Why were there so many earthquakes in the last 24 hrs?

Is this unusual or are they just reporting them more. I don't know I usually don't pay attention.

China http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1312715.php/Earthquake_kills_three_injures_300_in_south-western_China__Roundup_

California
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2007/06/03/ap-state-ca/d8ph79g00.txt

Japan
http://www.imedinews.ge/en/news_read/43316

New Hampshire
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=6603915&nav=4QcS

Phillipines
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=6603915&nav=4QcS

:sarcasm:

Sorry.... I couldn't resist. I don't know. It is interesting, though.

TC

:donut:

Size and frequency of occurrence

Small earthquakes occur nearly constantly around the world in places like California and Alaska in the U.S., as well as in Chile, Indonesia, Iran, the Azores in Portugal, New Zealand, Greece and Japan.<3> Large earthquakes occur less frequently, the relationship being exponential; for example, roughly ten times as many earthquakes larger than magnitude 4 occur in a particular time period than earthquakes larger than magnitude 5. In the (low seismicity) United Kingdom, for example, it has been calculated that the average recurrences are:

* an earthquake of 3.7 or larger every year
* an earthquake of 4.7 or larger every 10 years
* an earthquake of 5.6 or larger every 100 years.

The number of seismic stations has increased from about 350 in 1931 to many thousands today. As a result, many more earthquakes are reported than in the past because of the vast improvement in instrumentation (not because the number of earthquakes has increased). The USGS estimates that, since 1900, there have been an average of 18 major earthquakes (magnitude 7.0-7.9) and one great earthquake (magnitude 8.0 or greater) per year, and that this average has been relatively stable.<4> In fact, in recent years, the number of major earthquakes per year has actually decreased, although this is likely a statistical fluctuation. More detailed statistics on the size and frequency of earthquakes is available from the USGS.<5>

Mother Earth?

Humans think they're bigshots because we tell ourselves we are. Despite the evidence that we are a species among many species living on a minor planet circling an rather ordinary star on the outskirts of a rather unremarkable galaxy in a universe that may very well be one of trillions of other universes.

We're like fleas on an elephant who think they're steering.

Trying to spit us out.

may affect the constantly moving and colliding plates, triggering tremors and earthquakes.

How would they even FEEL it?

Most Californians yawn at 4.0 quakes. :shrug:

http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

I only heard about the 6.2 in Yunnan,China.

http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index.php?smp=&lang=eng

Sleep tight. :)

:scared:

...stochastic -- we are the ones who read the significance into them.

Someone should check. I heard once that underground nuclear activity could lead to an increase in earthquake activity.

That's unusual. Although it wasn't very big, but I guess sometimes it doesn't have to be to scare the bejezus out of people.

It's just a matter of time before one of the larger quakes hits a populated area. I don't think it means anything in particular, it's just that certain areas are on active fault lines and are prone to more and larger quakes. Sooner or later the "big one" will hit in a populous area and there will be a massive human toll, unfortunately.

Nothing like the West Coast (thankfully) but they happen.

under that, the Herds of Harleys out for their Sunday run produce more vibrations.

yes, I am in California...how did you guess?

:)

and the Loma Prieta (at +-7.8) quake was just a bit too exciting! Watching streetlight poles flail about like reeds, was, well...scary. And the road on which I was driving actually went up and down, like a wave.

But 3.0, yawn.

My first thought,living near a main road,was a big truck going by.Then I noticed the shaking wasn't up and down...but sideways.It was short but freaky.I don't know you guys live out there.Mudslides,flood,drought,fire,earthquakes.

We get the occasional blizzard. :shrug:

Easy to say why we live in the Golden State- winters that rarely get below 20 deg F and humidity that stays below 40%. No shoveling snow, no muggy summers. If I want snow, I go up to the mountains, it does not come to me. I will put up with the earthquakes, etc. in exchange.

Great-grandpa/ma left Kansas with the 8 youngest kids in 1908 and never looked back

Hubby & I are native-born Californians, so why would we leave, other than to move to Europe?

The media reports you cite do not reflect anything remarkable regarding the number of earthquakes that occur on a daily basis.

Check an earthquake reporting site periodically and that would be evident. USGS for example is one such site (note it only reports earthquakes beyond stated magnitudes so a 1.4 for example would not be listed): http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php