Significant Earthquake Strikes N. Oklahoma

TRN-291G

M4.3 Earthquake Strikes North of Rich Valley Oil Field

Earthquake Details:

Magnitude: 4.3 mwr
Location: 36.700°N, 97.683°W [12km SSE of Medford, Oklahoma]
Depth: 6.1 km
Time: 2017-09-08 02:26:23 (UTC)

No. of Felt Reports: 798

Perry and Pawnee Popping Like Popcorn Poppers

SEISMIC HAZARDS
HEIGHTENED U.S. SEISMICITY
SCENARIOS: 704, 703,  700, [500,] 09, 08, 07, 02
.

Earthquakes continue to rattle Oklahoma

At least 11 earthquakes have struck the U.S. state of Oklahoma over the past 24 hours, as of posting. Most of the events occurred near Perry and Pawnee, Okla.

List of  the events, as recorded by USGS/EHP:

2.7 17km N of Stillwater, Oklahoma 2014-12-15 03:45:30 UTC depth of 5.0 km
2.8 5km SW of Pawnee, Oklahoma 2014-12-15 02:32:51 UTC depth of 8.6 km
2.9 21km W of Perry, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 22:22:55 UTC depth of 9.3 km
4.0 4km ESE of Pawnee, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 21:18:20 UTC depth of 4.7 km
3.1 22km W of Perry, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 21:07:13 UTC depth of 6.6 km
2.9 10km SE of Helena, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 19:02:16 UTC depth of 5.0 km
3.0 22km W of Perry, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 16:09:47 UTC depth of 5.5 km
3.8 22km W of Perry, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 15:48:41 UTC depth of 6.4 km
3.1 3km SE of Pawnee, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 10:19:54 UTC depth of 5.0 km
2.8 3km SE of Pawnee, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 10:11:20 UTC depth of 5.0 km
4.3 22km NE of Cherokee, Oklahoma 2014-12-14 09:14:21 UTC depth of 5.0 km

Significant Quake Strikes Near Medford, Oklahoma

SEISMIC HAZARD
HEIGHTENED GLOBAL SEISMICITY
SCENARIOS 08, 07
.

M4.3 Quake Occurs 24km WSW of Medford, Oklahoma

Centered at 36.732°N, 97.987°W the quake struck at a depth of about 7.6km (4.7mi), said USGS/EHP.

EQ Details

Magnitude: 4.3Mw
Event Time: 2014-07-29 02:46:36 UTC
Location: 36.732°N 97.987°W depth=7.6km (4.7mi)
Nearby Cities

• 24km (15mi) WSW of Medford, Oklahoma
• 38km (24mi) NNW of Enid, Oklahoma
• 80km (50mi) W of Ponca City, Oklahoma
• 92km (57mi) WSW of Arkansas City, Kansas
• 146km (91mi) NNW of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: FIRE-EARTH EQ Forecast

For detailed FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecasts tune into UDCCpf daily @ 06:32UTC.

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 Related Links

• Intense Seismicity Resumes in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oklahoma July 13, 2014
• Earthquakes Strike California, New York, Oklahoma…July 6, 2014 [This link may have been blocked by Internet Mafia]
• 95 Percent of All Earthquakes Strike U.S. July 2, 2014
• 90 Percent of All Quakes Strike U.S. June 30, 2014
• U.S. West Shaking Like Jelly  June 30, 2014

Recent Seismicity in the U.S.

• Significant Quake Strikes Alaska Coast July 25, 2014
• Strong Quake Strikes Alaska July 17, 2014
• Intense Seismicity Resumes in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oklahoma  July 13, 2014
• “Extreme” and “Unusual” Geothermal Activity in YNP  July 12, 2014
• Heightened Seismicity Continues Across the U.S. July 8, 2014
• Earthquakes Strike California, New York, Oklahoma… July 6, 2014
• 95 Percent of All Earthquakes Strike U.S. July 2, 2014
• 90 Percent of All Quakes Strike U.S. June 30, 2014
• U.S. West Shaking Like Jelly  June 30, 2014

Significant Quakes Strike Oklahoma, Alaska

SEISMIC HAZARD
HEIGHTENED GLOBAL SEISMICITY
SCENARIOS 08, 07
.

