I think not much. It was felt in Sintra and thereabouts. Since I am now in the south I don't really have access to people from that area, but will check when I go back to Lisbon.

Thanks - it would be interesting to know what the cause might have been, or was it just settling and creaking of the mantle or crust...?!

***** UPDATE OF PREVIOUSLY REPORTED EVENT ***** == PRELIMINARY EVENT REPORT == Southern California Seismic Network operated by USGS and Caltech Version 8: This report supersedes any earlier reports about this event. This solution has been reviewed by KNK Magnitude : 7.0 ME Time : 16 Oct 1999 02:46:44 AM PDT : 16 Oct 1999 09:46:44 UTC Location : 32 mi. N of Joshua Tree, CA : 47 mi. ESE of Barstow, CA : 14 mi. SE of HECTOR (quarry) : 4 mi. NE of the Pisgah Fault Coordinates : 34 deg. 35.73 min. N, 116 deg. 16.09 min. W Depth : 3.7 miles ( 6.0 km) Quality : Fair Event ID : 9108645 More information is available on the Worldwide Web at: http://www.trinet.org/scsn/scsn.html

Recommended reading this site has three maps and a brief description of the earthquake early this morning in Southern CAlifornia: http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/991016094644.HTML ************************* From http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/quakes.big.html Below is a list of earthquakes recorded by the California and Nevada Seismic Networks during the last week. Times are local (PST or PDT). Most recent earthquakes are at the top of the list... Click on the word "map" or "MAP" to see a map view. Click on a "DATE" to get additional text information. Magnitude 3 and greater earthquakes are printed in bold type. The top three magnitudes greater than or equal to 3 are in red. MAG DATE LOCAL-TIME LAT LON DEPTH LOCATION y/m/d h:m:s deg deg km --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAP 3.1 99/10/16 16:52:10 34.67N 116.34W 5.9 37 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 16:51:40 34.81N 116.33W 6.0 35 mi SSW of BAKER MAP 3.0 99/10/16 15:55:38 34.67N 116.33W 0.0 37 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.6 99/10/16 15:53:41 34.71N 116.36W 6.0 39 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.1 99/10/16 15:25:28 34.44N 116.26W 2.0 21 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.5 99/10/16 14:55:44 34.70N 116.29W 5.8 39 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.1 99/10/16 14:53:57 34.41N 116.20W 2.7 20 mi NNE of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 14:46:15 34.85N 116.36W 2.7 34 mi SSW of BAKER MAP 4.1 99/10/16 14:10:50 34.67N 116.34W 6.0 37 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.3 99/10/16 13:22:30 34.60N 116.32W 6.0 32 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.7 99/10/16 13:13:37 34.69N 116.28W 6.0 38 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 13:08:07 34.48N 116.27W 6.3 24 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.6 99/10/16 12:39:55 34.68N 116.31W 2.3 37 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.5 99/10/16 11:13:09 34.54N 116.28W 6.0 28 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.6 99/10/16 11:10:20 34.79N 116.34W 0.0 37 mi SSW of BAKER MAP 3.8 99/10/16 11:05:22 34.57N 116.26W 0.0 30 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.3 99/10/16 11:01:52 34.65N 116.41W 9.2 36 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.1 99/10/16 10:55:16 34.53N 116.25W 0.9 28 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.5 99/10/16 10:48:31 33.27N 115.72W 0.7 6 mi S of BOMBAY BEACH MAP 5.0 99/10/16 10:38:48 34.44N 116.24W 0.1 21 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.1 99/10/16 10:37:04 33.21N 115.65W 1.7 3 mi NNW of OBSIDIAN BUTTE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 10:21:56 34.55N 116.27W 0.0 29 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.5 99/10/16 10:02:46 34.64N 116.37W 6.0 35 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.1 99/10/16 09:57:29 34.59N 116.26W 5.9 32 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.7 99/10/16 09:55:58 33.79N 116.11W 13.5 8 mi NE of INDIO MAP 3.6 99/10/16 09:55:21 34.40N 116.29W 0.0 18 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.6 99/10/16 09:54:27 34.50N 116.36W 5.8 26 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.2 99/10/16 09:48:39 34.70N 116.30W 6.0 39 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.1 99/10/16 09:38:59 34.57N 116.26W 0.0 30 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.6 99/10/16 09:22:58 34.68N 116.30W 0.0 37 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/16 09:12:09 34.52N 116.27W 5.8 26 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.4 99/10/16 09:12:09 34.52N 116.26W 6.0 27 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 09:05:02 34.35N 116.24W 0.2 15 mi NNE of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 08:54:20 34.60N 116.31W 6.0 32 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.1 99/10/16 08:42:29 34.48N 116.27W 2.3 23 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.2 99/10/16 08:41:41 