Some interesting images there: Quickbird satellite captured an image of the devastation around Kalutara, Sri Lanka (top), on December 26, 2004, at 10:20 a.m. local time�about an hour after the first in the series of waves hit. A Quickbird image taken on January 1, 2004 (lower), shows the normal ocean conditions. Water is flowing out of the inundated area and back into the sea, creating turbulence offshore. Some near-shore streets and yards are covered with muddy water. It is possible that the image was acquired in a �trough� between wave crests. Imagery of nearby beaches shows that the edge of the ocean had receded about 150 meters from the shoreline. Credit: Images Copyright

Where can we find the Quickbird satellite images? This would be even more interesting to add to the already horrific images we have seen to date.

They are, inf fact, here: http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html

Before After

I apologize for the hugeness of these pictures, but this is one of the few instances where the magnitude of the disaster calls for pictures of some magnitude as well. So bear with this exception, ok?

They show the devastation and Bandeh Aceh.

Terry, we just looked at these pictures and they are indeed worth the time to download. How devastating! Only if you have experienced such a calamity do you know the awful feeling. At Kalapana Black Sand Beach on the Island of Hawaii it is like you turned down the wrong street and what you seek is still there but you can't see it from here. Twenty or more feet of lava covered Kalapana. This poor region was obliterated in moments by tsunami. The only saving grace for Hawaii is that the lava flows are slow enough to get out of the way. Has anyone seen anything about how usable the soil will be? With all that salt water on it, I can imagine it would be infertile for many years to come. Famine will surely follow.

it is just unimaginable, even with the before and after pics!!!

These pictures bring tears to my eyes. I don't usually get emotional about pictures.

When I got to Hilo, Hawaii in January most of the stores and all of the schools were still collecting things for those poor tsunami victims. Hilo can relate. The stories I have been told from first hand survivors are worse than any nightmare. This brings feelings of profound sorrow to me. That land will never be the same again. I cannot possibly imagine the grief and horror of having one's mate washed away in just seconds never to be seen again. The following is a great narration by Father Kircher at the link following. This was my precise experience of a sizeable quake in Hawaii. The more memorable one was 6.7 magnitude but the 7.2 magnitude quake got into the record books. http://www.circolocalabrese.org/library/history/earthquake1638.asp

2005/10/08 03:50 M 7.6 PAKISTAN Z= 10km 34.43N 73.54E This information is provided by the USGS National Earthquake Information Center. (Address problems to: sedas@ghtmail.cr.usgs.gov) These parameters are preliminary and subject to revision. A magnitude 7.6 earthquake IN PAKISTAN has occurred at: 34.43N 73.54E Depth 10km Sat Oct 8 03:50:38 2005 UTC Time: Universal Time (UTC) Sat Oct 8 03:50:38 2005 Time Near Epicenter Sat Oct 8 08:50:38 2005 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) Fri Oct 7 23:50:38 2005 Central Daylight Time (CDT) Fri Oct 7 22:50:38 2005 Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) Fri Oct 7 21:50:38 2005 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) Fri Oct 7 20:50:38 2005 Alaska Daylight Time (ADT) Fri Oct 7 19:50:38 2005 Hawaii Standard Time (HST) Fri Oct 7 17:50:38 2005 Location with respect to nearby cities: 95 km (60 miles) NNE of ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (pop 524,000) 115 km (70 miles) ESE of Mingaora, Pakistan (pop 174,000) 125 km (75 miles) WNW of Srinagar, Kashmir (pop 894,000) 165 km (105 miles) N of Jhelum, Pakistan For maps, additional information, and subsequent updates, please consult: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usdyae.htm . Flinn-Engdahl Region Number = 710 For the most significant earthquakes, information may also be available from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program home page at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ and the USGS home page at http://www.usgs.gov/ . The earthquake information delivered through Bigquake notifications is preliminary. Subsequent review usually results in some revision to the data, and all users are advised to check the USGS earthquake program pages at http://earthquake.usgs.gov for updates. Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Earthquakes are a common occurrence, and many are either not large enough to cause damage or not located sufficiently close to populations centers to produce damage. This e-mail does not imply an impending threat. Bigquake is an informational tool and NOT an earthquake or tsunami warning system. The USGS does not produce tsunami warnings. For the information about tsunamis, please refer to the information given in the NOAA website http://tsunami.gov .

