Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Earthquake sends
Tonga trembling
 Strong
shaking awoke residents of Tonga when a magnitude-7.9 earthquake rocked
the region at 4:26 a.m. local time today, according to the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS). Although Tonga is seismically active,
seismologists say that such a large-magnitude event is unusual for the
region.
{Editors note: It was stated that this was a 8.1 quake]
The 55-kilometer-deep quake
occurred 160 kilometers south of Neiafu in Tonga, the cluster of South
Pacific islands east of Australia and north of New Zealand. Image is
courtesy of USGS.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a
tsunami warning for the Pacific basin. The center canceled that warning
after the threat had passed, however, and said that at most, some areas
could see small, momentary sea-level changes. In Samoa, for example, a
half-meter tsunami was reported, says David Applegate, senior science
advisor for earthquake and geologic hazards at USGS in Reston, Va.
So far, no reports of significant damage or injuries from the
earthquake have been reported, according to USGS. And "not a
lot" of local onshore damage has been reported from the ensuing
small tsunami, Applegate says.
Tonga lies near the Tonga Trench, where the Pacific plate is moving
west and subducting beneath the Australian plate. The rate at which the
plate subducts is "one of the higher rates worldwide," says
Jim Dewey, a geophysicist at the USGS National
Earthquake Information Center in Denver, Colo.
But that plate boundary was not necessarily the source of today's
earthquake, Dewey says. Seismologists have also measured faulting and
stresses within the interior of the Pacific plate. "This earthquake
is in a position that, based on preliminary data, I wouldn't rule out
either mechanism," he says. To figure out the center of today's
earthquake, seismologists will continue to analyze the data as it comes
in.
Stresses both in the Tonga Trench and within the Pacific plate make
Tonga "very active at the moderate-earthquake level," Dewey
says. Two other earthquakes over magnitude 5.0 have shaken Tonga since
mid-April. Many of the region's events fall between magnitude 6 and
lower magnitude 7. Within that range, Dewey says, Tonga is in one of the
"most active areas on Earth."
Large earthquakes in Tonga are not unheard of, however, and can't be
ruled out for the region, Dewey says. Evidence exists for a few
earthquakes in the 19th and early 20th centuries that approached the
magnitude of today's event, he says. But today's magnitude-7.9 quake was
"near the upper limit of what we know from the last century,"
he says.
Kathryn Hansen
Links:
|
7-point-8 quake in Tonga is the biggest on record
Posted at 20:48 on 03 May, 2006 UTC
Tonga’s National disaster office says the massive earthquake which
hit the kingdom early this morning is likely to be the biggest on record
for the country.
Emergency services were put on full alert following the earthquake
measuring 7-point-8 on the Richter scale.
The US monitoring centre says the epicentre was 155 kilometres south
of Neiafu island and 160 kilometres north-east of Nuku’Alofa, the main
island.
The deputy director of the disaster office, Male’u Takai, says
preliminary assessments in the islands have brought no reports of injury
or damage to buildings although the power supply in Tongatapu was
disrupted.
| Thu May 04 00:05:14 2006 -->
Wellington/Washington - A massive earthquake measuring 7.8 on
the Richter scale was recorded in the South Pacific, off the coast
of Tonga, on Thursday morning New Zealand time (15:27 GMT on
Wednesday).
The Pacific tsunami warning centre (PTWC) issued a tsunami
alert for Fiji and New Zealand after tide gauges in Pago Pago,
Samoa, and Niue showed a small rise in sea levels, but this was
subsequently withdrawn.
People ran into the streets of Tonga's capital, Nukualofa, as
buildings shook during the quake which lasted about four minutes,
a police officer told Radio New Zealand.
Early reports said there had been some minor damage, but no
reports of injury.
Some people fled from their homes in Gisborne, on the east
coast of New Zealand's North Island, where civil defence workers
went on standby after a tsunami was reported likely to hit at
06:20 local time.
