RARE ANTIPODAL PAIR BEGINS IN NEW ZEALAND; ENDS IN SPAIN
Posted by JAC on 5/12/2011, 7:39 am




A highly unusual antipodal pair of earthquakes hit first as a pair in and east of North Island, New Zealand today and was finished by damaging pair of earthquakes in southern Spain nine hour later. These are both highly unusual events. The largest event  in the New Zealand region is the strongest in that area off North Island in the past 10 years, since an M 7.1 on August 21, 2001 hit about 50 km south of this epicenter and was followed by aftershocks through March, 2002. The only other such event in this region was an M 5.3 on February 9, 1995.  The earthquakes in Spain were the largest in that region in more than 20  years. A deep-focus earthquake of M 6.3 had its epicenter about 200 km to the southwest of this under Spain last year on April 11, 2010.

O: 11MAY2011 06:11:24  36.4S  179.5W MB=5.6  GFZ    East of North Island, N.Z.

O: 11MAY2011 06:11:22  36.3S  179.0W ML=5.8  IGNS   New Zealand

O: 11MAY2011 06:11:28  36.4S  179.5W ML=5.3  NEIC    EAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND, NEW

P: 16MAY2011 60562     37.0S  180.0W 3.5-5.9 BAAAA  E. of North Islands N.Z.    

The initial event in the New Zealand series of M 4.8-5.0 was located within less than 100 km of being exactly antipodal to the subsequent earthquakes in Spain. Earthquakes are exactly antipodal if their latitudes are the same and their longitudes are in opposite hemispheres and numerically add to 180. In this case the latitudes are 38 South for New Zealand and 38 North for Spain and the longitudes are 178 East for New Zealand and 2 West for Spain. This is an exact antipodal pair, highly unusual and very likely related to each other. There are many possible causes of antipodal pairs but in this case the most likely appears to be a direct seismic connection. Seismic energy is concentrated at the antipode (exact opposite point on the earth) because of the spherical shape of the earth. Where antipodal regions are seismic, antipodal pairs are common but antipodal events in two regions which see rare earthquakes such as occurred today are much more significant in the hypothesis of antipodal triggering.

No damages were reported in the earthquakes in New Zealand. The stronger quake of M 5.3-5.8 was reported by NEIC to have been felt with intensity IV in Gate Pa, Ohope, Othesay Bay, Taneatua, Te Pohue, Whakatane and Whataupoko and III in Marewa, Opotiki, Wairoa and Whakatane, New Zealand. The earlier quake in the Bay of Plenty was felt with intensity V in Opotiki and Whakatane and IV in Awaken, Bay of Plenty, Coastlands, Edgecumbe, Gisborne, Hexton, Kaiti, Kutarere, Mangapapa, Murupara, Napier, Ohiwa, Ohope, Opotiki, Paraparaumu, Poroporo, Port Ohope, Rere, Taneatua, Te Hapara, Te Kaha, Te Karaka, Te Puke, Tiniroto, Waimana, Waiotahi, Whakatane, and Whataupolo, New Zealand.


O: 11MAY2011 04:37:32  38.1S  177.6E ML=5.0  IGNS   New Zealand                  

O: 11MAY2011 04:37:31  38.4S  177.7E ML=4.8  NEIC    NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND  

P: 20MAY2011 60562     38.0S  179.0E 3.0-4.4 CAAAA  North Island, N.Z.          


O: 11MAY2011 15:03:57  37.2S  179.7E ML=4.0  IGNS   New Zealand                  

P: 20MAY2011 60562     38.0S  179.0E 3.0-4.4 CAAAA  North Island, N.Z.          

The two earthquakes in Spain killed at least 10 people, the highest death toll from an earthquake in Spain in the past 50 years and injured dozens while causing major damage. About 270 people were being treated for injuries in Lorca according to the Murcia government. The deaths included a child and occurred during the second, stronger event. Many older buildings and churches were damaged. Damage included collapsed and cracked buildings and damage from falling debris. It was the deadliest quake in Spain since 1956 when 12 people died in Granada. Some of the damage is shown in the following photo.





The initial event of M 4.5-4.7 in Spain was felt with intensity IV in Mazarron and II-III in Aguilas, Alcoi, Ciudad Real, Lorca, Murcia and Velez-Rubio, Spain and in general within about 100 km of the epicenter.

