Magnitude 4 Earthquake Hits Ranong

[webfact]

Magnitude 4 earthquake hits Ranong

RANONG, June 4 - An earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale jolted Thailand’s southern province of Ranong this afternoon, centreing on the provincial seat.

The 12:49pm tremors were felt at Khao Niwet sub-district but there was no immediate report of damage, according to the National Disaster Warning Centre.

The quake was the strongest earthquake in the province this year, with residents in Khao Niwet sub-district feeling the shake most strongly. No damage was reported at dams, buildings or homes in Ranong and adjacent provinces.

Frightened residents evacuated to higher ground as a precaution after feeling the shake and hearing loud noises. No agencies could initially explain what happened.

Officials at the provincial Disaster Warning and Mitigation Office later confirmed that there had been an earthquake and that its epicentre may have been at the provincial seat.

Meanwhile, forest runoff and heavy downpours caused flooding of some 30 households in La-un district. Palm and rubber plantations in the province were also damaged by the flood.

The authorities said the situation remain worrisome as incessant rain continued in conjunction with high tides. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-06-04

[webfact]

EARTHQUAKE

Small quake hits Ranong

The Nation

RANONG: -- A 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck the southern province of Ranong on Monday but no casualties or damage was reported.

Somsak Kaosuwan, director of the National Disaster Warning Centre said the epicentre of the quake, which hit the province at 12.49pm, was in Muang district.

Many people felt the tremor and ran out of buildings in panic. The hit was followed by several minor aftershocks.

A quake monitoring official said that the tremor took place on the active Ranong fault. Tremors had previously been caused by this fault in 1990 and again in 2009.

-- The Nation 2012-06-04

[MEL1]

Whoa! A massive 4.0

Like hits San Francisco nearly everyday.

Good chance for some tea-money investing in quake warning systems in 12 languages, for the first MP who realises the opportunity.

-mel.

[TomTao]

Good thing it wasn't a stronger quake, got family close to Ranong at Phato, there are alot of older looking building in Ranong, I would hate to see the after effects of a 5.0 or stronger.

[MEL1]

Good thing it wasn't a stronger quake, got family close to Ranong at Phato, there are alot of older looking building in Ranong, I would hate to see the after effects of a 5.0 or stronger.

Why?

"It is estimated that around 500,000 earthquakes occur each year, detectable with current instrumentation. About 100,000 of these can be felt.^[28][29] Minor earthquakes occur nearly constantly around the world in places like California and Alaska in the U.S., as well as in Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, the Azores in Portugal, Turkey, New Zealand, Greece, Italy, and Japan, but earthquakes can occur almost anywhere, including New York City, London, and Australia.^[30] Larger 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 3.7–4.6 every year, an earthquake of 4.7–5.5 every 10 years, and an earthquake of 5.6 or larger every 100 years.^"

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake}

Even a 5.0 is negligible....

Don't you have family in the UK or US or Aus or wherever who experience 5s more frequently.

This article is just bamboo, and your expressed concern is unecessary!

-mel.

[OzMick]

I used to ride to Ranong for visa runs. ".. incessant rain continued.." with high winds, and now earthquakes will give you an idea why I stopped.

[BrianCR]

Whoa! A massive 4.0

Like hits San Francisco nearly everyday.

Good chance for some tea-money investing in quake warning systems in 12 languages, for the first MP who realises the opportunity.

-mel.

Why don't you get a life and stop knocking Thai's?

[folium]

What is this obsession with earthquakes that are basically complete and utter non-events?The only explanation is that someone has discovered the USGS website and thinks that every tremble is news.

At least we don't live in Japan where there has been approximately 2000 aftershocks following the monster quake in March 2011. That would certainly fill up the news section.

[Rob8891]

Whoa! A massive 4.0

Like hits San Francisco nearly everyday.

Good chance for some tea-money investing in quake warning systems in 12 languages, for the first MP who realises the opportunity.

-mel.

Why don't you get a life and stop knocking Thai's?

Good post Brian...... and Mel...if you feel the need to enter a pi** ing contest,it may be best to check your facts first... Try this USGS page of quakes in SF.... http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqscanv/FaultMaps/San_Francisco_eqs.html.....nothing stronger tht a 3.5 shows on the list for the last month... Ranong's quake was 5 times stronger that that.

