Geology, Earthquakes & Volcanism News and Discussions

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^^^I was jolted awake by a warning via my cell phone that an earthquake was on its way. I never felt the actual quake. I guess a lot depends on factors such as the depth of the quake, distance, the geology between our location and the location of an earthquake, etc. At any rate, magnitude 4.6 is not very dramatic. Strong enough to be felt but enough to damage only the flimsiest of structures.

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Major Earthquake Off Japan's North Coast Prompts Tsunami Alert
Updated April 20, 2026

Introduction:

(CBS) Tokyo — A powerful earthquake struck off the northern Japanese coast Monday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue a tsunami alert for a wide section of coastline, though waves of only about three feet were observed and the emergency appeared to be easing.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a magnitude of 7.4. Earlier reports from the JMA ranged from 7.5 to 7.7. It occurred off the coast of Sanriku in northern Japan at around 4:53 p.m. (2:53 a.m. Eastern on Sunday), at a depth of about 6 miles below the sea surface, the agency said.

A tsunami wave of about 2.6 feet was detected at the Kuji port in the Iwate prefecture within one hour of the quake, and a smaller tsunami wave of 1.3 feet was recorded at another port in the prefecture, the agency said.

The tsunami alert put in place earlier for waves as high as 10 feet was later lowered to an advisory, and the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami threat from the quake had passed.

The JMA urged residents in the region to stay away from the coast or along rivers and take shelter on higher ground. Iwate and three other northern prefectures issued non-binding evacuation advisories to more than 128,000 residents, according to the disaster management agency.

Read more here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-ear ... hokkaido/

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'Extinct' Volcanoes May Be Silently Building Magma for Future Eruptions
By Ivan Farkas
April 30, 2026

Introduction:

(Science Alert) Extinct' volcanoes that haven't erupted for tens of thousands of years may not actually be inactive, but silently accumulating huge reservoirs of magma to fuel future outbursts.

This worrying revelation comes from a team of volcanologists at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, who mapped the geological history of the Methana volcano near Athens, Greece, across 700,000 years.

They discovered a "bloom" of tiny zircon crystals coinciding with Methana's longest dormant period, which lasted more than 100,000 years, indicating that massive amounts of magma were still brewing.

Such a deceptively long, false dormancy is problematic because volcanic hazard forecasts are based on the assumption that some volcanoes may become extinct after approximately 10,000 years of inactivity.

Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/extinct-v ... ists-say

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Massive Alaska megatsunami was second largest ever recorded

2 hours ago

A massive 'megatsunami' wave created when part of an Alaskan mountain crumbled into the sea is the second tallest ever recorded – and a reminder of the risks posed by melting glaciers, say scientists.

[...]

An incredible 64 million cubic metres of rock – the equivalent of 24 Great Pyramids - splashed into the water below. The sheer power of that amount of rock plunging into the fjord in under a minute created a gigantic wave almost 500 metres tall.

Only the time it happened – in the early hours of the morning – prevented tourist cruise ships being caught up in the devastation, say the researchers.

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Alaska is especially vulnerable to megatsunamis because of its steep mountains, narrow fjords and frequent earthquakes.

Now new research published in Science, external suggests glacier melt driven by climate change is making such collapses far worse.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1m253033m4o

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New plate boundary may be forming in Africa

28th May 2026

A little-studied rift system in Zambia could mark the early stages of a future continental split, while also revealing potential opportunities for geothermal energy, helium and hydrogen exploration.

Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... meline.htm