Quake felt in Auckland
But the warning was lifted shortly before then, at 06:00, and
Radio New Zealand repeatedly broadcast announcements that the
scare was over.
The quake originally was estimated to be of 8.1 magnitude, a
size New Zealand's Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS)
said the world experienced only once a year, on average.
It was subsequently downgraded to 7.8, making it one of about
18 quakes ranging from 7 - 7.9 recorded annually.
GNS said the quake was centred 170km north-east of Nukualofa,
at a depth of 38km beneath the surface.
It was felt in Auckland 3 700km away.
Paula Chipman, a US tourist from Seattle vacationing in Tonga,
said she felt the ground shake, but that no warnings were issued
in the hotel where she was staying.
"There's stuff on the floor, stuff upstairs that has come
out of the rooms...(but) everything looks pretty much
intact," she told CNN.
Chipman also said there was a power failure in the hotel.
A tsunami in the Indian Ocean on December 26 2004 killed more
than 220 000 people in the region.
Early-warning still being developed
An early-warning system which includes new seismic sensors in
the Pacific and Indian oceans was developed, but is still in the
process of being implemented to help alert people to the
possibility of a tsunami developing.
Authorities expected the system to be fully implemented by
2008.
No tsunami warnings or watches were issued for the US as a
result of the earthquake, said the West Coast and Alaska tsunami
warning centre. |
Google Alert for: earthquake
Earthquake
rattles Fiji
Fiji Times - Suva,Fiji
In a press statement yesterday, Assistant Seismologist Nilesh
Kumar Jit said the earthquake originated at a depth of 25
kilometres below the surface and it ...
One
man hurt as great earthquake 8.0 shakes awake Tonga
Matangi Tonga -
Nuku'alofa,Tonga
TONGANS were shaken awake early this morning as a Magnitude 8.0 earthquake
possibly its largest on record, shook the capital, where one
terrified hotel guest ...
Pacific
earthquake sparks tsunami panic
The Age -
Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 rocked
Tonga, triggering panic evacuations in New Zealand after tsunami
warnings were briefly issued for the South ...
See
all stories on this topic
Commentator
on earthquake available to media
Canada NewsWire (press
release) - Canada
... of Communications & Public Affairs at The
University of Western Ontario is providing the following contact
to assist those covering today's earthquake in the ...
Early
morning Tonga earthquake sends 8-inch wave to Tahiti
Tahiti Presse -
Papeete,French Polynesia
(Flash d'Océanie) - A 7.8 magnitude ocean earthquake
struck in the central Tonga Islands early Wednesday, prompting a
short-lived tsunami warning for the ...
Mild
earthquake felt in parts of Pakistan
Hindustan Times - India
An slight earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale
was felt in the capital city and the adjoining areas on
Wednesday. There ...
See
all stories on this topic
Earthquake
felt in Ovalau
Fijivillage - Suva,Fiji
By fijivillage. The Mineral Resource Department has confirmed
that the quake measured 4.2 on the Richter scale with its
epicenter ...
Earthquake
Centennial: Quit shaking the bed!
Willits News -
Willits,CA,USA
The Mendocino County Museums newest exhibit--photos of the
devastation suffered in Mendocino County during the 1906 earthquake,
early seismographic equipment ...
Breaking
news:South Pacific earthquake rattles Tonga, provoke ...
One Bakersfield Online -
CA, United States
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - People in New Zealand and
elsewhere are breating a little easier, after a powerful quake
prompted fears of a tsunami. ...
UNJLC
Bulletin No. 45 - Pakistan Earthquake
ReliefWeb (press release)
- Geneva,Switzerland
- The ERRA-UN Early Recovery Plan was officially approved on
April 29th, meaning that the next phase of the operation will
soon be underway. ...
Strong
earthquake hits South Pacific near Vanuatu, no reports of ...
