Chiang Mai Warned More Quakes Could Follow

[george]

Chiang Mai warned more quakes could follow

CHIANG MAI: -- Chiang Mai could be hit by more earthquakes following the moderate shake early yesterday, the Meteorological Department has warned.

Director of the department's Chiang Mai office Suparerk Tansrirattanawong said 69 aftershocks had been recorded.

"It has sent a signal that more earthquakes may hit Mae Rim and San Sai districts," Suparerk said.

Yesterday's earthquake measured 5.1 on the Richter scale and occurred just after midnight. Its epicentre was in Mae Rim district. The earthquake was about 33 kilometres deep.

"It's the first time an earthquake has occurred so close to Chiang Mai city," Suparerk said.

An official at the Meteorological Department said the earthquake was caused by the Mae Tha Fault, which was about 30 kilometres away. Stretching about 55 kilometres in length, this fault has generated 23 quakes during the past 28 years. Prior to yesterday, the most recent quake was in March.

The impact from yesterday's quake was felt by many. Mae Jo University students evacuated dormitories and engineers spent yesterday checking buildings for structural damage.

Staff at the Lotus Hotel Pang Suan Kaew said the earthquake panicked guests for a short time. Other hotels reported calm.

Mineral Resources Department director-general Apichai Chawacharoenphan warned residents not to get overly alarmed. "Panic often leads to injuries during an evacuation," he said.

The earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in Chiang Mai. The largest was 5.2 on the Richter scale in December 1995.

Apichai said while yesterday's earthquake was not alarming, the number of aftershocks was "unusually high".

"Department officials will look into this and work with other authorities," he said.

Information will be passed to the Public Works and Royal Irrigation Departments.

Regulations in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Lamphun, Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Nan, Phrae and Kanchanaburi require buildings to be able to withstand earthquakes.

"The Public Works Department is seeking to enforce similar rules in Bangkok and its four adjacent provinces," Apichai said.

National Disaster Warning Centre chief Smith Dharmmasaroj said there were nine active fault lines in Thailand and earthquakes along some could affect Bangkok.

--The Nation 2006-12-14

[Scott]

Best of luck to you folks affected by this. Earthquakes are pretty scary things. You have such a feeling of hopelessness because there is absolutely nothing you can do and it's so scary when the very earth under your feet isn't secure anymore.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Regulations in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Lamphun, Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Nan, Phrae and Kanchanaburi require buildings to be able to withstand earthquakes.

I'm not relying on this though...

[bubba]

Unusually high number of aftershocks? Looks pretty quiet to me today.

Live Seismic trace USGS - Chiang Mai station:

http://aslwww.cr.usgs.gov/Seismic_Data/tel.../CHTO_24hr.html

[yeasin17]

Best of luck to you folks affected by this. Earthquakes are pretty scary things. You have such a feeling of hopelessness because there is absolutely nothing you can do and it's so scary when the very earth under your feet isn't secure anymore.

perfectly true.. in all kind of disasters, u get shelter 'in' earth. but when the earth bitrays.. no other thing can help u.

[Choscura]

regulations? regulations... regulations....

OOOOH, you mean like the traffic regulations requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets!

or like the regulations on bars and such places requiring them to close at 2 AM!

or like regulations that lanterns can't be set off within a certain distance of the airport in order to keep them from getting sucked into jet engins and killing a whole lot of people!

pfft. regulations mean nothing in thailand. I don't mean to diss on the thais, they're lovely people, but when it comes to regulations, they just don't get it.

[VanZam]

Lots of small quakes are good, it lowers pressure along fault lines... Thailand must have some pretty amazing geologists if they are now "predicting" more.

[Foggy Bottom]

Chiang Mai warned more quakes could follow

CHIANG MAI: -- Chiang Mai could be hit by more earthquakes following the moderate shake early yesterday, the Meteorological Department has warned.

Director of the department's Chiang Mai office Suparerk Tansrirattanawong said 69 aftershocks had been recorded.

"It has sent a signal that more earthquakes may hit Mae Rim and San Sai districts," Suparerk said.

Yesterday's earthquake measured 5.1 on the Richter scale and occurred just after midnight. Its epicentre was in Mae Rim district. The earthquake was about 33 kilometres deep.

No Sh1t Sherlock - it was obvious it was strong and close.

I was sat at the 'puter when it happened - my missus thought it was a heavy truck going past, but I told her it was an earthquake. The main shock lasted somewhere between 5 and 10 seconds, was quite noisy (a low rumble like distant thunder) and made my computer chair skitter a bit - fun and worrying at the same time - as there was no sign of any ornaments or anything falling over, I just "sat" it out.

"It's the first time an earthquake has occurred so close to Chiang Mai city," Suparerk said.

Don't you just love the way they ignore their own history?

