INCOMING! The Fastest Quake News Thread Specifically for GEE Users and Magnitude Estimates

So you spotted a new quake event in GEE, and you feel like you have an estimate on the magnitude? Then post it here, before the USGS or any other source, and we can all learn together how to estimate magnitudes! Be right, be wrong, be close. We don't care here! But if it is already listed, DO NOT POST IT HERE. Need help with GEE? Then go to the GEE TIPS thread.

FORMAT FOR REPORTING:
Coordinated Universal Time/Date (UTC):
Rough Geographic Area (RGA):
Estimated Magnitude Range (EMR):

Example:
UTC: 20:30 12/22/12
RGA: California, Oregon Area
EMR: 9.6 to 9.9

Edit: was a 10.0 (with a link to the quake after it is reported.)



See? EASY. You get a .3 spread on the magnitude range, to make this tougher to guess the right magnitude, which you will know shortly by watching the USGS recent quakes and other service lists. Be sure to edit your post with the actual reported magnitude.

From now on I will break all incoming earthquake news for ONLY EVENTS THAT I SPOT, along with my magnitude estimates here, in this thread. And you can too!

So if you see the INCOMING! thread pop up, be sure to check it. Because this thread will break some earthquake news faster than any other source on the planet! Faster than USGS, faster than EMSC, faster than Global CMT, and faster than, ehem, all other ATSers!

All it takes is we just have to be watching. The more of us that watch, the more events we can break the news on! FAST FAST FAST. Some are not interested in fast, and hey, whatever!

But I think it is VERY COOL that we, as amateurs in this can get close in magnitude estimates up to ten minutes or more before the USGS or other networks list the quakes! That is just rad, man!

PLEASE do not post trite, irrelevant comments in this thread. I want this thread to become known as the thread that hey, when it pops up, there has been a quake, and nowhere else period can you get that information (for the next few minutes) until the services list the quake.

Before you bump this thread with your comment, ask yourself are you bumping this thread with a magnitude estimate for an event you saw in GEE or another program? NO? THEN DON'T COMMENT. That simple. Don't like this thread? Great, that's fine, but don't ruin my thread with trite comments about it. I don't care! I want quake events seen in GEE or other programs in near real time, with your attached guess on its magnitude.

OFF TOPIC POSTS WILL BE REPORTED. I am serious about keeping this thread clean, so it has some value when it pops up. Want to talk to me about it, then U2U me your comment!

UTC: 21:43
RGA: Yellowstone, near YSB
EMR: 2.3 to 2.5 (total guess, still not that good with this tool yet.)

But there is the first INCOMING! report. More to follow when I track it down. Stay tuned.

Yeppers, there she is:
www.quake.utah.edu...

and here at YPK even bigger:
www.quake.utah.edu...

Still no idea of the mag yet, but notice webis set at 1333 and 1600 mv respectively. So that might be in my range...still waiting on report.

I may not be able to provide an update on the mag of that quake for a while.

But I SUSPECT (and I am probably wrong) that some kind of volcanic tremor (non harmonic) is occurring, low level near YSB, because it is showing up at a bunch of stations in the area. I am trying to find out what it is through official sources, but so far no luck. It may be system noise or interference, as these are some of the older stations that can be affected by such things. Not sure they know either what it is yet. But this could get interesting. No need to reply please, trying to keep this thread clean for quake reports, and thank you all for helping with that so far. Comment in u2u if you like. Will update as soon as I know more...

Also, remember you can subscribe to this thread if you like, so it shows up in MYATS. It's right there in the flag box.

UTC 23:55

Oklahoma

Maybe a 2 to 2.5

Showing 4 microns/sec

UTC 01:16:50
offshore Petrolia, CA, USA
Mag 1.9 to 2.2
probably already up on USGS

UTC: Beginning 10:26, MULTIPLE EVENTS
RGA: Yellowstone, near YLT (Little Thumb), at the Lake
EMR: Largest event- 1.8 to 2.1

www.quake.utah.edu...

All of these events check out as likely seismic, through spectrum analysis. Could be the start of a new swarm?

Seismic event reporting at Yellowstone is running far behind. So this may be the only news of this for days to come- and they still have not reported on the event mentioned above, previous post.

UTC: 19:16 2/20/12
RGA: Yellowstone, multiple stations. YSB, YPK, YTP, YHL
EMR: Looks like long period event possibly

here it is at YPK:
www.quake.utah.edu...
hmm.

EDIT: This may be a teleseisism from the 5.3 Mexico quake here:
earthquake.usgs.gov...

I thought it was too sharp an attack for that, but apparently maybe not... Still, umm...checking with not so happy officials...

UTC: 2:35 or so (meant 2:35, typo, moving too fast.)

