Quakes Rock Eastern & Western Hemispheres

8 earthquakes strike along Iran-Iraq border, rattle Baghdad

By AMIR VAHDAT AND JON GAMBRELL, ASSOCIATED PRESS TEHRAN, Iran — Jan 11, 2018, 5:53 AM ET
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A series of eight earthquakes hit the Iran-Iraq border area and rattled Baghdad on Thursday, apparent aftershocks of a temblor that struck the mountainous region in November and killed over 530 people. Four people suffered minor injuries in Iran, state television reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey said seven of the quakes struck near the Iraqi city of Mandali, 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of the Iraqi capital. Mandali is right on the border between the two nations. The eighth hit near Mehran in western Iran, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southeast of Mandali along the sparsely populated Zagros Mountains that divide Iran and Iraq.

7.6 magnitude earthquake shakes the Caribbean Sea

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook the Caribbean Sea early Tuesday night. The earthquake occurred west of Jamaica at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km).

The earthquake triggered tsunami warnings for areas within 621 miles (1,000 km) of the quake's epicenter.

However, all tsunami advisories were canceled throughout the Caribbean and Central America later on Tuesday night.

No damage has been reported from this event, despite the high magnitude and several strong aftershocks.

“We have reports that it was felt in the majority of the country, but we don’t have reports of damage,” said Lizandro Rosales, director of Honduras’ contingencies commission.

Hazardous tsunami waves up to 3.3 feet (1 meter) above tide level were possible for some coasts of Honduras and Belize, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC).

Smaller changes in sea levels were possible for other areas in the Caribbean, including Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Belize, Honduras and Cayman Islands.