What do they think caused the big chedi at Wat Chedi Luang to sheer off its top section? It's clearly recorded in the Chiangmai Chronicle - earthquake with epicentre inside Chiangmai city limits (the terminology is different back then of course - but the event description is clear enough) and that may have been the one that caused the flooding and destruction of Wieng Kum Kam (centuries after Mengrai's death).

This weeks earthquake is the SIXTH I've experienced since getting here, although I slept soundly through the one in Burma that co-incided with the one causing the tsunami. Strangely 5 of the 6 I recognised as they happened, were in Decembers - maybe it's a seasonal thing? Or the "pressure relief" is on a fairly regular clock? Dunno - just musing.

An official at the Meteorological Department said the earthquake was caused by the Mae Tha Fault, which was about 30 kilometres away. Stretching about 55 kilometres in length, this fault has generated 23 quakes during the past 28 years. Prior to yesterday, the most recent quake was in March.

The impact from yesterday's quake was felt by many. Mae Jo University students evacuated dormitories and engineers spent yesterday checking buildings for structural damage.

Staff at the Lotus Hotel Pang Suan Kaew said the earthquake panicked guests for a short time. Other hotels reported calm.

No American tourists injuring themselves falling down the stairs this time? Not much of a story then is it?

Mineral Resources Department director-general Apichai Chawacharoenphan warned residents not to get overly alarmed. "Panic often leads to injuries during an evacuation," he said.

Especially if you're an American tourist

The earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in Chiang Mai. The largest was 5.2 on the Richter scale in December 1995.

"Recorded" is the operative word here - meaning by equipment rating the tremors on the Richter scale - Chronicles are full of much bigger ones - The one in the 6th Century AD that dammed the Mehkong for centuries creating the vast lake that ultimately helped Mengrai keep the Mongols out in the 13th C but had disappeared by the 15th. The one in the 15th that toppled Chedi Luang etc.

Apichai said while yesterday's earthquake was not alarming, the number of aftershocks was "unusually high".

"Department officials will look into this and work with other authorities," he said.

Information will be passed to the Public Works and Royal Irrigation Departments.

Regulations in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Lamphun, Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Nan, Phrae and Kanchanaburi require buildings to be able to withstand earthquakes.

Yup - and motorcyclists have to wear helmets, and red & white kerb-stripes mean no parking, and Thai culture dictates that kids must show kreng jai to adults ...... get off it - no-ones buying it but the first time tourists. Ever watched a house being built here? 4" square concrete fence posts used as house support pillars - see them everywhere.

"The Public Works Department is seeking to enforce similar rules in Bangkok and its four adjacent provinces," Apichai said.

National Disaster Warning Centre chief Smith Dharmmasaroj said there were nine active fault lines in Thailand and earthquakes along some could affect Bangkok.

--The Nation 2006-12-14

Nine active fault lines? Now there's a Thaksinism if ever I heard one - in the aftermath of the tsunami he said there were none in Thailand and the nearest one was the Andaman fault as it ran through north through Burma

Wonder if tents will be popular Christmas presents this year up here?

[breconion]

Lots of small quakes are good, it lowers pressure along fault lines... Thailand must have some pretty amazing geologists if they are now "predicting" more.

I am not a geologist tho I would also predict more small quakes after a 5.1 quake in a quake zone.

It is unfortunately a fact of life and it does not need a doctorate in anything to make such a prediction.

I also could predict that it will rain soon in Chaing Mai district and the weather will cool down even more before it gets warm again.

It will also maybe get dark around 6pm today.

The amazing thing would be to predict WHEN the quake will occur not if

Edited December 14, 2006 by breconion

[bubba]

Lots of small quakes are good, it lowers pressure along fault lines... Thailand must have some pretty amazing geologists if they are now "predicting" more.

I am not a geologist tho I would also predict more small quakes after a 5.1 quake in a quake zone.

It is unfortunately a fact of life and it does not need a doctorate in anything to make such a prediction.

I also could predict that it will rain soon in Chaing Mai district and the weather will cool down even more before it gets warm again.

It will also maybe get dark around 6pm today.

The amazing thing would be to predict WHEN the quake will occur not if

Rain soon in Chiang Mai? Wow, you have all the other amateur meteorologists stumped on that one!

[VanZam]

Lots of small quakes are good, it lowers pressure along fault lines... Thailand must have some pretty amazing geologists if they are now "predicting" more.

I am not a geologist tho I would also predict more small quakes after a 5.1 quake in a quake zone.

It is unfortunately a fact of life and it does not need a doctorate in anything to make such a prediction.

I also could predict that it will rain soon in Chaing Mai district and the weather will cool down even more before it gets warm again.

It will also maybe get dark around 6pm today.

The amazing thing would be to predict WHEN the quake will occur not if

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm

[farang2002]

regulations? regulations... regulations....