Politics.ie - Ireland
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - A strong magnitude 6 earthquake
rocked the seabed near the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu on
Sunday but there were no reports of ...
|
Date: 05/04/06 07:01:55
Subject: 2006/05/04 11:25 M 6.0 TONGA Z= 38km 20.52S 174.10W
2006/05/04 11:25 M 6.0 TONGA Z= 38km 20.52S 174.10W
This information is
provided by the USGS
National
Earthquake Information Center.
These parameters are preliminary and subject to revision.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake IN TONGA has occurred at: 20.52S
174.10W Depth 38km Thu May 4 11:25:30 2006
UTC
Time: Universal Time
(UTC) Thu May 4 11:25:30 2006
Time Near Epicenter
Fri May 5 00:25:30 2006
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Thu May 4 07:25:30 2006
Location with respect to nearby cities:
135 km (85 miles) ENE of NUKU'ALOFA,
Tonga (pop 37,000)
205 km (130 miles) S of Neiafu, Tonga
480 km (300 miles) E of Ndoi Island, Fiji
2115 km (1310 miles) NE of Auckland, New
Zealand
For maps, additional information, and subsequent updates, please
consult:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usmhaz.php
.
Flinn-Engdahl Region Number = 173
For the most significant earthquakes, information may also be
available from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program home page at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
and the USGS home page at http://www.usgs.gov/
.
Events of magnitude 6.5 or greater are generally reviewed and
posted to Bigquake within 2 hours of their occurrence and events
of magnitude 5.5 to 6.5 are generally posted to Bigquake within 24
hours. Additionally, processing and sending the messages
typically takes 30 minutes. The USGS cannot guarantee the
receipt or timeliness of an e-mail after sending.
Undersea Earthquake Strikes Indonesia
05.19.2006, 01:50 PM
A strong undersea earthquake struck off
eastern Indonesia late Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, damage or a possible
tsunami.
The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 11:44
p.m. and was centered 34 miles beneath the Molucca Sea, the USGS
said on its Web site.
Indonesia, the world's largest
archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on
the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos
and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
A magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent
tsunami on Dec. 26 killed more than 131,000 people in Indonesia's
western Aceh province and left a half-million homeless.
The USGS Web site mentioned no immediate
possibility of a tsunami.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All
rights reserved.
|
Saturday May 27, 11:39 AM
*Many killed, hundreds injured in Indonesian quake*
Many people were killed and hundreds injured when a strong
earthquake rocked the densely-populated southern coast of
Indonesia's Central Java, police and witnesses said.
Many houses and buildings collapsed and tremors were felt in
various cities as well as on the north coast of the island.
Hundreds of people were rushed to hospital.
Police said they could not provide an immediate casualty toll
after the local headquarters in Yogyakarta, around 400
kilometres (250 miles) east of Jakarta, was hit by a blackout
following the quake.
"We have no figure yet but yes, there are at least 60
people reported killed and hundreds of injured," said
Subiyakto, an officer with the police in Yogyakarta province.
RCTI television said 25 people were killed in Yogyakarta and
Elshinta radio reported that ten people were killed in Klaten
district after their houses collapsed. Neither gave details of
their sources.
The quake also forced the closure of Adisucipto airport in
Yogyakarta, Detikcom newsportal said. The airport was badly
damaged, with the roof of an airport section collapsing and at
least one person trapped, Metro TV reported.
It showed workers trying to release a person trapped in the
rubble of the building. It was not known if the person was still
alive.
Flights have been diverted to the nearby city of Solo.
Meteorologists said the quake measured 5.9 on the Richter scale,
but both US and Hong Kong monitors registered it at 6.2.
Yogyakarta province police chief Bambang Hari Sampurnojati told
radio that the earthquake was reportedly followed by tidal
waves, striking panic in a nation that was one of the worst hit
by the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami.
The police chief did not give further details but the radio
report said thousands of people fled coastal areas for higher
ground.