RGA: Taiwan

EMR: 27 million counts, you figure it out. But that's pretty nice size.

more to follow soon

5.9 Taiwan 2:34 UTC
earthquake.usgs.gov...



That's at 4km depth, over land. Hope everyone's ok.


EDIT: Depth changed to 22.4 km. Not as bad, but still not good.

Report in the news:

Powerful quake hits near Taiwan's second city

(AFP) – 15 minutes ago

TAIPEI — A shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit near Taiwan's second city of Kaohsiung on Sunday, US seismologists said.

The quake struck 57 kilometres (35 miles) east of the city at 10:34 am (0234 GMT) at a depth of just four kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

The Hong Kong Observatory measured the quake at magnitude 6.0.

Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.

In September 1999, a 7.6-magnitude tremor killed around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's recent history.

www.google.com...

Detected:

Hawaii quake, pretty good size, maybe more than 5.0

Waiting on USGS reports

4.3, but not been reviewed yet:
earthquake.usgs.gov...

Must have been pretty close to station, pulled 44 million counts.


Hmm, after review they upped it to 4.4
earthquake.usgs.gov...
Might go higher...

Detected:
Gulf of California area

Estimate: 5.3 to 5.7

16:29 UTC or so

waiting on USGS...

EDIT: 5.5 USGS-
earthquake.usgs.gov...


Also, several small aftershocks have occurred.
Including this 4.4:
earthquake.usgs.gov...

But there have been many smaller ones in addition, that have not been reported. Just because they are not reported doesn't mean they haven't happened. Those of you live monitoring probably know this by now.

Now a 4.4. It was so quiet last nite. I get up this morning and my my my. She woke up cranky today.

Detected:
Ecuador/Columbia/Brazil area

Estimate:
5.3 to 5.6

This one is hard as I only saw it on Ecuador's station, and it occurred quite far from there, according to S&P differentials...

waiting on usgs...

Hmm, Peru, 4.6 ....

Like I said, that one I did not get a good read on at all.

earthquake.usgs.gov...


But I will contend that quake was bigger than that. I saw the tele all the way in YS park, and it usually takes a 5 or more to reach that far.

Ahh, sweet vindication. Well, not complete vindication, but headed in my direction. LDEO lists that quake as a 5.0 in Northern Peru, in contrast to USGS 4.6

2013 1 15 22 34 40.0 -5.75 -80.75 33.0 5.0 NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN PERU

www.ldeo.columbia.edu...

I suppose in the future if I cannot get a good read on a quake, it might be better not to comment at all, and just wait for the reports to come out.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Naww, thats no fun. And you kinda learn that way.

You have to challenge yourself.

Too add: Thats why I liked that earthquake prediction thread.

Looks like another pretty big quake just hit near Santa Cruz Islands again, or perhaps PNG.

Somewhere in that area.

Estimated mag: hard to tell, not a good read, but looks near 6 ish.

waiting on USGS...

yup. 6.7
earthquake.usgs.gov...

man, what's going on down there!

And now it appears another pretty big quake has hit in the Japan area.

Estimate 5.8+, far from station, not sure yet.

Waiting...

JMA has it at 6.4, right on the north island:
www.jma.go.jp...

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
And now it appears another pretty big quake has hit in the Japan area.

Estimate 5.8+, far from station, not sure yet.

Waiting...

I'd just tuned into NIED's stream and caught the tail end of it, it looked like it was a heck of a good shake. USGS says 6.9
6.9 61km SE of Obihiro, Japan 2013-02-02 09:17:33 42.467°N 143.650°E 125.8
earthquake.usgs.gov...

Detected: Taiwan area

pushing 4e7, that's not small, unless right on station

waiting for report

estimate: 4.9 to 5.3

revised estimate...doesn't have the propagation...


USGS: 5.6 Taiwan- that was epicentered over land too...and VERY shallow...that might be trouble...
earthquake.usgs.gov...

I hate to say this, but...well...I believe a very big quake could strike there soon.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


TA, do you have something large incoming? I've got small amplitude spike all up and down the west coast of the US at about 21:08--Can't figure out where it coming from.


...nevermind, probably from Vanuatu mag 5.2

Thanks anywoo!

Taiwan area

estimate: 5.7 to 6.2

waiting...

Actually this might be just like the last one at 4e7, so 5.6 was the mag on that one above...we'll see...


USGS: 6.0 Mwp
comcat.cr.usgs.gov...

Obviously this one was slightly further from station, but had the same power registering at 4e7, as the last one, so that made up the magnitude difference. But let's see if the 6.0 holds. I think it might come down to 5.8 or so.



Actually, on further review, that event clipped the station (TATO). That changes everything.