Earthquake rattles Nicobar Islands, raising tsunami fears

A major earthquake has hit near the Nicobar Islands off India's east coast, sparking warnings that a tsunami might strike the same area that was devastated by one seven months ago.

The earthquake was measured at magnitude 7.2, the U.S. Geological Society reported.

The islands, home to some primitive tribes that are rarely exposed to the outside world, were badly hit in December 2004 in the tsunami that killed at least 175,000 people in south Asia.

more:http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2005/07/24/quake050724

great world overview of siesmic activity here:http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050724/ap_on_re_as/india_earthquake/nc:716;_ylt=AuHtLM5NNt_7kQNLnZIeHel34T0D;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

NEW DELHI - A strong earthquake of 7.2 magnitude hit India's southern Nicobar Islands on Sunday, prompting Thailand to issue a tsunami warning for the region devastated by a December earthquake and tsunami that killed about 180,000 people. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.

Certainly hope that there isn't a tsunami again so soon.

http://in.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-07-24T223006Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-210455-1.xml

LONDON (Reuters) - A major earthquake measuring 7.0 has struck an area near the Nicobar islands off India's eastern coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Sunday.

The USGS web site said authorities near the epicentre of the tremor should be aware of local risk of tsunamis.

The Indian government has said around 3,000 people died on the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Dec. 26 tsunami which devastated coastlines across the region.

the risk of a Tsunami is much less.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usaxay.htm

This earthquake occurred near the western boundary of the aftershock zone of the devastating December 26th, 2004 earthquake. The aftershock zone of the December 26th earthquake continues to be active and forms a crescent-shaped region extending about 1200 km north of Sumatra, Indonesia. The recent event was a strike-slip earthquake in the Burma plate near its boundary with the India plate. Strike-slip earthquakes generate horizontal motion across a fault. This is unlike the motion caused by the December 26th earthquake that was the result of thrust-faulting on the interface of the India plate and the Burma plate, in which the India plate thrust beneath the overriding Burma plate. Given the different mechanisms, the recent event did not occur on the same fault that caused the Great Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake. However, the two earthquakes are almost certainly related. A great earthquake can trigger earthquake activity on faults that are distinct from the main-shock fault plane, and separated from it by tens or even hundreds of kilometers. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake is considered a major earthquake, however the size of this recent earthquake pales in comparison to the December 26th earthquake. A 7.2 strike-slip earthquake typically ruptures a 15 km by 80 km patch along a fault, whereas the December, 2004 earthquake ruptured a patch of fault about 1200 km long and 200 km wide.