A magnitude 6.0 earthquake and at least 25 aftershocks rocked the San Francisco Bay Area early Sunday morning, centered in the Napa County town of American Canyon, causing widespread power outages in Napa, causing minor damage across the region, and forcing the CHP to close down a bridge on a major highway. This was the largest quake to hit the Bay Area since the 6.9 magnitude quake hit Loma Prieta nearly 25 years ago. Initial reports had the quake magnitude at 6.1.
Lyall Davenport @Lyalldavenport twitter photo showing a building destroyed in the Napa Quake
–Structure fires –Wires down –Power outages –Road buckling –No injuries reported so far
Anthony De Rosa @AntDeRosa twitter photo
PzFeed Top News @PzFeed twitter photo
Napa County Hall of Justice damaged after quake rocks California
Meanwhile, another Iceland Volcano has begun erupting. There was some confusion yesterday as to whether the Bardarbunga volcano had actually begun an eruption, but scientists are unified at this point that indeed it has begun, magma is on the move.
Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano burst forth with a small eruption Saturday under the ice of Europe’s largest glacier, scientists said, prompting the country to close airspace over the area.
Thousands of small earthquakes have rattled the volcano, located deep beneath the Vatnajokull glacier, in the last week. Icelandic Meteorological Office vulcanologist Melissa Pfeffer said Saturday that seismic data indicated that an eruption had begun, with magma from the volcano melting ice within the glacier’s Dyngjujokull icecap.
A moderate earthquake struck in Arizona near the New Mexico line that was widely felt across the region, but no injuries or damages were immediately reported. County sheriffs’ offices on both sides of the state line reported receiving numerous phone calls after Saturday’s magnitude 5.2 quake shook the largely rural region. Arizona residents in Graham County, Safford, Tucson, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler and other areas have reported feeling the tremor. It was felt as far away as Phoenix and El Paso, Texas, both about 175 miles from the epicenter, as well in parts of Mexico, which begins some 80 miles to the south.
As soon as I read of an earthquake in Arizona, I wondered how frequent or infrequent earthquakes there are. Not too frequent, though they do happen. The largest one similar to the one that occurred last night happened 50 years ago. But this one is bigger, making it one of the largest magnitude quakes in AZ history. Below is some context for you.
The earliest documents which describe Arizona earthquakes were those recorded at Fort Yuma, located in the 1800’s on the California side of the Colorado River. Shocks which probably centered in the Imperial Valley of California, or in Mexico, have been noted there since late 1852.
No earthquake in recorded history has caused deaths or injuries in Arizona. In the past century or more, 14 tremors of intensity V to VII have centered within its borders, of which 12 were reported after Arizona entered the Union in February 1912. All of these shocks, however, were moderate in intensity, with one intensity VII, one VI-VII, four VI, and eight V.
News station KPHO reports that Historical data kept by the USGS establishes this earthquake one of the most powerful in Arizona history. In July of 1959 a magnitude 5.6 quake struck along the Arizona-Utah border. A rockslide at Mather Point in the Grand Canyon was attributed to the shock, according to the USGS.
A powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the far south Atlantic ocean in the inhospitable South Sandwich Islands region, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said on Sunday. The USGS, which monitors quakes worldwide initially said the quake was of magnitude 7.1, but later revised its strength downwards. It also slightly revised the epicentre’s location. The quake, which struck at 7.52am, had an epicentre 154km north-west of the uninhabited Visokoi Island, and 1,975km east-south-east of Stanley, the main city on the Falkland Islands, the USGS reported. The epicentre was at a depth of 16.5km.
TOKYO: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit off the Japanese island of Iwo Jima on Sunday, said the US Geological Survey. The quake was situated 167km east-southeast of Iwo Jima, which is part of Japan’s Volcano Islands chain. Japanese broadcaster NHK there was no threat of a tsunami resulting from the earthquake.
Oklahoma continues to be seismically active, as does other parts of the United States where it seems that earthquakes don’t or shouldn’t be happening. This is the USGS 7-day earthquake map view.
Here is a closer-in view. My memory may well be flawed, but I don’t remember seeing so many “dots” sprinkled all over the US. This view is of the last week.
He who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; (Job 9:5-6)
Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. (Psalm 18:7)
USGS screen shot, page of recent quakes this week:
This is the second 8.0+ quake this year. A 8.2 quake hit Chile on April 1, 2014. Typically in a year the average number of 8.0-plus quakes is 1.
This is the 72nd 6.0-6.9 magnitude quake this year. The annual average number of magnitude 6 quakes in a year is 134.
A Tsunami warning has been issued for the Aleutian Islands, but hopefully it will expire without a tsunami materializing. There have been no immediate reports of damage.
