Information message about the strong earthquake near the coast of Nicaragua, October 14, 2014. |
| A strong earthquake M=7.2 has occurred on October 14, 2014 at 03:51 GMT (07:51 Moscow time) near the coast of Nicaragua. |
| Parameters of the earthquake
have been determined in the Alert Service (AS) of Information
Processing Center (IPC) of Geophysical Survey of RAS in Obninsk with station data
obtained from digital and analog seismic stations of Russia, countries of CIS
and from abroad. Alert message on this earthquake has been delivered in 17 min after
registration to the Ministry of Emergency of the Russian Federation (EMERCOM). |
| Preliminary processing has been done with data from 25 stations, accurate processing - with data 48 stations. |
| Fig. 1 presents fragments of records obtained from digital stations цифровых станций Juntas de Abangares (∆ 3.7º), Hockley (∆ 18.7º), Nana (∆ 26.8º), Albuquerque (∆ 27.9º), Pinyon Flat Observat. (∆ 33.4). Fig. 2 presents fragments of records obtained from digital stations Lovozero (∆ 89.8º), Seimchan (∆ 91.6º), Tiksi (∆ 92.4º), Petropavlovsk (∆ 93.5º), Obninsk (∆ 98º). |
Figure 1
| 
Figure 2
|
|
| IPC GS RAS also has obtained information with parameters of this event from some seismological centers, these data are given in table 1: |
| Table 1 |
| NN |
Time in origin h-min-s (GMT) |
Lat degr. |
Lon degr. |
Depth km |
N s/st |
Ms/ N |
mb/ N |
I0 calc |
GAP |
Center | | 1 |
03-51-38.2 |
12.67 |
-87.83 |
80 |
48 |
7.2/29 | 6.6/22 | 7-7.5 | 91 | IPC GS RAS (Accurate) | | 2 |
03-51-29.1 |
12.57 |
-87.64 |
10 |
25 |
| 6.6/11 | 9-9.5 | 144 | IPC GS RAS (Preliminary) | | 3 |
03-51-39.5 |
12.624 |
-87.99 |
80 |
250 |
Mw 7.3 | | | 19 | CSEM | | 4 |
03-51-35.9 |
12.576 |
-88.046 |
40 |
125 |
Mw 7.3 | | | 19 | NEIC | |
| IPC GS RAS - Informational Processing Center, Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences |
| CSEM - European - Mediterranean seismological center |
| NEIC - National Earthquakes Information Center of US Geological Service |
| Epicenter |
| Fig. 3 presents with red star epicenter of this earthquake, its origin was located near the coast of Nicaragua at the depth of 80 km, 77 km W of Chinandega, Nicaragua, 96 km S-S-E of San Miguel, Salvador and 98 km S-W of Choluteca, Honduras. |
Figure 3 |
|
| Macroseismic manifestations |
| Fig. 4 was obtained from USGS NEIC , it presents USGS Community Internet Intensity Map, based on 370 responses in 116 cities. |
Figure 4 |
|
| Historical records |
| The last strong earthquake in this region was registered on October 9, 2004 with М=7.2 it was located 197 km S-E of current earthquake.
Another earthquakes were registered 395 km S-E in Costa Rica on September 5, 2012 with M=7.9 and 457 km W-N-W in Guatemala on November 7, 2012 with М=7.4, it killed 48 persons and destroyed dozens of houses. |
| Focal mechanism and seismic moment of the earthquake |
| Focal mechanism was obtained in IPC GS RAS with signs of initial arrivals of P-waves at 79 stations, including 51 stations which registered the compression waves (plus signs), and 28 stations which registered tensile waves (minus signs). These stations are located in the interval of epicentral distances of 1–98º and are rather uniformly dispersed along the azimuths. Focal mechanism solution in stereographical projection at the lower hemisphere is presented at fig. 5, elements of this mechanism are presented in table 2. Fig. 6, 7 present focal mechanism solutions obtained in USGS NEIC with W-phase Moment Tensor (Mww) technique and in Quick CMT Center obtained with CMT technique. Elements of mechanism are presented in table 2. Solutions according to different centers are identical.
This earthquake has occurred under prevailing action of compression stresses (Pl=64-67º) oriented south-west (Az=196-220º). Both nodal planes strike S-E–N-W (STK=125-308º). One of them NP1 is vertical (DP=68-71º), another NP2 is flat (DP=20-22º). The type of motion along both planes – normal fault.
According to USGS NEIC – Mo=1.11*20** N*m, Mw=7.3, according to Quick CMT – Mo=1,09*10**20 N*m, Mw=7.3. |
| Table 2 |
| Axes of main strengths |
Nodal planes |
Center |
| T |
P |
N |
NP1 |
NP2 |
| Pl |
Azm |
Pl |
Azm |
Pl |
Azm |
Stk |
Dp |
Slip |
Stk |
Dp |
Slip |
| 26 | 29 | 64 | 197 |
5 | 297 | 295 | 71 | -95 | 130 |
20 | -76 | IPC GS RAS | | 24 | 36 | 66 | 216 |
0 | 126 | 306 | 69 | -90 | 125 |
21 | -91 | NEIC | | 23 | 38 | 67 | 221 |
1 | 128 | 309 | 68 | -89 | 125 |
22 | -93 | Quick CMT | |
| IPC GS RAS - Informational Processing Center, Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences |
| NEIC - National Earthquakes Information Center of US Geological Service |
| Quick CMT - Quick CMT catalog |
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