Striking at just after 11.23 local time, the quake hit off the coast of the main island of Hokkaido at a depth of some 6.2 miles. The epicentre of the shake was more than 170 miles to the east of the island.

There have been no reports of damage or loss of life and no tsunami warning has been issued.

Residents on Hokkaido may have felt a small shake but speaking to the Associated Press, police official Esao Akatsuka said: “Nothing fell off from bookshelves.”

The Japanese are used to regular earthquakes, as the nation’s location makes it one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.

Meanwhile, a new report from Aon Benfield recently identified Japan as a “mega earthquake” spot, alongside Chile and Indonesia. The report noted that the South Japan Subduction Zone “has a complex pattern of three segments” and could produce earthquakes of up to 8.6 on the Richter scale.

The quake comes a little over two month after a devastaing quake hit the area near Conception and spawned a small tsunami in Hawaii, some 6,700 miles away.

The epicenter of the May 3 quake was 151 km south southwest of Conception – the site of the major quake from February.

Luckily the current quake hasn’t hurt anyone.  In addition, many structures and buildings are already negatively impacted from the February quakes.  Millions are still displaced and living in temporary huts.

The seismic activity has been concerning to many.  Experts indicate that as of now, the seismic activity that we have experienced this year is within normal ranges.

If the death toll changes, or injuries or further damages are noted, we will keep you informed.  Hopefully the worst is over for Chile, as they already have a lot of rebuiliding to do.

The Peru earthquake, had a depth of 11 km (6.8 miles), and reportedly struck 25 km (16 miles) west of Tacna, the agency said. (CNN)

According to reports, the epicentre of the Peru quake was 26 kilometres west of Tacna in Peru and 55 kilometres north west of the Chilean city of Arica.

The US Geological Survey has said that the 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Peru and northern Chile, but currently, there are no immediate reports of damage.

Only earlier this year, on February 27, 2010, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 struck Chile in the early hours of the morning and killed more than 480 people.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/

About USGS

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.

source: Wikipedia

The quake struck at 9:15 a.m.. New Guinea time ( 7:15 p.m., Saturday, April 17,2010, U.S. time ) Papua New Guinea Earthquake: 6.3 Magnitude Quake Strikes Papua!

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern region of Papua New Guinea and had a depthof 41.1 miles. The epicenter was about 20 miles east of Lae, Papua New Guinea and approximately 300 miles north of Port Moresby, the capital.
No Tsunami watch or warning has been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Reports of damage or injuries are not available at this time.

Tsunami report from USGS:
* Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 09:15:24 AM at epicenter

Magnitude 6.3
Date-Time

* Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 23:15:24 UTC
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 6.744°S, 147.259°E
Depth 66.2 km (41.1 miles)
Region EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Distances 30 km (20 miles) E of Lae, New Guinea, PNG
215 km (135 miles) NE of Kerema, New Guinea, PNG
300 km (185 miles) N of PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea
2370 km (1470 miles) NNW of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 15.2 km (9.4 miles); depth +/- 3.5 km (2.2 miles)
Parameters NST= 76, Nph= 77, Dmin=915 km, Rmss=1.07 sec, Gp= 36°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=6
Source

Death toll in China quake jumps to 1,144
JIEGU, China (AP) — China State media reporters say the death toll from Wednesday’s earthquake in western China has risen to over 1,144. The Xinhua News Agency says the new death toll is as of early Friday night. This total is up from 791 reported Friday afternoon.

The report says another 417 people remain missing.

Help those in need. See our foundations page for more information.

Officials in the region say dozens of businesses and schools in the Tibetan Yushu county have falllen in the natural disaster, and many students are trapped in the rubble.

Chinese Military has been sent to the area. Local officials tell Chinese Central Television the Chinese troops lack the proper equipment to respond to the disaster. A massive 7.9 quake hit Sichuan province in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people.

Relief efforts have begun for many organizations operating in the area.

A swarm of strong earthquakes hit China’s Qinghai province near Tibet early Wednesday morning, the strongest being a 7.1 that toppled an estimated 85% of homes in the impoverished rural area.

The China earthquake is the latest major quake of 2010, following the January magnitude 7.0 earthquake that demolished the country of Haiti, the 8.8 magnitude quake that hit Chile, and the relatively mild early morning 4.4 earthquake that startled people awake in Los Angeles and caused an estimated $100 million in damage.

The recent earthquakes have many people feeling earthquake anxiety and wondering if they are foretelling “The Big One” in the United States, which geologists say is inevitable.

But the U.S. Geological Survey insists the number of major quakes occurring has not increased in frequency, yet people continue to be unusually concerned.  There is a widespread perception that something unusual is going on – a pervasive level of anxiety regarding ground.

If you are feeling earthquake anxiety, now would be a great time to either buy or make your own earthquake preparedness kit.

Realize the recent earthquakes are nothing out of the ordinary.  Since the disaster in Haiti, earthquakes have been on everyone’s minds.

Are you convinced recent earthquakes around the world foretell an earthquake of epic proportions in the U.S.?   Do you have an earthquake preparedness kit at the ready?

A siezable aftershock rattled northern Mexico Friday, days after the area was struck by a deadly magnitude-7.2 earthquake during Easter Sunday, 2010.

