just heard on the radio that a nuclear reactor has been shut down in the aftermath of the latest earthquake to hit Japan. Also reporting mudslides and 43 people injured, with a typhoon expected to hit later today. My prayers are with them.

If I was living in Japan I'd be moving away from the coast!

[edit on 10-8-2009 by heffo7]

[edit on 11-8-2009 by heffo7]

I've also been keeping a eye on the trend of more frequent and powerful quakes lately. Living where I do we are worried about the subduction fault letting go in a big one. History has shown that this fault cycles roughly every 700 years. Last one was 1700 or so and caused a devastating tsunami in Japan as Japanese records show.

Although these things are cyclical, I'm wondering if it is tied to the increased Solar Activity that started around the middle of July. Check this site out. Go to the movie archives section and look at the videos for the last 2 weeks of July up to now. The magnetic shield looks to have taken some good licks over the last 3 weeks has this then changed the frequency of the magnetic shield at times resulting in quakes? Could the shield have been penetrated in places by charged particles triggering seismic shockwaves?

I gotta move outa my 21st floor apartment. I have such a great view...but paranoid about a good sized quake hitting here in the next few years. I like my odds better on the 2nd floor, maybe 3rd. Damn but the view...English Bay, Mountains......ahhh the dilemas in life!

The are just part of the Pacific plate and are probably linked. They have happened for millions of years as part of the ever changing earth. It just so happens that millions of people are living in areas that can have catastrophic events. Let's face it we are due for an history changing event. Who knows when, where, or how?

If I was living in Japan I'd be moving away from the coast!

Then you have the central Volcanoes to deal with. Not to mention the occasional Typhoon aswell.

I felt tremors last night, here in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Aftershocks weren't strong, but kept going on and on for a few minutes. I honestly thought I must be stoned, but confirmed it right away with friends. Scary.