 M4.2 earthquake strikes near OKC

A cluster of 3 quakes including a 4,2Mw quake occurred about 21km (13mi) NE of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Centered at 35.583°N, 97.330°W, the largest quake struck at a depth of 5.0km (3.1mi), according to USGS/EHP.

EQ Details

Magnitude: 4.2Mw
Event Time: 2014-06-16 10:47:35 UTC
Location: 35.583°N 97.330°W depth=5.0km (3.1mi)
Nearby Cities:

• 4km (2mi) WNW of Jones, Oklahoma
• 15km (9mi) ESE of Edmond, Oklahoma
• 21km (13mi) NE of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Other significant quakes that struck Oklahoma in the past 24 hours included the following, as of posting:

M3.0 about 9km NW of Jones, Oklahoma 2014-06-16 11:25:13 UTC depth=6.7 km
M3.5 about 8km NNW of Spencer, Oklahoma 2014-06-16 10:31:07 UTC depth=5.9 km
M3.0 about 8km E of Medford, Oklahoma 2014-06-15 17:33:02 UTC 5.0 depth=km
M3.0 about 12km WNW of Medford, Oklahoma 2014-06-15 13:51:25 UTC depth=5.3 km

Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP

A Cluster of Six Quakes Strikes near Noatak, Alaska

The largest shocks measured M58 and M5.7, with five of the quakes occurring within the last hour, as of posting .

EQ Details

• 4.2 about 42km ENE of Noatak, Alaska (67.658°N 162.003°W) 2014-06-16 12:56:53 UTC depth=15.8 km

• M3.1 about 31km E of Noatak, Alaska (67.616°N 162.223°W) 2014-06-16 12:28:57 UTC  depth= 5.4 km
• M3.1 about 25km NE of Noatak, Alaska (67.712°N 162.492°W) 2014-06-16 12:23:07 UTC depth=21.3 km
• M5.7 about 31km ENE of Noatak, Alaska (67.697°N 162.612°W) 2014-06-16 12:01:08 UTC depth=24.2 km
• M5.8 about 42km ENE of Noatak, Alaska < (67.684°N 162.000°W) 2014-06-16 12:00:33 UTC depth=15.7 km
• M3.1 about 41km E of Noatak, Alaska (67.634°N 162.006°W) 2014-06-16 11:38:41 UTC depth=17.0 km

Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: FIRE-EARTH EQ Forecast

The next detailed FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast will be released together with Bulletin NO. 107  later today,  Monday June 16, 2014.

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 Related Links

• Alaska Keeps on Shaking! June 9, 2014
• Alaska Rattled by Earthquake Cluster June 8, 2014

• Two More Significant Quakes Strike Near OK City June 2, 2014
• Significant Quakes Strike Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma May 10, 2014
• Another Swarm of Earthquakes Strikes Oklahoma May 9, 2014
• More Quakes Rattle Oklahomans April 21, 2014
• M4.0 Strikes near Perry, Oklahoma April 20, 2014

More Quakes Rattle Oklahomans

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
FRACKING-RELATED SEISMIC HAZARD
CONTINUED SEISMICITY IN OKLAHOMA
.

Another M4.0 quake Strikes OK

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck about 13km N of Edmond, Oklahoma at a depth of 7.6km (4.7mi). The event was followed by a magnitude 3.7 shocks which struck nearby 24 minutes later.

EQ Details

Magnitude: 4.0Mw
Event Time:  2014-04-20 19:07:13 UTCe
Location: 35.770°N 97.500°W depth=7.6km (4.7mi)
Nearby Cities:

• 13km (8mi) SSW of Guthrie, Oklahoma
• 29km (18mi) NNE of Warr Acres, Oklahoma
• 30km (19mi) NNE of Bethany, Oklahoma
• 33km (21mi) N of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

EQ Location Map

Earthquake Location Map: Source: USGS/EHP

FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast

The next detailed FIRE-EARTH Earthquake Forecast will appear in Bulletin NO. 90, which will be released on April 23.

