PLANETARY TREMORS: Powerful 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Japan - No Tsunami Warning; No Damage Seen At Fukushima; Residents In Tokyo Report Long, Rumbling That Shook Buildings!

September 03, 2013 - JAPAN - A strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, but local authorities said there was no risk of a tsunami.

The quake struck at 0018 GMT at a depth of 404 kilometres (251 miles), the USGS said.

USGS earthquake location.

"The epicentre is in the Pacific, hundreds of kilometres (miles) south of Tokyo. We see no risk of a tsunami," a spokesman for the Japanese weather agency said.

Fukushima operator TEPCO reported there were no new problems at the stricken nuclear plant.

The quake, measured at 6.9 by Japanese seismologists, was centred on a spot more than 600 kilometres south of Tokyo, the USGS said.

Twitter users report Japan quake:

AFP journalists in the Japanese capital reported feeling a long, rumbling quake that shook buildings. They said it was the largest they had felt in the quake-prone city for some time.

A spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power said the earthquake did not cause any additional damage at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the site of the worst nuclear accident in a generation where radioactive waste water has been leaking into the Pacific Ocean.

USGS earthquake shakemap intensity.

"We have confirmed that there was no immediate abnormality," according to data collected by monitoring equipment, a TEPCO spokesman said, adding that crews will patrol the crippled plant's vast campus to survey whether any physical damage has been caused.

A series of leaks of radioactive water at the nuclear plant has left TEPCO on the back foot in recent months.

On Tuesday the Japanese government announced it was stepping in with 47 billion yen ($470 million) of public money to build a wall of ice underneath the plant to prevent polluted water seeping out into the sea. - Channel News Asia.

Tectonic Summary - Seismotectonics of the Philippine Sea and Vicinity.

The Philippine Sea plate is bordered by the larger Pacific and Eurasia plates and the smaller Sunda plate. The Philippine Sea plate is unusual in that its borders are nearly all zones of plate convergence. The Pacific plate is subducted into the mantle, south of Japan, beneath the Izu-Bonin and Mariana island arcs, which extend more than 3,000 km along the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea plate. This subduction zone is characterized by rapid plate convergence and high-level seismicity extending to depths of over 600 km. In spite of this extensive zone of plate convergence, the plate interface has been associated with few great (Magnitude greater than 8.0) ‘megathrust’ earthquakes. This low seismic energy release is thought to result from weak coupling along the plate interface (Scholz and Campos, 1995). These convergent plate margins are also associated with unusual zones of back-arc extension (along with resulting seismic activity) that decouple the volcanic island arcs from the remainder of the Philippine Sea Plate (Karig et al., 1978; Klaus et al., 1992). 

South of the Mariana arc, the Pacific plate is subducted beneath the Yap Islands along the Yap trench. The long zone of Pacific plate subduction at the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea Plate is responsible for the generation of the deep Izu-Bonin, Mariana, and Yap trenches as well as parallel chains of islands and volcanoes, typical of circum-pacific island arcs. Similarly, the northwestern margin of the Philippine Sea plate is subducting beneath the Eurasia plate along a convergent zone, extending from southern Honshu to the northeastern coast of Taiwan, manifested by the Ryukyu Islands and the Nansei-Shoto (Ryukyu) trench. The Ryukyu Subduction Zone is associated with a similar zone of back-arc extension, the Okinawa Trough. At Taiwan, the plate boundary is characterized by a zone of arc-continent collision, whereby the northern end of the Luzon island arc is colliding with the buoyant crust of the Eurasia continental margin offshore China. 

