Powerful quake hits Mexico's Baja California

[Scott Yockel]

A powerful magnitude 6.9 quake struck off Mexico's Baja California on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.6, was centered in the Gulf of California, 65 miles south of Los Mochis in the state of Sinaloa on the mainland. It was very shallow, just 6.2 miles below the seabed.

Hotels and public buildings in the cities of Guasave, and Los Mochis and Culiacan were evacuated, Telemundo in Los Angeles reported. Some damage was reported in Los Mochis, but its extent was unclear.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The Pacific Tsunami center said the quake had not triggered a tsunami but could cause local waves.

Alberto Montoya Rodriguez, who runs the losmochis.com website from his home in Ahome, north of the city, said it seemed to shake for more than a minute, sending him and his neighbors into the streets.

"There was a lot a panic," he said, but there was no damage beyond "just a big scare."

Alejandra Cruz, a worker who answered the telephone at the Best Western Hotel in Los Mochis, said employees and guests were evacuated but returned to the building shortly after.

"We had customers in the restaurant that took to the streets," added Sujey Becerra, an employee of Las Fuentes Los Mochis, another hotel in the city.

The same region was hit by three moderately powerful earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 5.5 to 5.8 Tuesday night and early Wednesday, but they caused no
known damage.

Enjoy the next 2 years!

[Dustin C.]

Enjoy the next 2 years!

lol! the end is near!

[Scott Yockel]

A powerful earthquake hit off western Indonesia late Monday, briefly triggering a tsunami warning that sent thousands of panicked residents fleeing to high ground. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The 7.5-magnitude temblor struck at a depth of 9 miles off Sumatra island, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.


msnbc.com Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency initially issued a tsunami warning, but ended it a short while later.

At least five towns in the provinces of Bengkulu and West Sumatra were badly jolted, officials and witnesses said, as were the nearby Mentawai islands.

"Every was running out of their houses," said Sofyan Alawi, a resident in the city of Padang, adding that roads leading to surrounding hills were quickly jammed with cars and motorcycles.

"We kept looking back to see if a wave was coming," said 28-year-old resident Ade Syahputra.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties after the 9:42 p.m. (10:42 a.m. ET) quake, said Ade Edward, a disaster management agency official, adding that the area was still on alert for aftershocks.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.

The city of Padang was badly shaken one year ago by a 7.6-magnitude quake that killed at least 700 people and flattened or severely damaged 180,000 buildings.

Related content Powerful earthquakes hit near Indonesia Death toll in Indonesia earthquake hits 531 New Zealand quake rips new fault in earth Chile earthquake may have shortened days Haiti raises quake death toll to 230,000 The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had said historical data suggested any wave the quake created would not be destructive, but did warn of local problems and the potential danger from strong or unusual coastal currents.

The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.

Story: Indonesia warns volcano could erupt at any time
In December 2004, a tsunami caused by an earthquake of more than 9 magnitude off Sumatra killed more than 226,000 people. It was the deadliest tsunami on record.

The earthquake that hit Chile earlier this year had a magnitude of 8.8 and was strong enough that scientists said it may have changed the Earth's rotation , slightly shortening the length of a day.

[Tim Elliott]

My favourite quake map.

http://www.iris.edu/seismon/