Tsunamis of Volcanism Could Hit Kamchatka, Kurils after Key Earthquake –FIRE-EARTH

TERG 01 – 101102 – 2

FEWW Public Alert

Significant quakes along Kuril–Kamchatka Trench consistent with probability of large earthquake in the region

FIRE-EARTH Forecast: The M6.5, M6.0 earthquakes could be foreshocks to large earthquake(s), measuring magnitude 9.2 (±0.2), that could occur along Kuril–Kamchatka Trench (near Zenkevich Rise) by early next year.

• The latest earthquakes could also unleash “tsunamis of volcanism” throughout Kamchatka Peninsula and along the Kuril Islands.
  • About 150 volcanoes in the Russia region have erupted since the Holocene, the current geological epoch (~ 11,650 cal years  before present).

Earthquake Details:

M 6.5 – 148km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
49.348°N, 156.213°E; 17.5 km depth
2018-10-10 23:16:02 (UTC)

Related Seismicity:

M5.2 – 163km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-11 05:47:35 (UTC)
26.1 km

M4.8  –  149km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-11 03:38:43 (UTC)
35.8 km

M5.1  –  148km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-11 02:16:21 (UTC)
48.5 km

M4.9  –  136km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-11 01:30:26 (UTC)
39.5 km

M5.2 – 155km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-11 00:14:44 (UTC)
44.0 km

M4.7  –  141km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-11 00:14:21 (UTC)
35.0 km

M6.5  –  148km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-10 23:16:02 (UTC)
17.4 km

4.5 – 137km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-09 08:07:06 (UTC)
35.0 km

M6.0 – 138km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia
2018-10-09 07:45:14 (UTC)

Plate-Tectonics Diagnostics

• FIRE-EARTH Science Plate-Tectonics Diagnostics is available via FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

FIRE-EARTH EARTHQUAKE FORECAST

Detailed FIRE-EARTH Forecast for the region, as well as nearby seismicity and volcanism in the region, are available via FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.

 

 

Current Volcanic Activity: Summary – March 29, 2017

Current Volcanic Activity

Volcanoes of the Week:

• Kambalny

Explosive eruption of Kambalny volcano continues. Strong ash plume of the volcano at sunset on 26 March, 2017. Date: 26/3/2017 Author(s): L. Varavskaya, Kronotsky Reserve, Kamcha. Source: http://www.kronoki.ru/ ©Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FEB RAS, KVERT

• Etna

Etna Webcam – Milo http://www.ct.ingv.it/en/webcam-etna-en.html

New Activities

• Bezymianny (Central Kamchatka, Russia)
• Bulusan (Philippines)
• Chirinkotan (N. Kuril Islands)
• Ebeko (Paramushir Island, Russia)
• Etna  (Sicily)
• Kambalny (Kamchatka, Russia)
• Klyuchevskoy (Kamchatka, Russia)
• Manam (PNG)
• Nevados de Chillan (Chile)

Kamchatka and the Northern Kuriles volcanoes: Erupting or Restless

Summary of Code Orange

• Kambalny
• Ebeko
• Klyuchevskoy
• Bezymianny
• Sheveluch

KARYMSKY VOLCANO (CAVW #1000-13-)
54.05 N, 159.44 E; Elevation 4874 ft (1486 m)
Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

SHEVELUCH VOLCANO (CAVW #1000-27-)
56.64 N, 161.32 E; Elevation 10768 ft (3283 m), the dome elevation ~8200 ft (2500 m)
Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

BEZYMIANNY VOLCANO (CAVW #1000-25-)
55.97 N, 160.6 E; Elevation 9453 ft (2882 m)
Aviation Color Code: YELLOW

Sakhalin Volcanic Eruptions Response Team (SVERT)

VOLCANOES OF THE NORTHERN KURIL ISLANDS

Nemo Peak (Onekotan Is.), Krenitsyn ( Onekotan Is.), Severgin (Harimkotan Is.), Kuntomintar (Shiashkotan Is.), Sinarka (Shiashkotan Is.), Chirinkotan (Chirinkotan Is.), Ekarma (Ekarma Is.) – GREEN

