Fire Earth

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Posts Tagged ‘Viti Levu’

What Mick Looked Like

Posted by feww on December 15, 2009

Image of the Day:

Tropical Cyclone Mick


Click image to enlarge.

Tropical Cyclone Mick hovered over the Fiji Islands on December 13, 2009, and intensified the following day, pounding the archipelago with strong winds and heavy rains.  The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Mick on December 13, 2009.  The storm had maximum sustained winds of 55 knots (100 kilometers per hour) with gusts of to 70 knots (130 kilometers per hour). Image and caption credit: NASA Earth Observatory. [edited by FEWW]

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Posted in mick, MODIS, storm, tropical cyclone | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Powerful Quake Strikes Fiji

Posted by feww on November 9, 2009

Another powerful earthquake strikes Fiji – more intense seismic activity could occur in the region this year

A powerful quake measuring up to 7.3 Mw struck Fiji at 17.212°S, 178.413°E or about 100 km north of the capital, Suva and at a depth of 585 km on Monday, November 09, 2009 at 10:45 UTC.

The mainshock was followed by at least one aftershock measuring 5.3 Mw.

On August 19, 2009 FEWW Moderators posted the following entry:

New Round of Geo-Assualt at Kermadec Trench

Following the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the tip of the Fiordland, South island, New Zealand, followed by a large cluster of aftershocks, another round of geo-assault appears to be gearing up at the southern end of the Kermadec trench.

The Fiordland quakes occurred as a result of a large reverse faulting motion caused by the subduction of the Australian subplate under the Pacific plate, on which Fiordland rests,  in Puysegur Trench, at the Alpine Fault.

The new wave of earthquakes would instead be caused by the ‘mirror image’ action, with Pacific plate subducting beneath the Australian protoplate.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck south of the Fiji Islands on August 18, 2009 at 21:21 UTC may herald a new round of intense [and unprecedented] seismic activity at Kermadec Trench to the north, NE, and East of the North Island, as well as the north, NE, and east of the South Island, New Zealand.

10-degree Map Centered at 15°S,180°E

fiji 9Nov09
Earthquake location Map. Source: USGS/EHP. Enhanced by FEWW

Earthquake Details:

  • Magnitude: 7.2 [Maximum quake magnitude estimated by FEWW at 7.0 Mw]
  • Date-Time:
    • Monday, November 09, 2009 at 10:44:54 UTC
    • Monday, November 09, 2009 at 10:44:54 PM at epicenter
  • Location: 17.212°S, 178.413°E
  • Depth: 585.1 km (363.6 miles)
  • Region: FIJI
  • Distances:
    • 100 km (65 miles) N of SUVA, Viti Levu, Fiji
    • 135 km (85 miles) SW of Lambasa, Vanua Levu, Fiji
    • 485 km (300 miles) NW of Ndoi Island, Fiji
    • 2205 km (1370 miles) N of Auckland, New Zealand
  • Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 7 km (4.3 miles); depth +/- 9 km (5.6 miles)
  • Source:  USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
  • Event ID: us2009nuam

Seismic Hazard Map
neic_nuam_w
Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green- USGS/EHP

Seismic Hazard Map

neic_nuam_7
Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green- USGS/EHP

Tsunami Info:

NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported NO destructive tsunami as a result of this event.

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Other Related Links [Including FEWW forecasts]

Posted in earthquake, earthquake forecast, Earthquakes, eww earthquake forecast, Fiji earthquakes, seismic activity report | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »