The 29 September earthquake near Samoa, which caused a fatal tsunami would have been a notable seismic event even if it had not claimed so many lives (at least 149 according to recent figures). The quake measured 8.0 on the Richter scale, and on average the world experiences only one quake of magnitude 8.0 or above per year. Less than 17 hours later there was a magnitude 7.6 quake just offshore of Sumatra, which devastated the city of Padang. This did not cause a tsunami, probably because it was too deep, but many more lives have been lost (at least one thousand and rising, mainly in collapsed buildings).

In an average year, we would expect about 20 quakes exceeding magntiude 7.0, so naturally the news media got rather excited as to whether the two quakes were linked. Had the Samoan quake caused the Sumatra quake? I spent quite a while on Wednesday evening talking to various print and broadcast journalists by telephone and on Skype, and was chauffeured down to London at 4am on Thursday to do a live interview on GMTV just after 6am. Some journalists also cottoned on to a magnitude 5.8 quake in Peru nine hours after the Sumatra quake, and looked for a link between all three...

The answer is that the events are most unlikely to be linked. Look at the map below: the epicentres of the Samoan and Sumatra quakes are more than 7500 km apart, and they are not even on the same plate boundary. The Samoan quake occured in what is popularly called the 'Ring of Fire' This (almost) circles the Pacific ocean, and is a system of trenches where the Pacific ocean floor is being subducted (pushed down below) continents or island arcs, running from New Zealand, northwards past Tonga (where the ocean floor is being subducted westwards, and hence the Samoan quake), thence onwards to the Philippines, Japan, Kamchatka, Alaska and down the west coast of the Americas to Chile. The magnitude 5.8 Peru quake was on the 'Ring of Fire' too, where the ocean floor is being subducted east below South America) and was entirely unremarkable because we expect three or four quakes exceeding magitude 5.0 somewhere in the world every day. Melting processes in subductioin zones, not directly related to earthquakes, feed the volcanoes that give the 'Ring of Fire' its name. An earthquake happens when strain that has built up over decades or centuries is released by the sudden, violent, slippage of a fault. The most that can be said is that a distant quake might be capable of precipitating a quake that was going to happen soon anyway. It certainly cannot cause one that was not fairly imminent.

Strictly speaking, the Sumatran quake was not on the 'Ring of Fire', despite what you may read or hear in many new reports, but was caused by the same sort of process. Here, the Indian ocean floor is being subducted northeastwards below Sumatra and Java. It was a large quake further along this plate boundary that caused the 26 December 2004 Indian ocean tsunami that claimed nearly 300,000 lives, and a smaller (magnitude 7.7) quake just offshore of Java that caused a smaller tsunami in July 2006.  There was a very intelligent report about many of these issues on the BBC's Newsnight on Thursday.

The epicentres of the Sumatran (on the left) and Samoan (on the right) quakes.  They are more than 7500 km apart, and a very complex system of tectonic plate boundaries lies between. [Map made in Google Earth]

Attention now must focus on rescue efforts, but I hope it will subsequently switch to enquiries into why buildings in Padang were not better able to withstand the shaking caused by the earthquakes. It seems that hospitals and schools collapsed. These are buildings with large rooms, and hence large extents of unsupported roofs and ceilings, but it is well known how to make such structures earthquake resistant. All too often, it turns out that seismic building codes have been flouted. I have blogged previously about shoddy school buildings in regions at risk from earthquakes, for example in the magnitude 7.9 quake in Sichuan, China on 12 May 2008 . Fortunately the local time when the quake struck Padang was after 5 pm, so presumably the schools were fairly empty - but not so the hospitals.

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Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis   ⁸

Teach Yourself Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis by David Rothery
published by Hodder Education

About the author

Dave Rothery is a volcanologist and planetary scientist at the Open University. His current research includes studying volcanic eruptions on the Earth and characterising planetary surfaces, especially Mercury.

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The tsunami that struck Samoa yesterday has the potential to be the biggest tsunami disaster since the Boxing Day (26 December) 2004 tsunami that devastated coasts around the Indian ocean and took nearly 300,000 lives. The death toll this time will be much less than that, but it seems likely to rise as more reports are gathered and it may exceed the 550 killed on 17 July 2006 when a tsunami hit southern Java and will certainly be worse than one that hit Sumatra in September 2007.

Like those, this tsunami was caused by an undersea earthquake, at a subduction zone where one tectonic plate is being pushed down below another. In this example, the floor of the Pacific ocean is being pushed westwards below the Tonga island arc. Plates do not slide past each other smoothly. Instead, strain builds up until the deformation is relieved in a major jerk. In this case, the 'jerk' began at a relatively shallow depth of about 18 km, and the seafloor above it was probably jolted upwards by several metres. This sudden displacement caused a series of waves on the sea surface, which became higher and steeper when they ran ashore. Local reports speak of waves reaching more than 5 metres above sealevel and rushing 100 metres inland.