VOLCANOES OF THE CENTRAL KURIL ISLANDS

Raikoke (Raikoke Is.), Sarychev Peak (Matua Is.), Rasshua (Rasshua Is.), Ushishir (Yankich Is.), Pallas Peak ( Ketoi Is.), Prevo Peak (Simushir Is.), Zavaritsky (Simushir Is.), Goryashchaya Sopka (Simushir Is.)- GREEN

VOLCANOES OF SOUTHERN KURIL ISLANDS

Chyorny (Chirpoi), Snow (Chirpoi), Kolokol Group (Urup Is.), Menshy Brat: (Iturup Is.), Chirip – Bogdan Khmelnitsky Group (Iturup Is.), Baransky (Iturup Is.), Ivan Grozny (Iturup Is.), Stokap (Iturup Is.), Atsonupuri (Iturup Is.), Berutarube (Iturup Is.), Ruruy (Kunashir Is.), Tyatya (Kunashir Is.), Mendeleev (Kunashir Is.), Golovnin (Kunashir Is.) – GREEN

Alaska Volcanoes

CLEVELAND VOLCANO (VNUM #311240)
52°49’20” N 169°56’42” W, Summit Elevation 5676 ft (1730 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

BOGOSLOF VOLCANO (VNUM #311300)
53°55’38” N 168°2’4″ W, Summit Elevation 492 ft (150 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

KILAUEA VOLCANO (VNUM #332010)
19°25’16” N 155°17’13” W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

MAUNA LOA VOLCANO (VNUM #332020)
19°28’30” N 155°36’29” W, Summit Elevation 13681 ft (4170 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW

Ongoing Activity/ Unrest

Bagana (PNG)
Colima (Mexico)
Dukono (Halmahera, Indonesia)
Fuego (Guatemala)
Kilauea (Hawaii)
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia)
Pacaya (Guatemala)
Sabancaya (Peru)
Sinabung (Indonesia)
Turrialba (Costa Rica)

Indonesia Volcano Alerts

PVMBG has placed five volcanoes on the second highest level of activity “Level III, Orange Alert,” and 17 others on third highest alert level “Level II, Yellow Alert.” Following table shows the alert level designations, as of March 29, 2017.

Japan Region

Kuchinoerabujima: Near-crater warning Level 3 (Do not approach the volcano)  14 June 2016
Sakurajima: Near-crater warning Level 3 (Do not approach the volcano)  05 February 2016
Ontakesan : Near-crater warning Level 2 (Do not approach the crater) 26 June 2015
Asamayama: Near-crater warning Level 2 (Do not approach the crater) 11 June 2015
Kusatsu-Shiranesan: Near-crater warning Level 2 (Do not approach the crater) 03 June 2014
Kirishimayama (Shinmoedake): Near-crater warning Level 2 (Do not approach the crater) 22 October 2013
Suwanosejima: Near-crater warning Level 2 (Do not approach the crater) 01 December 2007
Ioto: Near-crater warning Warnings around the crater  01 December 2007
Beyonesu Rocks: Warning (sea area) Warnings for sea areas in the vicinity of a volcano 24 March 2017
Fukutoku-Oka-no-Ba: Warning (sea area) Warnings for sea areas in the vicinity of a volcano 01 December 2007

Earthquakes Strike Azerbaijan, Japan Region, Kuril Islands, Montana

Significant aftershock strikes Kumamoto, Japan

Measuring 4/7 on the local intensity scale, the very shallow aftershock struck at 32.5N, 130.7E (13 Jun 2016 15:54 JST ). 

Other Significant Seismicity in Japan Region

• M4.7 about 176km SSE of Naze, Japan 2016-06-13 10:44:10 UTC depth=10.0km
• M5.3 about 178km SSE of Naze, Japan 2016-06-13 04:27:04 UTC depth=10.0km
• M5.7 about 163km SSE of Naze, Japan 2016-06-13 04:21:43 UTC depth=10.0km

Kuril Islands

• M5.3 about 93km E of Shikotan, Russia 2016-06-12 17:11:38 UTC depth=33.7km

Montana

• M4.3 about 52km W of West Yellowstone, Montana 2016-06-13 12:14:39 UTC depth=9.9km

Azerbaijan

M4.0 – Caspian Sea, 53.0 km ENE of Astara, Azerbaijan 2016-06-12 at 16:48:37 (UTC) depth=10.0km

M5.9 Quake Strikes Kuril Trench

Strong quake occurs near Zenkavich Rise

Centered at 48.302°N, 154.285°E (about 296km SSW of Severo-Kurilsk), the quake struck at a depth of 34.0 km (21.1 mi), reported USGS/EHP.