Related Links

• M4.0 Strikes near Perry, Oklahoma April 20, 2014
• Ohio Finally Links Fracking to Earthquakes April 12, 2014
• Heightened Seismicity Continues in Oklahoma April 8, 2014
• Another Shallow Quake Strikes Oklahoma April 6, 2014
• Significant Quake Rattles Oklahoma April 5, 2014
• Significant Quakes Strike Oklahoma, Wyoming March 30, 2014
• Another Significant Quake Rattles OKC March 22, 2014
• More Quakes Rattle Oklahoma, Kansas; Ohio Stops Fracking Posted on March 12, 2014
• Another Swarm of Shallow Quakes Strikes Close to Oklahoma City February 18, 2014
• More Quakes Strike Oklahoma February 11, 2014

Another Shallow Quake Strikes Oklahoma

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
FRACKING-RELATED SEISMIC HAZARD
CONTINUED SEISMICITY IN OKLAHOMA
.

FIRE-EARTH Models show Oklahoma seismicity WILL continue intensifying

Magnitude 4.0Mw quake strikes 3km S of Langston, Oklahoma, followed by at least one other shock measuring 2.7Mw.

Earthquake details

Magnitude: 4.0Mw
Event Time: 2014-04-06 14:58:54 UTC
Location: 35.917°N 97.260°W depth=5.8km (3.6mi)
Nearby Cities:

• 3km (2mi) S of Langston, Oklahoma
• 15km (9mi) ENE of Guthrie, Oklahoma
• 28km (17mi) SW of Stillwater, Oklahoma
• 35km (22mi) NE of Edmond, Oklahoma
• 54km (34mi) NNE of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Earthquake Location Map

Source: USGS/EHP.

Related Links

• Significant Quake Rattles Oklahoma April 5, 2014
• Significant Quakes Strike Oklahoma, Wyoming March 30, 2014
• Another Significant Quake Rattles OKC March 22, 2014
• More Quakes Rattle Oklahoma, Kansas; Ohio Stops Fracking Posted on March 12, 2014
• Another Swarm of Shallow Quakes Strikes Close to Oklahoma City February 18, 2014
• More Quakes Strike Oklahoma February 11, 2014

Fracking Oklahoma

[Mirrored from sourcewatch ] Oil output has doubled in the state since the start of 2010, from 160,000 to 320,000 barrels per day, primarily due to fracking for tight oil (also sometimes referred to as shale oil).
Oklahoma is part of the Caney and Woodford Shales, which are sites of drilling and fracking. The state also has thousands of injection and disposal wells, which have been linked to a 5.7 earthquake in the state in 2011.

Oklahoma Earthquakes

Oklahoma has seen a sharp rise in the number of earthquakes in the last few years. In August 2011, the Oklahoma Geological Survey examined a cluster of earthquakes in Oklahoma and found “that shortly after hydraulic fracturing began small earthquakes started occurring, and more than 50 were identified, of which 43 were large enough to be located. Most of these earthquakes occurred within a 24 hour period after hydraulic fracturing operations had ceased.”

On April 18, 2012, University of Memphis scientist Stephen Horton released his findings that a 5.7 quake in November 2011 was “possibly triggered” by injection wells near the fault that ruptured. Horton found that 63 percent of earthquakes have occurred within 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) of a deep injection well, compared to a 31 percent chance of a random, natural earthquake happening within 10 kilometers of a deep injection well. He did note that the correlation between the location of the quake centers and the wells was complicated by the fact that some of the nearby injection wells had been in operation for 10 years, and the amount of fluid being injected has reportedly been on the decline for the last five years.

In July 2012 it was reported that Oklahoma officials ignored advice about injecting water into faults, to maintain production of oil and natural gas.

A 2013 study published in Geology linked Oklahoma’s 5.7 earthquake to underground injection of wastewater, saying a decades-long time lag between injection and tremors is possible. Geologists placed seismometers in the area after the initial quake and were able to track fault rupture areas, which showed close proximity to disposal wells. According to the researchers: “we interpret that a net fluid volume increase after 18 yr of injection lowered effective stress on reservoir-bounding faults. Significantly, this case indicates that decades-long lags between the commencement of fluid injection and the onset of induced earthquakes are possible.”