As for the New Zealand quakes, we have this report from down under-
A magnitude-8 earthquake has struck in the northern Pacific but is not linked to this morning’s 7.2 quake closer to New Zealand, GeoNet says. The North Pacific quake was off the coast of the Rat Islands, about 2000 kilometres west of the Alaskan peninsula at 8.53am (NZ time). It was initially recorded as a magnitude 7.2 quake but this was revised to magnitude 8 a short time later. It was at a depth of 114km. A tsunami warning was issued for coastal areas of Alaska. It followed a 7.2 earthquake south of Raoul Island at 7.19am, which DOC staff on the island described as a “rocking good time”. That quake was initially reported to be 5km deep, but was revised to 30km. Raoul Island is part of the Kermadec Island group, about 1100km northeast of New Zealand. GeoNet duty seismologist Caroline Holden said the timing of the quakes was interesting but there was nothing to relate them other than both occurred in the Ring of Fire
You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters (Psalm 60:2)
Several earthquakes of note occurred this week. They range in size of magnitude and geographical location. Between the epic hail across the nation, lightning, tornadoes, and let’s not forget extreme drought, these earthquakes added to the mix are just astounding. I am amazed at our Holy God. He demonstrates patience and living-kindness to His rebellious people on earth. Though we are deserving of wrath, He continues to signal His power as warning rather than the wrath we justly deserve.
His patience will come to an end. When? We don’t know for sure, but perhaps our generation. When it comes, His wrath will then come as holy fury, and I shudder to think of that moment, some time after the rapture of the saints to heaven. Now to the news:
Huge earthquake rocks Turkey and Greece-UPDATED “An earthquake of 6.4 [USGS rates is at 6.9] magnitude struck off the coast of northern Greece on Saturday and was felt as far away as neighbouring Turkey and Bulgaria but there were no reports of serious casualties or destruction, police and fire brigade officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake occurred some 48 miles south-southwest of Alexandroupolis, between the islands of Lemnos and Samothrace, at a depth of 6 miles. Greek police said the quake had caused minor damage to shops and houses on the two islands. Meanwhile, 267 injuries, one of them critical, have been reported by Turkey’s official emergency agency. The USGS downwardly revised its first reading of 7.2. Greece, at the southeastern end of Europe, is often buffeted by earthquakes. Most cause no serious damage but a 5.9 magnitude quake in 1999 killed 143 people. “It lasted very long and it was very intense. We haven’t got the full picture of the damage caused yet,” the mayor of Lemnos, Antonis Chatzidiamantis, told Mega TV.”
A ‘significant’ earthquake happened in Virginia earlier in the week: A magnitude 3.2 earthquake that was centered west of Richmond shook the ground Wednesday night as far north and east as the Washington metropolitan area. The quake, which was centered in the area of Powhatan and Amelia counties, was far smaller than the one that caused damage to buildings in the Washington area about 21 / 2 years ago. Officials had received no reports of significant damage or injury. But more than 1,300 people in a broad swath of Virginia, as well as in parts of Maryland, reported feeling some of the effects of the quake. It shook a basement in Spotsylvania County and reminded people of a big truck driving past or of a powerful thunderstorm.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) keeps track of earthquakes that happen in the world. They monitor the location, depth, duration, and a host of other variables.
‘Major quakes’ are quakes with magnitude between 7.0-7.9, and ‘great earthquakes’ are classified as having a magnitude of 8.0 or higher. USGS also classifies earthquakes as ‘significant,’ such as the one in Virginia last night. These are noted on the USGS recent earthquakes page with a hot pink background, or they are listed in the significant earthquakes page and archived that way. However I have been unable to find a definition of what makes an earthquake “significant”. In the past, USGS has defined “significant earthquakes” as “Earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or greater or ones that caused fatalities, injuries or substantial damage” but that definition has changed and I can’t find the new one.
Looking at the list of significant quakes, they range in magnitudes from small to larger, so it seems that either the depth or the location would be variables that land these quakes into the significant category, among other variables I don’t know about. If someone can find a USGS definition for this classification I’d appreciate it.
There was a 5.9 quake off the coast of Konarka, India that the USGS also rated as “significant”.
Moderately dangerous earthquake near Mostaganem, Northern Algeria UPDATE : Moderate (4.9) but very shallow and thus moderately dangerous earthquake Earthquakes are still rattling Oklahoma. The following is a news release from USGS. The rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma has increased remarkably since October 2013 – by about 50 percent – significantly increasing the chance for a damaging magnitude 5.5 or greater quake in central Oklahoma.
This is from The Atlantic: “Middle America Is Experiencing a Massive Increase in 3.0+ Earthquakes“ A new United States Geological Survey study has found that middle America between Alabama and Montana is experiencing an “unprecedented” and “almost certainly man made” increase in earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or greater. In 2011, there were 134 events of that size. That’s six times more than were normally seen during the 20th century. While the changes in the area’s seismicity began in 2001, the trend has really accelerated since 2009, the geologists note.
