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MSM: "6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Tarapaca Region Of Chile" [05/15/12] "A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook the border area straddling southern Peru and northern Chile early on Monday, but there were no reports of damage, the Andean neighbors’ national emergency offices said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 41 miles east-northeast of Tacna in Peru, and 66 miles northeast of Arica in the far north of world No. 1 copper producer Chile. The tremor hit at a depth of 61.1 miles, it said. The USGS had earlier reported two quakes of 5.9 magnitude had struck seconds apart, but later updated its Web site to show only one. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in Chile, said a spokeswoman for Chile’s state emergency office (ONEMI). A spokeswoman for Chile’s Collahuasi, the world’s No. 3 copper mine owned jointly by Anglo American Plc and Xstrata Plc, said its operations had not been affected by the quake. Union leader Manuel Munoz said the quake had however caused some rocks to fall on roads at the deposit. In Lima, a spokesman for the emergency operations center of the National Civil Defense Institute (INDECI) said there were no immediate reports of damage, though an official at Peru’s Geophysics Institute said electricity was disrupted in the southern Peruvian region near the border with Chile. Quakes are common in Chile, which was hit by a devastating 8.8 magnitude temblor in early 2010 which triggered tsunami that battered the south-central Chilean coastline in a disaster which killed around 500 people and ravaged industries. [...]" 

Commentary: "Scientists Stunned By Dramatic Change In Seafloor In Two Weeks" [05/14/12] "Researchers studying the Monowai volcano, near Tonga, recorded huge changes in height in just two weeks. Lead author Tony Watts of Oxford University told the BBC that the revelation was “a wake-up call that the sea-floor may be more dynamic than we previously thought. I’ve spent my career studying the seabed and have generally thought it pretty stable so it’s stunning to see so much change in such a short space of time.” As many as 32,000 underwater mountains have been identified around the world and the majority are believed to be volcanic in origin. Several thousand of these may be active but a combination of ocean depth and remoteness means that very few have been studied. The team then left the area to carry on with planned research elsewhere but three days later were warned that seismic detectors on the Cook Islands had detected violent activity around the volcano over a five-day period. “If we had been over the volcano during the eruption, rocks could have hit the hull of the ship – that could have been potentially dangerous.” Later the ship returned to the scene and the scientists were surprised to see how much the volcano had changed. In the space of a fortnight, one part of the volcano’s summit had collapsed by as much as 18.8m while new lava flows had raised another area by 79.1m. Most striking was the creation of an entirely new volcanic cone. The researchers believe the changes are larger than at most other volcanoes. Only Vesuvius and Mount St Helens have recorded larger growth rates. The paper says the speed of growth and change is “a reminder of how rapidly geological processes such as submarine land-sliding and volcanism can occur.” Professor Watts said: “Any movement on the seabed has the potential to create a tsunami. An earthquake suddenly dislocates the seabed. Here a violent disturbance lasted five days with magma oozing out which might be too slow to trigger a tsunami – but it’s unknown. “This is a violent exchange of rock into the water – it could destabilize the cone and cause a landslide which in principle could cause a tsunami.  [...]" 

MSM: "5.3 Magnitude Offshore Earthquake Rattles Israel And Palestine" [05/13/12] "An earthquake rocked Israel on Friday evening, shortly before 10:00 p.m. local time, and was felt in areas from northern Israel to central Israel. According to a Channel 10 News report, the police in the Northern, Central and Tel Aviv Districts said they received hundreds of phone calls from citizens who felt the earthquake. Local residents reported feeling objects and buildings move for about 15 to 20 seconds. There were no reports of injuries or damages. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 5.3 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was in Cyprus. More than a 100 calls by concerned citizens were received in the northern city of Tzfat alone, the report said. The quake was felt even in Bat Yam, Kfar Saba, Ramat Hasharon, Ra’anana and other areas in central Israel. Magen David Adom has sent reinforcements to its stations in northern Israel and is preparing for the possibility of secondary tremors, Channel 10 reported. In February, a 3.1 magnitude tremor shook Israel’s north. There were no injuries or damage following the earthquake. The epicenter of that earthquake was east of Lake Kinneret, and a number of communities in the area reported having felt the quake. Experts have warned that Israel is expected to be hit by a major earthquake. Dr. Ephraim Laor, who headed the National Steering Committee for Earthquake Preparedness, told Arutz Sheva recently that each Israeli must prepare himself for a major earthquake that could hit Israel. In February, school children around the country, from kindergarten age and up, participated in earthquake drills in their schools, practicing safe steps to take when the ground starts shaking. [...]" 

MSM: "5.5 Earthquake Reported South Of Christchurch, New Zealand" [05/13/12] "Two earthquakes, magnitudes 3.9 and 5.5, have been detected near southern New Zealand. The 3.9 quakes was near the city of Christchurch, which in 2011 was damaged by another tremor. No damages and casualties are reported from the earthquakes this time over, as the stronger one was centered in a sparsely populated area. The 3.9 Richter earthquake was felt Sunday morning, with an epicenter some 10 km away from Christchurch. It was preceded several hours earlier by the 5.5 tremor near the southern shores of New Zealand, which was felt all over the southern island.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Scientists Find 30 Km Long Active Fault Running Under Mt. Fuji" [05/11/12] "An active fault as long as 30 km may lie directly beneath Mount Fuji, a team of researchers has said in a recent survey report. The possible fault was detected through a simulated earthquake conducted during a crustal survey over a distance of around 34 km from Fujiyoshida in Yamanashi Prefecture to Susono in Shizuoka Prefecture, said Hiroshi Sato, professor at the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo. “More studies are needed to determine the depth and other details of the fault,” Sato added. While faults have been confirmed around Mount Fuji, little is known about the seismic structure beneath Japan’s highest mountain due to mudflows caused by a huge landslide that occurred around 2,600 to 2,900 years ago, as well as thick layers of volcanic ash. Mt. Fuji’s last major eruption was 1707.  [...] Investigation of underground structure by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Earthquake Research Institute of Tokyo University suggested that active fault runs for 30km directly under Mt.Fuji on 5/10/2012. This investigation was conducted from 2009 to 2011. It may cause M7 class of earthquake to collapse the body of mountain by sediment and mud flow. This active fault may have caused the collapse of the mountain 2900 years ago. Source"  

MSM: "5.2 Magnitude Off The Coast Of The Philippines" [05/09/12] " A magnitude 5.2 earthquake jolted southern Philippines Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Wednesday. According to Phivolcs, the quake, tectonic in origin with a depth of 34 km, was traced around 12:34 p.m. local time 150 km northeast of Tarragona town, in Davao Oriental. There were no reported casualties, said the agency. The Philippines sits in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where continental plates collide, producing frequent earthquakes and volcanic activities. The worst earthquake in the country happened on August 16, 1976 after a tsunami caused by a quake killed between 5,000 and 8,000 people in the Moro Gulf region in southern Philippines [...]"  

Commentary: "Active Volcanoes In The World: May 2 – May 8, 2012" [05/09/12] "This report covers active volcanoes recorded from May 2 – May 8, 2012 based on Smithsonian/USGS criteria. New unrest has been noticed around 5 volcanoes, ongoing activity was reported for 8 volcanoes. [...]"  