The magnitude-4.7 aftershock rocked 36 miles south of Mexicali at 4:05 p.m. Friday. Minor damages have been reported, but the area continues to suffer from numerous aftershocks.

Just a day earlier, another magnitude 5.3 aftershock struck about 30 miles south of Mexicali around 9:45 a.m Thursday, causing one building’s roof to collapse and minor damage to other buildings

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger went to the  U.S border city of Calexico in the southwest Thursday morning, but his spokesman says he left before the aftershock.

Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency for Imperial County, which suffered the brunt of the U.S. damage from the Easter Sunday’s quake.

At least two deaths and some 100 injuries are being blamed on the powerful temblor. The death toll in mexico is 2.

A senior 94-year-old man was killed when a wall collapsed in his home in the city, and homeless man died when the abandoned home he was living in fell apart. It collapsed in a farming community, Mexican officials said.

Civil protection authorities said Sunday that another man died when he ran into the street in panic and was struck by a car, but the government did not count him among the earthquake victims Monday.

There were no reports of U.S. deaths. A spokeswoman for Imperial County’s emergency operations said two people were injured and one was listed in critical condition. No further details were provided.

The declaration by Gov. Schwarzenegger will free up state resources to aid the recovery effort. Water and other relief supplies need to be shipped out.

Businesses in Calexico — the U.S. area hit hardest — were guarded by police Sunday night after the quake damaged pre-war buildings not updated to handle strong quakes, Calexico police Lt. Gonzalo Gerardo said.

“Downtown is going to remain closed until further notice,” he said.

Mexicali was the hardest hit area, where reports included structural damage, broken windows, leaking gas lines, loss of water services, and loss of electricity in portions of Northern Mexico.

At least 45 businesses and dozens of homes were destroyed in the earthquake. Aftershocks hit hard.

Near Guadalupe Victoria, the epicenter of the quake, roads were buckled by moist dirt and some crevices were several feet wide.

Please join us in Calgary for an elegant evening of local music and celebration in support of those affected by the Chilean Earthquake. It’s a night of music and entertainment in Calgary, while helping change lives. Net proceeds from this concert benefit victims of this recent natural disaster and promote disaster awareness world-wide.

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It’s a night of music and entertainment in Calgary, while helping change lives.

About Chile Disaster Relief

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The humanitarian airlift deployment will join the ongoing U.S. relief efforts led by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and will augment an ongoing C-130 airlift relief operation led by Chile’s Air Force.

The C-130 missions will deliver aid to affected communities near the earthquake’s epicenter in the vicinity of Concepcion.

The C-130 Hercules can carry up to 42,000 pounds and use its high-flotation landing gear to land and deliver cargo on rough, dirt strips.

The two aircraft departed Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico Friday and made an overnight refueling stop in Cartagena, Colombia before continuing their transit to Chile.

On Feb. 28, U.S. Ambassador Paul E. Simons issued a disaster declaration in response to the effects of the earthquake. Following the Ambassador’s declaration, USAID/OFDA deployed a 12-person Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to work in coordination with U.S. Embassy personnel and Chilean officials to evaluate humanitarian needs.

To date, USAID/OFDA assistance totals more than $1.6 million, including support for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) emergency appeal and the provision and transport of 300 rolls of plastic sheeting and eight water treatment units from the USAID/OFDA warehouse in Miami, Florida. The U.S. government has also provided Chilean emergency response officials with 85 satellite telephones to facilitate communications until telephone networks in affected areas are repaired.

U.S. military assistance to foreign countries following natural disasters is formally requested by affected nations through the U.S. ambassador.

As the headquarters responsible for U.S. military operations in South America, Central America and the Caribbean, SOUTHCOM leads all U.S. military relief support to nations in the region.

Once U.S. forces join a disaster relief effort, they work in concert with the U.S. interagency and multinational relief workers, coordinating with the host nation and USAID to provide needed services, from airlift capability, logistical and medical support, and engineering expertise. Recent disaster relief efforts have seen U.S. forces spend anywhere from days to weeks conducting operations after natural disasters.

Since 2005, the command has led U.S. military support to 15 major relief missions, including assistance to Haiti following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake Jan. 12.

For more about the Missouri Air National Guard’s relief mission in Chile:

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123193556

For more about U.S. military relief missions in Chile:

http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9

article source:

http://www.southcom.mil/appssc/news.php?storyId=2226

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, and no tsunami alert was issued. Buildings in Manila shook for about 30 seconds.

“Essentially, this would not trigger significant damage,” said seismology institute Director Renato Solidum.

He said the quake was centered off Lubang Island in Mindoro Occidental province, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of Manila, six miles (10 kilometers) under the seabed.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.1 and depth at 21 miles (33 kilometers).

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The Philippine archipelago lies in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire where earthquakes are common. It is flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the South China Sea to the west with undersea trenches — potential quake triggers — running alongside its coast on both sides.

The last major quake registered a magnitude 7.7 in 1990 and killed nearly 2,000 people on the main northern island of Luzon.

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake set off by a local fault whipped up a tsunami that killed 78 people on Mindoro in 1994.

The 6.1 magnitude quake hit in the Mindoro region of the Philippines.The epicenter was about 86 miles (139 km) from the capital, Manila, and was about 72 kilometers (45 miles) deep, the USGS said.

The quake was felt in Quezon City on the island of Luzon and also in the Lubang Island, the Philippine News Agency reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.