In October 2013 a drilling wastewater operator ceased injections at Oklahoma’s Love County Disposal Well after a series of earthquakes. Injection began Sept. 3 and the earthquakes started Sept. 17 in the area near the Texas border, about 100 miles north of Dallas. The strongest was magnitude 3.4.]

Significant Quake Rattles Oklahoma

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
FRACKING-RELATED SEISMIC HAZARD
CONTINUED SEISMICITY IN OKLAHOMA
.

Magnitude 4.2 Quake Strikes 20km N of Crescent, Oklahoma

Centered at 36.139°N, 97.632°W the quake struck at a depth of 5.1km (3.2mi) Saturday, 12:42:17 UTC on April 5, 2014.

The quake was one of 7 shocks measuring ≥ 2.5Mw to occur in Oklahoma since 03:54UTC, Saturday.

Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP

Related Links

• Significant Quakes Strike Oklahoma, Wyoming March 30, 2014
• Another Significant Quake Rattles OKC March 22, 2014
• More Quakes Rattle Oklahoma, Kansas; Ohio Stops Fracking Posted on March 12, 2014
• Another Swarm of Shallow Quakes Strikes Close to Oklahoma City February 18, 2014
• More Quakes Strike Oklahoma February 11, 2014

Another Significant Quake Rattles OKC

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
FRACKING-RELATED SEISMIC HAZARD
.

Shallow M4.0 Quake Strikes Near Oklahoma City

The quake, one of 9 to strike Oklahoma in the past 24 hours,  struck about 12km S of Langston (35.830°N, 97.255°W) at a depth of 4.5km (2.8mi), according to USGS/EHP.

Earthquake Details

Magnitude: 4.0Mw
Event Time: 2014-03-22 03:05:59 UTC
Location: 35.830°N 97.255°W depth=4.5km (2.8mi)
Nearby Cities:

• 12km (7mi) S of Langston, Oklahoma
• 16km (10mi) ESE of Guthrie, Oklahoma
• 28km (17mi) NE of Edmond, Oklahoma

Earthquake Location Map. Oklahoma Earthquakes in the Past 24 hrs (to 2014-03-22 16:25:00 UTC). Source: USGS/EHP

At least 94 earthquakes, measuring 2.5Mw or greater, have struck Oklahoma in the past 30 days; 10 quakes reported in Kansas during the same period.

Earthquake Location Map. Oklahoma Earthquakes in the Past 30 Days (to 2014-03-22 16:25:00 UTC) . Source: USGS/EHP

Earthquake Related Links

• More Quakes Rattle Oklahoma, Kansas; Ohio Stops Fracking March 12, 2014
• Another Swarm of Shallow Quakes Strikes Close to Oklahoma City February 18, 2014
• More Quakes Strike Oklahoma February 11, 2014
• Significant Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma December 29, 2013
• M4.5 Quake Strikes NE Edmond Oil and Gas Field, Oklahoma December 8, 2013
• 41 Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma in November  December 1, 2013
• Earthquake No. 19 Strikes N. Texas November 29, 2013
• Two More Quakes Strike North Texas November 29, 2013
• Oil Drilling Likely Caused Texas Earthquake Posted on May 17, 2009
• M3.3 Quake Strikes Azle, Texas Posted on November 25, 2013
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Drilling Related Earthquakes

• NY Quakes Probably Gas Drilling Related Posted on May 21, 2009
• Magnitude 4.0 quake hits Utah near gas fields Posted on June 4, 2009

• Oil Drilling Likely Caused Texas Earthquake
• NY Quakes Probably Gas Drilling Related
• FEWW Saudi Quake Swarm Forecast 100 pct Correct!