Unlike the situation in the Indian ocean back in 2004, the Pacific ocean has a pretty good tsunami warning system, and evacuation of Samoa's capital, Apia, did occur although I am not sure whether this was achieved before any tsunami waves were likely to hit it, because the earthquake was so close by that the waves would arrive in less than an hour. Also the earthquake happened so early in the day, just before 7am local time, that many people may not have been aware of the situation.

Students of the Open University short course Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis , which is supported by the book Teach Yourself Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis will doubtless soon be discussing the issues and implications raised by this event. There are many current news reports, and already a rather good entry on Wikipedia.

Samoan region of the Pacific ocean
[data courtesy of US Geological Survey]

Earthquakes in the Samoa region in the 24 hours before the time stated at the top (there were none in the previous week). The largest blue square locates the epicentre of the magnitude 8.0 quake that caused the tsunami. The others are smaller aftershocks.  Samoa is the group of islands north of the earthquake swarm, Tonga lies to the south, and the outlying islands of the Fiji group are visible near the western edge of the map. The map covers a 10 by 10 degree block, approximately 1000 km across. Data courtesy of USGS.

Take it further

Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis

Teach Yourself Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis by David Rothery
published by Hodder Education

About the author

Dave Rothery is a volcanologist and planetary scientist at the Open University. His current research includes studying volcanic eruptions on the Earth and characterising planetary surfaces, especially Mercury.

Subscribe to Dave Rothery's posts

 

What has been the highlight of the new series for you?

Hermione Cockburn at Blackpool

Well, it was great to be involved again and the highlight was undoubtedly presenting a story about Robert Mallet, an Irish businessman who carried out scientific experiments into earthquakes in the mid 19th Century. His work was the foundation of the modern science of seismology, the study of earthquakes. He wanted to investigate how shock waves travelled through the earth and he did that by detonating an explosion on Killiney Beach near Dublin. Nearly 160 years later, Coast have recreated his experiment; needless to say it was great fun!

Why do you think it's important that we understand more about our coastline?

One reason is that the coast is a very dynamic natural environment and, if we're going to make informed choices about how to manage it, protect it and develop it, the more we know the better decisions we can make.

What is your favourite area/beach/aspect of the UK coastline?

Undercliff walk at Rottingdean.
[image © copyright Scotticus_, some rights reserved]

I have a soft spot for the chalk cliffs at Brighton as I have lots of childhood memories of wandering along the under-cliff walk between Brighton Marina and Rottingdean. It was a favourite family day trip when I was growing up in Sussex. Since moving to Scotland almost 19 years ago, I have fallen in love with the north west coast and Scottish islands. The beaches are stunning with white sands and turquoise water and quite often you can have them to yourself.

Coast has grown into something of a national institution - why do you think people are so interested/passionate about the coast?

I think, for many people, the series triggers fond memories of seaside holidays. So it may be partly nostalgia and a sense of escapism that makes them watch. Once you start watching I think the programmes become compulsive viewing, due the huge diversity of stories covered - you never quite know what surprising gem will be up next!

How did you get involved with presenting Coast?

After working on a series called Rough Science, I was asked whether I wanted to present a story in Coast Series 2 about a potential windfarm development on Lewis. I had recently spent a week there on holiday and jumped at the chance to go back and investigate such an important issue as well as work on one of the BBC's best factual shows.

What have you personally gained from your involvement with the series?

I've been to places that I could well have visited myself but I never would have got the chance to meet the people that I have interviewed for the series. I remember meeting an elderly chap and an 83 year old woman who had both worked in secret listening stations on the Norfolk coast during World War II. Talking to them was absolutely fascinating. It's experiences like that make working on the series so rewarding.

Where would you like to see Coast go next?

One of my favourite islands is Tiree and I don't think Coast have been there yet. Generally speaking more programmes taking in the Scottish islands would suit me as there's plenty I haven't been to but would love the chance to visit.

Do you have any Open University connections outside Coast?

I am an Associate Lecturer with the OU in Scotland and I tutor a second level Environmental Science course. I've also worked on other BBC/OU co-productions, most recently presenting Fossil Detectives. I do science outreach in conjunction with The Open University - for example I presented talks at the Milton Keynes and Edinburgh science festival this year.

Photo of Chalk Cliffs at Rottingdean, Sussex, by Scotticus_ on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Find out more

Watch videos, order the new Coast booklet and find out why this series of Coast goes further than any other: Coast on Open2