More Earthquakes shake Dominican Republic.
19 January 2012
From the USGS.
Santo Domingo-
Two earthquakes were felt in the Dominican Republic in the last few hours, one with a magnitude 5.0 and the other 3.0, according to the US Geodetic Survey.
Earthquake Location
Magnitude 5 MONA PASSAGE
2012 January 19 06:28:20 UTC
Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
The epicenter of the 5.0 tremor -which the State Univerity UASD Seismology Institute rated at 4.8, was located in the Mona Passage and south of Saona Island, around 47 kilometers from La Romana, but felt in the entire eastern region, while the milder quake was felt in the Northwest province of Valverde.
DETAILS FROM THE US GEODETIC SURVEY:
Magnitude 5.0
Date-Time Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 06:28:20 UTC
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 02:28:20 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquakes in other Time Zones
Location 18.052°N, 68.762°W
Depth 82.6 km (51.3 miles)
Region DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
Distances 47 km (30 miles) SSE (152°) from La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic
63 km (39 miles) S (185°) from Higüey, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic
74 km (46 miles) SE (128°) from San Pedro de Macorís, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
135 km (84 miles) ESE (111°) from SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic.
Dominican Today
Getting a little too close for comfort guys, pray for us please. Here is a message I received from someone on the East Coast, (I live on the North Coast);
Quote:
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I live in Las Terrenas and my bed started doing this odd slow shaking, swaying. At the same time I heard my jewelry rattling and two dogs started barking. I was in such a deep sleep though it was a very cloudy passing thought, "Is this an earthquake?" I just pray I will be more alert next time. haha On a serious note, 3 small but noticeable earthquakes in the last month..............
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I moved inland 3 years ago, from ocean front, the sea was frightening enough during Tropical Storm season.
Earthquake experts are warning that the devastating quake that struck Haiti on Jan 2010 could be the first of several in the region. (The D.R. -my home is on an island attached to Haiti.) They say historical records suggest that not all the energy that has built up in the faults running through the Caribbean region was released in this week's tragedy.
Their fear is that enough energy remains in the fault system to trigger another earthquake of the same scale as Tuesday's and a larger one (8) has been predicted to hit Santiago (About an hour's drive from me).
The last time Haiti was struck by earthquakes of this scale was in 1751 and 1770, when three large earthquakes hit within the space of 20 years. They ruptured the same fault segment as the one that slipped on Tuesday, as well as segments lying further to the east, in Haiti and the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
"Last time round there was a sequence of earthquakes," says Uri ten Brink, an expert on earthquakes in the region from the US Geological Survey in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. "I'm worried, as we might expect the eastern side of the fault to rupture next."
McGuire released a report warning of this danger in 2008. Along with the entire Caribbean, Central America, the Gulf coast of the US and the north coast of South America would be at risk from such a tsunami.
In particular, geological measurements indicate that stress is building in the section of submarine fault between easternmost Dominican Republic and the island of Guadeloupe. Large earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 to 9.0 could rupture the entire 1000-kilometre length of the fault, McGuire and his colleagues wrote in their report.
From the amount of energy being accumulated by subduction, McGuire and his colleagues estimate that undersea thrust earthquakes could recur every 2000 years or so.
Unfortunately, high rates of natural erosion in the region have long since wiped away the geological signs of the last earthquake along this submarine fault. We know from historical records that there has not been a quake along the fault in 500 years
"We don't want to scaremonger, but much larger quakes, of magnitude 8 or more, have occurred in this region and will do so again," says McGuire. "Where they are submarine they will present a major tsunami threat, especially as this is such a small area compared with the Indian Ocean."
If something horrible happens, no amount of precautions will prevent disaster. Pity this land and the people on it guys, if it does occur.
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 06:28:19 UTC
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 02:28:19 Local
18.23°N 68.74°W
Depth: 98km
On the Northside of the map above you will see Puerto Plata, I live 15 minutes away from there.
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