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

Along its western margin, the Philippine Sea plate is associated with a zone of oblique convergence with the Sunda Plate. This highly active convergent plate boundary extends along both sides the Philippine Islands, from Luzon in the north to the Celebes Islands in the south. The tectonic setting of the Philippines is unusual in several respects: it is characterized by opposite-facing subduction systems on its east and west sides; the archipelago is cut by a major transform fault, the Philippine Fault; and the arc complex itself is marked by active volcanism, faulting, and high seismic activity. Subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate occurs at the eastern margin of the archipelago along the Philippine Trench and its northern extension, the East Luzon Trough. The East Luzon Trough is thought to be an unusual example of a subduction zone in the process of formation, as the Philippine Trench system gradually extends northward (Hamburger et al., 1983). On the west side of Luzon, the Sunda Plate subducts eastward along a series of trenches, including the Manila Trench in the north, the smaller less well-developed Negros Trench in the central Philippines, and the Sulu and Cotabato trenches in the south (Cardwell et al., 1980). At its northern and southern terminations, subduction at the Manila Trench is interrupted by arc-continent collision, between the northern Philippine arc and the Eurasian continental margin at Taiwan and between the Sulu-Borneo Block and Luzon at the island of Mindoro. The Philippine fault, which extends over 1,200 km within the Philippine arc, is seismically active. The fault has been associated with major historical earthquakes, including the destructive M7.6 Luzon earthquake of 1990 (Yoshida and Abe, 1992). A number of other active intra-arc fault systems are associated with high seismic activity, including the Cotabato Fault and the Verde Passage-Sibuyan Sea Fault (Galgana et al., 2007). 

Relative plate motion vectors near the Philippines (about 80 mm/yr) is oblique to the plate boundary along the two plate margins of central Luzon, where it is partitioned into orthogonal plate convergence along the trenches and nearly pure translational motion along the Philippine Fault (Barrier et al., 1991). Profiles B and C reveal evidence of opposing inclined seismic zones at intermediate depths (roughly 70-300 km) and complex tectonics at the surface along the Philippine Fault. 

Several relevant tectonic elements, plate boundaries and active volcanoes, provide a context for the seismicity presented on the main map. The plate boundaries are most accurate along the axis of the trenches and more diffuse or speculative in the South China Sea and Lesser Sunda Islands. The active volcanic arcs (Siebert and Simkin, 2002) follow the Izu, Volcano, Mariana, and Ryukyu island chains and the main Philippine islands parallel to the Manila, Negros, Cotabato, and Philippine trenches. 

Seismic activity along the boundaries of the Philippine Sea Plate (Allen et al., 2009) has produced 7 great (Magnitude greater than 8.0) earthquakes and 250 large (Magnitude greater than 7) events. Among the most destructive events were the 1923 Kanto, the 1948 Fukui and the 1995 Kobe (Japan) earthquakes (99,000, 5,100, and 6,400 casualties, respectively), the 1935 and the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquakes (3,300 and 2,500 casualties, respectively), and the 1976 M7.6 Moro Gulf and 1990 M7.6 Luzon (Philippines) earthquakes (7,100 and 2,400 casualties, respectively). There have also been a number of tsunami-generating events in the region, including the Moro Gulf earthquake, whose tsunami resulted in more than 5000 deaths. - USGS.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Solar System Disturbances - Numerous Sightings Of Fireballs Or Fiery Celestial Objects Over Cuba, Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, And Kazakhstan!

February 15, 2013 - SKY - Here are several of the latest reports of fireballs, meteorites, or cometary fragments seen in the skies across the globe over the last two days.

Strange "Fluorescent Greenish" Light Spotted Over Dashwood, Canada.

Dashwood residents are abuzz about the latest odd sighting in the area - but this time it wasn't a monkey. Brian Vike, a UFO researcher in Houston, B.C. said he received a report of a strange light from a resident on Feb. 6.

"I woke suddenly because my bedroom was lit up fluorescent greenish," the report said. "I went to the bathroom then to the window as the light faded away to nothing. I can't explain if it was coming from the ground or sky. It was very odd it was approximately over the highway in Dashwood right at Larkdown road." 

Vike said the light could have come from a flare, but suggested it could have come from a meteor. If that's the case, it won't be unusual - at least, not this year. "I have received so many reports of meteors and fireballs this year it isn't funny," Vike said. "There has been just a stack of them from across Canada and the United States." Anyone who has information about this sighting or others can report it here. - Parksville Qualicum Beach News.