The stronger aftershock of M 5.0-5.4 was reported by NEIC to have been felt

in France Ile-de- France Velizy- Villacoublay 1; in Portugal in Madeira at Funchal; (1) in Spain in Alacant at Alacant; (2) at Albatera (3), at Alcoi (2), at Almoradi (2), at Altea (2), at Aspe (3), at Elx (3),in Spain Alacant Guardamar del Segura 2; at Mutxamel (2), at Orihuela (3), at Rafal (5), felt in Spain Alacant San Miguel de Salinas 2 felt in Spain Alacant Sant Joan d' Alacant 3 felt in Spain Alacant Sant Vicent del Raspeig 2 at Torrevieja (2), at Villena (5), at Xabia (2), in Spain in Albacete at Albacete; (3) at Almansa (4), at Tobarra (3), in Spain in Almeria at Albox; (3) at Almeria (2), at Arboleas (2), at Canjayar (1), at Cantoria (5), at Garrucha (3), in Spain Almeria Huercal- Overa 4; at Maria (4), at Oria (2), at Partaloa (3), at Turre (2), in Spain Almeria Velez- Rubio 4; at Vera (3), at Zurgena (3), in Spain in Barcelona at Barcelona; (1) in Spain Ciudad Real Ciudad Real 3; at Puertollano 2 , in Spain in Cordoba at Cordoba; (2) in Spain Cuenca Las Pedroneras 4; in Spain in Granada at Granada; (2) in Spain in Jaen at Jaen; (2) at Linares (3), at Mengibar (4), at Ubeda (3), in Spain in Leon at Leon; (2) in Spain Madrid Alcala de Henares 2; at Alcobendas (2), at Aranjuez (2), at Getafe (2), at Leganes (4), at Madrid (2), at Mostoles (3), at Valdemoro (2), in Spain in Murcia at Aguilas; (5) in Spain Murcia Alhama de Murcia 5; at Calasparra (4), felt in Spain Murcia Caravaca de la Cruz 4 at Cartagena (3), at Ceuti (4), at Cieza (1), in Spain Murcia Fuente Alamo 3; at Jumilla (3), at Lorca (6), at Mazarron (4),in Spain Murcia Molina de Segura 4; at Moratella (3), at Mula (5), at Murcia (4), at Pliego (4), in Spain Murcia Puerto Lumbreras 4; in Spain Murcia San Javier 3; at Santomera (5), in Spain Murcia Torre- Pacheco 4; at Totana (4), at Yecla (2),in Spain Sevilla Mairena del Aljarafe 1; at Sevilla (2), in Spain Toledo El Toboso 3; at Ocana (3), in Spain in Valencia at Burjassot; (1) at Gandia (3), at Navarres (3), at Oliva (2), at Ontinyent (3), at Valencia (2), in Spain in Vizcaya at Getxo; (2).

O: 11MAY2011 20:37:44  37.7N    1.7W MB=4.3  GFZ    Spain      

O: 11MAY2011 16:47:26  37.7N    1.7W MB=5.0  GFZ    Spain      

O: 11MAY2011 15:05:12  37.7N    1.7W MB=4.7  GFZ    Spain      

O: 11MAY2011 15:05:13  37.7N    1.7W ML=4.5  NEIC   SPAIN

O: 11MAY2011 16:47:26  37.7N    1.7W ML=5.1  NEIC   SPAIN                        

P: 10MAY2011 60317     37.0N    6.0W 3.5-5.1 AACAA  Morocco/Spain              

P: 16MAY2011 60463     35.0N    4.0W 3.5-5.1 BCBAA  Morocco/Spain              

Another unusual earthquake followed those in Spain today. This one was located in the Madeira Islands of Portugal with M 4.7 and was in the antipodal zone of the M 6.8 earthquake in the Loyalty Islands which occurred yesterday. This is the strongest earthquake in the Madeira Islands region in more than 20  years. An earthquake of M 5.5 hit about 500 km to the northwest of this epicenter on January 10, 2006. The closest event within the past 20 years of M>=4.8 occurred about 300 km to the northeast on February 8, 1990 with M 5.0. Followers of the P103 theory which posits that seismicity is strongly affected at or near 103 degrees from major earthquakes due to triggering from reflected and refracted P and S waves from the strong event may be interested that the Madeira earthquake occurred at 103 degrees from the epicenter of the great Honshu, Japan earthquakes which occurred two months ago on March 11. The earthquakes in Spain were at 100 degrees from that event.

O: 11MAY2011 23:23:36  33.7N   12.2W MB=4.8  GFZ    Madeira Islands, Portugal    

O: 11MAY2011 23:23:35  33.8N   12.4W mb=4.7  EMSC  MADEIRA ISLANDS, PORTUGAL REGIO

While Spain experienced a destructive earthquake today, Rome, Italy was quiet. This points out a major problem in earthquake prediction. Even if it is  absolutely known that an earthquake will occur on a particular day, without precision in time and locality, such predictions are useless. In this case at least 20% of Roman citizens fled the city today. Of these million people, some probably took vacations in the Murcia and Lorca area of southern Spain where the earthquake actually occurred.








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Spain may be under the gun - JAC, 5/11/2011, 1:17 pm
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