[Mosha]

Never felt a thing up in La-Un

[Yunla]

We had a 2008 quake in UK at 5.2 which had epicentre an hours drive from my house & it made furniture move around the room and books fall off shelves, and made me totally panic because in England our tectonic plates are usually very well-behaved and they have standards.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7266136.stm

Edited June 4, 2012 by Yunla

[webfact]

Ranong residents prepare to flee after quake rocks province

Boonluan Phromprathankul,

Janjira Pongrai

The Nation

Ranong

RANONG: -- A 4.0 magnitude earthquake jolted Ranong province yesterday, panicking people into preparing hastily for evacuation.

The Mineral Resources Department warned residents of possible aftershocks.

Not only the quake, but also forest runoff hit many parts of the province.

The Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office said an earthquakemonitoring centre in Phuket reported the epicentre as located in tambon Ngao, 20 kilometres from downtown Muang district.

People throughout the district reportedly felt the heaving at about 12.40pm. Many of them packed up their belongings to flee to higher ground.

Kham Sawasdee, 72, a resident of tambon Bang Non, said she and her niece were watching TV at home when the building started shaking and they bolted out of the house in fright. Many neighbours were also seen dashing outside as they feared the trembling might cause their residences to collapse.

Lertsin Raksaskulwong, director of the Environmental Geology and Geohazards Bureau, said the seismic activity was produced by the Ranong fault and the department had dispatched a team of geologists to inspect the disaster scene.

However, initial reports found no damage to buildings.

Heavy rain pummelled Muang and Laun districts, triggering forest runoff that swept across many roads and communities in Muang district.

Mudslides blocked two sections of RanongLang Suan Road.

About 100 soldiers were deployed to provide assistance to flood victims in the district and clear the road covered by the landslides.

Samnieng Maneerat, acting chief of the office, warned tourists of possible landslides at seven waterfalls in the province after the ground was soaked from the torrential downpours.

The Ngao, Punyabarn, Tonphet, Bokkrai, Choomsaeng, Suwansiri and Rakloi waterfalls were put on alert for possible runoff and landslides.

Nit Ouitekkheng, president of the Ranong tourism council, called on state agencies to act to help people in the province deal with the tremors.

"Ranong is prone to earthquakes. Private agencies here have suggested that state agencies come up with a plan to handle them but none of them has paid any attention. They should rush to develop the plan," he said.

-- The Nation 2012-06-05

[Mosha]

Re the floods, tbh for many people in La-Un it's a monthly event. The past week, the stream behind the house has spent a lot of time over it's banks. 2 years ago we lost about 100 sq yds of land, as it washed away.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Mosha

[sjjmmi]

What is this obsession with earthquakes that are basically complete and utter non-events?The only explanation is that someone has discovered the USGS website and thinks that every tremble is news.

At least we don't live in Japan where there has been approximately 2000 aftershocks following the monster quake in March 2011. That would certainly fill up the news section.

HUB of QUAKE's

[folium]

We had a 2008 quake in UK at 5.2 which had epicentre an hours drive from my house & it made furniture move around the room and books fall off shelves, and made me totally panic because in England our tectonic plates are usually very well-behaved and they have standards.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7266136.stm

According to the BGS the UK gets 200-300 detectable quakes a year on average. Mainland UK has a magnitude 4.0 quake on average every other year and a magnitude 5.0 or greater every 8 years on average. They tend to be shallow (<35kms deep) and are thus often widely felt (the 2008 Market Rasen quake you mention woke me up!)

[folium]

What is this obsession with earthquakes that are basically complete and utter non-events?The only explanation is that someone has discovered the USGS website and thinks that every tremble is news.

At least we don't live in Japan where there has been approximately 2000 aftershocks following the monster quake in March 2011. That would certainly fill up the news section.

HUB of QUAKE's

Mercifully, Thailand would not get close to qualifying for that dubious distinction. In SE Asia, Indonesia leads the pack by a long way with the Philippines in second place.

Quakes are not always a threat just in the obvious places. While Alaska is the most active area in the USA (on average a quake of 7.0 magnitude every year and >8.0 every 14 years), the area around New Madrid, Missouri has long been of great concern. If you don't like quakes the best places in the USA are Florida, N. Dakota, Iowa & Wisconsin.

[Wombat6]

Never felt a thing up in La-Un

Too much lao kao Steve ?????

[Ferangled]

Whoa! A massive 4.0

Like hits San Francisco nearly everyday.

Good chance for some tea-money investing in quake warning systems in 12 languages, for the first MP who realises the opportunity.

-mel.

Your first line clearly indicates the difference in response.... "like hits San Francisco nearly everyday"

When an area that is not subject to frequent earthquakes experiences one it is news worthy and a source of panic to local residents. Obviously areas that experience frequent earthquakes tend to be better prepared and have more stringent building standards in place to limit destruction.

