Mariana Islands, Ecuador, Peru Earthquakes over 7 on Richter scale

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Just when you thought the rate of large earthquakes had slowed, comes news of two in one day, one in the Mariana Islands, and the other impacting Ecuador and Peru, and both over 7 on the Richter Scale. That puts the total number of earthquakes over 7 at 17.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) own chart, that makes 2010 the most dangerous year for earthquakes over 7, with 17. That's one more than 2009's mark of 15 and it's just August 13th, 2010. (Until this year, 2009 was the greatest year this 21st Century with 16, followed by 2001 with 15 earthquakes.)

Mariana Islands, Guam Earthquake

The USGS posted the following information on the Mariana Islands, Guam Earthquake:

Magnitude
7.2

Date-Time
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 21:19:32 UTC
Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 07:19:32 AM at epicenter

Location
12.409°N, 141.487°E

Depth
4.7 km (2.9 miles) (poorly constrained)

Region
MARIANA ISLANDS REGION

Distances
375 km (230 miles) WSW of HAGATNA, Guam
445 km (275 miles) WSW of Rota, Northern Mariana Islands
485 km (300 miles) NE of Yap, Micronesia
550 km (340 miles) WSW of SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands

Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 14.6 km (9.1 miles); depth +/- 5.1 km (3.2 miles)

Parameters
NST=294, Nph=296, Dmin=389.6 km, Rmss=1.3 sec, Gp= 32°,
M-type=(unknown type), Version=6

According to Reuters there was no report of destruction from the earthquake because it was 215 miles off the coast of Guam. There's no Tsunami warning as of this writing. This is where we turn to Twitter.

Twitter has no tweets from anyone in trouble

Twitter, as of this writing, has no tweets of anyone in any kind of trouble, using a search for "Guam." What is there are a lot of tweets and links to the same blog posts. But that can't be said for Ecuador.

Newscasters feel Ecuador Earthquake (Video)



Obviously, and unlike the Guam Earthquake, the Ecuador Earthquake was felt throughout that country, including the capital city of Quinto. Here's the USGS data:

Magnitude
7.1

Date-Time
Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 11:54:16 UTC
Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 06:54:16 AM at epicenter

Location
1.260°S, 77.312°W

Depth
211 km (131.1 miles) set by location program

Region
ECUADOR

Distances
145 km (90 miles) E of Ambato, Ecuador
155 km (95 miles) ENE of Riobamba, Ecuador
155 km (95 miles) SSW of Nueva Loja, Ecuador
175 km (110 miles) SE of QUITO, Ecuador

Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 3.3 km (2.1 miles); depth fixed by location program

Parameters
NST=523, Nph=523, Dmin=752.8 km, Rmss=0.87 sec, Gp= 14°,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=8

As of this writing, there's no statement from Ecuador President Rafael Correa.

Stay tuned.