34.59N 116.28W 6.0 31 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/16 08:38:33 34.38N 116.14W 0.5 17 mi NNW of TWENTYNINE PALMS MAP 3.6 99/10/16 08:31:47 34.55N 116.34W 6.0 29 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 08:18:55 34.40N 116.27W 0.4 18 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/16 07:52:35 34.45N 116.27W 0.6 22 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 07:48:45 34.47N 116.28W 2.5 23 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.7 99/10/16 07:44:25 34.56N 116.36W 6.0 29 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/16 07:43:44 34.45N 116.24W 0.0 22 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/16 07:43:11 34.44N 116.24W 5.8 21 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.5 99/10/16 07:20:45 34.70N 116.32W 6.0 39 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.7 99/10/16 07:07:05 34.37N 116.14W 0.0 17 mi NNW of TWENTYNINE PALMS MAP 4.2 99/10/16 06:59:16 34.84N 116.34W 0.1 33 mi SSW of BAKER MAP 3.6 99/10/16 06:56:43 34.68N 116.35W 6.1 38 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.5 99/10/16 06:55:23 33.23N 115.69W 0.2 6 mi NW of OBSIDIAN BUTTE MAP 4.2 99/10/16 06:51:17 34.45N 116.23W 1.5 22 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.6 99/10/16 06:42:49 33.79N 116.12W 10.8 7 mi NE of INDIO MAP 3.2 99/10/16 06:37:02 33.79N 116.12W 6.0 8 mi NE of INDIO MAP 3.7 99/10/16 06:34:57 34.54N 116.31W 6.0 28 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.7 99/10/16 06:32:22 34.35N 116.22W 0.0 15 mi NNE of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.6 99/10/16 06:23:55 34.59N 116.30W 6.0 31 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 06:23:09 34.36N 116.14W 0.0 16 mi NNW of TWENTYNINE PALMS MAP 4.0 99/10/16 06:22:10 34.55N 116.28W 0.0 29 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.0 99/10/16 06:14:56 34.45N 116.23W 0.6 22 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.1 99/10/16 06:09:09 34.42N 116.26W 4.0 20 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.9 99/10/16 06:05:20 34.69N 116.31W 6.0 38 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.9 99/10/16 06:01:08 34.77N 116.33W 6.0 37 mi SSW of BAKER MAP 5.8 99/10/16 05:57:21 34.44N 116.25W 1.0 21 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.5 99/10/16 05:55:09 34.49N 116.26W 2.4 24 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/16 05:51:50 34.37N 116.13W 0.3 17 mi NNW of TWENTYNINE PALMS MAP 3.9 99/10/16 05:37:22 34.43N 116.35W 6.0 21 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/16 05:15:09 34.61N 116.33W 6.0 33 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.4 99/10/16 05:03:19 34.72N 116.32W 6.0 40 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.6 99/10/16 04:52:24 34.68N 116.39W 16.0 38 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.1 99/10/16 04:49:59 34.72N 116.35W 6.0 40 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.0 99/10/16 04:47:44 34.69N 116.35W 6.0 38 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/16 04:38:49 34.53N 116.30W 6.0 27 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.4 99/10/16 04:27:39 34.68N 116.22W 12.0 38 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.9 99/10/16 04:21:40 34.40N 116.29W 6.1 18 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.0 99/10/16 04:04:33 34.37N 116.21W 6.0 17 mi NNE of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.0 99/10/16 03:49:50 33.23N 115.67W 0.1 5 mi NNW of OBSIDIAN BUTTE MAP 4.6 99/10/16 03:20:52 34.38N 116.13W 6.0 17 mi NNW of TWENTYNINE PALMS MAP 4.5 99/10/16 03:09:54 34.65N 116.29W 0.2 35 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.3 99/10/16 03:04:52 34.58N 116.18W 3.9 31 mi NNE of JOSHUA TREE MAP 4.7 99/10/16 03:02:41 34.58N 116.37W 6.0 31 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.7 99/10/16 02:59:51 34.19N 117.26W 8.1 6 mi NNE of SAN BERNARDINO MAP 5.3 99/10/16 02:51:52 34.41N 116.56W 6.2 22 mi NNW of YUCCA VALLEY MAP 7.0 99/10/16 02:46:44 34.60N 116.27W 6.0 32 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.8 99/10/15 19:41:04 34.59N 116.27W 0.0 32 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.4 99/10/15 17:17:38 39.02N 123.07W 1.8 8 mi W of LAKEPORT MAP 3.0 99/10/15 08:00:56 36.63N 121.23W 1.7 8 mi NW of PINNACLES MAP 3.1 99/10/15 08:00:16 36.62N 121.23W 6.2 8 mi NW of PINNACLES MAP 3.0 99/10/15 07:22:43 34.59N 116.27W 0.0 31 mi N of JOSHUA TREE MAP 3.3 99/10/13 12:35:56 36.00N 120.56W 4.3 10 mi NW of PARKFIELD MAP 3.0 99/10/12 21:56:10 33.21N 115.98W 9.1 5 mi SSW of SALTON CITY MAP 3.0 99/10/10 09:44:04 38.53N 122.29W 5.3 9 mi ESE of ANGWIN MAP 3.3 99/10/10 08:46:14 37.40N 117.08W 6.0 55 mi N of STOVEPIPE WELLS

The above statistics are easier to read on the web page...and the maps are hot linked for those who are really interested in it. They have had a bumpy ride today! Some of the aftershocks have been pretty strong, as well. http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/bulletin.html Gives the statistics of earthquakes world wide for this date.