God has used earthquakes many times to warn, judge, and demonstrate His power. An earthquake occurred when Jesus died on the cross-
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.” (Matthew 27:50-51)
Rocks split. That is a serious earthquake. Three days later, there was another great earthquake when Jesus rose.
“And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.” (Matthew 28:2)
Earthquakes were something that Jesus warned about in answering about the last days signs in the Olivet Discourse of Mt 24. Not all earthquakes can be said to be a sign of God’s punishment, but there will be a great, GREAT quake that shock the people into repentance (perhaps- or at least into recognizing God is behind it).
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”” (Revelation 6:12-17)
But by the end of the Tribulation when the last quake happens, the greatest of all ever in history, the people only utter blasphemies.
And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe. (Revelation 16:18-19).
Give praise and honor to our Sovereign God, who is Ruler over the earth and skies and universe and heaven. And our hearts.
I’m fascinated by earthquakes. By the spike in hits on the blog after a quake, many other people are too. There’s something primal about the seemingly solid ground under our feet turning out not to be solid, and to be literally shaken.
My only experience with a quake was the recent 4.1 magnitude in Georgia/South Carolina we had on February 15. I felt that one as it was happening.
The only other experience I’d had was the World Series Loma Prieta Quake in 1989. I was on the phone talking with a guy friend and we were “watching” the baseball game together. It was before ubiquitous use of personal recording devices or police or traffic cams, but since the game was televised live, the initial jolt was recorded live. It knocked out the cameras but before it did, we can hear announcer Tim McCarver say “We’re having an earthq”, we hear screams, and then dead air and a scrambled signal before everything went dark. That quake was a 6.9 and 63 people died.
I went on an archaeological dig in 1990 to Italy and one of the team members was a woman who lived in Loma Prieta, and she had photos she carried with her that she showed me of her destroyed house.
Oklahoma continues to experience a non-stop quake swarm. There have been 44 this week and 123 this month. This photo is a screen shot of the ‘7-DAY, recent quakes’ page at UN Geological Survey.
Yes, the quakes in OK are unusual. There isn’t an earthquake fault in the areas the quakes are occurring. The minor fault at southwest OK hasn’t moved in 1300 years. So they attribute the quakes to fracking (fracturing of rock by a pressurized liquid) to extract oil. The problem with that that theory is that fracking occurs at an even higher frequency in Texas and there is not an attendant increase in frequency or magnitude of quakes at that location. This scientist from the Oklahoma Geological Survey explains, (article from 2010)
“The only known surface expression of an active fault occurs in southwestern Oklahoma. The last slip on this fault is estimated to be about 1300 years ago and may have been equivalent to a magnitude 6.5 or 7.0 earthquake. This fault is known as the Meers Fault and is visible from the air as can be seen in the following picture.”
He says they don’t know why there has been a dramatic increase in quakes and they don’t have an answer. It is interesting that Jesus said as a sign of His coming there would be earthquakes in diverse places. That an ongoing, several year swarm is occurring in a place where no fault exists negatively impacts man’s plate tectonics theories and in my opinion directly shows God’s sovereignty.
Not every earthquake (or tornado or hurricane or tsunami) is a judgment from God, though sometimes they are. We read below in the Job verse the LORD shakes the wicked from the earth. Sometimes as Romans 8:19-21 states, the LORD made the creation subject to decay and frustration and it groans, so that man will ponder the effects of sin. Sometimes God, for His won good purposes, allows satan to control the weather. Satan was allowed to torment Job by a mighty wind and by fire falling down from heaven consuming Job’s servants and sheep. (Job 1:16-19).
As of this writing, there have been 104 earthquakes in Chile this week since the 8.2 major quake. Several of the aftershocks in Chile have been major quakes in themselves. One was a 7.6 magnitude and another was a 6.5. The news says that 900,000 people were evacuated from the coast after the quake triggered a tsunami, and in many cities, electricity went out, triggering panic. As of this date five people died in the quake and aftermath. This news article from CNN says of the Chile quake,
Chile quake: This was big but a bigger one awaits, scientist says “An 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern Chile Tuesday night, triggering small landslides, setting off a tsunami and killing at least five people. But geologists say an even larger quake in the region is lurking. “This magnitude 8.2 is not the large earthquake that we were expecting in this area,” said Mark Simons, a geophysicist at Caltech in Pasadena, California. “We’re expecting a potentially even larger earthquake.” It could be tomorrow. Or it could be 50 years. “We do not know when it’s going to occur,” he said. Here’s why…“
…and the article continues in explaining how fault lines work and why they believe a bigger quake awaits Chile.
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?” Job 38:12-13Bible believers know that larger quakes await anyway, irrespective of the human penchant to formulate theories as to why these happen.
