USGS reports 7.5 magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian coast

[marzipanni]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian coast on Sunday, 86 miles northwest of Gorontalo, Sulawesi, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake was 13 miles deep and took place at 12:02 p.m. EST (1702 GMT), which was 1:02 a.m. local time on Monday, the USGS said. The USGS revised its first report of 7.8 magnitude and depth of 20.5 miles.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, editing by Jackie Frank)

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4AF1TA20081116

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On the radio it was mentioned that a tsunami warning was announced.

[aquart]

1. Any time for when it would strike if it's happening?

[marzipanni]

3. Not yet, there was a news break on the radio so I turned on the computer to check

for more info.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

2. k&r

[uppityperson]

4. Link to usgs info on quake (searching for tsunami warning info)

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/last_event/world_indonesia.html

[uppityperson]

5. Link, statements....No threat to Hawaii, looking for more...

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2008/pacific.2008.11.16.171237.txt
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1713Z 16 NOV 2008

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

... TSUNAMI INFORMATION BULLETIN ...

THIS BULLETIN IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME - 1703Z 16 NOV 2008
COORDINATES - 1.2 NORTH 122.2 EAST
DEPTH - 40 KM
LOCATION - MINAHASSA PENINSULA SULAWESI
MAGNITUDE - 7.6

EVALUATION

THIS EARTHQUAKE IS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE PACIFIC. NO TSUNAMI THREAT
EXISTS TO COASTLINES IN THE PACIFIC.

WARNING... THIS EARTHQUAKE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE A
DESTRUCTIVE REGIONAL TSUNAMI ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A
THOUSAND KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES
IN THAT REGION SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE
IMMEDIATE ACTION TO EVACUATE COASTAL AREAS.

THIS CENTER MONITORS ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF SEA LEVEL GAUGES
OUTSIDE THE PACIFIC SO IT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO QUICKLY DETECT OR
MEASURE A TSUNAMI IF ONE WAS GENERATED. AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME
THE DANGER HAS PASSED IF NO TSUNAMI WAVES ARE OBSERVED IN THE
REGION NEAR THE EPICENTER WITHIN THREE HOURS OF THE EARTHQUAKE.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ALSO ISSUE TSUNAMI MESSAGES
FOR THIS EVENT TO COUNTRIES IN THE NORTHWEST PACIFIC AND SOUTH
CHINA SEA REGION. IN CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION... THE
MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS
FOR ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...WASHINGTON...OREGON...CALIFORNIA.






http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/hawaii/2008/hawaii.2008.11.16.171349.txt
SUBJECT - TSUNAMI INFORMATION

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME - 0703 AM HST 16 NOV 2008
COORDINATES - 1.2 NORTH 122.2 EAST
LOCATION - MINAHASSA PENINSULA SULAWESI
MAGNITUDE - 7.6 MOMENT

EVALUATION

BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS
NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII. REPEAT. A
DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO
TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.

[uppityperson]

6. Article, also article on New Warning System, launched last wk but not complete...

http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSJAK331430._CH_.2400
JAKARTA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Indonesia issued a tsunami warning after a strong earthquake struck in the area of northern Sulawesi, the country's meteorological agency said via a telephone text message on Monday.

The quake had magnitude of 7.7 and struck in the Gorontalo area of Sulawesi island at a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the agency said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/11/indonesia-tsunami-warning-system
Indonesia launches tsunami warning system
Early warning system aims to avoid a repeat of the devastating disaster that hit the country in 2004, killing 168,000 people

ndonesia today launched a sophisticated new tsunami warning system designed to give coastal residents enough time to flee or seek shelter from an impending tidal wave.

The national system aims to protect the inhabitants of the archipelago's vast coast and prevent a deadly repeat of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 168,000 people in Indonesia alone.

But even as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inaugurated the system in Jakarta, officials conceded it would be several years yet before it is fully complete and the whole coastline protected.

In particular, deep-sea warning buoys have yet to be installed around Bali, Flores and northern Sumatra — which includes Aceh where most lost their lives in the tsunami — with the result that there could be delays in predicting a tsunami and issuing warnings.

[marzipanni]

7. It was a couple of minutes after midnight there when it happened. n/t

[phusion]

8. always seems to happen when

everyone is asleep, doesn't it?

[marzipanni]

10. Oops, original post, Reuters report said 1:02 local time, another report said 12:02.

Yes, earthquakes do seem happen frequently while everyone is sleeping. My husband's grandmother rolled across the floor in her bed during the 1906 San Francisco quake, though she lived `70 miles north of S.F..

[Ian David]

13. IIRC, most earthquakes happen around sunrise local time.

I think I remember hearing that someplace.

But I don't remember if it was a credible source, or if I even remember it correctly.

Anyway, it was either earthquakes or heart attacks or both.

[Drum]

9. Thank you for posting this.

I looked on Wiki for info on the magnitudes of quakes (I can never remember, except that 5+ are biggies.)

This might be helpful:
Richter magnitude scale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale

Less than 2.0 (Micro) Microearthquakes, not felt.
2.0-2.9 (Minor) Generally not felt, but recorded.
3.0-3.9 Often felt, but rarely causes damage.
4.0-4.9 (Light ) Noticeable shaking of indoor items, significant damage unlikely.
5.0-5.9 (Moderate) Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. At most slight damage to well-designed buildings.
6.0-6.9 (Strong) Can be destructive in areas up to about 160 kilometres (100 mi) across in populated areas.
7.0-7.9 (Major) Can cause serious damage over larger areas.
8.0-8.9 (Great) Can cause serious damage in areas several hundred miles across.
9.0-9.9 Devastating in areas several thousand miles across.
10.0+ (Epic) Never recorded; see below for equivalent seismic energy yield.

[Ian David]

11. Excellent time to invite your Republican neighbors to go surfing in California today!

Free Mormon Baptisms on Silver Strand!

[marzipanni]

12. I belong to the Church of the Holy Donut

Dunk, don't drown. :hi: