New Years 2012 with Two Earthquakes in Ohio and Japan

[mark1447]

Happy New Years 2012 to everyone and heres the first 2 earthquakes for this year.

 

Ohio:

4.0 earthquake strikes in northeast Ohio

 

Officials said Saturday they believe the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is related to the injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line, creating enough pressure to cause seismic activity.

 

The brine wastewater comes from drilling operations that use the so-called fracking process to extract gas from underground shale. But Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Jim Zehringer said during a news teleconference that fracking is not causing the quakes.

 

"The seismic events are not a direct result of fracking," he said.

 

Environmentalists and property owners who live near gas drilling wells have questioned the safety of fracking to the environment and public health. Federal regulators have declared the technology safe, however.

 

Zehringer said four injection wells within a five-mile radius of an already shuttered well in Youngstown will remain inactive while further scientific research is conducted.

 

A 4.0 magnitude quake Saturday afternoon in McDonald, outside of Youngstown, was the 11th in a series of minor earthquakes in area, many of which have struck near the Youngstown injection well. The quake caused no serious injuries or property damage, Zehringer said.

 

Thousands of gallons of brine were injected into the well daily until its owner, Northstar Disposal Services LLC, agreed Friday to stop injecting brine into the earth as a precaution while authorities assess any potential links to the quakes.

 

Read More: 4.0 earthquake strikes in northeast Ohio

 

 

 

Japan:

Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Japan

 

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck under the sea several hundred miles south of Japan on Sunday, shaking buildings in the capital, but officials said there was no danger of a tsunami.

 

The quake struck near the uninhabited island of Torishima in the Pacific Ocean, 370 miles south of Tokyo, and its epicenter was about 230 miles below the sea, the Meterological Agency said.

 

The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami.

 

Buildings in the Tokyo area shook but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Express trains in northern and central Japan were suspended temporarily for safety checks but later resumed.

 

No abnormalities were reported at power plants in the region, including the crippled nuclear power plant hit by the March earthquake and tsunami, public broadcaster NHK reported.

 

Northeastern Japan was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing. Japan, which lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," is one of the world's most seismically active countries.

 

Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Japan

[B35 via Church]

That's a lot of celebratin' goin on....