There will be one in the Tribulation described in Revelation 6, the 6th Seal Judgment of Revelation 6:12
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood.”
This is the earthquake to cause men to hide in the caves and under rocks and shout in fear that the Great Day of Wrath has come.
After that there will be general quakes as stated in Revelation 8:5. In Revelation 11:13 another great quake occurs, and a tenth of the city of Jerusalem falls, killing 7,000. The survivors are terrified and give glory to God in heaven.
Finally at the end of the Tribulation the 7th Bowl Judgment concludes the Wrath. An earthquake hits the city of Jerusalem, where many people will die and the city will be split into three parts. It will be the greatest quake ever to occur on the earth. It is the 6th Bowl judgment and it concludes God’s wrath. The loud voice crying out from the throne says “It is done!” (Revelation 16:18-20).
And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. (Revelation 16:18)
Never more than through an earthquake does God reminds us that the earth is His, and everything in it. (Psalm 24:1)
Dragon’s Back (Elkhorn Scarp) in the Carrizo Plain. Source
“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26-29)
Doesn’t this section of the San Andreas Fault in California look for all the world like an earth scar? Won’t it be wonderful when He removes the curse, and the earth no longer groans! We are so grateful, Lord, for Your kingdom which cannot be shaken! You are truly the Rock, immovable!
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. (Psalms 95:1)
The United States Geological Survey recorded a large 8.2 quake off the coast of Chile this evening. Chilean seismologists put it at 8.3. There have been several large aftershocks, including a quake at 6.2 magnitude. Tsunami watches and warnings have been issued for many nearby nations, and across the Pacific to Hawaii and Southern California. Though they expect the wave height to be mere inches by the time it reaches SoCal.
Tsunami waves of 6.5 feet have already been recorded at coastal Pisagua, Chile.
Here are some interesting graphics to help visualize the impacts
Brad Panovich, Chief Meteorologist in Charlotte, NC, wrote: The whole earth is shaking from this M 8.2 quake check out the local SC seismograph.
This graphic is from Mark Baden, writing on twitter, “Chile earthquake now upgraded to magnitude 8.2. Check out how rare this is. Thanks Wunderground for the graphic“:
The Chile 1960 quake was a 9.9 magnitude and the strongest event recorded on earth. The Alaska 1964 quake was a 9.2. San Francisco 1906 was 7.2. New Madrid Missouri quake swarm was estimated at around 7.4 to 8.1. This series of earthquakes were felt strongly over roughly 50,000 sq mi, and moderately across nearly 1 million square miles. The historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake, by comparison, was felt moderately over roughly 6,200 sq mi.
Here is a tsunami propagation map.
I read that so far there has been minimal damage in Chile, some injuries but no deaths- though electricity is off and phone lines are jammed. I have not read of any deaths so far, which is a blessing.
I always think of this verse when a large quake happens, especially as mentioned above, the NC weatherman mentioned the earth shaking as far away as South Carolina, and showed the seismograph to prove it.
The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. ~Isaiah 24:19-20
The LORD is patient with us, though our transgressions do lay heavy upon the earth. He is merciful. But He will not be patient forever. Please heed His warning, whether it’s a mega-quake or the stirring in your heart, and repent.
California is being rattled by the biggest earthquakes they have felt in years. Southern California Public Radio reports,
Quakes continue to rattle California “A strong aftershock to Friday’s 5.1-magnitude earthquake in Orange County shook Southern California this afternoon. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the 4.1-magnitude tremor struck two kilometers southeast of Rowland Heights at 2:32 p.m. The Rowland Heights office of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said there were so far no reports of damage. More than 100 aftershocks have rattled the region. No major damage and no injuries have been reported, but police in the city of Fullerton say 20 apartment units and half a dozen homes were red-tagged, displacing 83 people. Some residents have since returned to their homes.”
What is the third largest United States earthquake active zone? #1 is Alaska, and #2 is California. Can you guess the third? It’s Utah! Then Hawaii, and also the Pacific Northwest. In this article, a seismologist explains why earthquakes happen in CA and why they don’t understand why they happen in places like New England where there are no similar faults.
Is California overdue for a big earthquake?Was the recent earthquake in Los Angeles a warning of more to come? ‘Earthquake Storms’ author John Dvorak shares his thoughts. “…But it’s not just Californians who should pay attention to his exploration of earthquake science, the unfolding mysteries of geology, and the gaps in our seismic knowledge. As he notes in an interview, plenty of other parts of the country are vulnerable to earthquakes, including the Northwest, the Midwest, the South and – yes – even the Big Apple.”
It’s a good article, I recommend it.
