Quake Watch 2011

reply to post by Aromaz


I've been to Rotorua Thermal Area and I have done work at the Auckland Sewage Treatment Station (back in the 1970's), and the smell was the same

Didn'r see anyone post it so here goes,

The 6.0 Port Hills/ Sumner quake has been upgraded to 6.338ML
geonet.org.nz...

just 0.005 less than the Feb 21 (UTC) quake 6.343ML

Makes sense now that USGS had 6.0Mw

and the 5.484 been upgraded to 5.646ML
geonet.org.nz...

Originally posted by muzzy
reply to post by Aromaz

 

I've been to Rotorua Thermal Area and I have done work at the Auckland Sewage Treatment Station (back in the 1970's), and the smell was the same

I do not know the area you are talking off, but if it is like a 'hot spings' or geological thermal area, then yes that is very possible Sulphur.

In the city reports it is probably just pure rotten sewerage - bacterial and not Sulphur or Sulphur Dioxide. Try get to some general laboratory and ask some nice yellow sulpher to teach your smell-memory. If you are saying the smell you get at the Thermal area is the same as people found places in the City; especially after quake and liquification; I would be more than a bit worried.

I DID A QUICK SEARCH FOR POSSIBLE EXPANATION:
Here is a very likely scenario which I was not aware off. In South Africa we do not use gas and here in Thailand it is not 'enhanced'

"Because methane—and therefore, natural gas—does not have any odor, the gas company adds a warning “rotten-egg” smell (mercaptan or a similar sulfur-based compound) that can be easily detected by most people.

I don't really know because for one person to describe a smell to another is extremely difficult;
Best is still to try get the real sample form somewhere; try a school lab?

reply to post by Aromaz


Excellent comments!!

Just to clarify, in SA we do use gas, except the pipelines aren't used like overseas, we buy our gas in canisters. And yes, the gas is treated with an odour to warn people of leaks.

By the way of passing old memories; some people said the yellow powder is polen, other claimed it to be sulphur.
IF you see that again, collect some gram or more; take into darkish room and set alight with an match.

Pollen will burn normal red ( IF at all) it is carbon based.

Sulphur burns with violet/blue semi-fluorecent kind of light; the gass coming of the flame is Sulphur Dioxide and that will choke you if you try to smell. That is the alarm warning people of geological changes in some areas.

Originally posted by harryhaller
reply to post by Aromaz

 

Excellent comments!!

Just to clarify, in SA we do use gas, except the pipelines aren't used like overseas, we buy our gas in canisters. And yes, the gas is treated with an odour to warn people of leaks.

Except for camping gas and industrial application we did not use it in households; tha time everything was electrical.
Maybe times changed more because of old reliable Escom lately?

In those older days the gas we did use in cylinders were Propane gas;
not Methane as many other countries do today.
Propane does have its own unique smell but that is very far from Sulphur Dioxide.

Date/Time UTC,Latitude,Longitude,Magnitude,Depth(Km),Location
2011-06-14 18:27:21, -43.700, 173.013, 5.0, 1.0, Off N. Coast Of The S. Isl Of Nz



[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/150d870ea773.jpg[/atsimg]

Not quite sure how that is off the coast




GeoNet just in

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/80500b08b0ee.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by PuterMan


told before... WATCH the volcano... the5 right on the flank..she's reloading....
hotspot might be moved away... but left an funnel to the blowpipe.....
B.T.W wat do we really know wats going on deep under the crust.... never rely on wat science say's... they can be wrong...

reply to post by ressiv


Which volcano is that, cant seem to find a name on the maps.
thanks

...or it could all be part of the response to the September earthquake and the subsequent February and June 'quakes.....and thousands of aftershocks (something like 6800 since September).
I repeat (sorry if it is ad nauseum) there is no possibility of the Banks Peninsula volcanoes reactivating. While it makes a nice story and may 'appear' that something is happening regarding the volcano, it is the earthquakes and faults being activated/reactivating that is responsible, not the volcano. Sorry, I'm firm on this.

reply to post by remymartin




Lyttelton Harbour EXTINCT they say...

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by aorAki


hope youre right... but can you really be sure???????????

