As of November, 2017, a total of 12,527 earthquakes around the world were registered by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 2017 earthquakes by magnitude include 1 (8.0-8.9), 6 (7.0-7.9), 106 (6.0-6.9), 1,424 (5.0-5.9), 10,990 (4.0-4.9). Combined, all these earthquakes have killed 1,232 people. The earthquake swarm at Yellowstone National Park super volcano is now one of the longest ever recorded. Almost 2,500 earthquakes have been recorded in the western part of the national park. Scientists are warning there could be a big increase in numbers of devastating earthquakes around the world in 2018. They believe variations in the speed of Earth’s rotation could trigger intense seismic activity, particularly in heavily populated tropical regions. The link between Earth’s rotation and seismic activity was highlighted by Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado in Boulder and Rebecca Bendick of the University of Montana in Missoula who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. “The correlation between Earth’s rotation and earthquake activity is strong and suggests there is going to be an increase in numbers of intense earthquakes next year”.

On September 19, 2017, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook Mexico City, killing at least 200 people.

Mexico earthquake: 7.2 magnitude tremor rocks capital and revives memories of September tragedy: A powerful earthquake shook south and central Mexico on Friday, causing people to flee buildings and office towers in the country’s capital. Crowds of people streamed out on to the streets of Mexico City as the ground shook as well as on streets in Oaxaca State’s capital, nearer the quake’s epicenter. She said she was still scared thinking of the September 19 earthquake that left 228 people dead in the capital and 369 across the region. Many buildings in Mexico City are still damaged from that quake. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake’s preliminary magnitude at 7.2 and said its epicenter was 33 miles northeast of Pinotepa in Oaxaca State. It had a depth of 15 miles. Mexico City experienced two major earthquakes, back to back. This first earthquake registered 8.2, killed 98 people and affected more than 1.5 million people. The second earthquake was in and around Mexico City. It registered 7.1, killed 370 people and collapsed more than 40 buildings.

CNN, November 13, 2017: Powerful Iran-Iraq earthquake is deadliest of 2017. Tehran, Iran (CNN) At least 452 people were killed and thousands injured after a powerful earthquake struck near the border of Iran and Iraq late Sunday. The earthquake is the deadliest of the year, eclipsing the one that hit Mexico City in September, and was felt as far away as Turkey and Pakistan. Around 100 of the dead are believed to be from one town in Iran’s Kermanshah province, the country’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported. In response to an outpouring of sympathy and offers to help, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif issued the following statement on Monday: “Heartbreaking images from the earthquake damage and loss of life in Kermanshah (and in Iraq). We are grateful for global expressions of sympathy and offers of assistance. For now, we can manage with our own resources. Many thanks for all offers and we will keep you posted.” Iran sits on a major fault line between the Arabian and Eurasian plates and has experienced a number of earthquakes in the past. The earthquake hit late Sunday night with the epicenter in a rural area on the Iranian side of the border, just south of the Iraqi city of Halabja, according to the US Geological Survey, which tracks earthquake activity around the world. The quake was at a depth of 23 km (just over 14 miles), which is considered shallow, according to the survey. It was felt across the region with aftershocks hitting Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Turkey, news agencies in those countries reported. Iraq’s Meteorological Organization issued a warning on Iraqi state TV urging citizens to stay away from buildings and to refrain from using elevators. The deadliest this century occurred in 2003 when a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the southeastern city of Bam, killing some 26,000 people.

Iraq/Iran: January 11, 2018. String of Earthquakes Strike Along Iran-Iraq Border, Rattle Baghdad; TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A series of eight earthquakes hit the Iran-Iraq border area and rattled even Baghdad and parts of the Iraqi countryside on Thursday, apparently aftershocks of a temblor in November that killed over 530 people. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The US Geological Survey said seven of the quakes struck near the Iraqi city of Mandali and an eighth struck near Mehran in western Iran.

Yellowstone National Park Rattled by Largest Earthquake in 34 years. Scientific American. Yellowstone National Park, which sits atop one of the world’s largest super-volcanoes, was struck on Sunday by a magnitude 4.8 earthquake, the biggest recorded there since February 1980. The tremor, a relatively light event by seismic standards, struck the northwest corner of the park and capped a flurry of smaller quakes at Yellowstone since Thursday, geologists at the University of Utah Seismograph Stations said in a statement. The latest earthquake struck at 6:34 a.m. near the Norris Geyser Basin and was felt about 23 miles away in two small Montana towns adjacent to year-around entrances to the park – Gardiner and West Yellowstone. The national park spans 3,472 square miles (8,992 square km) of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, and draws about 3 million visitors each year to its iconic geysers and wildlife attractions, including bison. A U.S. Geological Survey team planned to tour the Norris Geyser Basin on Sunday to determine if the quake altered any of Yellowstone’s geothermal features, such as geysers, mud pots and hot springs. Several people reported having felt shaking they compared to the rumble of a tractor-trailer truck driving by, and a few items fell off the shelves at a local grocery store, a West Yellowstone police dispatcher said. About 1,000 to 3,000 earthquakes strike Yellowstone each year, according to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, a research partnership of the park, the University of Utah and the U.S. Geological Survey.

The ancient super-volcano, or caldera, that lies beneath the surface of the park was discovered by scientists in recent years to be 2.5 times larger than previously thought, measured at 30 miles wide, according to the park. Sunday’s quake occurred near the center of an area of ground uplift that geologists have been tracking for several months, University of Utah seismologists said. Elevated seismic activity was also found in the area during a previous period of uplift from 1996 to 2003. The recent spike in earthquake activity at Yellowstone is linked to the uplift, which in turn is caused by the upward movement of molten rock beneath the Earth’s crust, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Fortunately, there was no indication that the recent seismic activity signaled an impending eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera, scientists said. Researchers with the observatory have said in the past that catastrophic eruptions by the super-volcano are unlikely for tens of thousands of years, though less extreme lava releases could occur within thousands of years. The super-volcano’s most cataclysmic eruption occurred 2 million years ago, covering half of North America with ash and killing prehistoric animals as far as away as modern-day Nebraska, according to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Heat from a vast chamber of molten rock beneath the caldera fuels the park’s famous geothermal features, including Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone scientists say.