The continuing strong earthquakes beneath Taiwan has spawned a group of interesting theories recently published in the journals of record for the science. Here is one such which explains the quakes as being the result of the zone of subduction (where the Pacific Plate it being dragged beneath the Asian Plate) activity. AUTHOR: Lin, C. H.; Roecker, S. W. TITLE: Deep earthquakes beneath central Taiwan; mantle shearing in an arc-continent collision AUTH AFFIL: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Troy, NY; United States PUBLISHER: American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, United States SOURCE: Tectonics, v.12, n.3, p.745-755 REFERENCES: 10 YEAR: 1993 LANGUAGE: English PUB TYPE: Serial, Analytic FORMAT: illus., 2 tables, sketch maps ISSN: 0278-7407 CODEN: TCTNDM DESCRIPTOR: arrival time; Asia; body waves; central Taiwan; compression tectonics; deep-focus earthquakes; displacements; earthquakes; elastic waves; Eurasian Plate; Far East; faults; focal mechanism; focus; island arcs; mantle; models; P-waves; Philippine Sea Plate; S-waves; seismicity; seismology; shear; Taiwan; tectonics; tomography LATITUDES: N220000; N251000 LONGITUDES: E0122000; E0120000

Marcia, I finally had time to stop by and visit. Wow! Fascinating stuff, particularly for a California native like myself. I was sitting here writing up some of my earthquake experiences for you, and after a few loooong paragraphs my finger accidentally brushed the Escape key. Poof! It all disappeared. I took that as an omen that I was being long winded and boring and gave up :-). But I did want you to know that I enjoyed your site!

Pleeeeeeeease try again on a page like wordPad and paste it here. I am delighted to see you *big smile* Check our updating weather maps in Geo 14.

It was reported to me that Wales had a 3.5 earthquake...would the person who sent me the information please email me again...I cannot find your original letter. Thanks! Wales has a base of very old rock - Precambrian, which is odd for Cambria to have since it implied the rocks were there before the country was there - and that is probably correct.

Hi Marcia, I sent in the Wales report, it was on the BBC news, I think that's the second or third this year.

I thought you had, but going through your emails yeaterday I could not find it. And, I am most happy to credit my reporters. Thank you Maggie! I will check with the Beeb today since the Cal Tech equipment is not reporting it and none of the other world-wide reporting is, either. I shall go directly to BBC for Wales and get the scoop! Thanks, again!

Hi Marcia, I have to head over to Taipei for business next week. Do you know if they're still having lots of aftershocks there? Ever since the fright of 1994 I'm a nervous nellie about earthquakes so am not looking forward to it!

I got this one from an online newssheet: "At Police Headquarters of a developing country a telegramm arrives from the Geophysics and Meteorology National Institute. It says: URGENT STOP Possible seismic activity in the capital in the next two days STOP Very dangerous Richter 7 STOP Epicenter 3 km from town center STOP Take precautionary measures STOP Urgently report back STOP Three months later the Institute receives the following telegramm: This is Police Headquarters STOP Seismic activity completely under control STOP Richter 7 tried to escape was shot dead STOP Epicenter and three gang members arrested STOP Could not answer earlier because an earthquake destroyed everything here STOP"

Jana, They have been having incredibly strong and frequent aftershocks on Taiwan. The most recent stron one was 6.1 a few days ago. Check this URL frequently and scroll to the bottom for previous quakes. Good Luck!!! http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/bulletin.html

Gi, *LOL* Thanks for the "update"...

Thanks for the website, Marcia!

You are most welcome. This is my "thing" and digging up information and sharing it is most interesting and rewarding to me. Thanks for your interest. Take notes and report back when you return from your Taiwan trip...and, Good Luck! (Most EQ's happen in the dark of the moon or at full moon...!)

Do they now? A tidal thing?

David came up with a theory (about the same time others did) that having both the sun AND the moon on the same side of Earth caused abnormal gravitational tugging on the crust, thereby causing more frequent volcanic eruptions. It sure seems to work that way It turns out that Earthquakes happen at that same time more frequently. The thing which confounds me is that it also happens at full moon when those forces should cancel out each other. I think we do not know all there is to this...

