—" Why " do " you " ask " me " about " that?" You " are " the " geologist " …" I’ m " only " a " poor " cruise " liner " captain "—" Captain " Jim " said " smiling.
—" It " is " because " you " command " a " cruise " liner " that " I ' m " saying " all " this …" A " vessel " navigating " in " these " waters …" Listen," even " in " the " 50s " and " 60s " of " last " century " there " was " a " large " concentration " of " seismic " events," as " it " is " happening " now:" in " 1950 " it " happened " in " Tibet," magnitude " 8.6," in " 1952 " in " Kamchatka " in " Russia," magnitude " 9.0," in " 1957 " there " was " an " earthquake " magnitude " 8.6 " in " Alaska," in " 1960 " in " Chile " of " 9.5," in " 1963 " in " the " Kuril " Islands " with " a " magnitude " of " 8.5," in " 1964 " in " Alaska " of " 9.2 " and " again " in " Alaska " in " 1965 " with " magnitude " 8.7 "…
—" Well," perhaps " at " that " time " the " Earth " had " a " down " on " the " northern " hemisphere " …"—" Captain " Jim " said," able " to " joke " nevertheless.
—" This " series " of " events " as " well "—" Chiao " kept " talking " nonstop "—" had " taken " place " after " a " long " period " during " which " great " earthquakes," of " magnitude " greater " than " 8," had " been " very " few." In " conclusion," Jim," I ' m " convinced " that " the " Birst " great " earthquake " in " Indonesia " in " 2004 " has " caused " an " increase " in " seismic " activity," particularly " in " South " Asia," and " the " great " earthquakes," occurred " right " after " that," may " be " somewhat " connected " to " a " unique " and " powerful " trigger." It " went " this " way " in " the " 50s," when " the " Birst " trigger " to " shoot " was " in " Assam," Tibet." From " that " day," the " great " earthquakes " lasted " about " 15 " years.—" So " you ' re " afraid " the " same " thing " is " happening " here " in " our " area.—" Yes," the " proof " is " an " earthquake " occurred " in " Sumatra " last " April " 11th," 2012," that " we " registered " of " magnitude " 8.6." It " was " a " unique " event " of " its " kind " for " many " reasons." An " earthquake " of " that " kind," due " to " the " sliding " of " continental " plates " underwater," shouldn’ t " have " had " a " magnitude " of " 8.6!" Then," why " have " we " recorded " that " datum?—" Yeah "…" Why?"—" Jim " asked " himself.—" That " was " a " rather " complex " earthquake," with " many " fracture " lines " almost " at " a " right " angle " to " the " other." We " have " recorded " the " hypocentre " of " the " quake " at " 33 " kilometres " depth " under " the " Indian " Ocean "…" I " don ' t " know " if " you " know " this," but " the " hypocentre," which " is " the " focus " of " the " earthquake," is " that " place " we " mean " as " the " point " where " rupture " occurred," where " the " Birst " seismic " waves " started " out." Actually," the " fracture " always " occurs " along " a " more " or " less " extensive " plane," sometimes " some " hundred " kilometres," so " if " you " say " hypocentre," or " epicentre," that " is " the " point " on " the " land " or " marine " surface " placed " exactly " on " the " vertical " of " hypocentre," you " indicate " a " rough " point.—" Which " may " extend " for " many " kilometres "…—" That ' s " right." But " another " event " took " place:" two " hours " after " the " Birst " shock " in " April," the " seismograph " has " recorded " another " earthquake " of " 8.2 " degrees " slightly " further " north " than " the " Birst " quake.