Category Archives: tectonics

The humbling legacy of the Tohoku earthquake

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Chris Rowan

A year ago on Sunday, one of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded ruptured the subduction megathrust that dips beneath the east coast of Japan. The rupture displaced the seafloor by tens of metres and generated tsunami waves up to 20 … Continue reading →

Categories: earthquakes, geohazards, tectonics

Friday(ish) Focal Mechanism: a kinky slab beneath Mexico

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Chris Rowan

A quick look this week at the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that shook southern Mexico last Sunday. It caused a fair amount of shaking in Mexico City, and a few deaths, but apparently no major structural damage. The depth of the … Continue reading →

Categories: earthquakes, focal mechanisms, tectonics

The Oklahoma Earthquakes

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Chris Rowan

There was some slight seismic excitement over the weekend in central Oklahoma: a magnitude 4.7 earthquake shook things up early on Saturday morning, which turned out to be the prelude to magnitude 5.6 tremor late Saturday evening. The focal mechanisms … Continue reading →

Categories: earthquakes, focal mechanisms, tectonics

M 7.2 earthquake near Van, eastern Turkey

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Chris Rowan

Earlier this morning, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit near the city of Van on the eastern border of Turkey. The BBC reports that at least 45 people have died as buildings collapsed close to the rupture. The most well-known seismic … Continue reading →

Categories: earthquakes, focal mechanisms, geohazards, tectonics