Vanuatu's mysterious swarm: Six 5.0+ quakes in 24 hours

April 29, 2011 – VANUATU – Six earthquakes have struck Vanuatu in 24 hours. The unique submarine topography of the region puts it on the front-line for tectonic plate convulsion and potentially destructive tsunamis. The above 1999 map shows the deep trench forming along the plate boundary. Recently, quake activity has increased in both neighboring Fiji and the Solomon Island. The entire region where Vanuatu island group is located is characterized by high volcanic and seismic activity and is part of what is often referred to as the “Pacific Ring of Fire” – an area notorious for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This region of the Southwest Pacific Ocean is presently responsible for about ten per cent of the total energy released by earthquakes in the world. In the Vanuatu area, subduction has formed the New Hebrides Trench and is the cause of major earthquakes and locally destructive tsunamis. The tectonic plates move at speeds averaging between 1 cm and 10 cm per year. We can only hope obstructive geological forces for a potential mega-thrust earthquake in this region of the Pacific are not building. -The Extinction Protocol

About these ads