I was reading through my twitter stream last night and those who live in the quake area are plenty nervous and sick of all the felt-aftershocks. Or foreshocks. One man wrote that a run on earthquake survival supplies had left his local store empty, except for one hand tool, the tool to turn off your gas valve. The 1906 quake, as devastating as it was, paled in comparison to the damage caused by fires after the quake was over. Even after a 5.1 quake where there is not much visible physical damage, the cracks and breaks in gas lines are an ever-present danger.
Two 4.3 quakes, several tremors rattle central Oklahoma “Wichita, Kan. — Two magnitude 4.3 quakes, along with several weaker ones, rattled central Oklahoma late Saturday night into Sunday morning. And residents throughout KAKEland report feeling the temblors. The first quake, a magnitude of 3.5, was recorded just before 11 p.m. Saturday It was centered about 13 miles north of the town of Crescent. At the same location, another 3.5 occurred at 1:37 a.m. Sunday. It was followed by a 4.3 about 15 minutes later and then a 3.3 at 2 a.m. The shakers didn’t end there. A 3.5 and a 3.6 were recorded between 3:07 and 3:10 a.m. A second 4.3 followed at 3:42 a.m. These three quakes were also centered about 13 miles from Crescent. But wait. There’s more.
A 2.8 tremor occurred at 4:06 a.m. and a 2.7 at 4:51. Both were a few miles south and west of the others. The KAKE newsroom has been inundated with calls since the quakes were felt in south-central Kansas. A KAKE employee reported feeling his apartment shake for a few seconds near downtown Wichita. We have received reports from across Wichita and portions of Butler County from viewers reporting feeling the earthquake. The USGS has received reports from across Oklahoma and Kansas, including the Kansas City-area. One Wichita resident reported feeling three tremors at her apartment near Harry and Rock Road.
“I thought nothing of tonight’s until I was turning off my hall light and noticed my picture on the wall was crooked,” she said in an email to KAKE News. She then noticed a long crack in her wall. “17 inches long by 7 inches at the bottom,” she said. “This most definitely happened tonight. It’s by our front door hall and we pass it countless times a day.” We’re still not done yet. Let’s go back to Saturday and venture a little further south-southeast to Choctaw. That’s on the eastern edge of Oklahoma City, and where at 2.7 tremor was reported at 7:36 a.m. Another of the same magnitude hit at 4:36 p.m. A 3.7 occurred at 10:08 p.m., followed a 2.6 at 12:49 a.m. Sunday. Several earthquake reports ranging from a 2.7 to a 3.5 were scattered about central Oklahoma from Wednesday through Friday.”
Over in Hong Kong, they are having a massive storm, complete with strobe lightning. In addition, reporter James Reynolds (@typhoonfury) reports,
“Lots of reports of hail over Hong Kong right now, this is quite rare being in tropics.” Black rainstorm warning now over HK, first of year, impressively early! Continuous strobe effect lightning over Hong Kong, impressive storm! Winds picking up!
Mayo @SungEmpress wrote
“7:45pm Amber Rainstorm Warning, then 8:15pm Red, and at 8:40pm Black Rainstorm. That much rain being dumped in Hong Kong right now!“
Here is a screen shot of others’ reaction to frozen precipitation in the tropics:
Crazy weather continues. (Pray for the families affected by the terrible mudslide in Washington State). Please be safe wherever you are. God will continue to rattle the earth’s population with events of this sort, as we are told the birth pangs will continue to increase. (Matthew 24:3). God holds the world in His hand, and everything that happens on it is by Him for From Him or allowed by Him. (1 Corinthians 10:26). It is safer to be in Jesus than to be in the world.
————-update————-
Earthquake Rattles Yellowstone National Park, No Damage Reported A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Yellowstone National Park in Montana early Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damage. Peter Cervelli, a spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said the quake, which hit at 6:34 a.m. local time, was centered almost in the middle of Yellowstone National Park, near the Norris Geyser Basin. He said any damage from the temblor would likely be minor, adding that there are not many visitors in the park at the moment. The quake was not expected to trigger any volcanic activity, Cervelli said. Jessica Turner, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Service, said the quake was the most powerful to hit the park since 1985. She said residents in the town of West Yellowstone felt the quake.
[USGS puts significant quakes in pink, such as this one at Yellowstone]
Muscat: A tremor which occurred in a Muscat suburb on Tuesday evening was the first of its kind and can be classified as a “non-warning” earthquake, the Director of the Earthquake Monitoring Centre at Sultan Qaboos University said in an interview. … The epicentre of the tremor, which occurred at 08:06 p.m. on Tuesday, was about 30 km from the city of Muscat and felt by part of the population because it was shallow,” Dr. Issa Al Hussein said. The earthquake was recorded 2 on Richter Scale by the Seismological Centre of the Sultan Qaboos University.