• Saudi Quakes Oil Drilling Activity Related?
• Oil Drilling Likely Caused Texas Earthquake

Fracking Related Links

• Fracking Releases 750+ Chemicals Posted on December 18, 2013
• Never Mind the Frigging Environment, Fracking Must GO ON! December 4, 2013

• Significant Radioactivity, Salts, Metals Detected at Pennsylvania Fracking Site Posted on October 3, 2013
• Fracking Fluid Likely Killed Threatened Kentucky Fish: USGS Posted on August 30, 2013
• Fracking Pollutes Drinking Water Posted on May 10, 2011
• Philadelphia: Public Health Prevails Over Private Wealth

• Big Oil Hires Top Environmental Assassins
• NY sanity questioned as state plan shale gas drilling
• Kudos to Residents of Dimock, Pennsylvania

• EPA admits water contaminated near gas-drilling sites
• ‘Diarrhea water’

• Ozone Hole, Fracking and Other Issues Posted on April 22, 2011
• Texas is Fracked ! Posted on August 19, 2013
• Big Oil Hires Top Environmental Assassins Posted on March 26, 2010
• NY sanity questioned as state plan shale gas drillingPosted on January 2, 2010

• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs [December 2007]
• More Coal, Anyone?  
  
• Houston, we really do have a problem!

Another Swarm of Shallow Quakes Strikes Close to Oklahoma City

Earthquake Hazard
.

It Doesn’t Look Good!

At least 16 more shallow quakes measuring between M2.7 and M3.8 (possibly as large as 4.3Mw) struck Oklahoma February 15 – 17.

The latest cluster, one of several to strike Oklahoma since late last year,  occurred yet closer to Oklahoma City.

The swarm  raises the total number of shocks that have occurred in the Sooner State to 41 in the past 30 days, according to USGS/EHP.

Earthquake Location Map. Oklahoma Earthquakes since February 15, 2014. Source: USGS/EHP

Details of the Most Significant Quake in the Past 24 Hours

• Magnitude: 3.8Mw
• Event Time:  04:54:59 UTC on 2014-02-17
• Location: 35.785°N 97.471°W depth=4.8km (3.0mi)
• Nearby Cities:
  • 11km (7mi) SSW of Guthrie, Oklahoma
  • 35km (22mi) N of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Tectonic Summary

Earthquakes in the Stable Continental Region – Natural Occurring Earthquake Activity
[Excerpts from USGS/EHP]

Most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains has infrequent earthquakes. Here and there earthquakes are more numerous, for example in the New Madrid seismic zone centered on southeastern Missouri, in the Charlevoix-Kamouraska seismic zone of eastern Quebec, in New England, in the New York – Philadelphia – Wilmington urban corridor, and elsewhere. However, most of the enormous region from the Rockies to the Atlantic can go years without an earthquake large enough to be felt, and several U.S. states have never reported a damaging earthquake.

Induced Seismicity

As is the case elsewhere in the world, there is evidence that some central and eastern North America earthquakes have been triggered or caused by human activities that have altered the stress conditions in earth’s crust sufficiently to induce faulting. Activities that have induced felt earthquakes in some geologic environments have included impoundment of water behind dams, injection of fluid into the earth’s crust, extraction of fluid or gas, and removal of rock in mining or quarrying operations. In much of eastern and central North America, the number of earthquakes suspected of having been induced is much smaller than the number of natural earthquakes, but in some regions, such as the south-central states of the U.S., a significant majority of recent earthquakes are thought by many seismologists to have been human-induced. Even within areas with many human-induced earthquakes, however, the activity that seems to induce seismicity at one location may be taking place at many other locations without inducing felt earthquakes. In addition, regions with frequent induced earthquakes may also be subject to damaging earthquakes that would have occurred independently of human activity. Making a strong scientific case for a causative link between a particular human activity and a particular sequence of earthquakes typically involves special studies devoted specifically to the question. Such investigations usually address the process by which the suspected triggering activity might have significantly altered stresses in the bedrock at the earthquake source, and they commonly address the ways in which the characteristics of the suspected human-triggered earthquakes differ from the characteristics of natural earthquakes in the region.