MSM: "Peru Issues Earthquake Warnings After Two Days Of Abnormal Tremor Activity" [05/09/12] "The Civil Defense in Peru (Indeci) intensified today a prevention drive warning of a potential massive earthquake now preceded of two daily tremors average. Indeci called on every workplace and home to ready an emergency evacuation plan after a median quake and two replicas were recorded Sunday in Ica (south) and in Lima. Marco Tantalean, an expert from the institution, said planning must include safe routes and refuges, plus staples like your ID cards, drinkable water, first-aid material, flashlight, non perishable food and saving phone calls for emergencies to prevent the lines from collapsing. Other prevention measures include a May 31st tsunami simulation, marking the 1970 massive quake that killed some 70,000 people in Ancash, north Peru. Scientific evidence have proven that after “long periods of rest” big quakes may occur, like those that have especially razed Lima through history; plus, Peru is located in a seismic area, adds Hernando Tavera, director of Seismology at the Institute of Geophysics, reminding of the 66 tremors of 2012 through April, near one daily. The majority, 39, registered on the Pacific coast, again in Lima, Ica -devastated in 2007- and Arequipa, together occupy more than 1,000km.  [...]"  Related: "Beaches Closed In Peru As Bird And Dolphin Deaths Continues" " Officials insist that the two die-offs are unrelated. The dolphins are succumbing to a virus, they suggest, and the seabirds are dying of starvation because anchovies are in short supply. But even three months after officials began testing the dolphins, the government has not released definitive results, and there is growing suspicion among the public and scientists that there might be more to the story. Some argue that offshore oil exploration could be disturbing wildlife, for example, and others fear that biotoxins or pesticides might be working their way up the food chain. At least 877 dolphins and more than 1,500 birds, most of them brown pelicans and boobies have died since the government began tracking the deaths in February, the Environment Ministry said last week. The dolphins, many of which appeared to have decomposed in the ocean before washing ashore, were found in the Piura and Lambayeque regions, not far from the border with Ecuador. The seabirds, which seem mostly to have died onshore, have been found from Lambayeque to Lima. “Never in my 40 years as a fisherman have I seen anything like this,” said Francisco Ñiquen Rentería, the president of the Association of Artisanal Fishermen in Puerto Eten, in the Lambayeque region. “Sometimes in the past, you’d randomly see a dead dolphin or a pelican, but this, what’s happening now, is really alarming. It is odd indeed,” Gabriel Quijandría, the deputy environment minister, acknowledged in an e-mail  [...]"  

Commentary: "Mysterious Fish Kill Under Investigation In Kuwait" [05/09/12] "Fish have been dying in large numbers along Kuwait bay. This incident serves as an indicator of pollution or a major imbalance in marine environment, instilling fear of a possible fish kill. According to a local Arabic daily, Salah Al-Mudhi, General Director of Environment Public Authority (EPA) has accused people of spreading rumors most of the time. He said that dead fish could have been dumped into the sea by fishermen because most belonged to the ‘Giant Sea Catfish,’ species. To assess the situation better, the EPA has requested the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) to investigate the cause and supervise the area. “Since last Friday, when EPA sought our assistance, we have begun daily inspection tours in the Kuwait Bay area, noticing that the number of fish have reduced drastically compared to Friday. We are still inspecting to make sure that it is not ‘fish kill’ and prevent more cases from occurring,” Sharik Awadh, PR of PAAAFR told Kuwait Times yesterday. “We aim to limit the problem and prevent fish kill in huge numbers and different kinds of fish. For this purpose, we are conducting daily marine inspection in different areas, not only at the bay. We do not know the reason behind these hundreds of types of dead fish, although we saw red tide twice, which may be the cause of fish kill. There are different reasons for the fish kill besides red tide. It may be pollution or high weather temperature. So, we are observing the sea. I think that the situation is under control even now,” he added. Khalid Al-Hajiri, Chairman of the Green Line Environment Group – Kuwait (GLEG) noted that the Group will collect information about the phenomenon. “To ascertain the exact reason, we have to do investigate the cause. We know that now one kind of fish has been affected, and we have to go back to history of fish kills in Kuwait, the area, circumstance and other situations. There is weakness in the Kuwait Bay area and in the past years, we have witnessed some fish kills cases which were not announced or published. So we need a few days to arrive at the final answer,” he pointed out.  [...]" 

Commentary: "Fukushima: Plant Near Fault As Large As One That Caused M9.0 Quake" [05/08/12] "Nuclear experts say that their biggest concern involves Reactor 4, which sustained severe structural damage [...] A report released in February by the Independent Investigation Commission on the nuclear accident called this pool “the weakest link” at Fukushima. Robert Alvarez, former senior policy adviser at the US department of energy said: “If an earthquake or other event were to cause this pool to drain it could result in a catastrophic radiological fire involving nearly 10 times the amount of Cs-137 released by the Chernobyl accident.” How likely is this? While the structure of Reactor 4 is stable for the moment, the Dai-ichi plant lies miles from a big earthquake fault – as large as the one that caused last year’s quake, but much closer to Fukushima. According to a study published in February (pdf) in the European Geosciences Union’s journal Solid Earth, that fault is now overdue for a quake. Whether or not the critical pool at Reactor 4 would survive another major quake intact, Edwin Lyman, a physicist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told me in a phone interview that a failure of the jury-rigged inadequate piping installed after the disaster could knock the cooling system out of commission. After visiting Fukushima on a fact finding mission recently, Senator Ron Wyden wrote to Japan’s ambassador to the US warning that, “loss of containment in any of these pools could result in an even greater release than the initial accident.” [...] These risks have led two former Japanese diplomats on a crusade to avert what they see as a disaster waiting to happen. UN veteran Akio Matsumura and former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland Mitsuhei Murata attended a conference in Seoul at the end of March “to inform the participants from 54 nations of the potential global catastrophe of reactor unit 4.” They called on the international community to set up an independent assessment team of structural engineers and nuclear scientists to study conditions at Reactor 4 and recommend a course of action. [...]"  Related: "Shallow M4.8 Hits Fukushima — 5km Deep" [05/08/12] "Monday, May 07, 2012 at 18:59:45 UTC ; 36.960°N, 141.234°E [...]" | Physicist warns even if No. 4 Spent Fuel Pool survives another major quake, “failure of jury-rigged inadequate piping installed after disaster could put cooling system out of commission” May 3, 2012 Reference.

MSM: "New Zealand Rattled By Twin Earthquakes" [05/07/12]   "Two earthquakes have hit parts of New Zealand today. A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook people in the Wellington region and parts of the top of the South Island at 11.33am (9.33am AEST). The tremor was centered 10 kilometers southwest of Wellington, at a depth of 30km, GeoNet says. The second quake, also measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale, struck at 12.31pm and was felt on the west coast of the South Island. It was centered 10km south of Ross at a depth of 15km. Police told AAP they had received no reports of damage.  [...]" 