This news from Maggie: A strong earthquake shook Northern Pakistan, including the capital islamabad, last night. the quake measured about 6 on the Richter sclae and was centred aboout 220 miles north of the northwestern city of Peshawar in the Hindu Kush mountains on the Afghan border. There were no immediate reports of casualties. (Reuters, Islamabad, in The Guardian 9.11.99) I checked the near-real-time recorders at USGS and they reported it as 6.5. It is in a very remote ares (caused by the Himalayas being shoved up even higher) and any resulting damage or loss of life will be a long time filtering out. Many aftershocks noted, as well.

There are still strong aftershocks from the EQ on the Afghan border This just happened in Turkey... 99/11/11 14:41:24 40.80N 30.26E 10.0 5.6Ms A TURKEY

88 people reposted injured from the Western Turkey Earthquake

Turks rush to help quake survivors By Amberin Zaman in Ankara RESCUE workers were last night struggling to help survivors of an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale that shook western Turkey yesterday, three months after the devastating tremor that left 17,000 people dead. The quake centered on the town of Duzce, in a hilly region of Bolu province, 115 miles east of Istanbul. Main communication lines with Duzce were cut, including the main highway linking Istanbul and Ankara. Yahya Gur, the Governor of Ankara, said: "A great number of buildings have collapsed in the town. There are dead, and people are asking for help." Bolu province was also hit by the quake in August, which measured 7.4 on the Richter scale, but suffered relatively little damage. President Suleyman Demirel said: "We are face to face with a new disaster." Turkey's Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit, said: "The aftershocks are still continuing. God protect us." Hundreds of terrified residents poured into the streets as fires erupted across the town. The local hospital was reported to be overflowing with injured. They were being treated in the hospital garden after the hospital was evacuated. Sadettin Cakmakoglu, a doctor, said the hospital was in urgent need of pain killers and medicine. He said: "I am calling out an SOS for Duzce." Television pictures showed men and women weeping and crying out the names of loved ones trapped under the rubble of collapsed homes. People were shown tearing away at mounds of rubble as they frantically tried to uncover buried relatives. One man kept shouting "Allah, Allah, why, why?" as he pounded his chest in anger. A television reporter in Duzce said: "There is utter helplessness here at the moment. Hundreds of buildings have collapsed but there is no one who can help." The pictures showed shocked residents, wrapped in blankets, huddling together on the streets. Doctors were quoted as saying that at least 1,000 people were injured in the quake. In the town of Bolu, women stood at the foot of a pile of rubble weeping. A young man in tears was shown walking around his collapsed home, shouting for his sister trapped in the rubble to talk to him, while a woman was shown desperately pouring water on flames around the rubble of her home. Bolu province's police chief, Ugur Gur, appealed for help, saying that Duzce was in desperate need of ambulances and doctors. He said: "We can hear the moans of people trapped under the rubble," he said. "Please tell Ankara to send us doctors and ambulances . . . please." One television station broadcast appeals for blood donations. Mr Ecevit said rescue teams had been rushed to the area and a crisis management centre formed in Ankara to coordinate relief efforts. Turkish military helicopters were ferrying the wounded to hospitals in Ankara. The government's swift response contrasted sharply with its sluggish reaction to the earthquake on Aug 17, which prompted an outpouring of national anger. Hundreds of thousands of victims left homeless in the earthquake are still sheltering in tents despite government pledges to provide all weather protection ahead of the harsh Anatolian winter, which is beginning to set in. Yesterday's earthquake was felt in Ankara, where terrified residents fled from their homes. It was also felt in Istanbul and as far south as the Mediterranean resort of Antalya. President Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Ankara on Monday on a two-day state visit. He was expected to visit areas affected by the previous quake. 17 October 1999: 1999: the year that seismic shifts killed 20,000 across the world 22 September 1999: World stunned by third disaster 29 August 1999: Istanbul fails to heed the fearful lesson of tremors 28 August 1999: Turkish quake homeless total rises to 600,000 19 August 1999: Refinery fire threatens earthquake survivors

This has been a terrible year for Turkey.

It has been a bad geological epoch. Since Turkey straddles the Eurasian plate boundary Earthquakes have plagued the region as long as history has been written and rock upthrust and deformation could tell the story. It will continue to be one of the most unstable areas on earth.

Since the above was written a 7.2 aftershock has occurred and taken many more lives in Turkey. For some idea of what they are experiencing and pictures as well check http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/study/turkey/#Nov12_1999_aftershock ANATOLIAN FAULT MAP MOLETRACK IN FIELD - WHERE THE EARTHQUAKE FAULT TORE ACROSS TURKEY EARTHQUAKE CRACKS IN THE GROUND NEAR THE EPICENTER

That was very impressive!