The Kuril-Kamchatka Arc is a seismically hyperactive region. In November 5, 1952 a M9.0 event, the 5th largest recorded earthquake in history, generated a devastating tsunami with run-up wave heights measuring about 15, 18 and 12 meters striking along the coast of Paramushir (located in the northern portion of Kuril Islands chain) causing significant damage to many settlements in Sakhalin Oblast and Kamchatka Oblast, and destroying the town of Severo-Kurilsk.

After the earthquake most of the Severo-Kurilsk residents fled to the surrounding hills, and were spared by the first wave. However, many of them returned to the town only to be claimed by the second wave.

The tsunami killed about 2,340 people out of a population of 6,000. The survivors were evacuated to continental Russia, and new settlements were later built in different locations.

Significant Quakes January 4 – 5, 2014

Global Earthquakes: 1 Day, Magnitude 2.5+

20 earthquakes struck globally in the 24 hours to 07:23:31UTC on January 5, 2014.

M 5.3 – 40km W of El Dovio, Colombia
Time: 2014-01-05 03:36:41 UTC
Location: 4.558°N 76.600°W
Depth: 61.4km

M 5.1 – 292km E of Chul’man, Russia
Time: 2014-01-04 19:34:27 UTC
Location: 56.714°N 129.683°E
Depth: 12.3km

M3.7 – 17km NNW of Langston, Oklahoma
Time: 2014-01-04 23:33:32 UTC
Location: 36.099°N 97.306°W
Depth; 4.6km

M3.5 – 2km NNE of Cherokee, Oklahoma
Time: 2014-01-04 20:35:32 UTC
Location: 36.772°N 98.347°W
Depth: 12.6km

M3.2 – 15km NNW of Chandler, Oklahoma
Time: 2014-01-04 21:26:17 UTC
Location: 35.838°N 96.934°W
Depth: 5.0km

M 4.9 – Kuril Islands
Time: 2014-01-04 16:10:17 UTC
Location: 47.252°N 153.014°E
Depth: 51.5km

M 4.7 – 157km ENE of Hachijo-jima, Japan
Time: 2014-01-04 18:12:20 UTC
Location: 33.757°N 141.288°E
Depth: 36.8km

[Source: USGS/EHP]

Significant Seismic Activity Off KURIL ISLANDS, E Russia

Significant Earthquakes Strike off Kuril Islands, Eastern Russia

Magnitude 6.7
Date-Time  Friday, March 01, 2013 at 13:20:50 UTC

Location 50.945°N, 157.476°E
Depth 31.7 km (19.7 miles)
Region KURIL ISLANDS
Distances
99 km (62 miles) ENE (72°) from Severo-Kuril’sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
244 km (152 miles) SSW (200°) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia

EQ Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP

###################################

Magnitude    6.5
Date-Time    Friday, March 01, 2013 at 12:53:52 UTC
Location    50.938°N, 157.511°E
Depth    40.9 km (25.4 miles)
Region    KURIL ISLANDS
Distances
101 km (63 miles) ENE (73°) from Severo-Kuril’sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
244 km (152 miles) SSW (199°) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia

####################################
Magnitude    6.9
Date-Time    Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 14:05:51 UTC
Location    50.934°N, 157.339°E
Depth    52.5 km (32.6 miles)
Region    KURIL ISLANDS
Distances
85 km (52 miles) SE of Ozernovskiy, Russia
234 km (145 miles) SSW of Vilyuchinsk, Russia
251 km (155 miles) SSW of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
261 km (162 miles) SSW of Yelizovo, Russia

Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
####################################

FIRE-EARTH models suggest a Mega Quake could strike the region in the next few weeks with a probability of about 70 percent.

ISSAC: Four Gulf Coast States Declare Emergencies

Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Alabama declare states of emergency, issue evacuation orders as TS ISSAC approaches

Four Gulf Coast states declared states of emergency as tropical storm ISSAC reached the mouth of GoM. Evacuation orders have been issued for the residents in the storm’s path.  The storm was expected to intensify to hurricane strength over the warmer waters.