Related Links

• More Quakes Strike Oklahoma February 11, 2014
• Significant Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma December 29, 2013
• M4.5 Quake Strikes NE Edmond Oil and Gas Field, Oklahoma December 8, 2013
• 41 Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma in November  December 1, 2013
• Earthquake No. 19 Strikes N. Texas November 29, 2013
• Two More Quakes Strike North Texas November 29, 2013
• Oil Drilling Likely Caused Texas Earthquake Posted on May 17, 2009
• M3.3 Quake Strikes Azle, Texas Posted on November 25, 2013
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Significant Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma

9 Percent of the day’s global seismicity occurred in Oklahoma, 17 percent in Lower 48!!

M4.1 earthquakes strikes near Langston, Oklahoma

The quake was centered at 35.896°N, 97.306°W and struck at a depth of about 5.0km (3.1mi). 

Earthquake Details

• Magnitude: 4.1Mw
• Event Time: 2013-12-29 08:14:36 UTC
• Location: 35.896°N 97.306°W depth=5.0km (3.1mi)
• Nearby Cities:
  • 7km (4mi) SW of Langston, Oklahoma
  • 10km (6mi) E of Guthrie, Oklahoma
  • 31km (19mi) NNE of Edmond, Oklahoma
  • 33km (21mi) SW of Stillwater, Oklahoma
  • 51km (32mi) NNE of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma Earthquakes Location Map.

The event followed two smaller earthquakes measuring

• M3.4  (Location 36.870°N 97.622°W depth=4.3km; 155km N of Oklahoma City) and
• M3.1 (36.141°N 97.329°W depth=5.0km; 76km NNE of Oklahoma City).

30 Days, Magnitude 2.5+ Earthquakes in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. 40 Earthquakes in the map area. Global map includes 1012 earthquakes – Updated: 2013-12-29 10:06:05UTC. Source: USGS/EHP

About 17  percent of the global seismicity in the past 30 days, in terms of number of events measuring M2.5+, occurred in or near contiguous United States.

Oklahoma Earthquakes in November

At least 41 earthquakes measuring 2.5Mw or greater struck the state of Oklahoma in November 2013, according to data provided by USGS/EHP.

The largest shock in the cluster (No. 11 on the table below) measured 3.8Mw, striking at a depth of 5.9km on November 11, 2013 some 5km WNW of Jones, Oklahoma.

List of Oklahoma Earthquakes measuring 2.5Mw or greater, November 2013.

Tectonic Summary [USGS/EHP]

Induced Seismicity. As is the case elsewhere in the world, there is evidence that some central and eastern North America earthquakes have been triggered or caused by human activities that have altered the stress conditions in earth’s crust sufficiently to induce faulting. Activities that have induced felt earthquakes in some geologic environments have included impoundment of water behind dams, injection of fluid into the earth’s crust, extraction of fluid or gas, and removal of rock in mining or quarrying operations. In much of eastern and central North America, the number of earthquakes suspected of having been induced is much smaller than the number of natural earthquakes, but in some regions, such as the south-central states of the U.S., a significant majority of recent earthquakes are thought by many seismologists to have been human-induced. Even within areas with many human-induced earthquakes, however, the activity that seems to induce seismicity at one location may be taking place at many other locations without inducing felt earthquakes. In addition, regions with frequent induced earthquakes may also be subject to damaging earthquakes that would have occurred independently of human activity. Making a strong scientific case for a causative link between a particular human activity and a particular sequence of earthquakes typically involves special studies devoted specifically to the question. Such investigations usually address the process by which the suspected triggering activity might have significantly altered stresses in the bedrock at the earthquake source, and they commonly address the ways in which the characteristics of the suspected human-triggered earthquakes differ from the characteristics of natural earthquakes in the region.

Earthquake Location Map. 1 Day, Magnitude 2.5+ Earthquakes Worldwide. 34 earthquakes shown on the map, updated at 2013-12-29 09:49:36 UTC. Source: USGS/EHP

M5.8 Quake Strikes Off the Coast of Turkey

• Event Time:2013-12-28 15:21:05 UTC
• Location: 35.980°N 31.340°E depth=51.1km (31.7mi)
• Nearby Cities
  • 80km (50mi) SSW of Avsallar, Turkey
  • 204km (127mi) WNW of Nicosia, Cyprus

Tectonic Summary: Seismotectonics of the Mediterranean Region and Vicinity

The Mediterranean region is seismically active due to the northward convergence (4-10 mm/yr) of the African plate with respect to the Eurasian plate along a complex plate boundary. This convergence began approximately 50 Ma and was associated with the closure of the Tethys Sea. The modern day remnant of the Tethys Sea is the Mediterranean Sea. The highest rates of seismicity in the Mediterranean region are found along the Hellenic subduction zone of southern Greece, along the North Anatolian Fault Zone of western Turkey and the Calabrian subduction zone of southern Italy. Local high rates of convergence at the Hellenic subduction zone (35mm/yr) are associated with back-arc spreading throughout Greece and western Turkey above the subducting Mediterranean oceanic crust.