OOOOH, you mean like the traffic regulations requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets!

or like the regulations on bars and such places requiring them to close at 2 AM!

or like regulations that lanterns can't be set off within a certain distance of the airport in order to keep them from getting sucked into jet engins and killing a whole lot of people!

pfft. regulations mean nothing in thailand. I don't mean to diss on the thais, they're lovely people, but when it comes to regulations, they just don't get it.

The only regulations they enforce are the ones that restrict, limit or punish farangs.

[breconion]

Lots of small quakes are good, it lowers pressure along fault lines... Thailand must have some pretty amazing geologists if they are now "predicting" more.

I am not a geologist tho I would also predict more small quakes after a 5.1 quake in a quake zone.

It is unfortunately a fact of life and it does not need a doctorate in anything to make such a prediction.

I also could predict that it will rain soon in Chaing Mai district and the weather will cool down even more before it gets warm again.

It will also maybe get dark around 6pm today.

The amazing thing would be to predict WHEN the quake will occur not if

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm

No scarasm just the truth

[chownah]

What was the worst property damage reported?

Chownah

[lawrence1366]

Unusually high number of aftershocks? Looks pretty quiet to me today.

Live Seismic trace USGS - Chiang Mai station:

http://aslwww.cr.usgs.gov/Seismic_Data/tel.../CHTO_24hr.html

Can I go into this site to check for any impending quakes or do the people here ever supply early warnings to those countries affected? Look at the Tsunami warning system that they are setting up, its been more than a year now and has it started working yet?

[Kaojai]

No scarasm (sic) just the truth

I really wonder what the purpose of this message board is supposed to be.

The moderator posts news items, some of which convey useful information, and then the same sad troupe of bitter, frustrated, childish old dears vent their tempers with the same comments about how bad everything Thai is and how much wiser they, the message writers, are than any Thai official or "expert."

Generally, especially when it comes to matter of economics, the message writers demonstrate how limited their understanding of the matter under consideration is. Whatever the topic though, it's always the same parade of negative nonsense that is neither informative nor accurate, but always juvenile.

Possibly Thai Visa should consider expanding their business line to include counseling for the forlorn and desperate. They already have a considerable list of candidates for the service.

[Crossy]

Can I go into this site to check for any impending quakes or do the people here ever supply early warnings to those countries affected? Look at the Tsunami warning system that they are setting up, its been more than a year now and has it started working yet?

That site is live data. But it is a record not a prediction, if a big one is shown on the chart, you already know about it. Predicting quakes is one of the Holy Grails of geology.

Tsunami warning system has been running for a year or so, not complete yet so only manual activation. IIRC the first bouy went active a couple of months ago.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

What was the worst property damage reported?

Chownah

I got woken up by my wife to feel it, couldn't get back to sleep for hours and had a headache all next day.

Is that what you meant?

[lawrence1366]

Can I go into this site to check for any impending quakes or do the people here ever supply early warnings to those countries affected? Look at the Tsunami warning system that they are setting up, its been more than a year now and has it started working yet?

That site is live data. But it is a record not a prediction, if a big one is shown on the chart, you already know about it. Predicting quakes is one of the Holy Grails of geology.

Tsunami warning system has been running for a year or so, not complete yet so only manual activation. IIRC the first bouy went active a couple of months ago.

Thanks buddy....

[Riverside]

Can I go into this site to check for any impending quakes or do the people here ever supply early warnings to those countries affected? Look at the Tsunami warning system that they are setting up, its been more than a year now and has it started working yet?

That site is live data. But it is a record not a prediction, if a big one is shown on the chart, you already know about it. Predicting quakes is one of the Holy Grails of geology.

Tsunami warning system has been running for a year or so, not complete yet so only manual activation. IIRC the first bouy went active a couple of months ago.

Thanks buddy....

I got woken up by it but I thought I had had a particularly heavy fart after a good meal.

[StevenCalifornia]

I been in 30 major earthquakes in my life. The ground has moved below my feet and mountains melted from the striking force. Dogs barked and birds scattered. it was calm, to calm, it was earthquake weather

and i could feel or sense something was amiss. in the distance i could hear something coming, like a wind or a distand jet or shoreline maybe a train. the volume increases until it surrounds you and envelopes you body. for asplit second everything gets blurry, you will miss it if you blink, then the shock wave hit you like a hammer hitting a anvil. the ground bucks and rocks and you try to mantain your balance by look down at the ground and focus. after it settles there is another eerie silence then the dogs start barking again and the low roar of life starts up again with alarms and cars going off, people yelling and screaming and sirens blasting everywhere, i fell bad for you all i hope it didnt hurt many people or destroy homes.

steve

[adjan jb]

What was the worst property damage reported?

Chownah

I got woken up by my wife to feel it, couldn't get back to sleep for hours and had a headache all next day.

