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excerpt - MOSCOW, Aug 27 (Reuters) - An intense earthquake measuring nine on the Richter scale hit the Lake Baikal area of eastern Siberia on Wednesday, triggering reports of panic, but there were no casualties or major damage, officials said. ~ snip ~

Excerpt - JAKARTA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A strong undersea earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck off Indonesia's Java island on Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning, a meteorological agency official said

Excerpt - ALMATY, Aug 22 (Reuters) - A strong earthquake jolted the Uzbek capital Tashkent on Friday, a witness said. ~ snip ~

Second China quake in same area kills 3 and injures hundreds 57 minutes ago A second earthquake in two days in the same county of southwest China killed at least three people, injured more than 100 and prompted the evacuation of over 120,000, state media reported on Friday. The two quakes jolted western Yunnan province, south of mountainous Sichuan where a devastating quake on May 12 killed at least 70,000 people.

The New York City area is at "substantially greater" risk of earthquakes than previously thought, scientists said Thursday. Damage could range from minor to major, with a rare but potentially powerful event killing people and costing billions of dollars in damage. A pattern of subtle but active faults is known to exist in the region, and now new faults have been found. The scientists say that among other things, the Indian Point nuclear power plants, 24 miles north of the city, sit astride the previously unidentified intersection of two active seismic zones. The findings are detailed in the Bulletin of...

Palisades, N.Y., August 21, 2008--A study by a group of prominent seismologists suggests that a pattern of subtle but active faults makes the risk of earthquakes to the New York City area substantially greater than formerly believed. Among other things, they say that the controversial Indian Point nuclear power plants, 24 miles north of the city, sit astride the previously unidentified intersection of two active seismic zones. The paper appears in the current issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America at http://www.bssaonline.org/cgi/reprint/98/4/1696. Many faults and a few mostly modest quakes have long been known around New York...

China: Rebuilding quake zone to cost $147B Story Highlights About 3,400 primary schools to be rebuilt in quake zone, China says Agency report recommends job creation for a million people May 12 quake killed nearly 70,000 people; another 18,000 remain missing BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Rebuilding China's earthquake-devastated areas is expected to cost $147 billion, a government report released this week said. The blueprint for reconstruction comes from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which calls for about 3,400 primary schools to be rebuilt in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, state media reported. The safety at another 2,600 needs...

In my new job I have just been handed the task of putting together a disaster readiness plan that addresses everything from building evacuation, first aid, logistics, and everything else. I got the job because for my sins, I am the only veteran in the company, and I was just a squid. If anyone else out there has experience in this sort of thing, I would appreciate some help. I have to have something on paper by 0900 tomorrow morning. The good news is I have (within reason) a blank check as to how to put it together and purchasing...

Excerpt - WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A potentially destructive 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan, China, at 0949 GMT on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. ~ snip ~

SHANGHAI -- A man who posted pictures on the Internet of schools that collapsed in May's massive earthquake in southwest China has been sent to a labor camp for a year, a human-rights group said, as Chinese authorities move to stifle allegations that shoddy construction exacerbated the disaster's death toll. The man, a local school employee named Liu Shaokun, was detained in late June for allegedly "seriously disturbing social order" and disrupting post-quake reconstruction efforts, according to a report in a local government-run newspaper. Human Rights in China, a New York-based advocacy group, said Mr. Liu's wife was told last...

"Whenever we have a little earthquake or something happens, it always reminds us to remind our citizens - are you prepared?" ... Smith said the city's No. 1 priority is the safety of its citizens. He urged residents to consider "what if" scenarios in order to prepare for a disaster. ... "I'll tell you what: When you're thinking about those three things when the building starts to shake, it's too late. Because if you're not prepared before then, you won't be prepared for the catastrophe that you may be facing," he said. Metro said dealing with a catastrophic event has...

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolts China quake area Chengudu, Aug 1 : A fresh earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit southwest China's Sichuan province at 4.32 p.m. Friday, according to the country's Earthquake Networks Centre. The epicentre was located at an area between Pingwu county and Beichuan county, Mianyang city. A slight tremor was felt in the provincial capital Chengdu, the centre reported. The seismological department earlier reported that an earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale struck Wenchuan county in the province at 10:41 a.m. Friday, Wenchuan was the epicentre of the deadly May 12 earthquake which killed...

Video of Quake During Taping of Judge Judy An earthquake halted the filming of many television programmes in LA. Even the usually unflappable Judge Judy lost her cool as tremors interrupted her show. The earthquake measured 5.4 on the Ritcher scale.