Celestial Body Explodes Over Cuba.

Residents of a locality ‘in the central region of Cuba said they had seen an object that fell from the sky and exploded with a great noise, which shook the houses of the place: it is learned from testimonies collected by local television. In service published this morning by Rodas, town in the province of Cienfuegos, witnesses described a very bright light that has come to have large size, comparable to that of a bus, before exploding in the sky. - RAI News 24.

Huge explosion in the sky in Cuba Meanwhile, also from Cuba has been reported in an explosion sky. In the central region of the island has seen an object that fell from the sky and exploded with a great noise, which shook the houses in the place, reports on local television. In a report released this morning by Rodas, town in the province of Cienfuegos, witnesses described a very bright light that has come to have large size, comparable to that of a bus, before exploding in the sky. Marcos Rodriguez, a resident in region, as defined by the issuer an expert, reported that “everything seems to indicate that it was a fireball, which is a fragment of stone and metal that enters the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed.” Experts are now examining the area for possible remains Rodas minerals falling from the sky, the TV station added. - Repubblica [Translated].

Screen capture from RSOE EDIS.

In Cuba, eyewitnesses living in a local area in the central region of the island have reported seeing an object that fell from the sky and exploded causing a roar that. - RSOE EDIS.

Huge Fireball over Japan.

Huge fireball was seen flying over Japan on February 14, one day before the passage of Asteroid 2012 DA14.

WATCH: Huge fireball over Japan.

See more HERE.

Enormous fireball Seen From Belgium, The Netherlands And Germany.

Initial Sighting Reports 
13 February 2013 - O'Neill Keegan. Florennes, Namur, Belgium 22.20 CET 

15 seconds duration (very very long!). Northwest direction, moving from left to right (fell straight down more than anything). Yellow/orange/red colour, very bright friction point. There were two separate fragmentations that shone brightly. The fireball was in an almost vertical drop +-75°. It was really impressive because of how long it took to get down. I confused it for a plane at first.

13 February 2013 - Melissa. Riethoven, The Netherlands 22:30 CET 

20 seconds duration. Northwest to Southeast direction. Red colour with long white tail. I went outside the house to walk the dog. We immediately saw something bright and big in the sky. It was amazing!

 Fireball seen across Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, 13 February 2013.
© LunarMeteorite*Hunter / Google Earth.

13 February 2013 - Joe Lee. Friedrichsthal, Saarland, Germany 22:15 CET 

5-10 seconds duration. Northwest to Southeast direction. First there was a short bright light that reminded me of lightning, than I saw it pass with an orange/yellow glow. I thought at first I was seeing a burning plane except for the object's speed. The center was as bright as the center of the sun... but smaller in size. I saw no parts falling off... just a fireball passing by. I was sitting in my living room, the lightning-like light got my attention and then I saw it passing by. As it was heading towards Ramstein AFB, I thought ther might be a fighter burning but that would have been smaller in size. I am still not sure what I actually saw but I thought maybe others saw it as well and wanted to report it.

13 February 2013 - Hylkema. Meppel, The Netherlands 22:30 CET 

15 seconds duration. I was facing Southwest. Its direction: West to South. Fast moving white/red/orange light (fireball) with a long tail. It was as bright as the moon, but obviously much smaller.

13 February 2013 - Montie Davis. Siegen, Germany 22:40 CET 

15-20 seconds duration. Southwest to Southeast. The fireball had orange flames. I would say it had candle-flame brightness. There was white explosive fragmentation. It traversed complete field of my view.

WATCH: Fireball over Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.

- Lunar Meteorite Hunters.

Two Unidentified Objects Over Kazakhstan.

Early in the day, emergency officials in neighboring Kazakhstan said they were searching for two unidentified objects that reportedly fell in the country's Aktobe region. But no meteorite fragments had been found by Friday evening, local time, leading to speculation that if meteors had entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Central Asian country they had been vaporized before making impact. - RIANOVOSTI.

