**If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory.**
William Hazlitt
LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.1 CHIAPAS, MEXICO
5.6 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
Yesterday, 7/19/14 -
6.0 OWEN FRACTURE ZONE REGION
6.2 TONGA
5.2 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
7/18/14 -
5.1 LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.6 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.2 VANUATU
Higher earthquake risk for eastern US - A new US geological survey indicates that some parts of the US are at an increased risk of earthquakes, especially along the east coast. "The eastern US has the potential for larger and more damaging earthquakes than considered in previous maps and assessments."
The East Coast experienced one of its largest quakes for 100 years in 2011. The 5.8 magnitude quake was centred on rural Virginia but was felt by hundreds of thousands of people, including in Washington DC. Parts of states including Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon and California remain at the highest risk of seismic activity. Major fault lines exist along the entire US West Coast, as well as in the Midwest near Illinois and Missouri.
"While all states have some potential for earthquakes, 42 of the 50 states have a reasonable chance of experiencing damaging ground shaking from an earthquake in 50 years. The hazard is especially high along the West Coast, intermountain west, and in several active regions of the central and eastern US." The 16 states at highest risk are: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Meanwhile, several states saw their risk of seismic activity lower, including Texas, Oregon, Utah and New York. Earthquakes caused by fracking - utilising a mixture of water, sand and chemicals pumped underground at high pressure to crack open sedimentary rocks and release the fuels within - were not included in the analysis. Several hundred earthquakes have hit Oklahoma so far this year, with fracking named a primary culprit, although the impact of fracking on earthquake risks is disputed.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Current tropical storms - maps and details.
* In the Western Pacific -
- Typhoon Matmo is located approximately 418 nm east of Manila, Philippines.
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Typhoon Rammasun made it’s final landfall in northern-most Vietnam as a Category 2 and is quickly weakening and losing its identity as it continues moving inland.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm MATMO (10W) continues to become better organized, and is currently approaching Typhoon intensity. The cyclone has an estimated pressure of 975 mb, and was last located about 600 NM East-Southeast of Manila, Philippines, moving WNW at about 5Kts. As the storm moves northwestward, the cyclone will find a region of lowering wind shear.
This general fall-off of wind shear along with the overall improvement in the outflow pattern, should support a more rapid intensification phase beginning in about 24-36 hours. All of the specialized hurricane forecast models are in generally good agreement that MATMO will intensify to CAT 2 by the time it approaches Taiwan by the middle of next week.
A couple models are calling for a much stronger storm – though these appear to be outliers at this point (as are some of the Japanese models that originally showed a more northerly track towards Japan). It is worth noting that after 6 model runs forecasting only minor development, the GFS has come back into excellent agreement with the Hurricane models in forecasting a vigorous cyclone, tracking it towards Taiwan.
Last night, ‘WALI’ essentially fell apart. (This assumes it actually ‘existed’ as a Tropical Storm to begin with.)
The Atlantic remains uneventful but is becoming more 'interesting'.
Typhoon Rammasun - Monster storm buffets south China. The biggest typhoon to hit southern China in 40 years has killed 17 people, after wreaking death and destruction on the Philippines. Most of the people killed in the Philippines were hit by falling debris and trees, disaster officials said, while some of six people reported missing had been at sea on boats. Typhoon Rammasun killed at least eight people on the island of Hainan, with others missing, and nine in the Guangxi region.
It made landfall on Friday with winds exceeding 200km/h (124mph). At least 94 people were killed when Rammasun ravaged the northern Philippines earlier this week. The storm is also affecting Vietnam, where heavy rain is expected before it starts to weaken on Monday. Air, rail and road traffic was suspended in parts of China while TV channels showed roads littered with debris including uprooted trees and rooftops.
On Hainan, another source gave the death toll as 18 while the number of people missing is said to be between two and five. It is the strongest typhoon experienced by southern China since the 1973 typhoon season. The typhoon prompted mass evacuations, flooding and power cuts.
A new typhoon, Matmo, with maximum winds of 150km/h, is now threatening the area ravaged by Rammasun, About 20 major storms hit the Philippines a years. The south-east Asian country often bears the brunt of the storms, which mass above the warm Pacific Ocean waters. (photos)
Typhoon Rammasun was THE STRONGEST TYPHOON TO HIT SOUTHERN CHINA IN FOUR DECADES. It has destroyed tens of thousands of homes.
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