RED SEISMIC BEACON Bryce Booleans Art An earthquake (also known as a tremor or temblor) is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph. The moment magnitude (or the related and mostly obsolete Richter magnitude) of an earthquake is conventionally reported, with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity. In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event — whether a natural phenomenon or an event caused by humans — that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The term epicenter refers to the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter. Earthquakes Worldwide in the Last 30 Days = 307 2010 January 03 22:36:30 UTC Magnitude 7.2 - SOLOMON ISLANDS The Solomon Islands earthquake of January 3, 2010, likely occurred at the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates, where the Australian plate subducts beneath the Pacific towards the northeast at a rate of approximately 95 mm/yr. The mechanism of the January 3rd earthquake is consistent with its occurrence in relation to underthrusting of the Australia plate beneath the Pacific plate, as part of this subduction process. 2009 November 17 15:30:46 UTC Magnitude 6.6 - QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck in the Queen Charlotte Islands region off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. local time (1530 GMT). The quake was centered 250 km (155 miles) southwest of Prince Rupert, BC Plate Tectonics INFORMATION LIVE SEISMIC MONITOR Thanks Magik