Yes, it is. Why are you laughing? Do you know something from the Netherlands that Christchurch geoscientists don't?
Banks Peninsula is one of the most studied volcanic fields in New Zealand, Studied by Vulconology experts. It is extinct.

Why don't you contact Prof Jim Cole at Canterbury University and ask him. He may be a bit busy at the moment due to the earthquakes but he will be able to give you information if you ask nicely enough!

reply to post by aorAki

yes its called IF......geolgics makes modells and the believe in it...but all is hanging on input.....wat i say .. when an hotspot moves he leaves an trail....an deformation in the mantle...its just by now we discouverd that the old yelly plume is much bigger then we thought..... how much energy geologics spend on that old volcano nerby you... when it diddend blow last 10.0000 years they say exit...
look at Nabro eteopia ... they were surpriced!

perhaps not hotspot feeded now ..but become an "normal "one.....

reply to post by PuterMan


Apologies that 4.25 is not the same quake. I just discovered that there was a 5.03 registered by GeoNet that I missed as it got rolled up with EMSC.

(This is why I am separating these quakes again in my program. The rolling up into 1 causes problems.)

Not sure if posted but:

Magnitude 5.0 - OFF EAST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/5594c1c5892e.jpg[/atsimg]

Depth 1 km (~0.6 mile)

Very shallow!

Originally posted by aorAki
...or it could all be part of the response to the September earthquake and the subsequent February and June 'quakes.....and thousands of aftershocks (something like 6800 since September).
I repeat (sorry if it is ad nauseum) there is no possibility of the Banks Peninsula volcanoes reactivating. While it makes a nice story and may 'appear' that something is happening regarding the volcano, it is the earthquakes and faults being activated/reactivating that is responsible, not the volcano. Sorry, I'm firm on this.

edit on 14-6-2011 by aorAki because: ()

I took some time yesterday, over night and today to get a better understanding of what the situation in NZ is.

YES! I agree with you, it is very unlikely that the Banks volcano's might erupt; as in NO ERUPTION. All based on any and all of the current models.

BUT I saw something that is far worse; still looking into it but it seems to me South Island is breaking into two or three pieces. NOT NOW - more likely over this next few thousand years; this process already started.

TWIST = The Way I See Things
To understand this post you will need to open a geological map or at least Google Earth centred on NZ at eye alt of about 3,000 km.

New Zealand has two tectonic plate actions and NZ itself is on a transition section between the two actions. To the North East you have a very strong subduction zone where the Pacific plate is pushing under the Australian plate. This zone stretches from about Samoa until Wellington.

To the SW you have a Sliding zone between Australian and South Pacific Plate. The rift stretch about 2,000 km and Macquarie Island is almost in the middle. There is no subduction in the far South - yet, they are pushing and rubbing; soon one will have to give in and dive. Closer to the shore of NZ it looks like the AU plate is diving under NZ. Age in this area is about 30 mil years where as the subduction to the NW of North island is about 65 mil years and the area of North Island itself is about 40-50 mil years.

The Australian Plate push on the North Island was a bit stronger or resistance against South Island from Pacific plate was stronger - whichever or both caused the North Island and the South island; which was one single island some 40 mil years ago - to tear. They literally fractured like an arm or leg bone as seen on X-ray. It is kind of like imagining the Yin-Yang sign with Kaikoura about in the center.

Now the pressure is on for South Island. The Northern portion is still strongly on the Australian plate while the Southern portion is on the Pacific plate. Right in the middle of these - you have ChristChurch - and that is where the next stress point is. Sometime in the future the South Island is going to tear apart and NZ will become three big islands; this I don't think will take a few million years either.

Now, the volcanic activity.
In this particular NZ area, looking to where you already have big subduction zones you will see large numbers of volcano's stretching from North island all the way up to Samoa. These are mostly on the Australian plate around 150 to 200 km from the edge of the Australian plate.

There are two factors causing this. First the South Pacific plate is pushing under the Australian plate; so literally the SPP is diving towards the molten core. But the Australian plate is not undamaged either. As the SPP is forcing under - it also press upwards on the rim of the Australian plate. Resulting in fissure / cracking of the Australian plate this 150+ km from the rim.

