Chile earthquake

By now you will no doubt have heard about the 8.8 earthquake that hit central Chile yesterday, triggering tsunami warnings in 53 countries around the Pacific. There are lots of news reports, and there are location maps and more details from the BGS, USGS and Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

This map from the BBC shows the tsunami spreading across the Pacific Ocean:


The Boston Globe Big Picture, as ever, has some amazing images.

Earthquake in Haiti

Awful situation in Haiti at the moment as a result of a M7 earthquake - the worst in the area for 200 years - that struck the capital, Port-au-Prince, last night.

Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries, with many people living in poorly constructed slum dwellings. The death toll is already thought to be in the thousands, and the Red Cross estimate that up to three million people have been affected. The lack of infrastructure is a major issue, and the absence of ambulances, fire engines and emergency rescue teams is noticeable in the images that are appearing on the various news websites.

Emergency response teams from various countries including the UK, together with aid agencies such as Oxfam and ActionAid are preparing to fly out to Haiti, and the UN have released £6 million from their emergency relief fund to help the victims of the earthquake.

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Honduras earthquake

Four people were killed and tsunami warnings were issued this morning when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras.

More from the BBC, including some reader accounts, here.

Earthquake in Indonesia...

Reports on the BBC website of another earthquake in Indonesia, which sparked fears of another tsunami.

The earthquake, near Bengkulu on the island of Sumatra, measured 8.4 on the Richter Scale.

More from the BBC here.

Solomon Islands tsunami...

At least 13 people have been killed by a tsunami which hit the Solomon Islands last night, and the death toll is expected to increase. The earthquake that caused the tsunami measured 8.0 on the Richter Scale and struck about 215 miles northwest of Honiara - the capital of the Solomon Islands.The Australian government and RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) are providing help and emergency supplies, but some of the islands are very remote and so it is difficult to assess the extent of the damage.

Clicking on the map will take you to the BBC coverage of the tsunami.

UK's biggest earthquake this year hits Scotland

Below is a seismograph showing the earthquake event - measuring 3.5 on the Richter Scale - that occurred in Dumfries this morning. Fortunately, it appears that no-one was injured, and there was no structural damage.

Clicking on the seismograph will take you to the site of the British Geological Survey where there is information about today's quake, and there are news reports and a video clip on the BBC website. The Times Online also has a report.

Meanwhile, memorial services have been held across the world today, to mark the second anniversary of the tsunami that devastated SE Asia on Boxing Day 2004.

Clicking on the picture will take you to the story on the Times website, where there are also questions about where the billions of pounds that were raised have gone, and why some areas are still little more than piles of rubble.