"We panicked when we heard that there was a tsunami. We
were ready to flee," said Yogyakarta resident Clemon Cilik
told the state Antara news agency.
The quake hit just before 6 am (2300 GMT Friday) around 40
kilometres (25 miles) south of Yogyakarta.
An official on duty at the Panti Rapih general hospital in
Yogyakarta said that "hundreds of people are being admitted
and they continue to come."
He said that most had cuts and broken bones and came from areas
south of the city such as Bantul and Gunungkidul.
Witnesses told Elshinta radio that hundreds of houses partially
or entirely collapsed in the Bantul and Kulonprogo districts
south and southwest of Yogyakarta.
A worker at the Muhammadiyah hospital said about 100 were being
treated there, including some outside. "There are
fatalities but we don't know how many," the staffer told
AFP.
Temblors were felt in various cities in Central and East Java,
including on the northern coast of Central Java and as far as
Kediri to the east.
Sampurnojati said the death toll was still unknown and that
police headquarters was hit by a blackout following the quake.
"Electricity is out and communication is difficult,"
he told ElShinta.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where
the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and
seismic activity.
An official at the meteorological office said the quake was not
related to the Mount Merapi volcano, which has been rumbling in
recent weeks.
Thousands of people living on the slopes of Mount Merapi have
been evacuated after authorities declared code red for the
volcano.
Scientists have warned that although the magma flow that forms a
dome at the Merapi peak appears to be weakening, the structure
may collapse and spew out millions of cubic metres of volcanic
rock and lava.
~~~~~
Indonesia quake death toll soars*
Saturday, May 27, 2006 Posted: 0705 GMT (1505 HKT)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Relief and rescue crews and medical
teams on Saturday raced to help the victims of the strong
earthquake that rocked the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta and
adjacent areas along the southern coast of Indonesia's Java
island.
The 6.2 magnitude quake that struck just before 6 a.m. (7 p.m.
ET, 11 p.m. GMT Friday) shook and rippled through a heavily
populated region, killing at least 2000 people, injuring
thousands, and leveling and damaging many structures.
There are fears that many people are trapped in the rubble of
collapsed buildings.
The epicenter was 25 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of the city
and near the erupting volcano Mount Merapi. Scientists believe
the quake could affect volcanic activity.
The quake was felt across central and eastern Java, with many
aftershocks reported.
The city of Yogyakarta -- a popular tourist destination and a
historic royal metropolis that sits near the Indian Ocean --
appeared to endure the brunt of the damage.
"People here reported that this was the largest earthquake
they had ever felt in their lives in this area," Brook
Weisman-Ross, disaster coordinator for Plan International, told
CNN from Yogyakarta.
Hospitals overwhelmed
Health care providers and hospitals have been overwhelmed, and
the casualty figures are expected to rise. More injured people
were pouring into Yogyakarta's main hospital, many of them in
buses and trucks, a hospital spokesman said.
Many people -- fearing aftershocks, a tsunami and more
structural damage -- have left their dwellings and have raced to
higher ground. But an Indonesian meteorologist said the shallow
quake did not cause a tsunami.
Search-and-rescue teams in Yogyakarta said they saw extensive
damage to buildings and homes and that some communications were
down.
Weisman-Ross said he was "shaken rather violently from my
bed with furniture flying and chunks of concrete falling from
the walls of my hotel room."
Outside, Weisman-Ross said he saw large cracks in the walls
of the hotel and other buildings in the area. As he rushed
across town to check on his staff, he saw small, older buildings
with collapsed roofs or walls.
Government officials said plans are in place to bring in relief
supplies and rescue teams, and non-governmental organizations
have geared up to provide help. Citizens in the region need
medicine, tents and blankets.
Latifur Rahman is the disaster management coordinator of
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies. Speaking from Jakarta, he confirmed reports of
flattened and damaged structures, including a collapsed local
hospital. He said medical teams are mobilizing and preparing to
set up a field hospital in the region.
