FIRE-EARTH Bulletin NO. 85

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

FIRE-EARTH Bulletin NO. 85 has been released.

Related links

https://feww.wordpress.com/2-bulletin-board/

 

No. of Days left: 696

Another Powerful Quake Strikes Solomon Islands

SEISMIC HAZARD
INTENSE SEISMICITY
.

M7.4 Strikes 111km S of Kirakira, Solomon Islands

The quake was the second powerful quake occurring along the South Solomon Trench since 20:14UTC on Saturday, and the latest event in the ongoing episode of intense seismicity on or near the boundary between the Australia and Pacific plates.

FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast

MEGA EARTHQUAKE COULD STRIKE SOLOMON ISLANDS

A  detailed FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast appeared in the Bulletin NO. 84, which was released on April 12.

The next FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast will be issued together with the April 13 Bulletin, later today.

EQ Details
Magnitude: 7.4Mw
Event Time:  12:36:18 UTC on 2014-04-13
Location:11.451°S 162.069°E depth=35.0km (21.7mi)
Nearby Cities

• 111km (69mi) S of Kirakira, Solomon Islands
• 321km (199mi) SE of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Source: USGS/EHP

 

Tsunami Evaluation

PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 13:18UTC 13 APR 2014

It is not known that a tsunami was generated. This warning is based only on the earthquake evaluation. An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours.  Authorities in the region should take appropriate action in response to this possibility. This center will continue to monitor sea level gauges nearest the region and report if any tsunami wave activity is observed. The warning will not expand to other areas of the Pacific unless additional data are received to warrant such an expansion.

Estimated initial tsunami wave arrival times at forecast points within the warning and watch areas are given below. Actual arrival times may differ and the initial wave may not be the largest. a tsunami is a series of waves and the time between successive waves can be five minutes to one hour.

 LOCATION         FORECAST POINT     COORDINATES     ARRIVAL TIME
 --------------------------------    ------------    ------------
 SOLOMON ISLANDS  KIRAKIRA           10.4S 161.9E    1258Z 13 APR
                  SANTA_CRUZ_ISLA    10.9S 165.9E    1314Z 13 APR
                  AUKI                8.8S 160.6E    1318Z 13 APR
                  HONIARA             9.3S 160.0E    1324Z 13 APR
                  MUNDA               8.4S 157.2E    1336Z 13 APR
                  GHATERE             7.8S 159.2E    1341Z 13 APR
                  FALAMAE             7.4S 155.6E    1355Z 13 APR
                  PANGGOE             6.9S 157.2E    1359Z 13 APR
 VANUATU          ESPERITU_SANTO     15.1S 167.3E    1341Z 13 APR
 PAPUA NEW GUINE  WOODLARK_ISLAND     9.0S 152.9E    1408Z 13 APR
                  AMUN                6.0S 154.7E    1409Z 13 APR
                  KIETA               6.1S 155.6E    1418Z 13 APR

Related Links

• Powerful Earthquake Strikes Solomon Islands April 13, 2014
• FIRE-EARTH Bulletin NO. 84 April 12, 2014
• M7.1 EQ Strikes Near Panguna, PNG April 11, 2014
• M6.5 Quake Strikes PNG April 12, 2014

Mass Evacuations in Chile as Fire Destroys Scores of Homes

‘APOCALYPTIC’ FOREST FIRE
MAJOR  DISASTER
MASS EVACUATIONS
CATASTROPHE ZONE DECLARED
.

Chile declares Valparaiso a catastrophe zone

UPDATED at 16:00UTC

“Apocalyptic” forest fire raging uncontrollably in Valparaiso

Chilean President has declared the city of Valparaiso, 105km west of the capital Santiago, a catastrophe zone and put the army in charge of the mass evacuations, after a raging forest fire spread into the city, killing at least two dozen people and destroying more than 500 homes.

“Valparaiso is without electricity at the moment and this means the flame column is creating a Dante-esque panorama and is advancing in an apparently uncontrollable manner,” said the city mayor, adding that shelters had been set up for the thousands of residents that have been forced to flee the blaze.

Valparaiso mega blaze continues to grow. Fanned by strong winds from the Pacific ocean, the massive blaze is  moving deeper into the heart of  the city consuming hundreds of buildings, and forcing the government to order mass evacuations, as the the city is declared a catastrophe zone. Photo: Original source unknown,  believed to be from the local media and may be subject to copyright.