I don’t know what is meant by “non-warning” earthquake, unless it means the residents don’t need to be warned because another quake is not expected…but then again, quakes never are expected. And I don’t know what they mean by first of its kind in the headline when the article later says that the mountain range in the area had experienced tremors in 2010. If you go to the short article, you’ll see.
However, there was a concerted effort to collect data as to the seismicity of Oman and “through these efforts, it has been established that a major fault exists in the Gulf of Oman (offshore Muscat).” (source .pdf paper, Earthquake Hazard Potential in Oman). The paper goes on to report,
“There are practically no instrumentally-recorded earthquakes in Oman. The global database, however, lists an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 (Richter Scale) in AI-Kamil area in 1971. There are numerous reports of felt earthquakes in Oman (Table 1).”
I’m focusing on Oman because seismicity, or any activity, in the prophetic epicenter is always highly interesting and important to monitor. You might recall in Dec. 2011 I reported a new island had emerged in the Red Sea. In June of 2011 a spectacular volcanic eruption took place in Eritrea, where the previous eruption had occurred way back in 1861. To say the 2011 eruption was sudden and surprising is an understatement
In other earthquake news, there was a quake in the UK today.
Devon earthquake: Biggest tremor in the UK for SIX YEARS shakes the South West “The nation was hit by its biggest earthquake in six years today, shaking homes and leaving residents frightened and confused. The 4.1 magnitude quake was felt over hundreds of miles, with thousands of people caught in the tremors across the West Country and South Wales.“
As always I believe that earthquakes are an important warning sign from God- whether He directly caused it or allowed it to happen. Keep watching the signs. Yes I know I’m a broken record, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. One of these days the rapture will happen. Meanwhile the anticipation of both living for Christ on earth and looking forward to glorified life with Him in heaven is what it’s all about. Do you long for His appearing? I hope so.
The earth sure is an active celestial body, isn’t it. There are several volcanoes erupting now, major storms affecting millions, air travel has come to a near-standstill and now a pretty big (for us in GA) quake.
The earthquake happened last night at 10:23 pm. I had closed down my computer and was doing the going-to-bed routine. I had just turned off the light in the living room on my way to the bedroom, and I felt a shaking. The air conditioner began to rattle in the window, the metal clanking against the sill. Outside no trucks were going by. The rattling continued for some seconds, and I said to the cats, “Boys, we are having an earthquake.” Then the neighbor’s dog began barking (who only barks when his mommy comes home) and I knew for sure. Quake.
A few minutes later we received a robo-call from Emergency Management, stating that a quake had occurred in SC, that Madison County residents had felt it, and please don’t call 911.
The quake, a 4.4, downgraded to a 4.1, occurred in Edgefield SC, near the border of GA. The epicenter was 88 miles from were I live.
Interesting!
The USGS put the quake in pink because it is considered a ‘significant’ quake
Small quake in SC felt hundreds of miles away “COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – The snow and ice dumped by an unusually severe winter storm were melting, once-frigid temperatures were rising and residents of South Carolina and Georgia finally had begun to relax. Then the earth shuddered. A small earthquake shook both states late Friday, shaking homes and rattling residents hundreds of miles away. The quake happened at 10:23 p.m. and had a preliminary magnitude of 4.1, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s website. It was centered 7 miles west of the town of Edgefield, S.C. , and was felt as far west as Atlanta and as far north as Hickory, N.C., each about 150 miles away. “It’s a large quake for that area,” said USGS geophysicist Dale Grant. “It was felt all over the place.“”
SC is a seismic area, though it seemed to have been sleeping prior to 1886, when a 7.3 quake struck. Wikipedia says that very little to no historical earthquake activity occurred in the Charleston area prior to the 1886 event, which is unusual for any seismic area. A factoid about the SC quake last night from USGS: There were 11,743 responses in 880 zip codes in 53 cities.
USGS explains of earthquakes in the Inland Carolinas Region, that the largest earthquake in the area (magnitude 5.1) occurred in 1916. Moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two.
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It’s been interesting to watch some earth happenings this last week. This quake in SC is not the only interesting earth or seismic event happening. There was a quake in Massachusetts a few days ago, too. Actually, a pair of them, which is unusual.
Big Boom: quake’s epicenter in Bliss Corners area of So. Dartmouth For the second time in just over a month, SouthCoast felt the earth move. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 2.4 magnitude earthquake was centered about 1.8 miles below ground in Dartmouth’s Bliss Corner area in South Dartmouth. There were no immediate reports of damage from the temblor which hit at 5:46 p.m. Tuesday. But the quake was felt across much of the region with many people taking to social media to share their stories and a number of police departments reporting a flood of calls.
Jeff Price, who lives in Padanaram, said he and his wife heard “a rumble” and then felt their house shake. “It lasted for a couple of seconds,” he said. “It scared the bejabbers out of the dog.”