Relief flights had to be diverted from Yogyakarta because of
damage to that city's airport runway.
Because of fears over the volcano, evacuation centers and
emergency personnel are in place.
Personnel deployed to respond to the volcano can conceivably be
used to help out with search, rescue and relief in the aftermath
of the earthquake.
-- CNN's Kathy Quiano contributed to this report.
|
|
Powerful Earthquake Kills Over 2,900 in Indonesia
Quake Also Triggers Heightened Activity at the Deadly Mount
Merapi Volcano
By IRWAN FIRDAUS, AP
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (May 27, 2006) - A
powerful earthquake flattened homes and hotels in central
Indonesia early Saturday as people slept, killing at least 2,900
and injuring thousands more in the nation's worst disaster since
the 2004 tsunami.
The magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 5:54 a.m.
near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, 250 miles east of the
capital, Jakarta. It was centered about six miles below the
surface, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake's epicenter was close to the
rumbling Mount Merapi volcano, and activity increased soon after
the temblor. A large burst spewed hot clouds and sent debris
cascading some two miles down its western flank.
Bambang Dwiyanto of the Energy and Mineral
Ministry could not say whether the quake caused the volcanic
activity but warned that it could trigger a larger eruption.
"It will influence the activities of
Mount Merapi, particularly in the lava dome," said Dwiyanto,
head of the ministry's geological division.
Almost all people had already been
evacuated away from the volcano's danger zone, and there were no
reports of injuries as a result of the eruption.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago,
is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called
Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault
lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
The strong quake knocked down houses,
hotels and government buildings, sending hysterical people running
into the streets. Many roads and bridges were destroyed, hindering
efforts to get taxis and pickup trucks filled with wounded to
packed hospitals.
In the hardest-hit district of Bantul,
rescuers tried to pull bodies from the rubble as residents started
digging mass graves.
Rows of corpses awaited burial beneath a
blazing sun, with village heads recording their names so they
could be added to the official death toll.
Subarjo, a 70-year-old food vendor,
sobbed next to his dead wife, his house destroyed.
"I couldn't help my wife ... I was
trying to rescue my children, one with a broken leg, and then the
house collapsed," he said. "I have to accept this as our
destiny, as God's will."
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
ordered the army to help evacuate victims and arrived in densely
populated Central Java province Saturday afternoon with a team of
Cabinet ministers to oversee rescue operations.
Fourteen hours after the quake struck,
the number of dead stood at 2,914, Social Affairs Ministry
official Sopar Jaya said, adding that two-thirds of the fatalities
occurred in devastated Bantul.
"The numbers just keep
rising," said Arifin Muhadi of the Indonesian Red Cross,
adding that nearly 2,900 people were hurt.
Yogyakarta is about 18 miles from the
sea. In the chaos that followed the quake, false rumors of an
impending tsunami sent thousands of people fleeing to higher
ground in cars and on motorbikes.
The city is 1,390 miles southeast of
Aceh province, where 131,000 people died in a December 2004
tsunami triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake under the sea.
Civilians carried bloodied survivors,
including children, into hospitals, sometimes jumping off flatbed
trucks used in construction. Large cracks crisscrossed some rads,
while others had collapsed.
Doctors were coming into the region from
other parts of the country. Japan also said it was sending a
seven-person medical team, relief goods and financial aid, the
Foreign Ministry said.
Neighboring Malaysia said it will send a
56-member search team, doctors and medical supplies, and the
European Commission said it would release up to $3.8 million in
emergency aid.
Medical teams struggled to care for the
injured, hundreds of whom were lying on plastic sheets, straw mats
and even newspapers outside the overcrowded hospitals, some hooked
to intravenous drips dangling from trees.
"We need help here," said
Kusmarwanto of Bantul Muhammadiyah Hospital, the closest hospital
to the quake's epicenter, adding that his hospital alone had 39
bodies.