Tropical Storm ISSAC. VIS/IR Sat Image. See inset for time. Source UW-CIMSS

ISSAC as of 03:00 UTC Sun Aug 26
Location: 24.2°N 82.9°W
Moving: WNW at 14 mph
Min pressure: 993 mb
Max sustained winds: 65 mph

 Tropical Storm Force Wind Probability

TS ISAAC. Tropical Storm Force Wind Probability Chart. Source: NHC/NWS

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• El Salvador.  Powerful Magnitude 7.3 quake struck offshore El Salvador about 133 km (82 miles) S of Santiago de Maria, at 04:37UTC on Monday, August 27, 2012, USGS/EHP reported.
  • The quake was epicentered 12.278°N, 88.528°W and struck at a depth 20.3 km (12.6 miles).
  • A tsunami warning was issued for Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico, but no significant wave was reported, as of posting (~ 11:40UTC).

• Kuril Islands, Russia. The Ivan Grozny (“Ivan the Terrible”) volcano on Iturup Island (Kuril islands group) erupted again, early Monday.
  • The volcano first erupted Thursday morning spewing a column of ash onto the surrounding towns of Goryachiye Klyuchi (10 km) and Kurilsk (25 km).

Other Storms

• TEMBIN Could Hit Taiwan Multiple Times Posted August 24, 2012

Related Links

• Satellite imagery
• Hurricane Warning
• U.S. Tornado Potential

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Tao-Rusyr Caldera

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

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]

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.

Related Links:

• Messages From Earth’s Powerhouse
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 19 March 2009

• A New Era of Intense Volcanic Unrest May Have Begun
• Tonga’s Metis Shoal may be erupting
• Rumble III Volcano “blew its top!”
• Volcanoes
• Earthquakes

FEWW Volcanic Activity Forecast

• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts

• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts
• Volcano Watch Weekly: 23 April 2009

• Weekly Volcano Watch: 16 April 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 2 April 2009

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Sarychev Peak Before and After Images

Before and after images show impact of  the Sarychev Peak Volcano eruption on Matua Island.

Ostrov Matua, Kuril Islands

Image dated June 30, 2009

Image dated May 26, 2007

Acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite, these images of Ostrov Matua show the island shortly after the eruption on June 30, 2009 (top), and two years before on May 26, 2007 (bottom).

In these false-color images, vegetation appears red, water appears dark blue, and clouds, water vapor and ice all appear white. Volcanic rock, including old lava flows and debris from the recent eruption, ranges from gray to dark brown.

The most striking difference between these two images is the gray coating on the northwestern half of the island in June 2009. While vegetation on the rest of the island appears lush, volcanic debris—probably a mixture of pyroclastic flows and settled ash—covered virtually all the vegetation on the northwestern end. A close look at the top image also reveals that the recent volcanic activity appears to have expanded the island’s coastline on the northwestern end.

Another difference between the images relates to snow cover. In the image from May 2007, snow spreads over much of the island, although the snow alternates with snow-free ground. The vegetation is pinkish-gray, suggesting the spring thaw is still underway. The complete lack of snow in 2009 may result from a combination of a difference in season and volcanic activity having melted or covered any lingering snow.

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Michon Scott.

Related Links:

• Shiveluch spewes large plumes of ash
• How Sarychev Peak Moved from Russia to Japan!
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [25 June 2009]
• VolcanoWatch Weekly [18 June 2009]
• Sarychev Peak Spews Two Plumes of Ash

How Sarychev Peak Moved from Russia to Japan!

Better late than never mate, goes the Australian saying

As for the reporting accuracy, close but no shrimps!

Sarychev Volcano moved to Japan (!) See section underlined in red. A condensed screen dump of the news URL at Australia‘s Melbourne Herald Sun site http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25688161-24331,00.html

Even the Aussies should be entitled to accurate, prompt reporting!

Heaven knows we have criticized Earth Observatory often enough for holding on to images of public interest instead of releasing them instantly on Internet.  However it took the Australian broadcaster nearly two weeks and a major political shift, taking the Sarychev Peak out of the hands of Russians and handing it over to the Japanese, to report the eruption.

