Earthquake activity gone AWOL?

[conestogo_flood]

Has anyone been noticing a recent increase in the number of earthquakes occuring day to day globally?

I started noticing it a few months ago... here is some research to back this thought...

From 1987 to Jan.07...
Earthquakes occuring per year(Depth of 0km to 100km)...
1987 - 218 (176 5.0-5.10, 37 6.0-6.10, 5 7.0-7.10)
1988 - 199 (168 5.0-5.10, 28 6.0-6.10, 3 7.0-7.10)
1989 - 174 (151 5.0-5.10, 18 6.0-6.10, 4 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
1990 - 180 (146 5.0-5.10, 31 6.0-6.10, 3 7.0-7.10)
1991 - 121 (99 5.0-5.10, 15 6.0-6.10, 7 7.0-7.10)
1992 - 150 (113 5.0-5.10, 32 6.0-6.10, 5 7.0-7.10)
1993 - 152 (120 5.0-5.10, 25 6.0-6.10, 6 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
1994 - 146 (115 5.0-5.10, 25 6.0-6.10, 5 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
1995 - 198 (151 6.0-5.10, 37 6.0-6.10, 8 7.0-7.10, 2 8.0-8.10)
1996 - 148 (109 5.0-5.10, 30 6.0-6.10, 9 7.0-7.10)
1997 - 140 (111 5.0-5.10, 26 6.0-6.10, 3 7.0-7.10)
1998 - 126 (102 5.0-5.10, 20 6.0-6.10, 3 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
1999 - 224 (186 5.0-5.10, 31 6.0-6.10, 7 7.0-7.10)
2000 - 252 (220 5.0-5.10, 26 6.0-6.10, 5 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
2001 - 251 (217 5.0-5.10, 27 6.0-6.10, 6 7.0-7.1, 1 8.0-8.10)
2002 - 196 (169 5.0-5.10, 22 6.0-6.10, 4 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
2003 - 250 (206 5.0-5.10, 35 6.0-6.10, 8 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
2004 - 299 (259 5.0-5.10, 36 6.0-6.10, 4 7.0-7.10, 1 9.0-9.10)
2005 - 332 (278 5.0-5.10, 48 6.0-6.10, 5 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
2006 - 262 (210 5.0-5.10, 48 6.0-6.10, 3 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
2007 - 112 (101 5.0-5.10, 9 6.0-6.10, 1 7.0-7.10, 1 8.0-8.10)
{Note(2007)is up until Jan.29 at 930 pm EDT.}

Notice the increase around 1999.
The average number of 6.0-6.10 quakes between 87-06 is 30(rounded). 2007 already has 33% of the 6.0-6.10 quakes measured yearly in only 1 month.

Also note, there has already been an 8.0-8.10 quake in 2006, when on average not even 1 per year is recorded... up until 1999.

The increase in 5.0-5.10 quakes is alarming. The average number of 5.0-5.10 quakes between 87-06 yearly is 165. We are already at 112 in 2007.

Increasingly active areas...
I've noticed IMO over the past year more quakes are occuring the St. Lawrence Valley region of Canada/New England. Especially this week there has been 4 earthquakes measuing 2.0-2.10 and 1 quake measuring 1.0-1.10. That isn't including microquakes.

Molucca Sea...
5.0-5.10 earthquakes occuring more than once daily it seems.

Yellowstone...
There has been a recent surge in microquakes and small earthquakes occuring in or near Yellowstone National Park.

Puerto Rico/Gulf of Mexico
There has been a large increase in earthquakes occuring here, noticeable increase to the naked eye.

New Madrid...
There has been a lot more 1.0-1.10 to 3.0-3.10 quakes occuring here over the past months.

California/Nevada/Utah...
More 1.0-1.10 to 4.0.4.10 quakes occuring here.

Mediterranean...
More earthquakes here too, some causing damage in Greece.

{NOTE... WHILE TYPING THIS POST A 5.2 PRELIM QUAKE HAS OCCURED IN THE MOLUCCA SEA...953 PM EDT}

Tonga/Fiji Regions...
More 5.0-7.10 quakes occuring here than normal over the past few months to a year.

Taiwan...
Read an article on this one - There has been a recent increase in 5.0-7.10 earthquakes here, damaging communication lines to China continuously under the ocean.

Tsunamis

Tsunami bulletins seem to be flying off the shelf right now, we went from years of no activity to tsunami warnings and actual tsunamis (generally small) occuring every few months.

Some days, it appears evident that you can draw every fault line on Earth on the earthquake maps because there are so many quakes on each it draws a line in itself.

Call this paranoia if you believe, but maybe something is coming... also it seems as if volcanic activity is on the rise globally.

[goodgal996]

Yikes those numbers so far this year are crazy. Definitely seems like something not very good is going on here. I'm in New England and I don't think I've actually felt an earthquake before (slept through a decent sized one we had like 2 or 3 years ago), but if these stats stay consistent, maybe that'll change soon.

[Ptarmigan]

Where did you get those earthquake information? Hmmmmmmm..... I wonder if seismic activities could be linked to hurricane activities?

[HurricaneBill]

http://interactive2.usgs.gov/faq/list_faq_by_category/get_answer.asp?id=153

[conestogo_flood]

That article does not include 2006/2007 though.

[conestogo_flood]

In the past seven days now there have been 8 earthquakes in the St. Lawrence Valley of Ontario/Quebec measuring 2.0-2.10, and there has been one earthquake measuring 1.0-1.10. Usually little earthquakes even 1.0-1.10 don't occur weekly, or even bi-weekly. That fault line/earthquake zone out there has produced quakes as large as 7.0 near Montreal in the 1700s and 1800s.

[senorpepr]

I'm confused by your subject...

You say "Earthquake activity gone AWOL?," however, you talk about increased activity.

Unless I'm missing something here, or simply missing sarcasm in your topic, then please carry on, but your topic would suggest a significant decrease in activity. (AWOL = absent without leave; thus--earthquake activity gone absent (without leave)]

[conestogo_flood]

I meant it as normal activity went AWOL.

[Aslkahuna]

I think the word he wanted to use was amök rather than AWOL.

Steve