First Hour: Brigadier General Amy S. Courter comments on the possibility that Steve Fossett faked his death. Then, geologist Jim Berkland talks about today's quake in So. Cal. LISTEN ONLINE ON KFI IN LOS ANGELES - 10 P.M.Bio Geologist Jim Berkland was suspended from a California Government Geology Job when he made a prediction that a major quake would occur during the 1989 World Series in the Oakland Bay Area. It hit and the government told him to not make any more predictions. Now that he is retired, he publicly states quake windows. Mr. Berkland uses tidal flooding tables based...

From the CNN transcript........ There's going to be some damage, but not nearly as significant as a more significant earthquake would have caused.

An earthquake is now rocking the Southern California area. (I'm near Dodger Stadium)As I post this, the USGS has not yet determined the epicenter so click on the link above for the exact location and magnitude from the USGS. Here are the maps for California and Los Angeles: California: Los Angeles: Here's the historical review of the last seven days:

Will have to check USGS for the figures, but we had one "H" of a hit just at 11:42 AM, minutes ago. This place jumped, banged, and shook for unestimatable amount of time. Gotta go clean up. Heart still racing.

There was just an earthquake in the Glendale/Los Angeles area. It lasted for at least ten seconds. It make my monitor shake on my desk. More to follow I'm sure...

Anyone?

Magnitude 6.4 - KURIL ISLANDS 2008 July 24 01:43:17 UTC Earthquake Details Magnitude 6.4 Date-Time * Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 01:43:17 UTC * Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 01:43:17 PM at epicenter * Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones Location 50.967°N, 157.559°E Depth 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program Region KURIL ISLANDS Distances 105 km (65 miles) ENE of Severo-Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, Russia 240 km (150 miles) SSW of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia 2220 km (1380 miles) NE of TOKYO, Japan 6960 km (4320 miles) NE of MOSCOW, Russia Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 9.3 km (5.8 miles);...

Magnitude-5.6 aftershock hits area between Shaanxi, Sichuan BEIJING - A MAGNITUDE-5.6 aftershock jolted the area between Ningqiang County, Shaanxi Province and Qingchuan County, Sichuan Province at 3.54am on Thursday, the China Earthquake Administration said. The epicenter was at 32.8 degrees north latitude and 105.6 degrees east longitude, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earthquake Strikes Japan's Main Island, Injuring 76 People By VOA News 23 July 2008 A strong earthquake has struck northern Japan, injuring at least 76 people, nine of them seriously, in an area hit by a deadly tremor last month. The magnitude 6.8 quake shook the northern part of Japan's main Honshu island after midnight on Thursday (12:26am Japan time/15:26 UTC Wednesday) as most people were sleeping. Its epicenter was off the coast of Iwate prefecture at a depth of more than 100 kilometers. Japanese officials say many of the injured were hurt in falls or suffered cuts from...

<p>Nothing but a headline at this point, but that's a big quake ...</p>

<p>A strong earthquake struck off Japan's eastern coast Saturday, shaking buildings and prompting a tsunami warning, witnesses and meteorological agencies said.</p> <p>There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage after the 6.6 magnitude quake, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.</p> <p>The U.S. Geological Survey put the strength of the initial temblor at 7.0 and said it was followed by a 5.3 aftershock.</p>

Japan has issued a tsunami warning in northeast Japan after an earthquake measuring 7.0 in magnitude struck off the coast of the main island of Honshu. There are no initial reports of damage from the quake. The epicentre was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, the same area as a June 14 quake which killed at least 10 and left as many again missing. Alerts are in place for Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

A high-level Chinese military source secretly disclosed last week that the recent earthquake in Sichuan Province caused a chain-reaction of explosions in the Sichuan mountain areas. The explosions destroyed Chinese army's largest armory, new weapon test bases and part of nuclear facilities including several nuclear warheads. This information is considered China's top military secret.

A high-level Chinese military source secretly disclosed last week that the recent earthquake in Sichuan Province caused a chain-reaction of explosions in the Sichuan mountain areas. The explosions destroyed Chinese army's largest armory, new weapon test bases and part of nuclear facilities including several nuclear warheads. This information is considered China's top military secret. After the earthquake, Chinese authorities had ignored the disaster victim's initial calls for help. Only after the first critical 72 hours had passed did the authorities allow international aid to be delivered to the disaster region. Military analysts believe that this delay occurred because Mianyang City...

Pre-quake changes seen in rocks The San Andreas Fault extends almost the full length of California Scientists have made an important advance in their efforts to predict earthquakes, the journal Nature says. A team of US researchers has detected stress-induced changes in rocks that occurred hours before two small tremors in California's San Andreas Fault. The observations used sensors lowered down holes drilled into the quake zone. The team says we are a long way from routine tremor forecasts but the latest findings hold out hope that such services might be possible one day. "If you had 10 hours'...

he giant earthquake that devastated China's Sichuan region in May, killing more than 70,000 people, worsened geological stresses on important faults in the area, U.S. geologists said on Sunday. These stresses are likely to lead to large aftershocks, some greater than 150 miles (240 km) away, they reported in the journal Nature.

