How Severe Was the Mag 7.1 Earthquake Near Taiwan?

[neutrino]

The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A major earthquake occurred 90 km (55 miles) SSE of Kao-hsiung, Taiwan and 795 km (495 miles) N of MANILA, Philippines at 6:26 AM MDT, Dec 26, 2006 (8:26 PM local time in Taiwan). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused damage due to its location and size.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2006/uswtai/

This is where I spotted the news...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11100901/

 

[Astronuc]

The 7.1 mag earthquake was preceeded by a 7.0 earthquake also nearby.
http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/uswtan.php

They are only 13 mi (32 km) apart and separated in time by 8 minutes. They are sufficiently shallow to cause tsunamis, but a lot depends on the degree of vertical motion of the sea floor, as opposed to lateral motion.

They come two years to the day of the 9.1 mag earthquake off western Sumatra (Aceh), Indonesia.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...and you can imagine that today's anniversary was on everyone's minds as the quake hit.

 

[SticksandStones]

...
What is it with Christmas and Earthquakes lately?

 

[Astronuc]

Earthquakes occur every day in different parts of the world.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsanim/world.php - provides the last 7 days by hour. It is purely coincidental that two major earthquakes just happen to follow Christmas this year, as was the 9.1 mag of Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004.

Looking at - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/10_largest_world.php

7 of the 12 largest earthquakes in the world since 1900 occurred between the end of January to end of March. This is the time between Winter Solstice and Vernal Equinox in the norther hemisphere. Earth's perihelion with the sun occurs generally during the first week of January, and that should be the peak of the sun's gravitational (tidal) effect on the earth, and then there is the effect of the moon in conjunction with the sun.

 

[neutrino]

If you use Google Earth, you can add this file (available from the link below), which let's you monitor 'quakes all over the world, including those that are just an hour old, with data from USGS.

http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2006/11/post_2.html