⚒️ 🧪 The M7.7 earthquake that hit Panama seems to have been less damaging than projected, although it did cause serious building damage. What do new satellite images of the area tell us? We map out the possible rupture and estimate offsets.

That is good news! Intensity VIII-IX can damage even pretty strong buildings, so if the population density were higher near the epicenter we might be seeing more damage. Panama City is pretty far away, so the shaking was much weaker there.

Beachballs are a weird lower-hemisphere projection, so it can be really non-intuitive. But the east dip is correct. The way to read it is: the bulge of the line is in the direction of the dip.

We always measure from north (and clockwise), but because many people aren't familiar with the term, I generally think it's good to explain if there's a chance of confusion.

Same earthquake, different time zone! The current location places it on shore, under the Azuero peninsula.

⚒️ 🧪 A M7.7 earthquake just struck Flores, Indonesia. The USGS estimates that hundreds could have died, although the news currently reports far fewer. The earthquake seems to have occurred on a known “backthrust” that runs along the north coast of the island. Learn more:

Impressive! I wonder how common these kinds of videos will become - we are also seeing a remarkable (and horrifying) influx of videos showing buildings shaking and then collapsing. (And of course, figuring out what's real and what is fake is an increasing problem.)

Also known for: inventing early computers, identifying sea level changes in Italy, proposing life insurance and actuarial tables, and analyzing the pros and cons of property taxes. Among other things.

⚒️ 🧪 A M4.7 earthquake at Campi Flegrei volcano caused injuries and rockfalls yesterday. The quake is part of an ongoing seismic swarm and inflation. Should we be worried about unrest at this large, hazardous volcano?

My guess is that that's pretty normal. I searched the USGS catalog for quarry blasts and found over 2000 events, dating back to mid-2019 (maybe that's when they started reporting them?). I expect the rate may vary seasonally if that affects quarry work.

⚒️ 🧪 A M6.8 earthquake struck Kyushu, Japan today. Large quakes in Japan are common and often pass without much notice, but this one is serious - instead of occurring offshore in the subduction zone, it is a shallow, strike-slip event near Kumamoto. Damage and deaths have already been reported.

Hi Judy, thanks for sharing my post! I just want to clarify: ground shaking travels further through hard ground; it amplifies in soft sediment. A single earthquake can have both effects - a wave can travel a long distance through hard rock, then amplify when it reaches a basin of soft sediment.