MOSCOW (AFP)--A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 hit the region of the Sea of Okhotsk early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but no casualties were reported. The epicenter of the quake, at a depth of 605 kilometers, was said to be 384 kilometers west-northwest of the Russian far eastern city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. It occurred at 0212 GMT, the USGS said. No casualties, damage or threat of tsunami was reported, Russian emergency situations ministry officials in Kamchatka said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. However, tremors were felt in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, forcing people to briefly leave their homes.

Major quake hits region of Okhotsk Sea 13 minutes ago A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 hit the region of the Sea of Okhotsk early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but no casualties were reported. The epicentre of the quake, at a depth of 605 kilometres, was said to be 384 kilometres (239 miles) west-northwest of the Russian far eastern city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. It occurred at 0212 GMT, the USGS said

It's only a drill - but the earthquake-simulation plan set for November will illustrate a frightening event that would rock our world if it becomes a reality. The ShakeOut Scenario calls for a 7.8 Southern California earthquake that would "kill 1,800 people, injure 50,000, cause $200 billion in damage, and have long-lasting social and economic consequences," according to a U.S. Geological Survey news release. Science predicts the strongest shaking and greatest damage from such a quake would occur near the stretch of the San Andreas Fault that extends through the fastest growing areas of Southern California - including the Coachella...

See my translation below

My initial reaction to these strong anti-corruption measures by the CCP is “Hats off to Beijing!” It would appear that the CCP is taking these widespread allegations, which have existed from almost Day 1, very seriously. My second reaction, however, is a little more cautious. It is incredible to me that the Chinese government was able to investigate over 1000 allegations of corruptions in less than 2 months. Such a process would have taken at least 6 months if not a entire year to be completed in the United States. Hopefully, in its new found zeal to fight corruption in...

Hero porker survives 36 days in China quake rubble Mon Jun 23, 12:31 PM ET A pig that survived for 36 days buried beneath rubble in quake-hit southwest China on a diet of charcoal has been hailed as a symbol of the will to stay alive, state press reported Monday. The pig, who weighed nearly 150 kilograms (330 pounds) at the time of the magnitude-8.0 earthquake on May 12, had lost two thirds of its weight when found last week, the Chongqing Evening Post said. "It didn't look like a pig at all when it was saved. It was as...

The enormous steel ball you see in the photos (and the incredible video below) is the world’s largest ‘tuned mass damper’ and sits near the top of the world’s largest completed skyscraper on earth, taipei 101 in taiwan. the idea behind a tuned mass damper is quite simple: as a building sways (resulting from high winds, earthquakes etc), its tuned mass damper, essentially a finely tuned and ridiculously heavy pendulum, will move in opposition to the structure’s oscillations and minimise any movement. if that makes no sense, watch the crude gif below. due to both the immense size of taipei...

Thursday, June 12, 2008 China keeps secret the quake damage to radioactive facilities China is keeping a tight lid on the extent of damage caused by the recent earthquake to military radioactive sources. The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported May 30 that Chinese authorities only announced some damage to sources of nuclear radiation, including small facilities like cement plants. “Because Sichuan is the most important area for China's military nuclear industries and nuclear research, if those sources of radioactivity were to be damaged, they could cause further harm hundreds of thousands of times greater than...

We just had a very strong earthquake which fiercely rocked and rolled the main Island of Honshu in Japan. TV broke with news on all channels IN ADVANCE OF EARTHQUAKE, warning people to "get ready". 8:43 a.m. local time Saturday (just about 10 minutes ago). 7:43 p.m. Friday Eastern Time. Then, sure enough, the long, rolling shaking began, and increased in intensity. I estimate the shaking to have gone on for at least 45 seconds. It hit here at 8:45 a.m. It literally gave us 2 minutes to prepare. I have never experienced an advance earthquake warning. The epicenter is...

Even if Yao Ming had never donated a single jiao to the earthquake effort, the resentment that Chinese people have had for him is largely unjustified. First, it was not China that elevated Yao Ming to his current stardom in the United States. It was his own ’blood and sweat’ that made him into a star. If anything, China has created problems for Yao Ming’s career including a host of CBA regulatory obstacles. Second, Yao Ming has done much more for his country than many Chinese people care to admit or perhaps even know about. He has been involved in...

I'm a Chinese and live in Beijing. You may heard about a massive earthquake stroke Sichuan province last month. In this natural disaster, one my fellow people, exactly a teacher, ran before his students and declared his view of personal liberty and freedom regardless his teacher indentity. His allegation has triggered a extensive discussion on humanity and teacher, as a publice servant,responsibility. I know that personal liberty is well developed and protected in US. But, and the same time, US is a country regarding public responsibility especially for those paid by the taxpayers to do their civil job. I came...