MSM: "Moderate 5.5 Magnitude Earthquake In Iran" [05/04/12] "A moderate earthquake jolted a small town in western Iran near the Iraqi border on Thursday, injuring eight people and damaging buildings, Iranian media reported. The magnitude 5.5 quake hit the sparsely populated area near the town of Mourmouri, about 300 miles (480 kilometers) southwest of the capital Tehran, at 2:39 p.m., said the semiofficial Mehr news agency. The report said the quake sent people rushing out of their homes in Mourmouri and that scores of buildings were damaged in nearby towns of Abdanan and Dehloran. The area has experienced dozens of moderate earthquakes over the past few weeks. The earthquake destroyed 30 houses and left eight people injured, an official said. Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake a day on average. In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a magnitude 6.6 quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam. [...]"  

MSM: "Swarm Of Earthquakes Rippling Through Western Turkey" [05/04/12] " A 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit the Kutahya province in western Turkey, the Istanbul-based Kandilli seismology center reported. The quake occurred at 6:20 pm local time with its epicenter in Tokat village of Hiharcik town in Kutahya, according to the seismology center affiliated to Bogazici University. The epicenter, with a depth of 3.1 km, was felt in some towns near Hiharcik and many citizens ran out of their houses in the province with panic.  [...]"

Commentary: "Mount ‘Asphyxia’ Volcano Erupts In Sandwich Islands Group" [05/03/12] " A plume of volcanic smoke is seen rising from the appropriately-named Mount Asphyxia volcano, located on Zavodovski Island in the southern Atlantic. The image was acquired on April 27 by NASA’s Aqua satellite. Zavodovski is part of the South Sandwich Islands, a group of 11 British-owned islands located 217 miles southeast of South Georgia, off the tip of South America. Only 3.1 miles wide, the icy island is dominated by the 1,800-foot-high stratovolcano. Aptly named, the sulphuric fumes from Asphyxia coupled with the stench of penguin droppings — the island is a breeding ground for millions of chinstrap penguins — can be suffocating for human visitors. The plume is seen here snaking into upper-level winds where it takes a turn to the northwest. The other islands exhibit swirling cloud vortices on their lee sides, created by their disturbance of prevailing winds.  [...]"  

MSM: "Indonesia’s Mount Lokon Volcano Erupts Again" [05/02/12] "Mount Lokon volcano in North Sulawesi erupted again at 11:55 a.m. local time on Tuesday. The latest eruption was larger in magnitude compared to the eruption last Wednesday but local residents were more prepared. The eruption was preceded by a number of mild earthquakes over a span of two minutes. National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said smoke plumes reached 2,500 meters in height when Mount Lokon erupted. According to geologists with the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG), it is not time for residents to evacuate yet, but evacuation sites are being prepared just in case. The BNPB has deployed a team to keep the situation in Mount Lokon under control. The agency has also prepared transport, Rp 400 million (US$43,600) in cash and other equipment [...]"  Related: "Mount Merapi Volcano Entering Preparation Stage Before An Eruption" "The Mt. Merapi volcano restarted its inflation process immediately after the 2010 eruption and has entered its preparation stage of a forthcoming eruption, a Japanese researcher has said. Masako Iguchi, a researcher from the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University, said Tuesday that the global positioning system (GPS) installed on three Indonesian volcanoes, namely Guntur, Sinabung and Merapi, to detect their ground deformations, had signaled the inflation of Mt. Merapi. Before the 2010 eruption, he said, Merapi had erupted in 2001 and 2006. This showed that there were some periods in which the volcano had no deformation until it inflated and the next eruption occurred on Oct. 26, 2010. “But in this latest case, we detected that after its 2010 eruption, Merapi inflated again very quickly. This means that Merapi is a very active volcano,” Iguchi said during a meeting to present the team’s project report titled “Multi-Disciplinary Hazard Reduction from Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Indonesia.” The three-year project, which is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Science and Technology (JST) institute, will end later this year. The project was led by Hery Harjono, an earthquake researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). Iguchi said that during the observation, a joint team of experts from Indonesia and Japan found drastic changes in the chemistry of deposits around Merapi had occurred between October and November 2011. “More efforts are needed to develop eruption scenarios, volcano monitoring, and countermeasures to mitigate a possible volcanic disaster,” said Iguchi. Tomoyuki Tada, a JICA senior representative, said the “Multi-Disciplinary Hazard Reduction from Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Indonesia” project marked the first collaboration between the JICA and JST in Indonesia. “This is a very important project as Indonesia and Japan are both well-known countries for natural disasters,” he said. [...]"

MSM: "6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Chiapas, Mexico" [05/02/12] " A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off southwest Mexico near the Guatemalan border on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Service said. The earthquake was downgraded from a 6.3 magnitude by the USGS. The quake, which hit 51 miles (82 km) west-southwest of Suchiate, Chiapas, had a depth of 27.3 miles (43 km), the USGS said. Earlier on Tuesday, a 5.7 magnitude quake struck near MICHOACAN, 130 miles (210 km) from Mexico City shook the capital, but officials had no reports of damage in the city [...]"  

MSM: "New Study Indicates Yellowstone Erupts More Frequently Than Previously Thought" [05/01/12] "New research is casting doubts on the frequency or even the possibility of a ‘super-eruption’ that could blot out the sun from the Earth with a thick veil of volcanic ash. A joint research team from Washington State University and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre said the biggest Yellowstone eruption on record was actually two different eruptions at least 6,000 years apart. According to the study published in the June 2012 issue of the Quaternary Geochronology, these eruptions are thought to have created the Huckleberry Ridge around 2 million years ago. The first eruption generated 2,200 cubic kilometers of volcanic material, while the second, smaller eruption generated 290 cubic kilometers. The first eruption is still considered to be ‘super’ according to the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) and likely covered the sky in volcanic ash from California to the Mississippi River. The VEI was developed by Chris Newhall of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Sephen Self at the University of Hawaii in 1982. The open-ended scale ranges from 0 to 8 and is based on the volume of material produced, eruption cloud height, and other qualitative observations. Small continuously erupting volcanoes, like those found in Hawaii, are considered a zero on the VEI. The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption and the Vesuvius eruption in 79 C.E., both of which produced about 1 cubic km of volcanic material, rank in the middle of the pack at five on the VEI. The recent study’s findings suggest that the volcanic formation known as the Island Park Caldera is more active than previously thought and could help geologists to more accurately predict its next seismic event. The caldera is actually comprised of two smaller calderas and stretches 58 miles from Wyoming to Idaho. “The Yellowstone volcano’s previous behavior is the best guide of what it will do in the future,” said study co-author Ben Ellis of Washington State University. “This research suggests explosive volcanism from Yellowstone is more frequent than previously thought.” In calculating the different layers of rock and sediment, the team honed radioactive dating techniques involving the potassium 40 and argon 40 isotopes. These radioactive elements act as a “rock clock” for dating samples and have a precision of 0.2 percent. Darren Mark, study co-author at the Scottish research center, recently helped fine tune the technique to improve it by 1.2 percent—an exponential improvement in accuracy. “Improved precision for greater temporal resolution is not just about adding another decimal place to a number, says Mark. ”It’s far more exciting. It’s like getting a sharper lens on a camera. It allows us to see the world more clearly.” While the last known Yellowstone eruption to cause a lava flow was about 70,000 years ago, smaller steam-only eruptions have caused seismic events like the one at Yellowstone Lake almost 14,000 years ago that created a 5 km crater. The Old Faithful geyser is probably the most famous evidence of ongoing volcanic activity at Yellowstone Park. The geyser erupts between every 65 and 91 minutes, depending of the duration of the previous eruption.  [...]" 