Ranong is not an area that has the most stringent building standards and is also not a "hub" of earthquake activity. The recent Phuket quake, aftershocks felt from the Sumatran quakes and ensuing Tsunami warnings made it blatantly obvious to most, that people in this region are sensitive to such events as a direct result to the 2004 Tsunami and the resulting devastation caused.

I suggest that TV members would do well to think about these events and the lives of those people effected before posting on threads such as these in an insensitive and rather ignorant fashion.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Ferangled

[Ferangled]

Good thing it wasn't a stronger quake, got family close to Ranong at Phato, there are alot of older looking building in Ranong, I would hate to see the after effects of a 5.0 or stronger.

Why?

"It is estimated that around 500,000 earthquakes occur each year, detectable with current instrumentation. About 100,000 of these can be felt.^[28][29] Minor earthquakes occur nearly constantly around the world in places like California and Alaska in the U.S., as well as in Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, the Azores in Portugal, Turkey, New Zealand, Greece, Italy, and Japan, but earthquakes can occur almost anywhere, including New York City, London, and Australia.^[30] Larger 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 3.7–4.6 every year, an earthquake of 4.7–5.5 every 10 years, and an earthquake of 5.6 or larger every 100 years.^"

^{http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Earthquake}

Even a 5.0 is negligible....

Don't you have family in the UK or US or Aus or wherever who experience 5s more frequently.

This article is just bamboo, and your expressed concern is unecessary!

-mel.

Please forgive me if I take the conclusions you draw from your highly detailed seismological studies with a pinch of salt. I prefer to draw on a number of sources from scientists that have actually made a career out of the scientific study of these events. This group of individuals are called seismologists.

Much as when I need work on my car doing I will trust in a mechanic, when I want an evaluation of seismic activity I rely on seismologists, not TV posters with too much time on their hands and ready access to Wikipedia...

[how241]

Whoa! A massive 4.0

Like hits San Francisco nearly everyday.

Good chance for some tea-money investing in quake warning systems in 12 languages, for the first MP who realises the opportunity.

-mel.

Why don't you get a life and stop knocking Thai's?

Agree. Why knock the Thai's?

[webfact]

EARTHQUAKE

Ranong quake damaged five houses: district chief

The Nation

A Ranong resident shows cracks in her house caused by Monday quake.

RANONG: -- A minor earthquake that hit Ranong province on Monday damaged five houses in Muang district but caused no injuries, Muang district chief Surat Akkarawirotekul said Tuesday.

An inspection of the area found five houses in Tambon Khaoniwet, where was the epicentre was located, had suffered several cracks.

Officials had already been assigned to examine the damage and provide help if necessary, he said, adding that anyone affected by the quake was welcomed to ask officials for help.

Somsak Kaosuwan, director of the National Disaster Warning Centre said the epicentre of the quake that hit the area at 12.49pm Monday was about 3 kilometres deep.

Many people felt the tremor and ran out of buildings in panic. The quake was followed by several minor aftershocks.

-- The Nation 2012-06-05

[folium]

Not quite sure what Ferangled is adding to the discussion!

Mel1 is a little quick on the assumptions.

As previously mentioned SF itself does not experience 4.0+ mag quakes every day. Australia has had 7 quakes >5.0 in the last 50 years, while you are very unlikely to experience a 5.0+ quake in the USA outside Alaska and California which average just over one per year albeit both states cover considerable areas. The UK has a 5.0+ about every 14 years and they are usually in the North Sea.

Magnitude does not always correlate with intensity experienced (measured on the MMI, Modified Mercalli Index from I-XII), as this is also driven by depth of quake, distance to epicentre, underlying geology and level of preparedness.

In the last 100 years there have been approx. 76 quakes magnitude 5.0 or less that have caused fatalities. Most caused single to low single digit deaths with the only major exception being a 4.3 mag quake in PNG in 1988 that killed 76 as it had a secondary effect of triggering a slope failure. The unluckiest person was somewhere in the USA who died as a result of a 2.0 mag quake in 1986. To put this in context there are approx 1.5 million quakes each year mag 5.0 or less, so the chances of being adversely affected are slim to none. Thus in the Ranong example 5 houses receive limited damage. So it's hardly a case of being heartless and the ironic thing is that if you read the OP the threat posed by flooding and associated slope failures is far more acute in this area. So focus on that as a the true hazard rather than fretting about minor quakes.

