Is it normal to have over 500 aftershocks atfer an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2?
Apr 07, 2010
in
Earthquake Questions
because the earthquake in baja , california that happened on april 4th 2010 is still having aftershocks here are some links i just wanna know is this normal?
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/31.33.-116.-114.php
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/04/500-aftershocks-and-counting-from-mexicali-earthquake.html
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3 comments
bustersmycat on April 7, 2010 at 7:01 pm
oh cripes, there are quakes happeneing all the time that most people never feel, and yes, after a big quake, a lot of minor adjustments keep happening for a while. Kind of like putting on a tight shirt and then wriggling your arms and shoulders to make minor adjustments to make it fit right.
Now, if you are having like 500 magnitude 6 aftershocks, that WOULD be unusual, but lots of threes and fours, with the occasional 5 or 6, is fairly normal. I don’t even ijnclude the 2s as no one really even knows they are happening.
Mark on April 7, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Yes,
Once you have a large earthquake like the one over the weekend tension is released on the fault where it was stored. The movement then puts stress on other fault lines in the area, where there was none previously. The building tension on the other faults will dissipate through a series of smaller after shocks.
lalabuhbyebye on April 7, 2010 at 7:01 pm
yes it is, some of the aftershocks are able to felt and most aren’t. the plates are constantly moving and every once in a while there comes a point when two plates converge or diverge and that’s when you feel the earthquakes. earthquakes are constantly happening, they are mostly in the ocean and some on land, they are not able to be felt most of the time though