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Major earthquake in Philippines

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by MileHigh, Aug 31, 2012.

  1. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    7.9 and a tsunami warning has been issued.
     
  2. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    And, of course, CNN and Fox are talking about Romney.
     
  3. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member

  4. Football_Bat

    Football_Bat Well-Known Member

    Quake downgraded to 7.6. If there's a tsunami, it's hitting Taiwan right now.
     
  5. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Stupid question but is there a noticeable difference between a 7.9 and a 7.6?
     
  6. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    Where does 7.9 (or even 7.6) rank on the scale of "This is pretty damn unpleasant" to "HOLY SHIT WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!"?
     
  7. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Yeah. A 7.9 is about 2.5 to 4 times more powerful than a 7.6

    A 7.6 releases 16 petajoules of energy (or 3.8 megatons/TNT equivalent).

    A 7.9 releases 42-63 petajoules (or 10-15 megatons/TNT equivalent).

    What's a joule? Something like a jiggawatt, only real. One joule is the kinetic energy of a tennis ball moving at 14 mph.

    One petajoule is 1,000,000,000,000,000 joules.
     
  8. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Very high. This was out in the sea, but if it hit closer to land, we're talking major devastation.

    Japan quake in 2011 was 9.0.
    Haiti in 2010 was 7.0, but only 15-20 miles deep (shallower is worse)
    Loma Prieta in 1989 was 6.9.
    Northridge in 1994 was 6.7

    So if you're close or int he vicinity of a 7.9 (or 7.6) ... yeah, that's serious freak-out mode.
     
  9. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/31/world/asia/philippines-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

    From the story: There were 3-centimeter-high waves at Legaspi in the eastern Philippines, but warnings for the Philippines and Indonesia and watches for other regions were later canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

    3 centimeters, huh?
     
  10. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member


    The tsunami that destroyed Banda Aceh, and reached a height 80 feet when it ran inland, was measured in the open ocean at something like 20 inches.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
  11. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    Ah. What's that then, about 20 times as big as the 3-centimeters-high wave off the Phillipines today?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
  12. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member

    Something like that. The effect of even a small tsunami has to do with the topography of the shoreline it's hitting, not necessarily its height at sea.

    www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/tsunami3.htm
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
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