 
The region of the Marmara Sea is a transition zone between this extensional regime, to the west, and the strike-slip regime of the North Anatolian Fault Zone, to the east. The North Anatolian Fault accommodates much of the right-lateral horizontal motion (23-24 mm/yr) between the Anatolian micro-plate and Eurasian plate as the Anatolian micro-plate is being pushed westward to further accommodate closure of the Mediterranean basin caused by the collision of the African and Arabian plates in southeastern Turkey. Subduction of the Mediterranean Sea floor beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea at the Calabrian subduction zone causes a significant zone of seismicity around Sicily and southern Italy. Active volcanoes are located above intermediate depth earthquakes in the Cyclades of the Aegean Sea and in southern Italy.

In the Mediterranean region there is a written record, several centuries long, documenting pre-instrumental seismicity (pre-20th century). Earthquakes have historically caused widespread damage across central and southern Greece, Cyprus, Sicily, Crete, the Nile Delta, Northern Libya, the Atlas Mountains of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. The 1903 M8.2 Kythera earthquake and the 1926 M7.8 Rhodes earthquakes are the largest instrumentally recorded Mediterranean earthquakes, both of which are associated with subduction zone tectonics. Between 1939 and 1999 a series of devastating M7+ strike-slip earthquakes propagated westward along the North Anatolian Fault Zone, beginning with the 1939 M7.8 Erzincan earthquake on the eastern end of the North Anatolian Fault system. The 1999 M7.6 Izmit earthquake, located on the westward end of the fault, struck one of Turkey’s most densely populated and industrialized urban areas killing, more than 17,000 people. Although seismicity rates are comparatively low along the northern margin of the African continent, large destructive earthquakes have been recorded and reported from Morocco in the western Mediterranean, to the Dead Sea in the eastern Mediterranean. The 1980 M7.3 El Asnam earthquake was one of Africa’s largest and most destructive earthquakes within the 20th century.

Large earthquakes throughout the Mediterranean region have also been known to produce significant and damaging tsunamis. One of the more prominent historical earthquakes within the region is the Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755, whose magnitude has been estimated from non-instrumental data to be about 8.0. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake is thought to have occurred within or near the Azores-Gibraltar transform fault, which defines the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates off the west coast of Morocco and Portugal. The earthquake is notable for both a large death toll of approximately 60,000 people and for generating a tsunami that swept up the Portuguese coast inundating coastal villages and Lisbon. An earthquake of approximately M8.0 near Sicily in 1693 generated a large tsunami wave that destroyed numerous towns along Sicily’s east coast. The M7.2 December 28, 1908 Messina earthquake is the deadliest documented European earthquake. The combination of severe ground shaking and a local tsunami caused an estimated 60,000 to 120,000 fatalities.  [Source:USGS National Earthquake Information Center.]

Related Links

• Significant Quake Strikes the Red Sea December 24, 2013
• Shallow Quakes Continue to Rattle AL, OK, TX, WY, WA, MT, NV, CA December 9, 2013
• M3.6 Quake Strikes Azle, Texas December 9, 2013
• M4.5 Quake Strikes NE Edmond Oil and Gas Field, Oklahoma December 8, 2013
• 41 Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma in November  December 1, 2013
• Earthquake No. 19 Strikes N. Texas November 29, 2013
• Two More Quakes Strike North Texas November 29, 2013
• Oil Drilling Likely Caused Texas Earthquake Posted on May 17, 2009
• M3.3 Quake Strikes Azle, Texas Posted on November 25, 2013
• FEWW Earthquake Links