Earthquakes – Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service). Map of Yellowstone National Park showing caldera and earthquakes by magnitude.

news.com.au | Quakes and eruptions spark talks of Yellowstone Super Volcano. A cluster of earthquakes at Yellowstone National Park followed by the fourth eruption of its usually dormant geyser has sparked speculation about the world’s largest super volcano. Is the big one about to blow, blanketing the U.S. with ash and sending the Earth into a volcanic ice age? Probably not, but some of the signs are there. The United Nations world heritage site, which lies over giant chambers of molten magma, is actually the world’s largest super volcano, causing massive devastation across the planet. Today, Yellowstone bubbles away with its hot springs and geysers with endearing names. The most famous is Old Faithful, so called because it puts on a show for visitors every 91 minutes. Steamboat hadn’t erupted since September 2014. Then, on March 15 this year, it blew back into life, followed by eruptions on April 19 and April 27. On May 4 it erupted again, the fourth time in seven weeks. It is now the world’s tallest and most powerful active geyser. The eruptions came on the heels of earthquake activity at Yellowstone recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A swarm of more than 200 earthquakes struck Yellowstone over two weeks, starting on Feb. 8 and increasing on Feb. 15 in an area 8 miles northeast of West Yellowstone, Mont. The USGS reported that a bigger series of tiny quakes hit the area but seismometers failed to record them. A swarm indicates a shifting of the major tectonic plates beneath the Earth’s surface, or movements of water, gas or magma.

Yellowstone is one of several super volcanoes around the world. The term “super volcano” means a large volcano with the power to spew rock and debris over such a distance that it can alter the Earth’s atmosphere, causing death to humans and animals. Super volcanoes also exist in Long Valley, Calif., Lake Toba in northern Sumatra, Lake Taupo in New Zealand, Aira in Japan and Valles in northern New Mexico. Three things are said to indicate that a super volcano is about to erupt: increased seismic activity, increased ground deformation and changes in the hydrothermal system or increased gas outlet at the surface. The seismic activity and gas outlet has occurred in Yellowstone since the beginning of 2018, but apparently not to a significant enough extent and without any sign of ground deformation. Michael Poland, head scientist at the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory in Washington State, said a major quake was not on the way. “This is what Yellowstone does; this is Yellowstone being Yellowstone,” Poland told Live Science. “It experiences swarms all the time.” Poland said the seismic activity may be a continuation of an even bigger swarm between June and September of last year, when 2,400 earthquakes hit the same region. Poland said, saying that magnitude-7 earthquakes could happen comparatively more often. “When they do happen, they’re going to shake the region pretty severely, so people should be prepared for that,” Poland said. If the Yellowstone super volcano were to blow, and if the eruption resembled the big ones that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago, the resulting far-flung ash spewing out could devastate the U.S., Live Science reported.

Mon, Jun 18, 2018, Express| Hawaii volcano eruption: 453 earthquakes strike Kilauea summit in 24 hours. KILAUEA volcano in Hawaii is continuing to erupt, with the volcano and surrounding areas experiencing 453 earthquakes alone within the last 24 hours, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Within the surrounding Leilani area, 5,914 acres of land have now been impacted, while 553 houses have been destroyed. The volcano has produced a large laze plume after an ash eruption on Sunday morning at the Kilauea summit.  USGS warned lava is shooting between 60ft and 165ft into the sky from Fissure 8 as lava continues to pour into the ocean at Kapoho Bay. USGS said: “The ocean entry is a hazardous area. Venturing too close to an ocean entry on land or the ocean exposes you to flying debris from sudden explosive interaction between lava and water. Also, the lava delta is unstable because it is built on unconsolidated lava fragments and sand.  “This loose material can easily be eroded away by surf, causing the new land to become unsupported and slide into the sea. Additionally, the interaction of lava with the ocean creates ‘laze’, a corrosive seawater plume laden with hydrochloric acid and fine volcanic particles that can irritate the skin, eyes and lungs.” Lightweight volcanic glass fragments are falling downwind, dusting the ground within the process for a few hundred meters. And officials fear high winds may push light particles even further. Residents have been urged to minimize their exposure to the volcanic particles, as they can cause skin and eye irritation similar to volcanic ash. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews are on site tracking the fountains, lava flows and Fissure 8’s activity. Shifting wind conditions may bring volcanic smog, known in Hawaii as “vog” to the central, southern and western parts of Hawaii. Eruptions on Big Island started on May 3, with thousands having since fled their homes. The state has pledged $12 million to help Hawaii County pay for the mounting costs of responding to Kilauea’s ongoing eruptions, while numerous organizations have begun efforts to house evacuees. Last week, President Donald Trump approved a request to send financial assistance to those who had lost their homes.

A devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck right in the heart of Papua New Guinea on Sunday causing massive devastation and killing over 30 people.  Sadly, the death toll is expected to rise as many more are injured and still others missing.  The quake triggered staggeringly massive landslides.

01/23/2018 Massive earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska: A large 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off Alaska’s Kodiak Island early Tuesday, prompting a tsunami warning for a large swath of coastal Alaska and Canada’s British Columbia. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was recorded about at 12:31 a.m. local time about 155 miles off of Chiniak, Alaska. Buoy 46410, located northeast of the quake’s epicenter, recorded a “water displacement” of 32 feet, the National Weather Service said.