OLD UPDATES - LARGEST QUAKE IN 40 YEARS and another 8.0+ This week alone

What kind of damage can earthquakes cause?

The method for measuring the shaking effect and damage is what is known as the Richter Scale. The Richter magnitude scale is a mathematical technique used to quantify the size of earthquakes. Developed in 1935 by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, both of the California Institute of Technology, the Richter scale assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. Here's what the scale looks like.

This week alone has had 2 massive 8.0 + Earthquakes.

Indonesia Struck by 8.5-Magnitude Quake, U.S. Seismologists Say - Asian quake kills thousands
   
The Indonesian island of Sumatra was rocked by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. That may rank it among the 10 strongest earthquakes in the last century.

.. and now...



As of 2pm December 28th

-=> Biggest relief effort ever' as Asian disaster toll predicted to hit 45,000+
-=> Tidal Waves Death Toll Rises to 40,000+
-=> 50,000 Confirmed dead

From Overnight

-=> 42,000!?!
-=> Rattled Planet orbit, changed map of Asia...
-=> Quake May Have Altered Earth's Rotation // May have shortened the day by 3 microseconds...

-=> Corpses Piled on Asian Coasts After Tsunami...
-=> Epidemics threaten devastated south Asia...
-=> The death toll is nearing 24,000
-=> Tsunami death toll rises to 23,500, 12,000 perish in Sri Lanka, 2,000 in Thailand,  At least four Britons dead
-=> Country by country
-=> Tsunami Kills 22,000 in Nine Countries
-=> Fatal lack of a warning system
-=>  Warnings Might Have Reduced Tsunami Toll
-=>  Epidemic Warning Issued...
-=> Tsunami Waves Kill Over 20,900 in Asia
-=>  HAVOC IS UNLEASHED FROM THE DEPTHS: 'The quake even disturbed the Earth's rotation'...
-=>  Waves Kill 20,000 In Asian Countries
-=>  Aid Workers Rush to Areas Hit by Tsunamis
-=>  THE WAVE OF DEATH: CHAOS IN PARADISE
-=>  Villagers Fear More Deadly Waves...
-=>  22,000 Dead, Millions Homeless in Asia

(Updated 4pm CST)

-=> DEATH TOLL: 10,200+.
-=> DEATH TOLL: 11,300+
-=> DEATH TOLL: 11,500+
-=> 'ALL THE PLANET IS VIBRATING'
-=> Asia Quakes' Tsunamis Kill More Than 8,000

The world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years struck deep under the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra on Sunday, triggering tidal waves up to 20 feet high that obliterated villages and seaside resorts in six countries across southern and southeast Asia.
...
An earthquake of epic power roiled the Indian Ocean on Sunday morning, unleashing 20-foot walls of water that came crashing down on Asian beaches in six countries across thousands of miles, smashing seaside resorts and villages and leaving nearly 10,000 dead in their wake.

-=> Most Powerful Quake in 40 Years Triggers Death and Destruction
-=> Asia Quake Death Toll Tops 9,300
-=> Earthquake, tsunamis kill thousands across Asia
-=> THE GREAT CHRISTMAS QUAKE: LARGEST ON EARTH IN 40 YEARS...
-=> 750,000 Stranded...
-=> PANIC IN 'THE RING OF FIRE'...
-=> Aftershocks Rattle Region..

INITAL REPORTS :

LARGEST QUAKE IN 40 YEARS - Magnitude 8.9

The world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into villages and seaside resorts across Asia on Sunday, killing thousands across five countries.

Magnitude 8.9 - OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
2004 December 26 00:58:50 UTC ( http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqinthenews/2004/usslav/ )

-=> DEATH TOLL: 700+..
-=> DEADLY WAVES STRIKE MALAYSIA...
-=> AS BIG AS 8.9 MAG
-=> TSUNAMIS RAMPANT...
-=> 100,OOO+ DISPLACED..

Large tidal waves striking coastal parts of Sri Lanka have reportedly killed at least 150 people. Earlier, a massive earthquake, said to measure 8.5, hit Indonesia's Sumatra island at roughly 0800 local time. Earth tremors have also been reported in Bangladesh, while tourist resorts in Thailand have been hit by high tides. After the Indonesian quake, panicked people reportedly fled their homes in the towns of Medan and Banda Aceh, the capitals of two of Sumatra's provinces. The US Geological Survey measured the quake at 8.5 magnitude.



The "Ring of Fire"  is an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. It is composed over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes. (See the full USGS MAP here)

In South America the Nazca plate is colliding with the South American plate. This has created the Andes and volcanoes such as Cotopaxi and Azul.
In Central America, the tiny Cocos plate is crashing into the North American plate and is therefore responsible for the Mexican volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Paricutun (which rose up from a cornfield in 1943 and became a instant mountains).
Between Northern California and British Columbia, the Pacific, Juan de Fuca, and Gorda plates have built the Cascades and the infamous Mount Saint Helens, which erupted in 1980.
Alaska's Aleutian Islands are growing as the Pacific plate hits the North American plate. The deep Aleutian Trench has been created at the subduction zone with a maximum depth of 25,194 feet (7679 meters).
From Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula to Japan, the subduction of the Pacific plate under the Eurasian plate is responsible for Japanese islands and volcanoes (such as Mt. Fuji).
The final section of the Ring of Fire exists where the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Pacific plate and has created volcanoes in the New Guinea and Micronesian areas. Near New Zealand, the Pacific Plate slides under the Indo-Australian plate.
By far this is the most impressive and worst month of Earthquakes that I have ever seen / tracked. I haven't seen this kind of destruction since the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran.  With the numbers totaling nearly 10,000 dead, this is truly one of the largest of the half century - One can only wonder the consequences if it had been focused on California.


All 2004 7+ magnitude Earthquakes + Map : http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/2004/2004_stats.html