Series of earthquakes reported across the globe

 

October 21, 2011 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A pair of earthquakes shook homes and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday. The first quake, with a magnitude of 4.0 according to the U.S. Geological Survey, struck at 2:41 p.m. local time about 2 miles southeast of Berkeley. A 3.8 magnitude aftershock centered a mile east of Berkeley followed more than 5 hours later at 8:16 p.m. USGS officials estimate that more than 4 million residents of the Bay Area felt the quakes, with the worst shaking impacting the East Bay region. Berkeley and Oakland police both reported no damage, though many in the area took to social media indicating their dishes were rattled. Bay Area Rapid Transit trains were delayed about 15 minutes after each quake while workers examined the integrity of the system. No damage was found. The quakes occurred along the Hayward Fault, situated along the western base of the hills on the east side of San Francisco Bay. Since the tremors were centered along an active fault line, USGS officials warn that there could be additional aftershocks in the days and months to come. The earthquakes come almost 22 years to the day after the Loma Prieta quake jolted the Bay Area on Oct. 17, 1989. –Accuweather

India – An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale with an in Junagadh district jolted Gujarat on Thursday night, with tremors being felt across the state and in parts of Mumbai as well. People ran out of their homes in Saurashtra and from some apartments in Ahmedabad. Over 10 people were reported injured in Junagadh district.The quake was felt around 10.48 pm and was centred 20 km south-east of Sasan Gir near Vanthali town in Junagadh district. It lasted about 25 seconds. The US Geological Survey recorded the quake at a magnitude of 5 and said it was 15.5 km deep, located at 21.181°N and 70.540°E. Injuries were reported from villages around Gir. A spokesperson of GVK EMRI’s 108 ambulance service confirmed seven injuries by wall collapses. There were no deaths, and all the injured have been shifted to hospital. Three people were injured in Talala town when they jumped off the first floor of a building in a hurry to get out of their homes. A woman working as a laborer at farm house of Vaju Ganda in Khamba village of Talala taluka was severely injured when she jumped off from the first floor. House of one Uma Kanna in Maliya Hatina also was reportedly collapsed. All five family members ran out safely. Almost all residents of Vanthali town were out in the open. With memories of destructive 2001 earthquake intact, people were too scared to go back inside. –Express India

Japan: A deep 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Hokkaido region of Japan today at a depth of about 185 km (115 miles). The epicenter of the earthquake was 17 km (10 miles) NE of Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan and 941 km (584 miles) NNE of TOKYO, Japan. There were no reports of damage.