There is a part of the roadway in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which looks just like the bottom picture. One afternoon, some high school girls had crept under the barriers and were jumping up and down on a piece ready to fall into the crater - a 300 foot (52 M) drop!

*shiver*

Indeed! The park rangers went out very slowly and casually chatting with the girls and talked them safely back onto more stable ground. Crazy !

Quake Forces Cult Out of Tunnels TACLOBAN, Philippines (Reuters) - A quake on Wednesday forced out more than 2,000 followers of a Philippine cult hiding in tunnels for fear of the sky raining down fire at the start of the new millennium. The tremor struck at 1:12 p.m. (0512 GMT) and measured 4.8 on the open-ended Richter scale, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. The institute said it did not expect aftershocks or major damage. The quake was centered near the coastal town of Ormoc, 570 km (355 miles) southeast of Manila. Officials said followers of cult leader Ceferino Qunito were hiding in dozens of tunnels in the central province of Leyte. A spokeswoman for the municipal office told reporters police had been deployed around the tunnels, which were considered unsafe. The tremor cracked walls and pavements in the town, she said. Schoolchildren were also sent home early. The earthquake-prone Philippines was hit by a quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale on Sunday. Officials reported three deaths and 24 injured but only minor damage.

Moderate Earthquake Shakes East Caribbean Islands CHARLESTOWN, Nevis (Reuters) - A moderate earthquake with its center about 12 miles east of Antigua jostled residents of the Leeward Islands early on Monday morning. On Nevis, people sleeping about 6:45 a.m. when the quake hit were rattled awake and on Montserrat lamps sitting on dresser tops shook for about 10 seconds, one resident said. ``We haven't had any reports of damage. Strong shaking but nobody's said anything was damaged,'' said Joan Latchman, a seismologist with the Seismic Research Unit in Trinidad. The tremor had a magnitude of between 4.8 and 5.7 on the open-ended Richter scale, meaning it could have been strong enough to cause heavy damage in populated areas. Its epicenter was located at 17.09 degrees north and 61.59 degrees west at a depth of 11 miles under the sea, according to the Trinidad unit. It shook Antigua quite strongly and was also felt in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, and St. Kitts and Nevis. Latchman called the quake moderate. Different readings have been reported from various seismographic centers. The 4.8 magnitude was registered in Guadeloupe but the U.S. Geological Service recorded it as a 5.7. The Trinidad unit, which monitors all seismic activity for the English-speaking Caribbean islands, listed it at 5.2. There were no reports of injuries related to the tremor. Latchman said that quakes of this magnitude occur more than once a year but one so close to an island happens less often. Others of similar size in recent years occurred north of Antigua last year and one off Tobago in 1997. An earthquake of this size in a populated land mass can be devastating, she said. The earthquake was not related to nearby Montserrat where the Soufriere Hills volcano is quiet, said Chelston Lee, spokesman for the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

Algeria Quake Death Toll set at 22 AIN TEMOUCHANT, Algeria (Reuters) - Algeria said on Thursday that 22 people were killed when an earthquake flattened several buildings in the western town of Ain Temouchant. A government statement carried by state-run radio also said 47 people remained in hospitals, including seven in critical condition. Scores had been treated for minor injuries, it said. Hundreds of people were left homeless when the quake struck on Wednesday and they, along with others who feared aftershocks, spent the night in the open. Scores of women could be seen huddled in corners, covering themselves with blankets as they waited for relief workers to set up tents in open areas. Other residents carried mattresses and other household items which they had salvaged from beneath the debris of mud bricks, all that remained of their homes. The government said it would distribute 600 housing units and had set up tents to accommodate displaced people. SCHOOLS DEMOLISHED ``I saw several collapsed buildings, including three schools which were completely demolished,'' said schoolteacher Amina Kali. ``Scores of families have been left homeless and spent the night outside in freezing temperatures.'' An earlier official statement put the death toll at 28 with 181 injured in the quake, which measured 5.8 on the Richter scale and shook several western provinces of the North African country at 6:37 p.m. on Wednesday. There was no immediate explanation for the revised figures. ``Fortunately, we don't have tall buildings. Otherwise the death toll would have been much higher,'' a local official told Reuters. ``It was also relatively easy for rescue workers to reach trapped people quickly. We don't have any missing people.'' State radio said the earthquake's epicenter was in Tissalat mountains where Ain Temouchant is located. But the impact of the quake was still evident in the rubble and on the faces of many people wandering the streets of Ain Temouchant, a town with a population of 56,000, some 45 miles west of the Mediterranean city of Oran. Several expressed anger at what they saw as the government's slow response to deal with the disaster. ``Many buildings are completely demolished. I've lost my two sisters here,'' Abdelhadi Mohammed, 30, said pointing to the rubble of what used to be his home. ``But instead of rushing to our help, the authorities appear more concerned about the prisoners who escaped from jail.'' CONVICTS FLEE AS PARTS OF JAIL COLLAPSE Residents said many inmates fled after parts of the jail collapsed. At least three prisoners died under the rubble, they added. Energy officials have said the quake caused no damage to a major oil and gas export terminal and refinery at Arzew, just a few miles east of Oran. There had been no interruption at both facilities, the officials added. Arzew, one of Algeria's two main export terminals, also has a refinery with a processing capacity of 60,000 barrels a day. Algeria's western region has been hit by several earthquakes in the past, the deadliest of which was in 1980 when at least 2,590 people were killed in an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale. The quake devastated the Algerian town of El Asnam, leaving 330,000 people homeless. The town was subsequently rebuilt and renamed Chlef.

