Magnitude 6.1 - COSTA RICA

[Shiloh]

Source: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009bpba.php

Magnitude 6.1 - COSTA RICA
2009 January 08 19:21:39 UTC

Earthquake Details
Magnitude 6.1
Date-Time

* Thursday, January 08, 2009 at 19:21:39 UTC
* Thursday, January 08, 2009 at 01:21:39 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 10.213?N, 84.248?W
Depth 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
Region COSTA RICA
Distances 35 km (20 miles) NNW of SAN JOSE, Costa Rica
70 km (45 miles) ENE of Puntarenas, Costa Rica
115 km (70 miles) SSE of San Carlos, Nicaragua
1770 km (1100 miles) SSW of Miami, Florida
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 7 km (4.3 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=154, Nph=154, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=1.12 sec, Gp=144?,
M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=6
Source

* USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID us2009bpba

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Magnitude 6.1 - COSTA RICA

Source: http://www.costaricapages.com/blog/travel/san-jose-earthquak/1787

6.1 Earthquake Hits San Jose Costa Rica

An earthquake just shook San Jose, Costa Rica, today, Jan. 08, 2009 at 1:21 p.m. with a preliminary magnitude estimated at 6.1 on the Richter Scale. The epicenter is estimated to be 22 miles northwest of the country?s capital city and aftershock is still being felt in the urban city. It is unclear how far the effects were felt. Total damage has yet to be analyzed, but witnesses in a local grocery store noted items falling off of shelves and breaking in the aisles.

This is the second significant earthquake to his Costa Rica in just two days. Yesterday?s quake rocked Alajuela just five kilometers east of the Poas volcano and measured 4.0 on the Richter Scale. Though it was hardly felt in the neighboring province of San Jose, the quake lasted for several minutes, and started around 10 a.m. This one had a depth of 6 kilometers, and is said to not be related to the volcano.

Today?s earthquake nearly matched the strongest earthquake that occurred in all of 2008, which registered 6.2 on the Richter scale on November 19. There were a total of 4,726 earthquakes last year, though only 60 were strong enough to be felt by residents.

Costa Rica is set over a series of fault lines, which helped to create the central mountain range that exist today. Volcanic activity has been present throughout the country?s history, though residents expect the next ?Big one? to hit any day in the Guanacaste region. This theory developed due to large earthquakes hitting the region on average every 50 years. The next to come was theoretically slated for the turn of the century, though the country hasn?t felt anything yet strong enough to qualify. The last ?big ones? to hit the region occurred in 1853, 1900, and 1950. Seismologists attest that the fears are not unfounded, though it is likely that the date could vary by up to 10 years or more.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Magnitude 6.1 - COSTA RICA

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7822627.stm

Costa Rica quake deaths reach 19

Rescuers are intensifying their searches in highland areas of central Costa Rica after a powerful earthquake that left at least 19 people dead.

The 6.1-magnitude quake on Thursday at Poas Volcano National Park north of the capital, San Jose, caused landslides to block roads and damage buildings.

Red Cross officials now say 19 people have died, with others still believed to buried by landslides.

At least 40 people are still missing, and hundreds have sought refuge.

Temporary shelters have been set up in the region for those affected by the quake.

Officials have warned that the number of dead and injured is likely to rise as rescuers reach remote areas.

Hope fading

The quake, reported to be on of the strongest to hit Costa Rica in 150 years, was felt across the country and knocked down homes in San Jose.

Rescuers at the worst-affected areas, in the mountainous central highlands, ferried tourists away from shattered restaurants and looked for local residents lost in the rubble.

"We passed places where cars were buried and it stank of bodies," survivor Esteban Godoy, 36, told Reuters.

The Associated Press reported that three bodies were recovered on Saturday from a restaurant destroyed by a landslide near the town of Vara Blanca de Alajuela.

Red Cross spokesman Freddy Roman told AP the chances of finding further survivors was diminishing.

The discovery followed similar finds on Friday, when the bodies of several men were found buried.

"We are working on removing corpses, taking picks and shovels on all-terrain vehicles to reach areas where people may be buried," said Victor Falla, National Emergency Commission official.

The Costa Rican government declared a state of emergency in San Jose and surrounding areas, including Cartago, Alajuela and Heredia.

Today is a day of mourning for Costa Ricans
President Oscar Arias

Transport Minister Karla Gonzalez said the government had contracted most of the private helicopters in the country, which has no army, to help with rescue operations, the Reuters news agency reported.

Widespread panic

The earthquake, which struck at 1321 (1921 GMT) on Thursday, cut off electricity in parts of the capital and officials reported damage to roads and houses.

President Oscar Arias said Costa Rica was in mourning for those who lost their lives.

"These losses of life fill us with pain; our prayers will be for their families," Mr Arias added, noting that "hundreds of families had seen serious damage to their homes."

The president is due to visit the earthquake zone.

The US Geological Survey said the tremor was centred some 35km (22 miles) north-west of San Jose.

Costa Rica is located on the Pacific Ring, which forms a belt of seismic activity along the edge of the Pacific Ocean.