Quake hits Indo-Pakistan border A strong earthquake has struck parts of Pakistan, northern India and Afghanistan, causing panicked residents to pour out into the streets. In Islamabad, buildings shook and walls swayed for about a minute shortly before 0900 (0400 GMT). Residents in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and in the Indian capital, Delhi, are also reported to have felt the tremor. The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of at least 7.6 and the epicentre was northeast of Islamabad. Japan's Meteorological Agency put the magnitude at 7.8. "We can say that it was one of the strongest earthquakes [ever] felt in Islamabad," Mohammad Hanif, an official at the Pakistan Meteorological Department, told the Reuters news agency. Police in the Pakistani city of Lahore told the Associated Press news agency that at least eight people were injured and four shops were damaged. Part of a 19-storey building collapsed in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, reports say. "It was so strong that I saw buildings swaying. It was terrifying," Hari Singh, a guard in an apartment complex in the New Delhi suburb of Noida told the Associated Press news agency. The earthquake was also felt in the disputed territory of Kashmir. BBC world news

I hope all is well in Greece: 2006/01/08 11:34 M 6.7 SOUTHERN GREECE Z= 38km 36.25N 23.50E This information is provided by the USGS National Earthquake Information Center. (Address problems to: sedas@ghtmail.cr.usgs.gov) These parameters are preliminary and subject to revision. A magnitude 6.7 earthquake IN SOUTHERN GREECE has occurred at: 36.25N 23.50E Depth 38km Sun Jan 8 11:34:52 2006 UTC Time: Universal Time (UTC) Sun Jan 8 11:34:52 2006 Time Near Epicenter Sun Jan 8 13:34:52 2006 Eastern Standard Time (EST) Sun Jan 8 06:34:52 2006 Central Standard Time (CST) Sun Jan 8 05:34:52 2006 Mountain Standard Time (MST) Sun Jan 8 04:34:52 2006 Pacific Standard Time (PST) Sun Jan 8 03:34:52 2006 Alaska Standard Time (AST) Sun Jan 8 02:34:52 2006 Hawaii Standard Time (HST) Sun Jan 8 01:34:52 2006 Location with respect to nearby cities: 95 km (60 miles) NNW of Chania, Crete, Greece (pop 50,000) 150 km (95 miles) SE of Kalamata, Greece (pop 44,000) 185 km (115 miles) NW of Iraklion, Crete, Greece 195 km (120 miles) S of ATHENS, Greece For maps, additional information, and subsequent updates, please consult: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/ushrak.htm . Flinn-Engdahl Region Number = 368 For the most significant earthquakes, information may also be available from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program home page at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ and the USGS home page at http://www.usgs.gov/ .

Magnitude 6.7 SOUTHERN GREECE Sunday, January 08, 2006 at 11:34:52 UTC Preliminary Earthquake Report U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center World Data Center for Seismology, Denver The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A strong earthquake occurred 195 km (120 miles) S of ATHENS, Greece at 4:34 AM MST, Jan 8, 2006 (1:34 PM local time in Greece). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time. http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/2006/eq_060108_hrak/neic_hrak_nr.html

yes, i saw that on a news web. let's hope our grecian (?) is doing well and not in harm's way! *HUGS*

Our Grecian?

I think that would be John.

yeah, i forgot his name (but not who he is).....thanks cheryl!!

JohnVolos. If I put his whole name here google will find it. Apparently most of the damage was on Crete. St. Michael's Apparition, Earthquake Linked Jan. 10, 2006� The ancient story of the Archangel Michael, whose legendary apparition influenced the cultural evolution and spread of Christianity throughout Europe, may be linked to earthquake activity in Southern Italy, according to a new study. The study, published in a recent issue of the journal Tectonophysics, suggests that many early legends were rooted in natural phenomena, such as geological events. The study's author, Luigi Piccardi, has made similar determinations concerning stories about the oracle at Delphi and the Loch Ness monster. According to legend, the Archangel Michael descended into the ground at Monte Sant'Angelo near the Adriatic Sea, and he temporarily dwelled in a sacred cave there. The oldest written account, which dates to the 8th century, states, "The Gargano (a rocky promontory) was shaken by a huge tremor, lightning often flew, and a dark cloud covered the whole summit of the mountain (Monte Sant'Angelo)." http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060109/stmichael_his.html

Google really loves the Spring.