 

Nevada Family Claims Victory, as Govt. Releases Cattle

Gov. officials end stand-off with hundreds of armed protesters in the Nevada desert

[The following is mirrored from Reuters News Agency]

(Reuters) – U.S. officials ended a stand-off with hundreds of armed protesters in the Nevada desert on Saturday, calling off the government’s roundup of cattle it said were illegally grazing on federal land and giving about 300 animals back to the rancher who owned them.

The dispute less than 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas between rancher Cliven Bundy and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management had simmered for days. Bundy had stopped paying fees for grazing his cattle on the government land and officials said he had ignored court orders.

Protesters gather at the Bureau of Land Management’s base camp, where the cattle that were seized from rancher Cliven Bundy are being held, near Bunkerville, Nevada April 12, 2014.  Credit: REUTERS/Jim Urquhart. More images…

Anti-government groups, right-wing politicians and gun-rights activists camped around Bundy’s ranch to support him in a standoff that tapped into long-simmering anger in Nevada and other Western states, where vast tracts of land are owned and governed by federal agencies.

The bureau had called in a team of armed rangers to Nevada to seize the 1,000 head of cattle on Saturday but backed down in the interests of safety.

“Based on information about conditions on the ground and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concern about the safety of employees and members of the public,” the bureau’s director, Neil Kornze, said in a statement.

The protesters, who at the height of the standoff numbered about 1,000, met the news with applause. Then they quickly advanced on the metal pens where the cattle confiscated earlier in the week were being held.

After consultations with the rancher’s family, the bureau decided to release the cattle it had rounded up, and the crowd began to disperse.

“This is what I prayed for,” said Margaret Houston, one of Bundy’s sisters. “We are so proud of the American people for being here with us and standing with us.”

A number of Bundy’s supporters, who included militia members from California, Idaho and other states, dressed in camouflage and carried rifles and sidearms. During the stand-off, some chanted “open that gate” and “free the people.”

A man who identified himself as Scott, 43, said he had traveled from Idaho along with two fellow militia members to support Bundy.

“If we don’t show up everywhere, there is no reason to show up anywhere,” said the man, dressed in camouflage pants and a black flak jacket crouched behind a concrete highway barrier, holding an AR-15 rifle. “I’m ready to pull the trigger if fired upon,” Scott said.

Read More…

 

Powerful Earthquake Strikes Solomon Islands

SEISMIC HAZARD
.

M7.6 – 100km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands

Centered at 11.315°S, 162.211°E the quake struck at a depth of about 29.3km (18.2mi), said USGS/EHP.

The powerful shock occurred along the South Solomon Trench and was the latest event in an episode of intense seismicity on or near the boundary between the Australia and Pacific plates.

The earthquake was downgraded from an initial magnitude 7.8 to 7.6Mw

The quake was followed by about a dozen significant aftershocks, as of posting.

Tsunami Evaluation

Initially, the PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER (PTWC) issued an expanding tsunami warning and watch for parts of the pacific located close to the earthquake.

In a latest bulletin, ISSUED AT 21:36UTC on 12 APR 2014, PTWC said:

SEA LEVEL READINGS INDICATE A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. IT MAY HAVE BEEN DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. FOR THOSE AREAS – WHEN NO MAJOR WAVES ARE OBSERVED FOR TWO HOURS AFTER THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL OR DAMAGING WAVES HAVE NOT OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS THEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME THE THREAT IS PASSED. DANGER TO BOATS AND COASTAL STRUCTURES CAN CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO RAPID CURRENTS. AS LOCAL CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE A WIDE VARIATION IN TSUNAMI WAVE ACTION THE ALL CLEAR DETERMINATION MUST BE MADE BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

Earthquake Details
Magnitude: 7.6Mw
Event Time: 20:14:39 UTC on 2014-04-12
Location:11.315°S 162.211°E depth=29.3km (18.2mi)
Nearby Cities:

• 100km (62mi) SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands
• 323km (201mi) SE of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Earthquake Location Maps

Source: USGS/EHP

Source: USGS/EHP

FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast

A  FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast appeared in the April 12 Bulletin, which was released on April 12.

The next FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast will be issued together with the April 13 Bulletin, later today.

Related Links

• FIRE-EARTH Bulletin NO. 84 April 12, 2014
• M7.1 EQ Strikes Near Panguna, PNG April 11, 2014
• M6.5 Quake Strikes PNG April 12, 2014