Earthquakes are terrifying and people dying or being injured or losing property is not a laughable matter, but Marcia, some of those headlines had me LOLing! Sorry. Had to tell.

The made me laugh, as well, and I do know how terrifying earthquakes can be. But some of these stories are amazing...Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.

My dear Marcia, I know you are enjoying your weekend, so I'll await your report on the quake in China...I heard on the news that fortunately there were not too many casualties.

Just peeking in here for a second before hitting the road with the relatives. Had no idea there was an EQ in China...More when I get home...and some sleep! Thanks for posting Lidya - you are a friend extraordinarie. Bless you! *hugs*

Apparently there were two tremors; the aftershock being stronger than the eq. I don't in which area it occurred. Perhaps when you have time you can show us a map?

What is wrong with my English tonight? Mayhap the weekend in the paternal home and the language of the cradle are corrupting my understanding of the lingua franca...

The earthquakes in Yunnan Province: 00/01/14 22:09:04 25.58N 101.15E 33.0 5.2Mb B YUNNAN, CHINA 00/01/14 23:37:08 25.60N 101.14E 33.0 5.9Ms A YUNNAN, CHINA

Great work dear!

Unfortunately I have not yet found an Earthquake map which updates automatically, but I have not given up on it most certainly. The hunt for just the right graphics for Geo is part of the fun!

Yes, I did...it is posted on EARTHQUAKE!!! Geo topic 26.

Ok, there is a smashing map of the fault lines in San Francisco Bay at this location http://www.sfbayquakes.org/ I would post it but at 178KB, it is far too big and slow. Enjoy! (courtesy of David's surfing for things needed at work.)

Nothing much happened in here since April --I don't believe it!!!! Earthquake hits Warwickshire, England The biggest seismic event in Britain for 10 years .... SEISMIC ALERT: WARWICK, WARWICKSHIRE 23 SEPTEMBER 2000 04:23 UTC 4.2 ML http://www.gsrg.nmh.ac.uk/alert_info.htm BGS have received many reports, from the Police, the media, the Emergency Planning Officer and residents in Cheadle (85 km to the north), Gloucester (65 km to the south), Peterborough (95 km to the east), Birmingham, Coventry, Warwick, Rugby, and Leamington Spa, of a felt event at 04:25 UTC this morning (23 September 2000). Felt reports describe "we were alarmed", "the bed moved", "the whole house shook", "we were woken from sleep" and "the whole building trembled". The BGS rapid-access networks detected an event at 04:23 UTC. The following preliminary information is available for this earthquake: DATE : 23 September 2000 ORIGIN TIME : 04:23 45.8sUTC LAT/LONG : 52.28o North / 1.61o West GRID REF : 426.5 kmE / 265.0 kmN DEPTH : 13.1 km MAGNITUDE : 4.2 ML INTENSITY : 5+ LOCALITY : Warwick, Warwickshire Historically, a similar earthquake occurred near Tewksbury, some 50 km to the south west with a magnitude of 4.1 in 1768. More recently, a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was felt at Stratford-upon-Avon in May 1994, 17 km to the south west. The largest earthquake within 100 km occurred at Bishops Castle near the Welsh border in April 1990, with a magnitude of 5.1 (almost 10 times the ground movement and 30 times the energy of the Warwick earthquake). It was felt over the whole of Wales, most of England and into Ireland and Scotland Here's the list from the British Geological Society of EArthquakes in the UK this month http://www.gsrg.nmh.ac.uk/recbrit.html YearMoDy HrMnSecs Lat Lon kmE kmN Dep Mag Locality Int 20000923 042345.8 52.28 -1.61 426.5 265.0 13.1 4.2 WARWICK,WARWICKSHIRE 5+ 20000921 073048.3 56.99 -5.47 189.0 794.2 6.4 1.2 LOCH NEVIS,HIGHLAND 20000915 035724.7 52.96 -4.36 241.3 342.6 23.3 0.7 LLEYN PENIN,GWYNEDD 20000914 214946.3 52.96 -4.36 241.3 342.7 22.6 0.7 LLEYN PENINSULA 20000912 014225.6 50.11 -5.18 172.6 28.0 7.2 -0.2 CONSTANTINE,CORNWALL 20000912 001419.5 54.63 -2.43 372.3 525.7 4.8 0.8 APPLEBY,CUMBRIA 20000911 032127.2 54.81 -3.59 297.9 547.6 3.6 1.0 SOLWAY FIRTH 20000910 065255.2 52.97 -4.41 238.3 343.8 22.0 0.4 LLEYN PENINSULA 20000906 002612.3 57.58 -5.49 191.7 860.3 5.2 0.6 TORRIDON,HIGHLAND 20000830 235340.7 56.20 -2.96 340.2 700.8 3.7 1.4 EXPL-LARGO BAY,FIFE 2+ 20000824 074921.1 55.39 -5.23 195.2 615.0 19.0 2.1 ARRAN,STRATHCLYDE 20000823 071515.2 53.06 -4.55 229.0 354.5 13.2 0.6 CAERNARVON BAY,GWYNEDD