How so? Terry, you can't just come in here and say that. We need to know why!

There are jillions of references to the Spring on google. We've been googled silly.

I just got back into Spring using Google. I should not have wondered. I am currently in California with the geologist in the family and looking at far different rocks than those of Hawaii or of Kentucky. Has anyone heard anything further about the 7.6 earthquake in Mozambique last week? One that strong should have created some sort of disaster.

I hadn't heard about it, I don't think it made network news.

Alas or happily it was in a mostly unpopulated part of the world. California is great. I will miss it and a few of the inhabitants.

QUAKE AND TSUNAMI NEAR TONGA UPDATED 6.33am Thursday May 4, 2006 Refresh this page for latest updates A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck northern Tonga this morning, creating a local tsunami which may have caused damage. A small tsunami of less than half a metre was observed at Niue (east of Tonga) and at Pago Pago in American Samoa (north of Tonga). There were initial fears a tsunami could also affect New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii, but all warnings have now been cancelled. It was not immediately clear what damage was caused by the quake but a report on Sky Television said it was felt in several Tongan islands. A resident told Sky he felt tremors lasting over 30 seconds. The quake hit 170km northeast of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa at 3.26am (NZT), at a depth of 38km, the New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) said. The epicentre was near the Ha'apai islands group in central Tonga, approximately 2150km northeast of Auckland. The quake was reported by GNS as magnitude 8.1, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii later said it measured 7.8 on the Richer scale. The Tsunami Warning Centre issued warnings for countries in the region at 3.42am, saying at the time it did not know whether the quake actually generated a tsunami. If it did, it could have hit Fiji at 5.13am and Gisborne at 6.21am. The Centre later cancelled all warnings, and said New Zealand would likely experience half-metre swells only. Niue registered a 0.21m wave at 4.03am and Pago Pago registered a 0.15m wave at 4.36am, according to data on the Tsunami Warning Centre website. A message posted on the website at 5.36am said: "Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre. 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. "No tsunami threat exists for other coastal areas in the Pacific although some other areas may experience small sea level changes." - NZPA, REUTERS, NZHERALD STAFF http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

Power outage slowed news in Tonga of tsunami warning Associated Press NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga � A powerful earthquake struck early today near the South Pacific nation of Tonga, prompting tsunami warnings for as far away as Fiji and New Zealand. But the warning never reached Tonga � and was lifted after a tsunami of less than 2 feet. There were no reports of injuries from the quake or tsunami, and a Tongan official said a few broken windows were the extent of the damage. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu lifted its warning for all areas within two hours. It said there was no data indicating that the 4:26 a.m. earthquake generated a giant wave. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake, classified by the U.S. Geological Survey as "major," struck about 95 miles south of Neiafu, Tonga, and 1,340 miles north-northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. It occurred 20 miles beneath the sea floor. But nearly 18 months after a tsunami in the Indian Ocean left at least 216,000 people dead or missing, sparking international calls for a better warning system, Pacific islanders got little or no notice of the latest possible tsunami. The failure raised troubling questions about protections in place for inhabitants of the sparsely populated islands scattered thousands of miles across the earthquake-prone region. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said its first alert went out 16 minutes after the earthquake but was not received in Tonga because of a power failure there. Gerard Fryer, the center's acting director, said "there was problem in Tonga where there was a power outage and they didn't get our initial message." Fryer said the center needs to work with Tonga to correct the problem. He said he did not know whether the power failure was caused by the earthquake. more... http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/May/03/br/br14p.html

Kia Ora I was first aware that anything had happened at all when the midday news bulletin came on on TV One. Apparently my esteemed Mayor had not been told by Civil Defence of the earthquake or tsunami and was wanting to know what was going on. Fair comment I guess - when you run a city, you are responsible for overseeing its role in any Civil Defence emergency. In a city with a coastline and thousands of people within the nominated 1km wide coastal zone that should be cleared incase of a tsunami, tens of thousands would have to move. The earthquake was felt in parts of the North Island, but I was too far south. Maybe if it had been southwest of NZ I would have felt something. It was magnitude 7.8 and centred 55km down, which is too deep to start the the water displacement needed for a tsunami to get hoofing. No lives lost and no damage caused. Another lucky escape. Rob

Thanks for this report. It was disappointing since I wanted you to feel a bit of the shaking and to report on how it felt. I can still remember my earthquakes too clearly. Starting off with a giant shove... then the shaking starts. Then just when it appears to be dying out, the shaking gets VERY stong and ruins your house and walls and chimmeys and empties grocery store shelves. I almost miss them!

