Earthquakes strike Vanuatu, Romania, Alaska, and Central America

December 2, 2012 – VANUATU – A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake has struck off the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, but no tsunami warning was issued. Seismologists say the quake had a relatively shallow depth of 34 kilometers. The quake struck just before midday local time, and was centered 108 kilometers northwest of the capital, Port Vila, the United States Geological Survey said. There have been no immediate reports of damage or injury. Vanuatu lies on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates. It has been rocked by several large quakes in recent years, averaging about three magnitude 7.0 or above incidents every year without any major damage. –NST 

Earthquake strikes Romania: An earthquake occurred on Saturday night in Vrancea region of eastern Romania, with a magnitude of 4.6 on the Richter scale, according to Romania’s National Institute for Earth Physics. There are no reports of casualties, injuries or major material damage for now. The quake struck at 10:52 p.m. local time (GMT 2052) at a depth of 67 km, near Reghiu of Vrancea County, some 210 kilometers northeast of Romania’s capital Bucharest. Yet, according to European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the earthquake had a magnitude of 4.8 on the Richter scale and the epicenter is at a depth of 93 kilometers. The quake was felt in Bucharest. Vrancea is one of the most active seismic areas in Europe. It is known for its intermediate-depth (70-200 kilometers) earthquakes, which can reach a magnitude of 7.0-7.8. This earthquake reminds people of the 7.6-magnitude earthquake in March 1977 that killed 1,600 people in Romania and damaged 8,500 buildings. –EE 

Heavy seismicity: Alaska as also experienced it share of earthquakes over the weekend and they don’t appear to be slowing down any. A 5.1 quake struck off the coast of Central America. A 5.0 earthquake struck Tonga. A magnitude 4.5 hit Iran three hours ago, 4.6 slapped Romania, Hawaii received a very mild jolt today. Indonesia was hit with a mild 4.6 magnitude seismic, South America had a 4.5 quake, a 4.4 hit Afghanistan and Alaska took it last hit nine hours ago with a 4.1 earthquake. An earthquake also hit the Alaska region earlier on Saturday with Alaskan’s reporting that this quake seemed to last for several minutes and was one of the strongest quakes they have encountered The earth moved Saturday in the Jujuy Province of Argentina, the US Geological Survey announced in an emailed alert. China received a fair jolt near Sichuan, China, with a 4.8 ground rumble, and Baja California, near Mexico was toughed with a 2.7 quake. As it stands, there have been 20 earthquakes today, 207 earthquakes in the past 7 days, 822 earthquakes in the past month and 17,474 earthquakes in the past year. –Guardian