Saturday, September 23, 2017

Magnitude 5.7 Quake Strikes N California Coast, Death Toll In Mexico Reaches 305




Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes off N. California coast




A shallow magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck beneath the Pacific Ocean off the Northern California coast Friday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
No tsunami warnings were issued for the coast, according to the National Weather Service. Tsunamis are not expected because the quake was not strong enough to create any, the weather service said. 
The temblor occurred at 12:50 p.m. at a depth of 2.5 miles, according to the USGS. Its epicenter was roughly 122 miles west of the historic village of Ferndale on California's Lost Coast.
There were few indications on social media that the quake was strongly felt, if at all. Neither the Eureka nor Fortuna police departments reported that they felt anything or received reports of damage.
Within 20 seconds of the larger quake, the USGS reported on its website a 5.6 magnitude temblor that was closer to the California coast, but deleted it later.
"There was only one event, and that was the 5.7," said Justin Pressfield, a spokesman for the USGS.
Pressfield said there was a discrepancy in different scientific networks' reading of the data from the earthquake, which resulted in a mistaken reporting of two quakes.
A smaller 3.3 earthquake did occur beneath the Pacific in the same general area around 10 a.m., however.





A low-intensity earthquake jolted Jammu and Kashmir region on Saturday and no loss of life or damage to the property was reported.

An United States Geological Survey official said: "A low-intensity earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter Scale originated in the vicinity of Sumbal town in the state's Baramulla district at 5.44 am."

Kashmir is situated in a highly sensitive seismological region and temblors have caused damage here in the past.
More than 80,000 people died in a massive earthquake that hit both India and Pakistan administered parts of Kashmir on 8 October, 2005.
The magnitude of 2005 temblor was 7.6 on the Richter Scale.




The Latest on earthquakes in Mexico (all times local):

12:05 p.m.

Officials say the death toll from this week’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake in central Mexico has climbed to 305.

Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente sent out a tweet on Saturday saying 167 of those deaths were in Mexico City.

Morelos state accounted for 73, Puebla for 45, Mexico State for 13, Guerrero for six and Oaxaca for one.

Rescue work is continuing four days after the quake struck.
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11:00 a.m.

No place is treating more victims of this week’s deadly earthquake than Mexico City’s Xoco General Hospital.

When the seismic alarm for a new quake sounded on Saturday morning, hospital workers ordered visitors to evacuate.


9:45 a.m.

Seismologists say Saturday’s magnitude 6.1 earthquake in southern Mexico is believed to be an aftershock from a powerful Sept. 7 quake that measured 8.1 and killed at least 90 people.

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Paul Caruso tells The Associated Press that a strong earthquake like the one earlier this month can damage buildings that don’t collapse, making them more vulnerable: “So a smaller earthquake can cause the damaged buildings to fail.”

Mexico’s National Seismological Service says its own network has recorded thousands of aftershocks of the Sept. 7. It recorded 15 of magnitude 4.0 or greater just in the first in the first nine and a half hours of Saturday.




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