MSM: "Activity Increases At Nicaragua’s Masaya Volcano- Making Noise Like A Jet Engine" [04/30/12]   " Nicaraguan Experts reported Sunday more seismic activity at Masaya volcano, about 20 kilometers south of Managua, with an increase in expulsions of sulfur gases, which keeps the disaster warning system in high alert. According to the report, a crack in the main crater causes higher emissions and a sound similar to a jet engine. Specialists of the National System for Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters (SINAPRED) and the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER), told the press that they detected this unusual behavior several days ago, but for now there is no reason for alarm. The INETER geophysics director, Angelica Munoz, told the site El 19 Digital they monitor the situation closely because of rising emissions and temperature above the normal range. Technical teams assess the seismic tremor, but there is no emergency declared and the gates of Masaya Volcano National Park remain open to the public, said the director of INETER, Jorge Castro, and the executive secretary of SINAPRED, Guillermo Gonzalez. [...]"  

MSM: "Strong Quakes Hit Across Eastern Japan — M5.8 In Chiba, M5.6 In Iwate" [04/30/12] "An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 jolted Chiba Prefecture and its vicinity Sunday evening, measuring lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 near its epicenter in the northeastern part of the prefecture east of Tokyo, the weather agency said. [...]"  Related: Beyond 2012: "Prof. Takeda Kunihiko From Chubu University: ‘March 31, 2015 Is The Last Day Of Japan’"   "Prof. Takeda Kunihiko from Chubu university roughly estimated anyone can no longer live in Japan after 3/31/2015. According to his explanation, the yearly dose will reach 5mSv/y (External dose and the slight internal dose) in 3 years and 4 months from January of 2012. He states, he receives radiation data from one of his readers. The person measures radiation three times a day, at work, doorway of house, and the living room in Mie prefecture (500km from Fukushima). Prof. Takeda admits the data is scientific enough. From the radiation level has been in the increasing trend since last September. In linear equations (y=ax+b), the average from January to March (=b) is 0.10 μSv/h, a is +0.004 μSv/h. y reaches 5mSv/y in 3 years and 3 months, so yearly dose will be over 5mSv/y in 3 years and 4 months from January of 2012, when is 3/31/2015. Prof. Takeda admits the data was collected by an individual and a and b are calculated by least squares but it’s rational enough. The reason why radiation level is increasing is not explained. [...]"  

Commentary: "4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Southern California" [04/29/12] "A magnitude 4.1 earthquake rattled Southern California on Saturday morning, but there were no reports of damage or injuries. The temblor struck at 8:07 a.m. near Devore, about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The quake was felt across the region, in San Bernardino County, the San Gabriel Valley and the city of Los Angeles. Residents around Devore reported a sharp jolt, though there were no reports of problems. [...]"  Related: "Moderate Earthquake Sways Buildings In LA"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.7 - TONGA" [04/29/12] "2266 km (1408 miles) NNE of Auckland, New Zealand [...]"  

Commentary:  "Explosive Eruption Of The Kamchatkan Shiveluch Volcano Continues" [04/25/12] "Shiveluch is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. During the first three weeks of April 2012, brief bursts of volcanic activity left radial streaks of ash on the surrounding snow. Explosive-extrusive-effusive eruption of the volcano continues. Ash explosions is up to 10 km (32,800 ft). Aerosol and ash plumes can be dangerous for flights on international and domestic airlines. Aviation color code is currently orange for Shiveluch and Karymsky volcanoes. (Volcano is exhibiting heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption. Volcanic eruption is underway with no or minor ash emission.) Visual observation shows ash plumes rose up to 21,300-24,600 ft (6.5-7.5 km) a.s.l. on April 16-17, and up to 13,100-16,400 ft (4-5 km) a.s.l. in the other days of week. Visual and satellite data show, a viscous lava flow continues to effuse into the explosive crater of 2010 eruption, strong and moderate fumarolic activity accompanies the lava flow effusion. According to satellite data, ash plumes extended for about 74 mi (120 km) to the north, east and northeast of the volcano on April 14-15 and 17-18; a weak thermal anomaly was noting over the lava dome all week. At any time, possible ash plumes exceeding 10 km above sea level. The Kamchatka Volcanic Emergency Response Team (KVERT) reported ash plumes that extended up to 120 kilometers (74 miles) from Shiveluch on April 17th and 18th. One of these eruptions is likely the source of the streak that extends to the northeast (upper right) in the April 22nd image. A small ash cloud is visible in the April 4th image, and another plume, probably composed of steam and other volcanic gases, is apparent in the April 22nd image. [...]"  Note: I recently watched a program on 4/22/12 on the Science Channel (11pm, "When The Earth Erupts") about the African Rift valleys, which have more than 50,000 years of valley wall exposed for analysis. It reveals that violent periods of volcanic eruption have happened about every 10,000 years ... with the following period of less activity. The program made it clear that at this time, a 10,000 year violent period is starting.

MSM: "Mexico’s Popocatepetl: Residents Too Afraid To Sleep, ‘It’s Making Sounds We Never Heard Before’" [04/25/12] "Residents at the foot of Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano no longer sleep soundly since the towering mountain roared back into action over a week ago, spewing out a hail of rocks, steam and ash. “We close our eyes, but we don’t sleep much. In the past, there was only smoke but this time it’s stronger,” said Francisco Jimenez, who lives in the nearby town of Xalitzintla in central Mexico, 55km from Mexico City. The volcano, Mexico’s second highest peak at 5 452m, started rumbling and spurting high clouds of ash and steam on 13 April, provoking the authorities to raise the alert to level five on a seven-point scale. The alert extended a security cordon around the volcano but stopped short of starting evacuations of about 685 000 residents from nearby communities. Over the weekend, residents watched as Popocatepetl, which means “smoking mountain” in the indigenous Nahuatl language, lived up to its name, spouting glowing rocks and shaking the ground beneath their feet. “When we went out to see, my son cried: ‘We have to leave!’ We were ready to leave for Mexico City but then it calmed down a bit,” said 67-year-old Leopolda Perez of Xalitzintla. Authorities from the National Centre of Disaster Prevention maintained their alert level and said on Monday that the volcano remains at a “relative calm” state. After moderate activity during most of the 20th century, Popocatepetl registered more intense rumblings from 1994, with the strongest in December 2000, when nearby communities were evacuated. Juan Carlos Salazar, head of civil protection for the central state of Puebla, said that while many people thought lava was now coming out of the volcano, the crater was only spewing glowing rocks, with no risk to the population. Popocatepetl is an explosive volcano that can suddenly erupt at tremendous force, thrusting out rocks and ashes at large distances. That kind of volcano can be more dangerous than those releasing only flowing lava. Residents say they are used to the permanent threat of the volcano but many say the new activity makes them nervous again. “We’ve been watching out for many nights, waiting to see what happens,” said Gabino Santibanez, mayor of San Pedro Benito Juarez, a small town only 9km from the glowing crater. Locals said that most frightening was the unusual rumbling coming from the volcano, which many compared to an aircraft turbine. “We’ve never heard a noise like it,” said Maximiliano Grajales. About 4.5 million people live on the outskirts of the volcano, which lies at the crossroads of the states of Puebla, Morelos and Mexico.  [...]"  Related: "Activity At Popocatépetl – Satellite Imagery" "Located about 40 miles (70 km) southeast of Mexico City, Popocatépetl is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes. Popocatépetl has been erupting since January 2005, with near constant venting from fumaroles punctuated by minor steam, gas, and ash emissions. Activity began to pick up significantly in mid-April.  [...]" 

