Double earthquakes: 5.3 off the coast of Oregon and 6.1 strikes near Bali, Indonesia

October 13, 2011 – OREGON – Full Moon Quakes: A strong 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon along the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate and shallow magma plume at a depth of 10 km. Just this year, geologists discovered that a massive underwater volcanic eruption had occurred off the coast of Oregon sometime in late 2010. The epicenter of today’s earthquake was 233 km (144 miles) W of Coos Bay, Oregon and 365 km (226 miles) WSW of Salem, Oregon. The Juan de Fuca plate is part of the troubled Cascadian Fault system which extends up the northwest coastline of the U.S. and Canada. Geologists have said the region is long overdue for a major earthquake in the 9.0 magnitude range. Today’s strong earthquake should come as a wake-up call to the growing dangers of Earth’s heightened seismic activity and rising pressures at its magmatic hotspots like the Canary Islands, Etna and Iceland. The Oregon earthquake (which was downgraded from a 5.9 by the USGS ) was preceded by a 6.1 magnitude offshore earthquake that struck near Bali, Indonesia- another country of growing seismic and volcanic unrest. Indonesia currently has 6 volcanoes on very high alert. –The Extinction Protocol

Bali Indonesia: A powerful earthquake has jolted Indonesia’s popular resort island of Bali, causing widespread panic and injuring at least 50 people, many with broken bones and head injuries. Ceilings caved in at some schools and offices on Thursday, while several ancient Hindu temples along the coast were damaged, with stones tumbling to the ground and their walls crumbling. The police headquarters in Denpasar, where a 14-year-old Australian boy and a number of other Australians are being detained, was evacuated after the earthquake, which struck at 11.16am local time on Thursday (1416 AEDT). A small aftershock more than four hours after the main quake also caused residents to flee buildings, although no further damage was apparent. The US Geological Survey said the 6.1-magnitude quake was centered 100 kilometers southwest of the island, famous for its resorts and spectacular surfing beaches. It hit 35km beneath the ocean floor. Although not strong enough to trigger a tsunami, the quake was felt on neighboring Java and Lombok islands. Strong shaking was felt for several minutes in the main tourist district of Kuta, said Endro Tjahjono from the Bali office of Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. “There was panic, everyone ran out of the buildings. When we returned to our office building, we saw some cracks on the wall and plaster had come off the walls,” he told Agence France-Presse. –Nine MSN

contribution B. Mahati