What to do if you feel an earthquake in the UK Go to the British Geological Society site and fill in this form .... http://www.gsrg.nmh.ac.uk/hazard/quest.htm

Maggie, general earthquake lists are posted in Geo 26. This is the place for discussion of other bigger results. I post them regularly in 26 but thanks for posting here!!!

Oops!! sorry, missed that! (I get muddled without enough coffee in me!) Hey, 4.2 is MASSIVE for the UK!!!

You are very old rock...your plate boundary is pretty far from the 'dry land' and 4.2 for those not used to having the earth move under their feet under usual circumstances, it must have been frightening!

The 20th Century had it's share of damaging earth all around the globe and the Pacific Ring of Fire was no exception Below is an incomplete list of the DEADLIEST earthquakes experienced. Location Country Year Deaths Tangshan China 1976 650,000 Kansu China 1920 200,000 Tokyo Japan 1923 140,000 Kansu China 1932 70,000 * Peru 1970 67,000 * = Location unknown The next list is of the most POWERFUL earthquakes to occur during the 20th Century Location Country Year Magnitude Puerto Montt Chile 1960 9.5 P.W Sound USA 1964 9.2 * Chile 1906 8.6 Kansu China 1920 8.5 San Fr. USA 1906 8.3 The size of the 1960 and 1964 events are disputed but these figure I hear most frequently. Thanks, Rob

The 76 quake in China was devastating, almost a million people! It must have hit in a very heavily populated area. And Kansu China as two megaquakes within 12 years of each other.

On January 23 1855 an earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale ruptured the Wairarapa Fault east of Wellington causing massive uplift west of the fault across 20,000km2 of the lower North Island. Only 5 people were killed simply because the 500,000 people living in and around Wellington now were not there then. The earthquake raised the land that Wellington sits on now and also the land that the airport is sited on between Cook Strait and the harbour. With more than 3 active faults in or near Wellington it is a deadly guessing game figuring out which one will rupture next, though the most likely candidate is the Wellington Fault running a mere 700 metres from Parliament. This fault has classic sag ponds on it in the hills near Karori and those ponds are now reservoirs for the Wellington water supply system. Another dangerous faultline is the Ohariu Fault. Although this fault moves less frequently than the other two it is expected to produce an earthquake up to 7.5 on the Richter Scale. It crosses Porirua harbour giving it the disjointed look near the highway bridge and the North-South railway.

China never wanted outside help so they just let the people die. All of the mass devastation is just now being discovered. Truly tragic!!