MSM: "Italy’s Mt. Etna Erupts For Seventh Time In 2012" [04/25/12] "Mt. Etna volcano erupted for the seventh – and without doubt the most spectacular – time this year today, spewing forth molten lava hundreds of meters into the air. Residents living close by were covered in hot ash but Europe’s tallest and most active volcano didn’t seem to pose any threat to human safety. Local inhabitants of the Sicilian town of Catania were grateful that Etna at least didn’t close the local airport as it did last month, preventing a visiting Serie A football team from leaving the island. The highest active volcano in Europe has blown its top three times in the past month alone, depositing a surface of black ash on its snowy higher slopes. Standing nearly 11,000ft high, Etna regularly. Tunnels and ditches have been dug to protect their villages from the lava flow.  [...]"  

MSM: "5.5-Magnitude Quake Rattles Japan Capital" [04/25/12] "A long earthquake shook Japan's capital Tokyo on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, according to reports. The preliminary magnitude reportedly was 5.5. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the earthquake occurred at 5:22 JST. The USGS notes that a 5.4-magnitude quake occurred near the east coast of Honshu, Japan. Japan correspondent for The Guardian and Observer Justin McCurry noted that the quake was "fairly big." [...]"  

MSM: "Ecuador’s Tungurahua Volcano Blows Its Top" [04/24/12] "Over the weekend, the Tungurahua’s volcanic eruption had a strong explosion that caused gravel to fall down in the nearby town of Pillate, Ecuador. The explosion, characterized by its loud “cannon ball shot”, was immediately detected by locals and scientists observing the volcano’s progress. The explosion was later followed by a slight tremor and a constant pulsation of “high energy” said reports. The constant cloud coverage surrounding the volcano has caused scientists, from the Geophysical Institute branch of the National Polytechnic School to have trouble determining its current state. Most of the direct observations are conducted in the Guadalupe Observatory, the closest in the vicinity. Tungurahua, located in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, is 5,016 meters high and its eruptions began in 1999. Since then, the volcano has transitioned from times of high activity and those of calm. However, Tungurahua is not the only volcano causing extreme damage and concern in the Hispanic world. Popocatépetl, located in Mexico City, has also been under close watch due to its recent activity which included ash blasts. [...]"  

MSM: "6.9 Quake Hits Indonesia’s W Papua" [04/21/12] "A 6.9-magnitude quake that hit Indonesia's Papua on Saturday, April 21, was revised down to 6.6 by the US Geological Survey (USGS). The quake struck at 10:16 am (0116 GMT) at a depth of 30 kilometers (19 miles), 83 km southeast of Manokwari, the USGS added. [...]"  

MSM: "Earthquake Swarm On Iran-Iraq Border Continues" [04/21/12] " 5.1 and 5.0 earthquakes are the latest in a swarm of about six earthquakes that have erupted along the convergent plate boundaries between the Arabian and Eurasian plate. The swarm is about 528 km (328 miles) SW of TEHRAN, Iran. The epicenter of the earthquakes is located on the convergent boundary where the two tectonic plates are colliding along the border of Iraq and Iran in what’s known as the Alpide Belt. Three moderate earthquakes have erupted along the epicenter in less than 20 hours. Most of the volcanoes in Iran lie in the north and south of the country, so this region outside the Tigris River is not considered a high-risk region for magma intrusion. Might this be the precursor to some event? We will have to wait and see. [...]" 

MSM: "Ecuador’s Reventador Volcano Unleashes Column Of Steam And Ash" [04/21/12] "Reventador continues to be mildly active with ongoing weak to moderate steam and ash emissions. The Instituto Geofísico reports a 2 km high column of steam and ash rising from Reventador volcano on 18 April. The ash cloud moved to the NW. IG characterizes the actual activity level (visual and seismic activity) of Reventador “moderate.” No major changes have been observed at the volcano in recent days.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Active Volcanoes In The World – April 11 – April 17, 2012" [04/20/12] "This report covers active volcanoes recorded from April 11 – April 17, 2012 based on Smithsonian/USGS criteria. New unrest has been noticed around 3 volcanoes, ongoing activity was reported for 10 volcanoes. [...]"  

Commentary: "Activity Intensifies At Mexico’s Popocatepetl Volcano: 19 Million Could Be Affected By An Eruption" [04/20/12] "The Popocatepetl volcano is making movement and threatening to erupt, causing Mexican officials to raise the alert level from yellow phase three to yellow phase two. The volcano has already begun spewing red-hot bits of rock, and its opening has expanded. These are signs that the volcano, still quite active, could soon erupt. In a statement by Mexico’s National Center for Disaster Prevention, the volcano could produce “moderate exhalations, some with ash, sporadic low to moderate explosions with likely burning fragments, and flaming magma within the crater.” Residents and tourists have been advised to remain at least seven miles away from the volcano’s base, lest magma or hot rock injure anyone. Mexico has been experiencing natural disasters with increasing frequency. On Friday, officials at the U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.4 magnitude earthquake six miles off Mexico’s Pacific Coast. It was powerful enough to shake buildings 230 miles away in Mexico City. Thankfully no one was hurt in that earthquake, and the country was left relatively unscathed. A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit just two days earlier, again not injuring anyone but leaving Mexico City residents shaken. According to Reuters, it was the third earthquake in less than one month. The last major earthquake struck on March 20, injuring 11 in Oaxaca and two in Mexico. The Popocatepetl volcano last erupted in 2000, and in 2005 it released a high volume of smoke and ash. Lava was also released during 2005, and since then it has remained relatively quiet. Only in 2012 has it begun moving and acting again. Reuters is reporting that several schools have closed in light of the level change and residents are beginning to evacuate the city. If it fully erupted, over 19 million residents would be affected.  [...]"

MSM: "Mount Lamington Volcano Awakens In Papua New Guinea After 56 Years" [04/19/12] " Mount Lamington is a stratovolcano in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. Local community of Popendetta reported smoke and ash emission on March 25. No official reports have come in yet. Lamington is an andesitic stratovolcano with a 1.3-km-wide breached summit crater containing a lava dome. After a long quiescent period, the volcano sprang suddenly to life in 1951, producing a powerful explosive eruption during which devastating pyroclastic flows and surges swept all sides of the volcano, killing nearly 3000 persons. The eruption concluded with growth of a 560-m-high lava dome in the summit crater. The volcano last erupted in 1956. [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Shook Kerman Region In Iran" [04/19/12] "Magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook Kerman province in Iran near Iraq border at 17:40:39 UTC on April 18th. Iran Seismological Center recorded epicenter at depth of 62 km (38.5 miles). The epicenter was located 2 Km of Roodbar, 28 Km of Kahnooj, 54 Km of Anbar, 129 km (80 miles) SSW of Bam and 1056 Km from Tehran (27.97 N ; 58.10 E). EMSC registered magnitude 5.2. [...]"  