At nearby Dr. Sardjito Hospital, health
officials tallied 60 dead, but more bodies were lined up in the
hallway and some family members were taking them home before they
could be added to the official toll.
"We have hundreds of injured
people, our emergency care unit is overwhelmed," Heru Nugroho
said.
The quake cracked the runway at the
airport in Yogyakarta, closing it to aircraft until at least
Sunday while inspections take place, Transport Minister Hatta
Radjasa said.
The city is home to the 9th century
Borobudur Buddhist temple, considered one of the seven wonders of
the world. Officials did not immediately know if it was affected
in the quake.
Nearby Prambanan, a spectacular Hindu
temple to the southeast, suffered some damage but it was not
immediately clear how much.
2006-05-27 09:20:05
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
~~~~~~
|
Indonesian Quake Death Toll Passes
4,300
By CHRIS BRUMMITT Sunday, May 28,
2006
BANTUL, Indonesia - After
sleeping outside in streets and fields, Indonesian earthquake
survivors scavenged their wrecked villages Sunday for food,
clothing and anything of use as the death toll rose to more than
4,300. Some 200,000 people were left homeless.
Waves of aftershocks compounded the terror of the magnitude-6.3
quake, which flattened villages and towns on densely populated
Java island early Saturday _ Indonesia's worst disaster since
the 2004 tsunami. Power and phone service remained out amid
fears that a nearby rumbling volcano might erupt.
Nations worldwide hurried to send food, supplies and funds. The
Rome-based U.N. World Food Program said a plane with medicine
and medical personnel was en route, as were eight truckloads of
fortified noodles and biscuits. The U.N. children's agency
UNICEF said it was ready to send tents, hygiene kits, health
kits and school supplies.
The worst devastation was in the town of Bantul, which accounted
for three-quarters of the deaths. One man dug his 5-year-old
daughter out of the rubble of her bedroom only to have her die
in a hospital awaiting treatment with hundreds of others.
"Her last words were
'Daddy, Daddy,'" said Poniran, who like many Indonesians
uses only one name.
"I have to start my life from zero again."
Some bodies were pulled from the collapsed brick-and-wood houses
early Sunday in villages visited by reporters, but few were
believed to still be trapped. Most of the dead were buried
within hours of the disaster, in line with Islamic tradition.
In Peni, a hamlet on Bantul's southern outskirts, 20
residents searched for a neighbor, Purwoko, after finding the
bodies of his wife and three children. Villagers set up simple
clinics despite shortages in medicine and equipment. Women
cooked catfish caught in a nearby pond for dozens of people
huddled under a large tent.
The quake hit hundreds of square miles of mostly farming
communities in Yogyakarta province, causing damage to the
world-famous 9th century Prambanan temple. As many as 450
aftershocks followed, the strongest magnitude 5.2.
At least 4,332 people were killed, according to government
figures, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent said at least 200,000 people were left homeless.
Many people spent Saturday night sleeping in any open space
available _ on streets, in cassava fields, in narrow rice
groves. On Sunday, exhausted and grieving, survivors searched
the ruins of their homes and complained that aid was slow in
arriving.
"We're short of everything _ clothes, food, water, all are
gone. We are poor people, but our lives still matter," said
Budi Wiyana, 63.
Doctors struggled to care for the injured, hundreds of them
lying on plastic sheets, straw mats and even newspapers outside
overcrowded hospitals. Some were hooked to intravenous drips
dangling from trees.
Bloodstains littered the floor at Yogyakarta's Dr. Sardjito
Hospital, along with piles of soiled bandages and used medical
supplies. Relatives fanned victims in the heat in temporary
shelters set up in the parking lot and corridors.
"We have too many patients and they're still
arriving," said Aru, a doctor, adding that the hospital had
received more than 2,000 wounded.