Religious Boom in China after Quake JUNE 10, 2008 08:31 As religious gatherings for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake are being held in large scales, the Chinese Communist Party is worrying about a possible explosive increase in religious population. The party is tolerating such religious events in consideration of public sentiment for now, but is known to be jittery about the possibility of uncontrollable trouble. â–½ Worships and Buddhist service for earthquake victims The Buddhist Association of China held a large-scale service for those who were killed or displaced by the earthquake on May 14, two days after the...

Interview by Wang Yongchen On May 27, 2008, one of China’s most celebrated radio journalists and founder of the environmental organization, Green Earth Volunteers, Wang Yongchen interviewed Fan Xiao, chief engineer of the Regional Geology Investigation Team of the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau about the possibility that the Zipingpu dam induced China’s deadly May 12 earthquake. Wang Yongchen: Now, two weeks after the powerful Wenchuan earthquake, what are your thoughts? Fan Xiao: This earthquake was a Richter scale magnitude 8 and, strictly speaking, it is very unusual for this area. The historic records show that the highest recorded earthquake...

These regulations, like many others that are handed down from Beijing, are important and well-intentioned. However, also not unlike many policies established in the Chinese capital city, these new regulations will be difficult to enforce. In the following months, there will be a reconstruction frenzy as local governments rush to build new housing and revive the tourist industry in Sichuan. Unless Beijing can muster enough resources to ‘breath down the back’ of local contractors and government officials during the reconstruction phase, there is little doubt that time and money, not safe construction standards, will be the top priority. This has...

In an act of moral foolhardiness, Fan Meizhong set out on a blog his guiding principle: in matters of life and death, it's every man for himself. When the quake struck, rather than overseeing an orderly evacuation, he said he just shouted "Stay calm, it's an earthquake!" and ran for it without looking back to see if his pupils were following. "I ran towards the stairs so fast that I stumbled and fell as I went. When I reached the centre of the football pitch, I found I was the first to escape. None of my pupils was with me,"...

China's Netizens Aid Earthquake ReliefChristopher Thomas   06.03.08, 3:30 AM ET A few hours after the devastating earthquake on May 12, a People's Liberation Army rescue helicopter landed on a hillside field near Wenchuan, the epicenter of the earthquake. It was one of the first to arrive as rescue teams made their way to the remote site.The landing site was not chosen from military maps or guided by emergency response teams. Instead, the site was determined from an instant message posted on popular local messaging services Baidu Post Bar and QQ. The poster, a Wenchuan native, gave the location...

FOR three days last month, China’s national flag flew at half-staff in Tiananmen Square to honor the victims of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan. It was the first time in memory that China has publicly commemorated the deaths of ordinary civilians. Crowds were allowed to gather in the square to express sympathy for their compatriots. Despite a death toll that has risen to nearly 70,000, the earthquake has shaken the nation back to life. The Chinese people have rushed to donate blood and money and join the rescue efforts. They have rediscovered their civic responsibility and compassion. Their grief, shock...

Police officers surrounded more than 100 parents protesting Tuesday against shoddy school construction that they say resulted in the deaths of thousands of children during the recent earthquake here. The police dragged away several crying mothers and harassed journalists trying to report on the event, according to witnesses and photos of the protest. The standoff between the parents, many carrying framed photos of their children, and the officers, dressed in black uniforms, lasted for several hours and ended with the parents walking off feeling both intimidated and frustrated, said those involved in the protest. "Because so many police surrounded us,...

An unnamed expert believes that a nuclear explosion caused the recent 8.0 magnitude Sichuan earthquake in China, where three weeks after the catastrophe the death toll has reached 69,000 plus. Overseas Chinese website Boxun News reported that the expert confirmed there was a nuclear explosion near the epicenter, based on witness reports and the discovery of concrete rubble believed to have come from an underground military installation.

Why China's next earthquake might be political The “c” in China has always stood for catastrophe. Whether it has been those of nature, man-made political disasters, or a combination of both, no other civilized society has suffered more down through the centuries than the ancient Chinese polity. That was true in the old, dynastic, traditional China, captured in the melodrama of Pearl S. Buck’s novels which despite their lack of sophistication were a representation of what “the real China” was like. In our own time, the chaos, destruction and loss of life during the two-decade long Japanese invasion and Occupation...

Fatal Mine Collapse Covered 50 Acres ScienceDaily (Jun. 3, 2008) — New calculations show that the deadly Crandall Canyon mine collapse -- which registered as a magnitude-3.9 earthquake -- began near where miners were excavating coal and quickly grew to a 50-acre cave-in, University of Utah seismologists say in a report on the tragedy. The University of Utah Seismograph Stations estimated the size of the collapse is about four times larger than was thought shortly after the time of the Aug. 6, 2007, disaster that resulted in the deaths of six miners and, 10 days later, three rescuers. The seismologists'...