There were a pair of quakes I read about occurring elsewhere in New England this week, too. On February 7th, there was a small quake in Mexico Maine, and then one in northern VT/So. Quebec
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There was an interesting event that occurred a few days ago. My blog hits spiked as the search term ‘sinkhole’ was input. Here is the vivid headline from NatGeo: Kentucky Sinkhole Eats Corvettes, Raises Questions “Early Wednesday morning a sinkhole opened beneath the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. No one was injured, but the 40-foot-wide (12-meter-wide), 25-foot-deep (7.5-meter-deep) fissure swallowed eight valuable sports cars shortly after 5:30 a.m.”
Security Camera sinkhole footage in slo-mo
Engineers were dispatched to inspect the building and geologists swarmed to the location. OK maybe not swarmed but they certainly were curious. Geologists said the area is in a place ‘geologically primed for sinkholes because it’s in a karst area rife with caves and underground springs.’
They intimated that the incident was really only a matter of time until something like this occurred. In addition to being atop a porous area, “Caves are a common feature in this part of the state,” he says.And we usually see sinkholes here after a hard rain. But as far as I can tell, what happened in this case was that drainage water has been coming off the museum building improperly for some time. And it focused and built up at one point on the soil.”
Sinkholes and earthquakes seem to shake people up more than just about anything, no pun intended. It is more than disconcerting to have walked on what feels like solid ground under your feet all your life only to feel it swaying, shaking, and even turning to liquid. Even worse is seeing that the very ground user us can open up all of a sudden and swallow us. Scarier still is when it happens inside a building. We think buildings are sturdy and can protect us, but we are sooo vulnerable on this earth it isn’t even funny. It was heartbreaking to see such beautiful classic cars tumble into the earth, but it’s so terrible when it happens to a person. Remember a year ago in March 2013 when a sinkhole suddenly opened up under a sleeping family, swallowing a man as he slept in his bedroom? But Christ challenged the people’s notion that they were morally superior to those who suffered in such catastrophes. ~John MacArthur “A loud crash, then nothing: Sinkhole swallows Florida man” “The ground just swallowed him up. A Florida man fell into a sinkhole that opened suddenly Thursday night beneath the bedroom of his suburban Tampa home, calling out to his brother for help as he fell, the brother said Friday.”
In Numbers 26:10 those who had contended against Moses and Aaron were gathered and the LORD made the earth open and swallow them.
“and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning.”
They became a warning, in other translations, a sign. Pulpit Commentary says, “something made conspicuous in order to attract attention and enforce a warning“
“But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD.” (Numbers 16:30)
Matthew Henry said of the Numbers 16 verse,
God has, when he pleases, strange punishments for the workers of iniquity. It was very significant. Considering how the earth is still in like manner loaded with the weight of man’s sins, we have reason to wonder that it does not now sink under its load. The ruin of others should be our warning. Could we, by faith, hear the outcries of those that are gone down to the bottomless pit, we should give more diligence than we do to escape for our lives, lest we also come into their condemnation.
You know, there are curses for those who are disobedient. Deuteronomy 28:46-47 says
The Curses of Disobedience …”So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. “They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things;”
He smote the priests offering strange fire (Leviticus 10:1). Also read Ezekiel 5:15 where the LORD says He will punish Israel as an example, or, 2 Peter 2:6, where the destruction of Sodom Gomorrah (and Admah and Zeobiim) were an example to the ungodly.
On the other hand, we can’t presume that this incident or that incident is an example of the Lord’s displeasure. Sometimes things happen. The Tower of Siloam is a good example.
When the Pharisees questioned the Lord Jesus, an incident had obviously occurred which were still on the minds of the people. They were still talking about it. A tower had fallen on people and killed 18 of them. Here is the verse and Matthew Henry‘s wise commentary, which we should take to heart regarding sinkholes, volcanoes, earthquakes, or any other sudden disaster or destruction.
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)
Matthew Henry said, Mention was made to Christ of the death of some Galileans. This tragical story is briefly related here, and is not met with in any historians. In Christ’s reply he spoke of another event, which, like it, gave an instance of people taken away by sudden death. Towers, that are built for safety, often prove to be men’s destruction. He cautioned his hearers not to blame great sufferers, as if they were therefore to be accounted great sinners. As no place or employment can secure from the stroke of death, we should consider the sudden removals of others as warnings to ourselves. On these accounts Christ founded a call to repentance. The same Jesus that bids us repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, bids us repent, for otherwise we shall perish.
Ultimately, since everything is under God’s control, He causes or allows it all to happen so that His plan will be executed, everything is a warning.