The earthquake hit at 5:54 a.m., caving in tile roofs and
sending walls crashing down. Survivors screamed as they ran from
their homes, some clutching bloodied children and the elderly.
The quake was the latest in a series of disasters to hit
Indonesia: The 2004 tsunami that killed 131,000 people in Aceh
province, terrorist attacks, a widening bird flu outbreak, and
the threat of eruption from nearby Mount Merapi.
The quake's epicenter was 50 miles south of the volcano, and
activity increased soon after the temblor. A large burst spewed
hot clouds and sent debris cascading some two miles down its
western flank. No one was injured because nearby residents had
already been evacuated.
Officials said the famed 7th century Borobudur Buddhist temple,
one of Indonesia's most popular tourist attractions, was not
affected. But Prambanan, a spectacular Hindu temple to the
southeast, suffered serious damage, with hundreds of stone
carvings and blocks scattered around the ancient site.
It will be closed to the public until archeologists are able to
determine whether the foundation was damaged, said Agus Waluyo,
head of the Yogyakarta Archaeological Conservation Agency. Close
to 1 million tourists visit the Borobudur and Prambanan temples
every year.
International agencies and nations across Europe and Asia
pledged millions of dollars in aid and prepared shipments of
tents, blankets, generators, water purification equipment and
other supplies. The United States promised $2.5 million in
emergency aid; the European Union granted $3.8 million.
A service of the Associated Press(AP)
|
BULLETIN ITEM: Heads Up: Major
Expansion Of Tectonic Activity In Pacific Rim Is Underway
Duration and magnitude of threat are not known.
Following the activity on Java Island the past three days,
suddenly today two 6.0 plus quakes struck in the Northeastern edge
Fiji/Tonga Islands of the Australian Tectonic Plate amidst major
increases in eruptive actions of Vanuatu island volcanos. Sudden
increases of Vanuatu volcanism was noticed during the mid 1930's
and fulfilled one of Cayce's predictions about the first outbreak
of changing geologic conditions as a result of the shifting of the
Earth's equilibrium which set the stage for the 1999 and 2006
anomalies of polar motion. No question that the Earth's crust is
breaking up first along the Northern edge of the Australian Plate
where it is grinding and thrusting against FOUR other
tectonic plates. What will happen next is anyone's
guess but doubtless we are on the trend line of a rapid increase
in major Earth Changes. There is no looking back,
conditions will continue to mount into increasing instability
during the next several years. In the meantime, heads
up all Pacific Rim. New Zealand is especially perilous
in addition to the entire northern tier of South Seas Islands. Beware
the 180 mirror opposite reflection of this activity in the zone
from the Galapagos to Trinidad zone along the Cocos and Carib
Plates.
Reflections in the Northern Arc of the Pacfic Rim are uncertain. Aleutions
have been highly active. Several shape shifters in
Pacific portions of the Great Rift. in general during
the past 24 hours there has been a large Syzygy related increase
in frequency of seismic activity around the Rim, typically in the
range of 3 to 4.
Posted at 6:27pm on 26 May 2006
Lopevi Volcano in Vanuatu is continuing to cause havoc on
surrounding islands, while several other volcanoes are also
threatening.
The national disaster office says it is not able to reach one of
two villages on Paama Island which has been badly affected by ash
from Lopevi over the past two weeks.
Villagers in Paama have appealed to the Government for help
securing new sources of drinking water, while crops have also been
destroyed by ash contamination.
Meanwhile reports from nearby Ambrym say the two Benbow and Marum
volcanoes have also started erupting and are sending down ash over
ten villages in southeast Ambrym.
And in the latest development the Meteorological office confirmed
the colour of Manaro lake in central Ambae has changed turned to
grey which means that it is like to erupt again,.
Manaro erupted last year for the first time in 121 years, forcing
thousands to evacuate.
Copyright © 2006 Radio New Zealand International
Three volcanoes in Vanuatu erupting - a fourth threatening
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