Finally starting to notice?

This morning I fired up my email account to see a new USGS Release waiting for me.

"USGS To Award $4 Million in Earthquake Research Grants"

Hmm. Maybe it's about time. Inhabitants of our planet are starting to take notice. In this short calendar year, we have seen quite a few devestating seismic events hitting populated area and regions proximal to high population centres. Along with the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, the science of geology is becoming more and more a part of everyone's lives.

Take a look at your TV guide when you get a chance. Over the past few years, National Geographic, Discovery and Science Channel have produced many a show pertaining to geologic phenomena, but only now are we beginning to see repeated shows, marathons, and even geologists themselves narrating said programs.

Of particular commonality, I believe I have seen Iain Stewart's How The Earth Was Made series, and volcanologist Guy de Saint Cyr, host of On The Volcanoes of the World. For the record, I recommend both of these programs. On The Volcanoes..., however, is much more adventure-themed, rather than teaching-themed, but you may be able to see some things you never have before.

It is a bit troubling that tragedies such as Haiti, Chile, and most recently the Qinghai quake of China; are what it takes for seismic hazards to be noticed.

8.0 Earthquake near Samoa

A heads up to GeoTripper for pointing this out earlier today. A magnitude 8.0 earthquake rocked the region around American Samoa today, with an epicenter just 135 miles from mainland Samoa.

Originally, tsunami warnings were issued as far away as Hawaii. NOAA has since canceled these warnings, as Pago Pago, located in Samoa, only experienced waves with a maximum amplitude of 1.57m and a period (frequency) of 4 minutes. (Source, NOAA)

The Tonga Trench, located just west of the earthquake center, has been a very active tectonic region - with the Pacific Plate moving underneath the Australian Plate at a rate of 86 mm/year. Currently, the USGS believes that a normal fault occurred here, near the outer rise of the Pacific Plate. (Source, USGS)

If you want to check out the location of the quake, drop the coordinates "15.558°S, 172.073°W" into Google Earth and check out the proximity to Pago Pago and Samoa, as well as the beautiful images of the trench just to the west of the epicenter. No wonder there was a seismic event here.

Update: Tsunamis were reported in Pago Pago, contrary to the data I received from NOAA. According to CNN, a 3m tsunami hit just after the earthquake.