MSM: "6.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The Coast Of Papua New Guinea" [04/18/12]   "A 6.8-magnitude quake struck off the northeast of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning issued. The quake hit at 5:13 pm (0713 GMT) 141 kilometers (88 miles) north of the country’s second largest city of Lae and 443 kilometers from the capital Port Moresby at a depth of 201 kilometers, it said. “A destructive tsunami was not generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement. Geoscience Australia measured the quake at 6.8 magnitude and at a depth of 215 kilometers but agreed it was unlikely to generate dangerous waves in the developing Pacific island nation. “It’s pretty deep so it’s not a tsunami threat we believe, even though it’s slightly offshore,” Geoscience Australia seismologist Clive Collins told AFP. The USGS also put the earthquake a 6.8 magnitude. Collins said there had been reports of the quake being felt as far away as Goroko, a highland region about 250 kilometers from the epicenter. “There would be quite some shaking to the areas close by… because it’s about 20 kilometers offshore,” Collins said. “So it’s obviously been felt in a wide area around Papua New Guinea, which you would expect from something that big.” Quakes of such magnitude are common in impoverished PNG, which sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.” That northern part of Papua New Guinea is subject to quite strong earthquakes reasonably frequently,” Collins said, adding that the biggest risk in the mountainous country was generally from landslips caused by tremors. [...]"  

MSM: "Underwater Volcano Activity Resumes At Greece’s Infamous Santorini Volcano Basin" [04/18/12] "Santorini’s volcanic basin is showing signs of resumed volcanic activity. According to researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, satellite research tools suggest that a build-up of some 14m cubic meters of lava at a depth of 5km took place between September and January last. Widely touted by academics as the cause of the Minoan civilization’s obliteration, what is left of the volcano – a small archipelago – last witnessed significant geological activity in January of 2011. Having published his findings in the latest issue of Geophysical Research Letters, the Institute’s Andrew Newman says “our research shows that the lava build-up is accelerating,” suggesting that even though the build-up may not indicate an imminent eruption, it may cause minor volcanic events, including ash fall-out, landslides and even tsunami type phenomena.  [...]" 

MSM: "Magnitude 6.2 Hit South Sandwich Islands" [04/18/12]   "Magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck area east of South Sandwich Islands on April 17 at 19:03:55 UTC according to USGS. [...]" 

MSM: "Moderate M4.6 Earthquake Close To Nairobi, Kenya" [04/18/12] "A moderate shallow earthquake measuring magnitude 4.6 struck at only 33 km from the capital of Kenya, Nairoby on April 17 at 02:01 UTC. The epicenter was located 16km (9 miles) NE from Limuru, 22km (13 miles) NNW from Kiambu and 33km (20 miles) NNW from Nairobi. The depth of the epicenter was at 10km (6,2 miles). The intensity of the shaking is not strong enough to inflict serious damage or injuries, but can cause some cracks in walls as the houses in Kenya are mostly made of brick or adobe and are this very vulnerable for damage when serious shaking is taking place. [...]"  Note: Unusual location for earthquakes.

MSM: "49th Volcano Erupts In 2012: Ecuador’s Sangay Volcano Unleashes 2 Km Ash Cloud" [04/17/12]   "During an over-flight on 13 April, an explosion from Sangay volcano was observed at 08:25 local time. It generated an ash and steam column of 2 km above the summit crater. A new vent was detected; both on visible and thermal images, located next to the active dome on the SE flank (Ñuñurqu). The activity in this area has intensified since October, when the last aerial survey had taken place. Extensive lava flows are descending on the SE flank of the dome and reaching the base of the cone. Strong fumarolic activity was seen on the SE flank of the dome and on the S flank of the central crater. [...]"  

MSM: "6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Chile's Eastern Coastal Port Of Valparaiso" [04/17/12]   "A powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Chile's eastern coastal port of Valparaiso early on Tuesday, shaking buildings as far away as the capital Santiago, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and the country's main copper mines were unaffected. [...]" 

Commentary: "Earthquakes Destabilizing Tectonic Plates Across The Globe?" [04/16/12] "A leading earthquake scientist has warned that the planet could be cracking up after a series of massive quakes in just 48 hours. Expert Gheorghe Marmureanu – from Romania’s National Institute of Earth Physics – says 39 quakes had hit the globe within two days. The series started with two massive quakes in Indonesia measuring 8.6 and 8.2 on the Richter scale rapidly followed by three more only slightly smaller in Mexico within hours. “There is no doubt that something is seriously wrong. There have been too many strong earthquakes,” said Marmureanu. He added: “The quakes are a surprise that cannot be easily explained by current scientific knowledge. With the Indonesian quake for example, statistically, there should be one big earthquake in this part of Asia every 500 years. However, since 2004, there were already three quakes with a magnitude of over 8, which is not normal.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Mexico’s Popocatépetl Volcano Spewed At Least Seven Exhalations Over The Weekend" [04/16/12] "As part of the “Ring of Fire” stretching around the Pacific, Mexico hosts several of the world’s most continually active volcanoes. Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano awakened again on Sunday, April 15, 2012 punctuating an especially shaky seismic season. Popo, as the mountain is widely called, spewed at least seven exhalations overnight Saturday and through the day Sunday, sending vapor, smoke and gas billowing into the clear sky. The most serious occurred just after 9 a.m. Sunday, sending a vapor cloud a mile (1.6 km) into the air. Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center issued a precautionary warning to residents, advising them to stay alert for a worsening situation and to keep at least seven miles away from the volcano’s crater. The service predicted continuing “moderate exhalations, some with ash, sporadic low to moderate explosions with likely burning fragments emitted close to the crater, and flaming magma within the crater visible at night.” Popo’s latest fuming comes amid a series of earthquakes striking southern and central Mexico in the past three weeks. Several 6 magnitude quakes struck Wednesday, but no damage. A midday 7.4 quake on March 20 damaged hundreds of buildings in Oaxaca and Guerrero states and sent hundreds of thousands of residents scrambling into Mexico City’s streets. The volcano, whose full name means Smoking Mountain in the Nahuatl tongue of the Aztecs, is a fairly active volcano, with such exhalations occurring regularly. Mexico City’s teeming working class suburbs now lick at the mountains’ base. The city of Puebla, home to 1 million people, stands a few dozen miles from the volcano eastern slopes. [...]"  

MSM: "Two Volcanoes In Costa Rica Now Reporting Increased Activity" [04/16/12] "Thursday last the Turrialba sent experts scurrying to analyze the recent activity at the colossus southeast of San José. On Saturday, however, the Volcán Rincón de la Vieja, decided on a rumble of its own. It was around 2pm when residents heard the rumbles from the volcano located north of San José in the province of Guanacaste. Maria Martinez, volcanologist from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), explained that the phreatic eruption occurred at the lake and spewed water and sediment over the outer edge on the north side of the volcano. Authorities recommend not to approach the area and do not rule a new explosion. The entrance to the national park is closed. Both OVSICORI as the National Emergency Commission (CNE) will continue to closely monitor the volcano.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Underground Water In Shasta County, California Mysteriously Disappears" [04/16/12]   "Stephen Wolf thinks something strange is happening underground in eastern Shasta County and it is draining water wells and maybe even causing sinkholes and subsiding pavement. A retired marine geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Wolf said he has seen what is happening in eastern Shasta County before. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, water well levels in the area of the quake fell significantly, he said. Following the 6.9 magnitude quake in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Wolf wrote a paper for the USGS about the effects the quake had on surface and groundwater. “The correlation is there. The behavior is identical,” said Wolf, who has lived in the tiny eastern Shasta County community of Cassel since 2001. Back in October, 131 earthquakes hit the Lassen Peak area. Most were less than 2.0 in magnitude. But since then the water table has fallen significantly  [...]"  

