6.5 Quake Hits Central Taiwan

A USGS map of Taiwan June 2, 2013 earthquake.

A 6.5 (downgraded to 6.2) magnitude earthquake hit central Taiwan, June 2, 2013 – USGS. (click to enlarge)

No destructive tsunami was generated when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake (later downgraded to a 6.2) hit central Taiwan, June 2, 2013.  Earthquakes this size, however, can generate local tsunamis along the coasts located within 62 miles (100 km) of a quake’s epicenter.

Luckily, Hong Kong is located 502 miles (808 km) SSW of Taiwan. The Taiwan Strait separates Hong Kong and Taiwan, located between the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

More Quakes Along The Ring of Fire

A picture of the Earth and the Ring of Fire with rising magma along the tectonic plates and cracks near Papua New Guinea.

The Ring of Fire is very active right now.

Several large earthquakes are occurring along the Pacific Rim, including the 6.5 (6.2) quake in Taiwan.

  1. 5.1, 5. 0 & 4.9  Papua New Guinea
  2. 4.9  Carmen, Philippines
  3. 4.3 & 4.5  Guatemala
  4. 5.1  South Fiji Islands
  5. 4.8  Petropovlovsk, Russia
  6. 5.0  Nicaragua
  7. 2- 3.4  The Geysers, California
  8. 5.5  Solomon Islands
  9. 4.6  Chile
  10. 4.3  Kushiro, Japan
  11. 4.0  Colombia
  12. 5.1   Policarpo, Philippines

And it’s merely noon in the States …

 

 

Significant Earthquakes Over The Past 30 Days, April 2013

A picture of the Earth with an earthquake crack going down the USA and S America

Increase in earthquake intensity worldwide

April was an active month for earthquakes all over the world. Here is a list of the most significant earthquakes over the past 30 days, but the month is not over yet.

  1. 6.5 32km N of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea 2013-04-23 23:14:42 UTC 16.3 km deep
  2. 6.6 50km WSW of Linqiong, China 2013-04-20 00:02:47 UTC 12.3 km deep
  3. 7.2 250km ENE of Kuril’sk, Russia 2013-04-19 03:05:53 UTC 122.3 km deep
  4. 6.6 23km ESE of Aitape, Papua New Guinea 2013-04-16 22:55:27 UTC 13.0 km deep
  5. 7.7 83km E of Khash, Iran 2013-04-16 10:44:20 UTC 82.0 km deep
  6. 4.2 8km ENE of Luther, Oklahoma 2013-04-16 10:16:53 UTC 5.0 km deep
  7. 4.4 12km ENE of Luther, Oklahoma 2013-04-16 06:56:30 UTC 5.0 km deep
  8. 6.6 99km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea 2013-04-14 01:32:22 UTC 31.0 km deep
  9. 5.8 6km WNW of Sumoto, Japan 2013-04-12 20:33:17 UTC 14.0 km deep
  10. 6.4 89km SE of Bandar Bushehr, Iran 2013-04-09 11:52:50 UTC 10.0 km deep
  11. 7.0 240km E of Enarotali, Indonesia 2013-04-06 04:42:35 UTC 66.0 km deep
  12. 6.3 9km N of Zarubino, Russia 2013-04-05 13:00:02 UTC 561.9 km deep

USGS

Volcanic Miyake Island Rocked By 30 Earthquakes Within 12 Hours

A USGS map of Miyake Island where over 30 earthquakes occurred on April 17, 2013

Miyake Island Earthquakes April 17, 2013 – USGS

Around 30 earthquakes, one an initial magnitude 6.2, shook the volcanic island of Miyake, Wednesday, April 17, 2013. Miyake Island lies 175 kilometers (109 miles) south of Tokyo.

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

The island volcano last erupted in 2000, forcing all 3,800 islanders to evacuate. Many of them have since returned to the island, but the question to ask: is the volcano becoming active again? More than 30 earthquakes occurring within a 12 hour time span is a good indicator that the answer is yes.

Earthquakes and volcanic activities are commonly connected because earthquakes around volcanoes can be caused by the movement of magma. This commonly occurs in the areas around seas and underwater volcanoes.

Volcanic Miyake Island

Miyake Island is famous for being the most active volcanic island in the Izu Islands, which are a group of more than a dozen volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshu, Japan. Nine among the island chain are currently inhabited.

There are geologic traces of a massive eruption occurring roughly 3000 years ago on Miyake Island, and it is believed that this eruption was the cause of the caldera currently at the top of the Mt. Oyama volcano. The first recorded eruption was in 1085. Some theorize that the volcano erupted 13 times between 684 and 1874, but due to a lack of records, the number is most probably larger.

For now, we wait to see what happens next on this beautiful, volcanic island.