Orginal @ http://thecelestialconvergence.blogspot.hk/2013/02/fire-in-sky-solar-system-disturbances.html

Earthquakes, Maybe. But Is Los Angeles Prepared For A Tsunami?

When a typhoon is expected to land inHong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory is prepared with a comprehensive alert system that issues hourly summaries of weather warnings through the news and radio. Citizens are accustomed to checking their smartphones often about high typhoon levels to know what time they can leave work and go home.

But if a tsunami hit Los Angeles, the entire county would have little reaction time and be largely unprepared, even though an alerting system already exists. Less than 1% of the county’s population is currently registered to receive an emergency warning via their mobile devices. (As of Oct. 30, the department has seen a meager 26,711 county residents registered for the Alert L.A. County Mass Notification System, which sends emergency warnings via text message, e-mail and voice message in case of natural disasters.)

The rest of the county’s population would rely on public service announcements, phone calls to landlines or police and firefighters going door-to-door to relay the department’s emergency alerts.

“Obviously this is not that quick,” said Chris Ipsen, public information officer for the city of Los Angeles Emergency Department. “A quick system would be a warning system, but we’re not going to just sit there and not do anything. We work with what we have.

The number of citizens registered for L.A. County’s alert system is dangerously low, considering the state coastline’s vulnerability to tsunamis. A recent U.S. Geological Survey study found a 40% chance of a major earthquake occurring in the Pacific Northwest region of the state in the next 50 years.

“People need to step up on preparedness because there aren’t going to be enough responders,” said Ipsen.

An effective warning system for such a natural disaster would quickly alert all residents in at-risk areas to move to higher ground. With a population of nearly 4 million people, Ipsen said, only 25% to 30% would be prepared to make it through a tsunami unscathed.

Japan set a high standard for handling natural disasters when touchingreports surfaced of how orderly and civilized ordinary citizens were despite supply shortages after a devastating 9.03 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Following a nuclear crisis, who would think to publish a short cartoon video to explain it to young children? One Japanese artist did.

The effects of the 2011 tsunami in Japan were felt across the Pacific Ocean to earthquake-prone California, which shares the same tectonic plate. Hours after the tsunami struck Japan on March 11 last year, the National Weather Service also reported severe damage to harbors in Santa Cruz and Crescent City, Calif.

Ipsen, who has been working on promoting registration for the alert system, said city officials also recognize the problem, but the lack of funding makes it difficult for any action to be taken.

The city would benefit from a siren system, said Larry Meyerhofer, emergency manager at the L.A. Emergency Management Department, but the cost is high.

“The siren system would be another $5 million to put in and from what I’ve told, another 10% for maintenance every year,” Meyerhofer said. “We’ve pursued grant money, but we’ve had no luck with the federal government.”

Still, Ipsen said residents can prepare for a tsunami and he recommends storing food, a phone charger and disaster kit for the home, vehicle and workplace. He also emphasized communication with loved ones.

“In a natural disaster, people just don’t think like normal because they don’t get what’s happening,” Ipsen said. “It’s the fear of the unknown. But know things like the emergency plan of the school your child attends. Don’t just expect to roll down to school and get Johnny. That’s very important.”

But even if the California coastline were to experience a tsunami, skeptics say the damage would not be devastating.

When the 2011 tsunami hit Japan and California felt the effects, Rich Baratta, director of risk management at the Port of Long Beach, said the port noticed obvious changes in the channel, but there was no real impact.

“The tsunami hit at about 8:30 a.m. but everything was back to normal at about 10 a.m.,” Baratta said. “We had ample time to prepare.”

He also said the biggest advantage of the Port of Long Beach’s location is that it faces south, along with a nearby nine-mile long barrier.

More @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/rosatrieu/2013/01/03/earthquakes-maybe-but-is-los-angeles-prepared-for-a-tsunami/