MSM: "Moderate 5.5 Earthquake And Aftershocks Rattle Southern Greece" [04/16/12] "A moderate earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted southern Pelopponese in Greece on Monday noon, local media cited the Euromediterranean Seismic Institute as saying. The earthquakes were followed by 4.8 and 4.7 aftershocks. No injuries or major material damages have been reported by local authorities. The epicenter of the quake was traced at a distance of some 19 kilometers off the coast of the city of Methoni at a depth of about 40 kilometers, according to seismologists. The tremor was felt in a major part of Pelopponese. Earthquake-prone Greece is regularly hit by moderate tremors and catastrophic ones many times in recent years. The earthquake in 1999 measuring 6 degrees on the Richter scale in Athens caused many deaths and extensive damages.  [...]"  

MSM: "6.2 Earthquake Strikes Near West Indonesia" [04/16/12] "Officials say a strong earthquake measuring magnitude 6.2 has struck off the coast of western Indonesia but there is no danger of a tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey says Sunday’s quake was centered about 400 miles (650 kilometers) southwest of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, at a depth of 9 miles (15 kilometers). Indonesian meteorological official Suharjono says there is no threat of a tsunami. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Two powerful quakes measuring magnitude 8.6 and 8.2 triggered a tsunami watch on Wednesday in more than two dozen nations and island territories, from Australia and India to as far off as Africa. [...]"  

MSM: "6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Region Of Vanuatu Islands In The Pacific" [04/15/12] "A shallow 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the seafloor off the coast of the Vanuatu Islands in the South Pacific. The epicenter of the earthquake was 80 km (49 miles) NW of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu and occurred at the shallow depth of 8.7 km (5.4 miles) beneath the earth. Based on the historical seismicity of the region, no tsunami warnings were issued by authorities and there are no immediate reports of damage. The 6.5 magnitude Vanuatu earthquake is the second major earthquake reported today. [...]" 

MSM: "6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes The Drake Passage" [04/15/12] "A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the ocean floor of the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica at the shallow depth of 9.9 km (6.2 miles). The epicenter of the earthquake was 358 km (222 miles) SSE of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The powerful quake is just the latest in a series of earthquakes that have rattled the globe since 8.6 and 8.2 magnitude earthquakes struck off the coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia.  [...]"   

MSM: "5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Sunda Strait, Indonesia" [04/15/12] "A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck offshore western Java in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait at a depth of 30.5 miles (49 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said on Saturday. The USGS initially reported the quake as measuring 5.8 and a depth of 27.3 miles (44 km). It revised the location to 97 miles (157 km) south of T.Telukbetung in Sumatra, after first reporting it at 111 miles (178 km) west of Sukabumi in Java. There were no immediate reports of damage or a tsunami warning from the quake, which was 109 miles (177 km) west-southwest of the capital Jakarta on Java. Anak Krakatau sits in the Sunda Strait and the quake struck southwest of the volcano.  [...]" 

MSM: "20 Quakes Centered In Fukushima Beginning With M5.9 Just Over 24 Hours Ago" [04/15/12]   Related:"7 Quakes Hit Same Area Near Fukushima Daiichi" [04/14/12] Note: What's coming can't be good ....

MSM: "Two Earthquakes Shake Gujarat, Maharashtra India" [04/15/12] "Two earthquakes of mild intensity shook parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat today, but there were no reports of any casualty. A quake measuring 5 on the Richter scale was experienced in parts of western Maharashtra at 10.50 am. Its epicenter was Goshatwadi village, about 10km from Koyana dam in Satara district, the Met office here said. An aftershock of 4.4 magnitude was registered an hour later, it said. The Koyna dam, situated in a quake-prone region, is safe, officials said. The tremors were also felt in several parts of Mumbai, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Pune, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. There were no reports of any damage to life or property, they added. A quake, measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale, was felt at 8.55 AM in parts of Gujarat. The earthquake had its epicenter at Vamka taluka in Kutch, which is an active fault line, scientists at Institute of Seismological Research said. An aftershock measuring 2.9 was also felt, they said. Besides Kutch district, tremors were experienced in parts of Saurashtra region. No loss of life or damage to property has been reported so far in Gujarat, officials said. Among those who felt the tremors in Mumbai were megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who resides in suburban Juhu. “Earthquake in Mumbai ! Did you feel it…I did…Shutters and building shook twice for few seconds,” Bachchan tweeted.  [...]"  

MSM: "4.7 Magnitude Tremor Reported Off The Coast Of Sicily" [04/14/12] "A 4.7 magnitude earthquake has struck in the sea off Italy’s Sicily, sending residents into the streets but with no immediate reports of victims or injuries, officials said. The epicentre of the quake that struck this morning (4.20 AEST) was about 30km off the coast of Sicily, north of the capital Palermo, and about 15km under sea level, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Crowds of people rushed onto the streets as the tremors from the quake were felt in Palermo and other towns of the island off Italy’s southern tip known for seismologic activity. Schools and offices closed immediately after the quake. On January 27, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck northern Italy, with tremors felt in Genoa, Turin, Bologna, Milan and as far away as the city of Strasbourg and the island of Corsica. It did not cause victims and only slight damage. [...]"  

MSM: "Strong Pair Of 6.2 And 6.9 Earthquakes Strike Gulf Of California" [04/13/12] " A pair of strong earthquakes rocked Mexico’s Gulf of California only minutes apart early Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quakes — magnitude 6.9 and 6.2 — were centered about 85 miles northeast of Guerrero Negro in the Mexican state of Baja California, or 325 miles south-southwest of Phoenix in the United States. Both epicenters were shallow, a little more than six miles underground. No tsunami warnings were issued and there were no immediate reports of damage, but people as far north as Tucson, Arizona, reported feeling them. The temblors were recorded at 12:16 a.m. and 12:06 a.m. local time (3:16 a.m. and 3;06 a.m. ET). [...]"  

MSM: "Italy’s Mt. Etna Volcano Rocked By 6th Eruption In 2012" [04/13/12] " Mount Etna is erupting for the sixth time this year with lava and plumes of smoke and ash from a new crater on the volcano’s southeast side. The new activity was preceded by new phase that began last night and that, according to experts from the INGV in Catania, has the same characteristics as the one before this one. Ash, carried by wind towards the east, has not yet created problems at the Fontanarossa airport, which is fully operational. [...]"  

MSM: "M5.9 Quake Hits Fukushima — Just Hours After Nearby M5.5" [04/13/12] Related: Interviews: "Nuclear Expert: Spent Fuel Pool No. 4 Likely To Shatter Or Collapse Onto Its Side In A M7.0 Quake" [04/12/12] MP3 "Arnie Gundersen, Fairewinds Associates: In a severe earthquake M7.0 or better, it’s likely to break. Whether break means collapse and lay on its side like the leaning tower of Pisa, or the pool itself just shatters I don’t know.  [...]"  See "The Top Short-Term Threat to Humanity: The Fuel Pools of Fukushima" [04/08/12] on "Sequential Adventurism, Anomalies or Endgame Dynamics" panel, where this paragraph is cross-posted.