I had the same experience

Am I you ? Are you me ? Or do we share the same wife ?

[PeaceBlondie]

I really wonder what the purpose of this message board is supposed to be.

The moderator posts news items, some of which convey useful information, and then the same sad troupe of bitter, frustrated, childish old dears vent their tempers with the same comments about how bad everything Thai is and how much wiser they, the message writers, are than any Thai official or "expert."

Generally, especially when it comes to matter of economics, the message writers demonstrate how limited their understanding of the matter under consideration is. Whatever the topic though, it's always the same parade of negative nonsense that is neither informative nor accurate, but always juvenile.

Possibly Thai Visa should consider expanding their business line to include counseling for the forlorn and desperate. They already have a considerable list of candidates for the service.

Thanks, Kaojai, for complaining about all the complaining. And don't you just hate it when they end with those cute emoticons?

[cclub75]

Nine active fault lines? Now there's a Thaksinism if ever I heard one - in the aftermath of the tsunami he said there were none in Thailand and the nearest one was the Andaman fault as it ran through north through Burma

Bravo for your message. A good reminder. Indeed, just after the tsunami, it was "head into the sand" attitude.

I remember very well reports that the tremor was felt in Chiang Mai too. Soon followed by other, that were saying that it was not possible. Myself, I was in BKK that sunday morning in a highrise. Many people went downstairs, panicking. But no, impossible : i didn't happen, because it can't. Someone sent after to assess the damages or the structure of the building ? Mai pen rai. With a nice smile.

It's a golden rule here : denial. Constant denial.

I guess a fault line it's dirty, it can make problem, it's like a scare on the great Land of Thai. This is why it's much more convenient if they are located in Burma or Indonesia.

As for the "regulations" regarding the buildings, well... you know...

[phuketdiver]

Not meant to sound as a criticism but can someone explain why the meteorological dept is commenting on the earthquake.

I thought they were responsible for the study and reporting on of weather. Surely earthquakes are completely at the other end of the physical spectrum.

Is this as a result ofbudget cutbacks and multitasking?

stay safe

[sensei]

Chiang Mai warned more quakes could follow

CHIANG MAI: -- Chiang Mai could be hit by more earthquakes following the moderate shake early yesterday, the Meteorological Department has warned.

now that's something to worry about...

Meteorolgy is the science of weather phenomenon...

the guys there ate the Meteorological Department should start sticking to weather and let the seismology guys handle this...

[Foggy Bottom]

Lots of small quakes are good, it lowers pressure along fault lines... Thailand must have some pretty amazing geologists if they are now "predicting" more.

I am not a geologist tho I would also predict more small quakes after a 5.1 quake in a quake zone.

It is unfortunately a fact of life and it does not need a doctorate in anything to make such a prediction.

I also could predict that it will rain soon in Chaing Mai district and the weather will cool down even more before it gets warm again.

It will also maybe get dark around 6pm today.

The amazing thing would be to predict WHEN the quake will occur not if

Rain soon in Chiang Mai? Wow, you have all the other amateur meteorologists stumped on that one!

In Chiangmai, Between roughly 14 Jan 2007 and 1 Feb 2007, there will be roughly a one-week period with showers each afternoon - some will be a quick 5-minute "sun shower", others will be accompanied by thunder and be a heavy but brief downpour.

The rest of January will have similar weather to this week - strong sunshine and clearish skies in the daytime with cool nights. Following the week of rain mentioned above, the cool nights will finish and the day/night temperatures will be more like they were in Oct 2006.

[deminister]

Chiang Mai warned more quakes could follow

Regulations in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Lamphun, Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Nan, Phrae and Kanchanaburi require buildings to be able to withstand earthquakes.

"The Public Works Department is seeking to enforce similar rules in Bangkok and its four adjacent provinces," Apichai said.

--The Nation 2006-12-14

Never noticed anyone checking a building, they always approve the buildings AFTER they are constructed, not before. So it is a typical regulation for beancounters. That way they can claim that buildings are safe, while they are actually not.

[BigSnake]

Shake, Rattling and rolling, in Chiang Mai, WOW!! sound likes my early years in the city by the bay, know to most as San Francisco.

[Alboy301]

regulations? regulations... regulations....

OOOOH, you mean like the traffic regulations requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets!

or like the regulations on bars and such places requiring them to close at 2 AM!

or like regulations that lanterns can't be set off within a certain distance of the airport in order to keep them from getting sucked into jet engins and killing a whole lot of people!

pfft. regulations mean nothing in thailand. I don't mean to diss on the thais, they're lovely people, but when it comes to regulations, they just don't get it.

The only regulations they enforce are the ones that restrict, limit or punish farangs.

Aw, you poor, hard done by wasters. As a matter of interest is there any topic that comes up that doesn't give farang crybabies an excuse to moan?