Nicaragua Earthquake 2014: Tsunami Warning Not Issued
Nicaragua’s earthquake felt earlier today registered as a 6.1 magnitude quake on the scale but, based upon the location of the earthquake, it apparently was not necessary to issue a tsunami warning.
In a related report by The Inquisitr, some wondered whether Peru’s volcanic eruption could be linked to the earthquakes in Chile, and similar ideas have been raised about the Yellowstone volcano erupting due to all the earthquake activity. Others also claimed videos of bison running from the area proved this theory, but other scientists claimed this was not the case.
This Thursday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that Nicaragua’s earthquake struck relatively close to the western shoreline, about 30 to 35 miles inland and 27 miles north-northwest of the capital Managua. The center of the earthquake was at a depth of 8.1 miles, with the initial measurement of 6.4 being adjusted downward to a 6.1 magnitude quake.
Reports from the area claim that some cities have had their telephone and electric lines knocked out. The government is currently working to restore the utilities, and witnesses say there was a small aftershock. Some sources say there has not been any major damage, injuries, or deaths reported so far.
Nicaragua earthquake preliminary magnitude 6.1: http://t.co/6krIItvipM. If you felt it, use DYFI? tab to report.
— USGS (@USGS) April 11, 2014
The good news is that Nicaragua’s earthquake has not generated any tsunami warnings. But perhaps this is not so surprising since the deadly wave was not an issue with another earthquake in Nicaragua back in April where the epicenter was actually offshore. Still, the last quake caused minor injuries to 23 people, damaged many houses, and caused some landslides that blocked roads.
It’s also possible the danger is not over. The USGS has previously issued this advice:
“Expect aftershocks. These secondary shockwaves are usually less violent than the main quake but can be strong enough to do additional damage to weakened structures and can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake. Look for and extinguish small fires. Fire is the most common hazard after an earthquake.”
The USGS also says the largest and most seismically active of these plate tectonic boundaries is the Panama Fracture Zone:
“The Panama Fracture Zone terminates in the south at the Galapagos rift zone and in the north at the Middle America trench, where it forms part of the Cocos-Nazca-Caribbean triple junction. Earthquakes along the Panama Fracture Zone are generally shallow, low- to intermediate in magnitude (M<7.2) and are characteristically right-lateral strike-slip faulting earthquakes. Since 1900, the largest earthquake to occur along the Panama Fracture Zone was the July 26, 1962 M7.2 earthquake.”
Nicaragua is located within the Caribbean plate, but the whole region has been active lately as the Nazca and Cocos tectonic plates have been shifting. Do you think Nicaragua’s earthquake indicates that we will see more quakes in the near future?