Related Links:

• VolcanoWatch Weekly [18 June 2009]
• Sarychev Peak Spews Two Plumes of Ash

• Volcanoes [FEWW Links]
• Earthquakes

• More flights to Asia cancelled as volcano erupts

Sarychev Peak Spews Two Plumes of Ash

In the Majestic Earth’s Service

Sarychev Peak Spews Two Plumes of Ash, Helping to Balance Earth’s Energy Budget

FEWW Moderators believe that Earth is using some of her natural mechanisms to balance her energy budget, which has been forced into red by human activity. Over the coming months, Moderators will explain how the system works.

It’s a balancing act on a planetary level, and there’s a price to pay for using large-scale natural defense mechanisms. They don’t come cheap. Even IF successful on the planetary scale, the “trade-off,” if it can be so crudely termed, would be reflected in further erosion of the earth’s debilitated carrying capacity…

Watch this space for more information!

Activity at Sarychev Peak

Sarychev Peak located in NW end of Matua Island (Ostrov Matua) in Russia’s central Kurils reportedly spewed  ash plumes in two directions, west-northwesterly, and east-southeasterly. NASA’s Aqua satellite using its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured this image on June 12, 2009. Thanks to the age of modern technology (!), NASA’s MODIS Rapid Response Team at Goddard Space Flight Center rapidly posted the image on their website in under 48 hours.

Sarychev Peak (Kuril Islands, Russia)

A cloudcap obscurs the dramatic, 250-m-wide, steep-walled summit crater of Sarychev volcano, one of the most active volcanoes of the Kuril Islands. Sarychev occupies the NW end of Matua Island in the central Kurils in this NASA Space Shuttle image (with north to the top). The andesitic central cone was constructed within a mostly buried 3-3.5 km wide caldera; an older volcano forms the SE part of the island (lower right). The substantially higher SE rim forms the 1496 m high point of the island. Fresh-looking lava flows descend all sides of Sarychev Peak. Eruptions have been recorded since the 1760’s and include both quiet lava effusion and violent explosions. The largest historical eruption of Sarychev Peak in 1946 produced pyroclastic flows that reached the sea. The small island of Toporkovyi is partially visible at the right-center. Image: NASA Space Shuttle image ISS005-E-17796, 2002 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/). Caption: GVP

Volcano Details
Country: Russia
Region: Kuril Islands
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Summit Elevation: 1,496 m
Latitude: 48.092°N (48°5’30″N)
Longitude: 153.20°E (153°12’0″E)
Source: Global Volcanism Program

Related Links:

[FEWW Volcanic Forecasts]

• Sumatra’s Mt Kerinci Erupts
• Volcano Watch Weekly: 23 April 2009

• Weekly Volcano Watch: 16 April 2009
• Weekly Volcano Watch: 2 April 2009

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

• Earth’s Climate: A Solar Powered System

Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Strikes East of the Kuril Is.

Magnitude 7.4 Quake Strikes EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS

Earthquake Details
Magnitude: 7.4
Date-Time:

• Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 17:49:39 UTC
• Friday, January 16, 2009 at 03:49:39 AM at epicenter

20-degree Quake Map Centered at 45°N,155°E  – Source: USGS

Location: 46.861°N, 155.154°E
Depth: 36 km (22.4 miles) set by location program
Region: EAST OF THE KURIL ISLANDS
Distances:

• 430 km (270 miles) S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
• 590 km (365 miles) ENE of Kuril’sk, Kuril Islands
• 1785 km (1110 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan
• 7245 km (4500 miles) NE of MOSCOW, Russia

Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 3.6 km (2.2 miles); depth fixed by location program
Source:  USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID: us2009bwa8

Source: NOAA/NWS

Tectonic Summary:

The Kuril Islands earthquake of January 15th, 2009 occurred as a result of thrust faulting within the Pacific plate. The event occurred near the outer-rise of the Pacific plate about 30 km to the east of where the Pacific plate subducts beneath the Okhotsk plate. In this region, the Pacific plate moves northwest with respect to the Okhotsk plate with a velocity of about 90 mm/yr.

Large and great earthquakes are not uncommon in this region. The location of this event is approximately 90 km to the northeast of the Mw 8.1 outer rise earthquake of January 13th 2007, which occurred as a result of normal faulting near the Pacific plate outer-rise. On November 15th 2006, an Mw 8.3 subduction-related thrust earthquake occurred approximately 160km to the southwest. [Source: USGS]

Tsunami Warning:
NO destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is expected.

Related Links:

• Earthquakes [Index page]