7.7 Quake Strikes Indonesia (Magnitude updated), page 3

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reply posted on 27-10-2010 @ 04:57 AM by Pharyax

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
Aftershocks are persistent, and they seem to be cutting two paths from the epicenter: out towards the ridge and up north towards the epicenter of the big one in 2004. I am hoping this doesn't spark something bigger on the fault- like everything in between the two rip points giving way.

That's what I am worrying about. It could cause the rest of the fault to unzip and collapse, and cause another massive tsunami like in 2004. I sure hope they installed those early warning devices out in the water. They may need them real soon.

That area is so active. It's a treasure-trove of information for scientists!

reply posted on 27-10-2010 @ 08:23 AM by TrueAmerican

reply to post by Pharyax

Well, when you think about it, an unzipping of that fault would displace so much water so close to that shoreline that the damage would be inconceivable.

But one thing is for sure. The fault slipped further north in 2004- 8+ quake and 20 foot tsunami. The fault slipped in a different spot further south now- 7.7 quake and 12 foot tsunami.

So a big quake there is almost guaranteed to produce a deadly tsunami. The pressure release has happened at the two points, north and midway down the subduction zone. With two big quakes like this occurring on the same fault in such a short period of years, it has got to raise some eyebrows. It suggests that other points on that fault could also rupture soon, within 2 to 5 years. Or less.

reply posted on 29-10-2010 @ 12:18 AM by TrueAmerican

Death toll up to 393...

MENTAWAI ISLANDS, Indonesia – The fisherman was jolted awake by the powerful earthquake and ran with his screaming neighbors to high ground. He said they watched as the sea first receded and then came roaring back "like a big wall" that swept away their entire village.

"Suddenly trees, houses and all things in the village were sucked into the sea and nothing was left," Joni Sageru recalled Thursday in one of the first survivor accounts of this week's tsunami that slammed into islands off western Indonesia.

The death toll rose Friday to 393 as officials found more bodies, although hundreds of people remained missing. Harmensyah, head of the West Sumatra provincial disaster management center, said rescue teams "believe many, many of the bodies were swept to sea."

link

Man, this sucks. How much more can one country endure?

Officials say a multimillion-dollar tsunami warning system that uses buoys to detect sudden changes in water levels broke down a month ago because it was not being properly maintained. The system was installed after a monster 2004 quake and tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

A German official at the project disputed there was a breakdown, saying Monday's 7.7-magnitude quake's epicenter was too close to the Mentawai islands for residents to get the warning before the killer wave hit.

"The early warning system worked very well — it can be verified," said Joern Lauterjung, head of the German-Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning Project for the Potsdam-based GeoForschungs Zentrum. He added that only one sensor of 300 had not been working and said that had no effect on the system's operation

That tsunami must have hit those islands almost right away. They were just too close.

Also, the aftershocks have all but disappeared just as suddenly as they came.

edit on Fri Oct 29th 2010 by TrueAmerican because: (no reason given)

reply posted on 29-10-2010 @ 03:18 PM by TrueAmerican