The explanation on the varying magnitudes given for the greatest earthquakes is a matter of advancement in the science of calculating quake magnitudes. The reason we hear conflicting magnitudes is often because a seismologist is speaking through the press to the public in the terms they understand, as they are accustomed to Richter Magnitude, and most are unaware of the other scales that are now in use. You will often hear the press ask, "What was the Richter magnitude?" The seismologists simply ignore the "Richter", will not take the time to explain the various scales being used, and simply answer with the appropriate magnitude, no matter which scale was used to measure it. I understand their reason for doing this, but frequently find this factor irritating, as for example, when a seismologist had the chairman of our EPC confused and extremely hyper, as he was about to compare the 1857 Fort Tejon quake, not above Mw 8.0 (formerly given as ML 8.25), to the 1964 P. W. Sound megaquake of Mw 9.2, that he had seen a video of the destruction of! We are in no less danger where we live on the San Andreas Fault Zone, but that is due to a difference in our environment. For earthquakes up to, let's say, M 5.5, this isn't a problem, because the magnitudes given for quakes will not differ significantly, whichever scale is used. The different scales are each most useful within a given magnitude range. It becomes more significant above M 6.0, and greatly significant for great earthquakes. The EQ magnitude scale that was first introduced was the Richter scale in 1935. It is based on the logarithm of the peak amplitude recorded on a short period seismometer, corrected for distance. This scale, now called Local Magnitude (ML) was developed using local recordings of earthquakes in Southern California. In order to study earthquakes on a global scale, with recordings at great distances from the focus, it was necessary to develop other magnitude scales. These scales were calibrated to give numbers similar to the Local Magnitude, but since the waves being measured differ, the magnitudes may vary slightly. There are others, but these four are the most important to remember, as you will see them being use most frequently: (ML) Richter (Local) Magnitude - Essentially, Dr. Richter's scale, still quite useful for smaller local quakes, but not useful for quakes classed as "Great". (Ms) Surface Wave Magnitude - Formulated by Dr. Guttenberg to describe distant quakes with surface waves with a 20-second period. (Mb) Body Wave Magnitude - Formulated by Dr. Guttenberg, for waves that pass through the interior of the planet, and that have a shorter period. (Mw) Moment Magnitude - Formulated by K. Aki and Hiroo Kanamori, among others. It is the best representation of the largest earthquakes on the planet, as it takes much more into consideration. It is based on more than just the logarithm of the peak amplitude, corrected for distance. It combines a measurement of total energy release with the amplitude of the waves; and takes into account the surface area of the fault, the average displacement of the fault plane, and the rigidity of the material of the fault. This is the Seismic Moment, Mo, from which the Moment Magnitude is calculated. [You may also often see (Md) - duration magnitude, used on smaller events.] (thanks Yahoo Clubs and Sandi)

More from Sandi: I don't remember the source of this online quote: "A more systematic problem occurs for large earthquakes. The signals for earthquakes of different sizes are not simply scaled by some multiplicative factor. The shape of their frequency spectra changes because larger earthquakes have larger source dimensions and therefore longer source durations. If these durations are larger than the period at which the magnitude determination is made, then the number will be systematically too low. In the last decades, it has become common practice to analyze earthquakes by modeling the waveforms over a broad frequency range. This gives a more accurate number for the size of the earthquake (seismic moment) and the mechanism." If the moment tensor solution is not yet available, the magnitude for a significant quake, as reported by the USGS/NEIS is either a surface wave magnitude or a body wave magnitude. The reason the different scales are each most useful within a given magnitude range, is because they become saturated at a certain magnitude, and fail to measure any magnitude above the magnitude they become saturated at. The 1960 Chile and the 1964 Alaska quakes were so enormous that they saturated the traditional magnitude scale. With the introduction of the Moment Magnitude Scale, they were revised upward to Mw 9.5 and Mw 9.2, respectively. These are the appropriate magnitude for these events. The 1906 San Francisco quake was also revised downward, from the traditional M 8.25 - M 8.3 to Mw 7.7. I have formerly seen an Ms 7.9 for this event, but the Moment Magnitude is the best measurement. I don't have information on the Moment Magnitude of these other two quakes you mentioned; Chile 1906 8.6 Kansu China 1920 8.5 This a good site that discusses the magnitude of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. http://www-socal.wr.usgs.gov/wald/1906/1906.html

Thank you, Rob The Alpine Fault is the largest faultline in New Zealand, running a distance of 550km from the entrance to Milford Sound in the south to the Pacific coast north east of Blenheim. Geological records and samples of fallen vegetation suggest that the last earthquake to occur on it was in 1720 and prior to that it had moved at least 3 times. Each earthquake had a magnitude of roughly 8 and a gap of 140-260 years existed between individual events. Because of its location this fault is a particularly severe threat to Wellington and Christchurch both of which are less than 150km away. The time is now due for a damaging event to occur on this fault which has several branches running north of Kaikoura. The Hope Fault runs through the Hope river valley near Hanmer which is famous for it's hotpools supplied by hot springs on the fault. It moved in 1888 and damaged the Cathedral in Christchurch with a magnitude 7.0-7.3 event (no one has given a definite figure). Further north a fault runs through the Clarence valley, and although it has not moved in recent times it is judged as active. Through the Awatere valley you have a fault crossing farmland and entering the sea just north of the Awatere river mouth. It is also active. The northern-most fault is the most dangerous. It is the Alpine Fault and it runs within 7km of Blenheim (Population 25,000)and dominates the geology of the Wairau River valley, along whose length it runs almost the entire distance.

Is New Zealand a fairly recent land mass? What I mean is relation to the age of the continents, such as Iceland is a recent land mass in relation to the ages of the continents. (I hope I got that out right?)

It is more about plate tectonics. New Zealand is astride the Pacific Ring of Fire. The plate is subducting there - It goes BOOM!!! Iceland is astride the Mid-Atl;antic Ridge where it is expanding, the lavas as very fluid like Hawaii's are, and it just flows with a few fountains. Iceland is much newer since it is new lava.

Thanks Marcia.