John MacArthur’s commentary explains, It was the belief of many that disaster and sudden death always signified divine displeasure over particular sins (cf. Job 4:7); [and Numbers 16:30 as above]. Those who suffered in uncommon ways were therefore assumed to be guilty of some more severe immorality. Jesus did not deny the connection between catastrophe and human evil, for all such afflictions ultimately stem from the curse of humanity’s fallenness. (Gen 3:17-19). Furthermore, specific calamities may indeed the the fruit of certain iniquities (Proverbs 24:16). But Christ challenged the people’s notion that they were morally superior to those who suffered in such catastrophes. He called all to repent, for all were in danger of sudden destruction. No one is guaranteed a time to prepare for death, so now is the time for repentance for all (cf. 2 Cor 6:2).
We live on borrowed time, a sinful earth, and no tomorrow is guaranteed. The answer to the events happening, including the earthquake last night, is…repent.
“A rare but moderate earthquake off the Cuban coast shook buildings and rattled residents from the Keys to Orlando on Thursday afternoon. The 5.1 magnitude quake occurred just before 4 p.m. in the ocean about 24 miles north of the Cuban city of Corralillo, more than 100 miles east of Havana. … Becky Herrin, spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, felt her building shake. It was the only quake she’s experienced in 28 years in the Keys. “It’s certainly unusual,” she said. “I haven’t heard any reports of damage or injuries so that’s really fortunate.” Still, the ground shook as far north as Central Florida, nearly 400 miles from Cuba. … Thursday’s temblor happened in a region not known for earthquakes. “It is an uncommon area for a quake,” he said. But in 30 years, in a 150-mile radius of Thursday’s quake, only two other weak ones have occurred, Abreu said. In 1982, a 4.5 magnitude quake struck, and in 2005, there was a magnitude 4.1 in the area. Florida, far from the margins of the earth’s tectonic plates, is traditionally not subject to quakes.“
Jesus said that in advance of His second coming there would be signs. This was in answer to the Disciples’ question in Matthew 24:3, “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?””
Verse 24:4 begins, “And Jesus answered them…
One of the signs He said would occur is that there will be earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7b).
It is important to know that the “last days”, the “last times”, the “end time” is now, and it has been since Jesus ascended. Paul warned Timothy of the last days in 2 Timothy 3:1, Peter did in 2 Peter 3:3, Paul again in 1 Timothy 4:1, and Jude did in 1:18 for example. They all repeat the warning of the last days. These were not warnings of some far-off time, they were warnings for the Church at that time until Jesus returned. What they didn’t know was that there would be a 2000 year gap.
In my opinion, the warning of the last days in Jesus’s Discourse in Matthew 24 (AKA The Olivet Discourse, because He delivered it atop the Mount of Olives) can be sectioned off into parts. When Jesus begins to answer, He offers some warning signs from Matthew 24:4-8. Even twice within that short time frame, He said that the end is not yet. Then He launched into a section from verse 9-14 of a kind of overview of the entire Tribulation. Then Jesus backtracks and gives specifics of the Great Tribulation from verse 15-28. This part is aimed mostly at Jewish believers living during those days who will have converted by that time. At the passage’s end He speaks of the signs of His actual, physical return. (Vv. 29-31.)
“Luke’s account says great earthquakes, seismos megalos, mega quakes, like the 9-point quake 80 miles off the shore of Japan. Through history, millions and millions, countless millions have died in earthquakes. I read this week that there are one-half million earthquakes a year every year. You are on a shaky place. A hundred thousand of them are felt. But half a million register on Richter scales. … And the worst is yet to come. …[O]ur Lord says, “Those things…in verse 7…must take place but that’s not yet the end.” It’s the nature of living in a cursed planet. It’s not yet the end. In fact, if you will look at the end of verse 8 it says they’re merely the beginning of birth pangs.
That’s an analogy of a woman’s contractions. They are separated, they are mild, and they intensify and intensify and intensify to a great degree just before birth. What we’re seeing in human history is just the beginning, is just the mild contractions. Wait till you see what’s going to happen just before the very end. Two thousand years of these milder contractions will explode in the end, in the time of Tribulation described starting in verse 14.“
The verse is clear when it says earthquakes will be in various places. Other translations say diverse places. In my opinion the quake near Cuba the other day qualifies for being in a diverse place. It did to the USGS. They highlight quakes on their list that are significant. Though the 5.1 magnitude quake wasn’t a mega-quake like the March 2011 9.0 magnitude off Japan, it was listed as significant anyway. USGS explains,
“List items with a red background have been identified as “significant”, based on a combination of magnitude, PAGER alert level, and the number of Did You Feel It? responses.“
The location of the quake surprised officials. As we saw in the data Dr MacArthur provided, there are a great many quakes occurring each year on this planet. As the time draws nearer to the return of Jesus, scientists, officials, and humankind will discover that there is no place that is earthquake-free. There will be more and more frequent quakes and they will occur any place at all. Just as the Cuban quake did.
Pray for the return of Jesus.
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” (Revelation 22:7)
the-end-time.org 
