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Archive for the ‘Eurasian Plate’ Category

Mud Volcano Surfaces in the Arabian Sea

Posted by feww on January 21, 2011

Image of the Day:

Mud Volcano Emerges from the Arabian Sea


Click image to enlarge. Download larger image (962 KB, JPEG)

A mud volcano in the Arabian Sea, first observed by Pakistani fishermen on November 26, 2010, had already begun to erode when ALI on NASA’s EO-1 satellite captured this image on January 11, 2011. Source: NASA-EO.

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Posted in accretionary front, earthquake, Eurasian Plate, mud volcano, plate tectonic activity, Plate Tectonics | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Seventh Powerful Quake Hits Japan Region

Posted by feww on October 30, 2009

Powerful Earthquake measuring up to 7.2 Mw Strikes  RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN

Background:

A powerful earthquake measuring up to 7.2 Mw occurred in Ryukyu Islands, Japan, about 280 km (175 miles) SSW of Kagoshima, Kyushu, at a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles), on Friday, October 30, 2009 at 07:03 UTC.

Referring to an earlier forecast, FEWW Moderators believe an additional series of 6 – 7 quakes measuring ≥ 6.0 Mw could strike Japan region in the coming weeks.

FEWW Moderators had previously anticipated more powerful earthquakes in the region, including as many as 10 additional magnitude 6+ quakes to strike the region in the coming weeks.

A moderate earthquake measuring up to 5.3 Mw struck near 29.165°N, 130.061°Eclose to the latest event on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 06:17 UTC at a depth of about 47.5 km (29.5 miles).

10-degree Map Centered at 30°N,130°E

RYUKYU ISLANDS -  JAPAN - 30-10-2009
Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP. Map enhanced by FEWW.

Earthquake Details:

  • Reported Magnitude: 6.9 [Maximum quake magnitude estimated by FEWW at 7.2 Mw]
  • Date-Time:
    • Friday, October 30, 2009 at 07:03:39 UTC
    • Friday, October 30, 2009 at 04:03:39 PM at epicenter
  • Location: 29.154°N, 129.903°E
  • Depth:  35 km (21.7 miles)
  • Region:  RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN
  • Distances:
    • 280 km (175 miles) SSW of Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan
    • 340 km (210 miles) SSW of Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan
    • 400 km (245 miles) NNE of Naha, Okinawa, Japan
    • 1170 km (730 miles) SW of TOKYO, Japan
  • Location Uncertainty:  horizontal +/- 5.5 km (3.4 miles)
  • Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
  • Event ID: us2009njal

Seismic Hazard Map [USGS]

seis nes  30oct09
Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green

Historic Seismicity [Source: USGS?EHP]

RIJ his seis
Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green

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Posted in earthquake forecast, Eurasian Plate, filipino plate, Japan quakes 2009, Japan quakes history, North American plate, Pacific palte, seismic activity report | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Tao-Rusyr Caldera

Posted by feww on October 25, 2009

Tao-Rusyr Caldera, Onekotan Island, Kuril Islands, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

Latitude: 49.35°N 49°21’0″N
Longitude: 154.70°E 154°42’0″E

onekotan_ali_2009161
The huge Tao-Rusyr caldera on southern Onekotan Island is one of the most spectacular volcanoes of the Kuril Islands off the southern tip of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.  The 7.5-km-wide caldera was formed about 7500 years ago during a catastrophic volcanic eruption, one of the largest Holocene eruptions in the Kuril Islands. Today, the basaltic-to-andesitic ancient Tao-Rusyr Caldera is filled by the deep blue waters of Kal’tsevoe Lake, whose surface is 400 m above sea level.

A large symmetrical post-caldera cone, 1325-m-high andesitic Krenitzyn Peak, forms a 4-km wide island that towers high above the caldera rim and fills the NW portion of the caldera lake. A 350-m-wide, 100-m-deep crater truncates the peak and a large lateral crater is located on the upper NE side.

The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this true-color image of southern Onekotan on June 10, 2009. In this late-spring shot, snow or ice lingers on the land, forming white streaks on a brown-and-green land surface. In the northwest quadrant of the caldera is Krenitzyn Peak, which rises to a height of 1,325 meters (4,347 feet).

Like the other Kuril Islands, Onekotan lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire. The Kuril Island volcanoes are fueled by magma generated by the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Eurasian Plate, which takes place along a deep trench about 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the islands’ east. The only historical eruption at Krenitzyn Peak occurred in 1952, a week after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake along the subduction fault.

NASA Earth Observatory image created by Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Michon Scott and Rebecca Lindsey. [Additional information from GVP. Edited by FEWW]

Tao-Rusyr Caldera
A large symmetrical post-caldera cone, 1325-m-high Krenitzyn Peak, forms a 4-km wide island that towers above the rim of 7.5-km-wide Tao-Rusyr caldera. A 350-m-wide crater caps the peak, and a large shallow lateral crater (left center) is located on the upper NE flank. The small dark mass along the eastern shoreline (right-center) is a lava dome that was emplaced in 1952 during the only historical eruption of the volcano. Kal’tsevoe lake fills a caldera that was formed about 7500 years ago during one of the largest Holocene eruptions in the Kuril Islands. Photo by Oleg Volynets (Institute of Volcanology, Petropavlovsk). Caption: GVP.

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FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast


Posted in Eurasian Plate, Holocene eruption, Kal’tsevoe Lake, Krenitzyn Peak, Pacific Plate, Pacific Ring of Fire | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »