This may explain Richard's warm basement!
 
Indian Ocean earthquake data suggest disaster warnings too conservative
 
Using data recorded by digital seismometers all over the world, scientists were able to determine the direction and speed of the rupturing seafloor.

"The rupture opened lengthwise at 5,000 miles per hour during the first 10 minutes of the earthquake. Seismometers in Russia and Australia recorded the event like a noisy fire engine racing northward," Bilham said. He explained that Russian seismometers recorded higher frequency sounds than those recorded in Australia, revealing a seismic Doppler effect as the sound traveled away from Australia and toward Russia.

For seismologists including Bilham, this was the first catastrophic earthquake that could be analyzed using the latest and most sensitive scientific equipment. "As a result, we will learn numerous new things about our planet, and in particular about the Pacific Northwest, where a similar earthquake could occur at any time," he said.

Scientists believe that a major earthquake and tsunami hit the Pacific Northwest around 1700 along the Cascadia Subduction Zone and that the northwest will experience major quakes, and possibly tsunamis, in the future.
 

 
 
 
In wake of tsunami, earthquake risk may be underestimated | The Arizona Daily Star ®

"A scientist doesn't try to maximize his message of gloom. He tries to minimize it or give it a realistic pitch," he says. "In this case, the earthquake was very much 'worst case.' "
 
A place where scientists haven't been overly conservative in their predictions is the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Bilham says it's understood that the Oregon coast is at risk for an earthquake with a magnitude of 9. Studying the behavior of the Sumatra quake is yielding insights into how that rupture is likely to behave, he said.
 
Contact reporter Anne Minard at 434-4086 or at aminard@azstarnet.com.
 
 

Daily Earthquake Forecasts for California Now Online
 
 

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Deborah
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