Earthquakes Shake Vanuatu, Mexico, Indonesia and Oregon

Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Shakes Pacific Island Nation of Vanuatu

April 14, 2012

Associated Press - A magnitude-6.5 earthquake rattled the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake struck at 9:05 a.m. Sunday local time (2205 GMT Saturday), some 8.7 kilometres (5.4 miles) below the surface, the USGS said.

The USGS said the quake hit some 148 kilometres (91 miles) southeast Port-Vila, Vanuatu and about 1,864 kilometres (1,158 miles) northeast Brisbane, Australia.

USGS Reports 5.9 Magnitude Quake Off Western Java

April 14, 2012

Reuters - A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck offshore western Java in Indonesia's Sunda Strait at a depth of 30.5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Saturday.

The USGS initially reported the quake as measuring 5.8 and a depth of 27.3 miles. It revised the location to 97 miles south of T.Telukbetung in Sumatra, after first reporting it at 111 miles west of Sukabumi in Java.

There were no immediate reports or damage or a tsunami warning from the quake, which was 109 miles west-southwest of the capital Jakarta on Java.

6.5 Quake Shakes Mexico, No Major Damage

April 11, 2012

Reuters - A strong earthquake hit western Mexico on Wednesday, shaking buildings as far away as the capital and sending people rushing out of offices onto the streets, though there were no reports of major damage.

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said on his Twitter account there were no initial signs of serious damage and that key services in the capital, including its subway system and the international airport, were operating normally.

"There was a nasty crunching sound in my bathroom and everything moved," said Adela Arceo, who was looking after two young children in the central Roma neighborhood of Mexico City.

There were no initial reports of casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.5 magnitude quake struck in the western state of Michoacan at a depth of 12.4 miles. The epicenter was 238 miles west-southwest of Mexico City. The USGS earlier estimated the strength of the quake at 7.0 magnitude and said it was deeper.

Emergency services in Michoacan and in the neighboring state of Guerrero, which has been hit by a series of recent quakes, reported no major problems on Wednesday.

"You could feel it, but there's no major damage. There are no reports, no emergency calls," said Agustin Lule, a spokesman for fire services in Uruapan, a town in Michoacan near the epicenter of the quake.

Reuters reporters in coastal areas of Guerrero and neighboring Oaxaca state said there was no damage.

The Honolulu-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it had not issued a tsunami warning, but staff oceanographer David Walsh noted the quake was close to water, big enough and potentially deep enough to cause one.

It was the third big earthquake to hit Mexico in less than a month. A 7.4 magnitude quake struck on March 20, damaging hundreds of buildings in the southwest. That was followed by dozens of aftershocks.

Earlier on Wednesday, an 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia, raising fears of a huge tsunami like the one that battered the Indian Ocean rim in 2004, but authorities said there were no reports suggesting a major threat.

Magnitude 5.9 Quake Hits Off Coast of Oregon

April 11, 2012

Reuters - A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon on Wednesday and was followed a minute later by a smaller quake off the coast of central California, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quakes were unlikely to trigger a tsunami. The Oregon quake was initially reported as a magnitude 6.2 and the California one as a 5.3. Both were later downgraded.

It was not immediately known whether the quakes caused any damage or casualties.