Earthquake Report: 2015 Summary M GT 7

Here I summarize the global seismicity for 2015. I limit this summary to earthquakes with magnitude greater than or equal to M 7.0. I reported on all but one of these earthquakes.

Here are all the annual summaries:

Here are the annual summaries for the Cascadia region.

Magnitude
Region
Year

USGS query

2015.02.13 M 7.1 northern Mid Atlantic Ridge
2015.02.27 M 7.1 Indonesia
2015.03.29 M 7.1 New Britain
2015.04.25 M 7.8 Nepal
2015.05.05 M 7.5 New Britain
2015.05.07 M 7.1 Solomon Sea
2015.05.12 M 7.3 Nepal
2015.05.30 M 7.8 Izu Bonin
2015.06.17 M 7.0 southern Mid Atlantic Ridge
2015.07.18 M 7.0 Santa Cruz Islands
2015.07.27 M 7.0 New Guinea
2015.09.16 M 8.3 Illapel, Chile
2015.09.16 M 7.0 Illapel, Chile
2015.10.20 M 7.1 Vanuatu
2015.10.26 M 7.5 Afghanistan
2015.11.18 M 7.0 Solomon Islands
2015.11.24 M 7.6 Peru
2015.11.24 M 7.6 Argentina/Brazil
2015.12.04 M 7.1 Southeast Indian Ridge
2015.12.07 M 7.2 Tajikistan

Annual Summary Poster

Here is the map where I show the epicenters as white circles. I also plot the USGS moment tensors for each earthquake, with arrows showing the sense of motion for each earthquake.
I placed a moment tensor / focal mechanism legend in the lower left corner of the map. There is more material from the USGS web sites about moment tensors and focal mechanisms (the beach ball symbols). Both moment tensors and focal mechanisms are solutions to seismologic data that reveal two possible interpretations for fault orientation and sense of motion. One must use other information, like the regional tectonics, to interpret which of the two possibilities is more likely.
In some cases, I am able to interpret the sense of motion for strike-slip earthquakes. In other cases, I do not know enough to be able to make this interpretation (so I plot both solutions).

Here are some maps that I put together for each of these earthquakes.

For explanations for each map, please go to the earthquake report page for that map.

2015.02.13 Northern Mid Atlantic Ridge

2015.02.27 Indonesia
possibly related 2015.02.28 M 5.0

2015.03.29 New Britain
2015.03.29 update #1
2015.03.29 Tsunami Update
2015.03.29 seismicity New Britain from 2000-2015
2015.03.30 update #2
2015.03.30 update #3 tectonic domains

Tectonic Domain Map

2015.04.25 Nepal
2015.04.25 Nepal update #1 aftershock region
2015.04.25 Nepal update #2 historic earthquakes
2015.04.25 Nepal update #3 updated historic map and cross section
2015.04.25 Nepal update #4 PGA, DYFI, Attenuation
2015.04.25 Nepal update #5 Surface Displacement, Ground Motions
2015.04.25 Nepal update #6 updated historic map and GIS data
2015.04.25 Nepal update #7 surface deformation

2015.05.05 New Britain

2015.05.07 Solomon Sea

2015.05.12 Nepal aftershock
2015.05.12 Nepal aftershock update #1
2015.05.12 Nepal aftershock update #2
2015.05.12 Nepal aftershock update #3
2015.05.12 Nepal aftershock update #4

The first moment tensor has been calculated and I have plotted this Mww MT on the map. There has also been a small M 5.6 aftershock to this M 7.3 aftershock. Here is the map, that also includes moment tensors from the main shock and the previously largest aftershock (M = 6.6). The magnitude of this large aftershock has been changed to M 7.3.

Here is the map that I put together. I have placed the USGS epicenters with two color schemes. The size of the yellow dots represents earthquake magnitude. The degree of redness designates the time (earlier-April = pink & later-May = red). Note how there are some pink colored epicenters in the region of the M 7.3 earthquake. These pink colored earthquakes all occurred in April. The red ones are from May. These epicenters may not be plotted with the greatest certainty, though any uncertainty is possibly shared between them. So, there relative positions are possibly good.

Mw 7.8 Earthquake Finite Fault Plane Solution from the USGS.

Mw 7.3 Earthquake Finite Fault Plane Solution from the USGS.

2015.05.30 Izu Bonin
2015.05.30 Izu Bonin update #1 triggered seismicity?
2015.05.30 Izu Bonin update #2 Seismicity Animation: 1940-2015
2015.05.30 Izu Bonin update #3 HiNet Animation

triggered seismicity map

2015.06.17 southern Mid Atlantic Ridge

Here is an animation from IRIS that shows the M 7.0 seismic waves propagating through the USArray seismic network.

2015.07.18 Santa Cruz Islands

2015.07.27 New Guinea

2015.07.27 New Guinea update #1 updated interpretation

2015.07.27 New Guinea update #2 animations and seismic records

Compilation Map from here

This animation shows the three component (Z, N-S, E-W) motion as recorded by seismometers throughout the continental USA. The seismograph below the map shows the seismic waves as recorded at the seismometer highlighted in yellow on the map. This animation is from the IRIS page, where there are links to other data sources.

2015.09.16 Illapel, Chile

2015.09.16 Illapel, Chile update #1 new maps and tsunami data

2015.09.16 Illapel, Chile update #2 tsunami observations

2015.09.16 Illapel, Chile update #3 more tsunami observations

2015.09.16 Illapel, Chile update #4 historic tsunami comparisons

2015.09.16 Illapel, Chile update #5

First Map

Second Map

Third Map (made in November 2015 following a M 6.8 earthquake). Here is the first report and the second report for that M 6.8 earthquake.

Regional Historic Earthquake Comparison Map #1

Large Scale Historic Earthquake Comparison Map

Regional Historic Earthquake Comparison Map #2 (from here)

Historic Tsunami Comparisons

1960.05.22 M 9.5 (There is no page for the 1960 earthquake, so this map is located on the 2010 page.)/li>
2010.02.27 M 8.8
2014.04.01 M 8.2
2015.09.16 M 8.3

Here is the map. These three maps use the same color scale. There is not yet a map with this scale for the 2015 tsunami, so we cannot yet make the comparison.

Here is an animation of these three tsunami from the US NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC). This is the YouTube link.