Edited June 5, 2012 by folium

[Ferangled]

Not quite sure what Ferangled is adding to the discussion!

Mel1 is a little quick on the assumptions.

As previously mentioned SF itself does not experience 4.0+ mag quakes every day. Australia has had 7 quakes >5.0 in the last 50 years, while you are very unlikely to experience a 5.0+ quake in the USA outside Alaska and California which average just over one per year albeit both states cover considerable areas. The UK has a 5.0+ about every 14 years and they are usually in the North Sea.

Magnitude does not always correlate with intensity experienced (measured on the MMI, Modified Mercalli Index from I-XII), as this is also driven by depth of quake, distance to epicentre, underlying geology and level of preparedness.

In the last 100 years there have been approx. 76 quakes magnitude 5.0 or less that have caused fatalities. Most caused single to low single digit deaths with the only major exception being a 4.3 mag quake in PNG in 1988 that killed 76 as it had a secondary effect of triggering a slope failure. The unluckiest person was somewhere in the USA who died as a result of a 2.0 mag quake in 1986. To put this in context there are approx 1.5 million quakes each year mag 5.0 or less, so the chances of being adversely affected are slim to none. Thus in the Ranong example 5 houses receive limited damage. So it's hardly a case of being heartless and the ironic thing is that if you read the OP the threat posed by flooding and associated slope failures is far more acute in this area. So focus on that as a the true hazard rather than fretting about minor quakes.

Perhaps reading my post and understanding the region and past events may help.

If people are worried when the earth moves in an area that rarely has earthquakes and suffered at the hands of an earthquake induced Tsunami, I'd say that's perfectly natural. I'd also say that someone expressing thanks that the earthquake wasn't larger out of concern for friends and family there is perfectly natural.

Quite what your point is I'm not sure, but it's not like there was a massive overreaction to this quake. Just a knee jerk reaction to the OP and the sentiments expressed by others.

[Ferangled]

Oh Lordy, I was asking for MY post to be deleted as the content had dropped out.

Sorry, my mistake!

I took that coupled with the following comment in your next post as a direct and uncalled for attack on my posts! I'm obviously in an overly sensitive mood!!!

[Scott]

A number of off-topic posts and replies have been deleted.

Earthquakes are interesting and mysterious, so in spite of the confusion caused by the deletions, please feel free to continue to discuss earthquakes.

[Mosha]

Never felt a thing up in La-Un

Too much lao kao Steve ?????

Actually I was even closer to the epicentre at the time, in Tesco's. I talked to friends later, and nothing up here, while in Bang Non, they were running from their houses. Apparently evacuations ordered in La-Un town, but that's gue to the rain. Driving home from Ranong, and the whole low lying areas look like they've has a tsunami.

[Mosha]

Never felt a thing up in La-Un

Too much lao kao Steve ?????

Actually I was even closer to the epicentre at the time, in Tesco's. I talked to friends later, and nothing up here, while in Bang Non, they were running from their houses. Apparently evacuations ordered in La-Un town, but that's gue to the rain. Driving home from Ranong, and the whole low lying areas look like they've had a tsunami.

[Ferangled]

Trying to find an article I read following the minor Phuket quake, where experts were predicting further quakes to the north of Phuket but came across this piece written 30/4/2012:

Mr Thanawat and his colleagues have become concerned about an undersea transform fault line next to the India/Burma subduction zone which runs from Sumatra to Burma. The transform fault is closer to Thailand and connects to another major transform line in Burma called Sakeng.

The fault line only came to local geologists' attention when they exchanged information recently with their Japanese colleagues, Mr Thanawat said.

After the major earthquake on April 11 they have paid closer attention to the fault line. Dr Thanawat said according to the Japanese, the fault has no record of activity for 50 years. He says geologists are now concerned it may become more active after the recent tremors.

The closest the fault line comes to Thailand is Barren Island opposite Ranong. If an earthquake triggered a tsunami it could reach Ranong within 30 minutes, Mr Thanawat said.

But he urged people not to be afraid and accept that Thailand is located in an earthquake and tsunami risk zone, so they should be prepared for the risks.

Interesting that they identify the fault line off Ranong as an area of concern only a month ago... It's quite rare to find much correlation between Earthquake prediction and actual events, especially in an area that hasn't had a quake for c.50 years. Can anyone confirm if this recent quake was as a result of movement on this actual fault?

[Mosha]

One thing Ranong has an abundance of, is hot water springs. I live a few miles from one. One of Thailand's main fault lines runs across the peninsula from Chumpon to Ranong, more or less following the highway 4