The second factor is now the pressure on the magma - the flow is getting blocked by the Pacific plate diving resulting in a pressure build up. Since there is a weakening on the plate above - eventually they push out to the surface - Volcano!

Because of the Australian / Antarctic plate expanding rift - I expect there is going to be a reversal around South Island where the older Australian plate is going to dive under the South Pacific plate. Could this be true? So just Google Earth to see the potential is real: The general table around South island is about 100 to 800 meter below sea level, even at the South side of the ridge off the shoreline Resolution Island; then as you move over to the Australian plate - that is suddenly 3,500+ meter below sea level. Compare this to North Island for example off Portland island - the north edge of the rift is less than 200 meters while the Pacific plate is 3,000+ meters.

Go South say West from Broughton islands - AU plate is average 4,500 and SP plate is 2,800 meters below sea level. Further South at Macquarie island both AU and Pacific plates are about 4,000 meters deep. NOT overnight, but a few thousand years sounds reasonable.

Volcano wise, there a question of what is happening on the NW shore; I suspect the South Pacific plate (New Zealand) is going to suppress the Australian plate there. In other words the Australian plate is going to dive down and southern part of NZ's and South island will lift up. In that case there will be a weakening and as usual volcanoes will develop on the higher plate, form edge to about 200 km.

I will TRY, depending on time, to make a video which will explain this easier.

Originally posted by Aromaz

Originally posted by muzzy
reply to post by Aromaz

 

I've been to Rotorua Thermal Area and I have done work at the Auckland Sewage Treatment Station (back in the 1970's), and the smell was the same

I do not know the area you are talking off, but if it is like a 'hot spings' or geological thermal area, then yes that is very possible Sulphur.

Never heard of Rotorua you surprise me given all the text you put out about Eritrea recently I though you were some kind of vulcanolgist or had some experience in volcanos.

Rotorua is New Zealands Yellowstone, in fact its probably more famous than Yellowstone because there is a city built on the rim of a volcano crater lake there, its a lively thermal area and gets lots of tourists.
Its not just likely the smell is Sulphur, its a Fact.
The whole of the area from Mt. Ruapehu up north through to White Island is volcanic , its called the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Rotorua is the main city.

reply to post by Aromaz


What you are saying is basic background geological information about the SW Pacific, most of us New Zealanders know all that. Glad you are up to speed now.

There is however a possibility that the Christchurch events 2010-2011 may be related to the Dusky Sound 7.8 in July 2009, when the bottom SW end of the South Island shifted 350mm towards Australia Link

The commonly held theory has always been that it was the Australian Plate subducting under Fiordland , but it seems it may be the other way around, its the Pacific Plate going West over the Australian Plate.
If this is the case then the expansion of the SW of the South Island would have to be taken from somewhere else right? Ta! Da! ............... the post July 2009 Canterbury events.
The Canterbury Plains are being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d apart.
Take a look at this map geonet put out (on that page) and the direction the arrows are coming from ............ Canterbury.
It has nothing to do with subduction or volcanos.
Thats my opinion anyway.
As far as looking for warning signs for more quakes, look west young man

In the 30 days prior to Mondays 5.6 and 6.3 - Fiordland Earthquake Map (not shown on the map is the Big Bay 4.757, -44.30835, 168.16063 the day before Chch because I haven't updated the KML file yet

Originally posted by muzzy

Never heard of Rotorua

you surprise me given all the text you put out about Eritrea recently I though you were some kind of vulcanolgist or had some experience in volcanos.

Rotorua is New Zealands Yellowstone, in fact its probably more famous than Yellowstone because there is a city built on the rim of a volcano crater lake there, its a lively thermal area and gets lots of tourists.
Its not just likely the smell is Sulphur, its a Fact.
The whole of the area from Mt. Ruapehu up north through to White Island is volcanic , its called the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Rotorua is the main city.

Regretfully my official studies were completed a VERY long 34yrs ago. 'Rototua' and New Zealand was not mentioned in our text books, even Yellowstone was just a glance of curiosity that time. The importance was the Great Rift, Bushfeld and Kalahari complexes.

I know so much about Africa because I spend many years exploring (4x4 and foot work) around East / Central and Southern Africa. Only the Western 'bulb' never attracted my interest.