Almost but not quite, right?

I am near enough the New Madrid fault to be concerned. All forces of nature fascinate me and I want to experience them all. Safely... from a distance. Missing the feel of earthquakes is a bit like missing having the flu. Some things we are best missing the entire event.

Kia Ora Morbid fascinations with faultlines in bizarre places sent me up to Karori nature reserve in Wellington this weekend while I was in town for the Amnesty International NZ section AGM. However the weather was closing in, so I did not get to the reserve in the end. Two of the reservoirs in the reserve are actually sag ponds on top of the Wellington Fault. Rob

Not very good planning, I suggest. There are earthen dams all over the US plus levees protecting cities including the one in which I live. Not all are on faults but most are in peril just by water alone. I can't begin to think of how dangerous the earthen dams on fault lines are !

Hi all I am okay, and the world continues to spin. But Civil Defence will have been caught off guard - they did not do all that well with the earthquake and tsunami two weeks ago. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3670799a11,00.html Too deep for a tsunami. This was on the old Pacific plate boundary being subducted back into the Earth for recycling. ---- Different subject - regarding earth dams, we had an irrigation dam in South Canterbury fail under sustained rain on Waitangi Day 1997. The dam has been rebuilt, but in 2002 concerns were voiced about the possibility of failure in an earthquake. Remedial work has been done, and Environment Canterbury (local Govt authority)notified. Rob

Kia Ora The Wellington Fault was not known to exist when the reservoirs were constructed. They were built before the plate tectonics revolution changed the way we look at the Earth. Rob

Some of the greatest engineering and physics universities in the US are in California right on the San Andreas Fault. They knew it was there. I can't imagine the carnage when a large quakes happens - and it Will happen.

Region: VANUATU Geographic coordinates: 15.651S, 167.542E Magnitude: 7.2 Mw Depth: 172 km Universal Time (UTC): 1 Aug 2007 17:08:57 Time near the Epicenter: 2 Aug 2007 04:08:57 Local time in your area: 1 Aug 2007 17:08:57 Location with respect to nearby cities: 46 km (28 miles) ESE (107 degrees) of Santo (Luganville), Vanuatu 247 km (154 miles) NNW (341 degrees) of PORT-VILA, Vanuatu 469 km (291 miles) NNW (337 degrees) of Isangel, Vanuatu 1996 km (1240 miles) NE (52 degrees) of Brisbane, Australia ADDITIONAL EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS ________________________________ event ID : US 2007fmba This event has been reviewed by a seismologist at NEIC For subsequent updates, maps, and technical information, see: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007fmba.php or http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ National Earthquake Information Center U.S. Geological Survey http://neic.usgs.gov

If this does not work please help me get this back to ordinary type ! Which reminds me of a problem not only I have. Aol has taken over my computer and made both email and browser type gigantic. I cannot figure where to change it. Any suggestions?

Wondering about the debate on the recent mine collapse and if it really was an earthquake or similar seismic activity.

Have they determined if the mine collapse triggered a seismic episode? Or if a small earthquake prompted the collapse?

Don't think it was a quake.

Probably not the quake, though the mine from which my Alexandrites came has been destroyed by the great tsunami's quake. When a whole block of the crust is up- or downthrust, it writes its own chapter in geology. Earthquakes make the whole earth reverberate like a struck bell or a pebble tossed into a pool. A mere mine collapse while cataclysmic for those involved, has little affect on the earth.

I spoke to Rob and Julie a short time ago on IM. It was good to hear of their success and progress in becoming the next generation of geologists.

There was also a pretty strong earthquake a few months ago in Greece. I am sure John Tsatsaragos felt it (and likely predicted it). I wonder how he is.

Wow it sure would be great to hear from Cascade Julie.

With the crisis in Haiti going on (I just watched Wyclef Jean on Tavis Smiley) we're going to hold a crisis camp at SXSW in mid March. I miss Marci's updates here, where can we find you these days (online ( -) ...