Commentary: "Huge Sheen Of Oil Spotted In The Gulf Of Mexico" [04/13/12] "Royal Dutch Shell says a sheen of oil, 10 square miles in size (26 square kilometers), has been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico on late Wednesday, April 11, 2012 and was reported to National Response Center. The sheen is one mile wide and ten miles long and is located in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, between its Mars and Ursa drilling platforms. The platforms are both located 130 miles (209 km) southeast of New Orleans. Shell said there is “no current indication that the sheen originates from wells in either the Mars or Ursa projects,” and that they have activated the Louisiana Responder, an oil spill response vessel that has skimming and boom capabilities. Shares of Royal Dutch Shell stock fell more than 3% in premarket trading. One of the worst spills in history occurred in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago, when BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 workers. The resulting spill fouled the coastline of Louisiana and neighboring states, damaging both the environment and the economy. [...]"  

Commentary: "Active Volcanoes In The World – April 4 – April 10, 2012" [04/13/12] "This report covers active volcanoes recorded from April 4 – April 10, 2012 based on Smithsonian/USGS criteria. New unrest has been noticed around 4 volcanoes, ongoing activity was reported for 9 volcanoes. [...]"  

MSM: "Double 8.6 And 8.2 Strike Ocean Floor Off The Coast Of Sumatra" [04/12/12] " A massive earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday afternoon, triggering a tsunami alert for the Indian Ocean. The quake struck about 434 kilometers (270 miles) southwest of Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia’s Aceh province, and had a magnitude of 8.6, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It took place at a depth of 23 kilometers (14 miles). The massive earthquake was followed by a 6.0 in the north Indian Ocean and then a 8.2 earthquake near the main epicenter. The tremor revived fearful memories of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in the region in 2004 that killed tens of thousands of people. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said Wednesday that it had issued a tsunami watch for the entire Indian Ocean, and the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said it had put up a tsunami warning. The Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said on local television that there were no reports of casualties or damage in Aceh so far. The areas most at risk of a tsunami are coastal areas of Aceh, particularly the island of Simeulue, Prih Harjadi, an official for the Indonesian geophysics agency said on Metro TV. The earthquake appears to have involved a horizontal movement rather than a vertical movement, so it is less likely that it will generate a tsunami, said Gary Gibson from the Seismology Research Center in Melbourne, Australia. He also said that the tremor took place a long way offshore and was therefore unlikely to have caused much damage itself. The power has gone out in Banda Aceh and residents are moving to higher ground, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency. The authorities in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands have ordered people to move out of low-lying areas.  [...]"  

MSM: "Mexico City Buildings Shaken by Magnitude 7 Earthquake" [04/12/12] "Mexico City buildings shook today during a magnitude 7 earthquake that struck the country’s western coast. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said on his Twitter account that the city’s main services, including subways and hospitals, were working after the quake and no damage had been detected. Some buildings were evacuated in central Mexico City. “The city is functioning normally,” Ebrard wrote on Twitter. The temblor hit 42 miles (69 kilometers) northwest of Lazaro Cardenas, in Michoacan state, at 5:55 p.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a statement on its website. Several aftershocks were felt shortly afterward. [...]" 

MSM: "Magnitude 5.9 Quake Hits Off Coast Of Oregon" [04/11/12] "A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon on Wednesday and was followed a minute later by a smaller quake off the coast of central California, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quakes were unlikely to trigger a tsunami. The Oregon quake was initially reported as a magnitude 6.2 and the California one as a 5.3. Both were later downgraded. It was not immediately known whether the quakes caused any damage or casualties. [...]" 

Commentary: "Iceland Volcano: And You Thought The Last Eruption Was Bad..." [04/11/12] "This month marks the second anniversary of the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull that left millions stranded across Europe, and cost airlines an estimated €150 million a day for six days. But alarmingly, there are signs of high activity beneath the much larger, neighbouring Katla caldera in Iceland – a possible sign of an impending eruption. This should prompt extensive high-level contingency planning across Europe, as Katla has the potential to be much more damaging than Eyjafjallajökull. Since Iceland was settled in the ninth century, Katla has erupted on average every 60 years, but has not had a significant eruption since 1918. Ominously, eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in 1821-23 and 1612 were followed within months by eruptions of Katla. Judged by the historical calendar, an eruption is overdue. Last July, a flood of water burst from beneath the ice cap on top of Katla, washing away a bridge. This indicates that an extra pulse of heat reached the base of the ice. Since then, there have been erratic movements of the surface of the volcano, measured by precise GPS instruments, and bursts of high earthquake activity beneath Katla’s caldera. These observations imply that magma has risen to shallower depths.  [...] If enough material is ejected it could even have a cooling effect on the global climate for a few years. A precedent for that would be the 1783-84 eruption from the fissure of Laki, which is part of the same volcanic system, Grímsvötn, that erupted last year. This was a very large eruption of 15 cubic kilometres (3.6 cubic miles), compared to the fraction of a cubic kilometre ejected in 2010, and had a huge impact on the northern hemisphere, reducing temperatures by up to 3 C. This had catastrophic effects far beyond the shores of Iceland (where at least a fifth of the population died), with thousands of recorded deaths in Britain due to poisoning and extreme cold, and record low rainfall in North Africa. [...]"  

Beyond 2012: "Dangerous Radioactive 'Wave' To Hit Entire US Food Supply By Next Year" [04/10/12] [5:48] "The dangerous radioactive wave from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in Japan will hit the US West Coast and have deadly consequences for the entire U.S. food supply. Researchers say the radioactive ‘wave’ from Japan will hit the US West Coast within the year and when it does it will have a deadly consequences for marine life and the entire U.S. food supply. [...]" 

MSM: "Icy Grips: Anchorage Alaska Shatters Seasonal Snowfall Record" [04/09/12] "While winter is a distant memory for most Americans, it continues unabated in Anchorage, Alaska — where a new bout of precipitation this weekend helped the city break its record for seasonal snowfall, at more than 133 inches (3.38 meters). Some 3.4 inches of snow — and counting — had fallen as of 4 p.m. (8 p.m. ET) Saturday in Anchorage, according to the National Weather Service. That brought the seasonal total for the city to 133.6 inches — breaking the record of 132.6 inches, set in 1954-1955. And with snow continuing to fall into early Sunday morning, the figure promises to get even larger. “Okay…now the records broken, could you please make the snow go away?’ wrote one commenter of the Facebook page of the weather service’s Alaska division. Another said, “Oh, it’s not chilly. I’m wearing a tee-shirt and shorts while cooking outside and enjoying this beautiful springtime weather @ 35 degrees.” While snow is nothing new to Alaskans, this year’s record haul in Anchorage is notable given that the average seasonal snowfall is 74.5 inches. And it’s also striking considering that, elsewhere in the United States, this past winter was known more for its warmth than its white stuff. Across the United States, the 2011-2012 winter season was the fourth warmest ever recorded, according to the National Climatic Data Center.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Polar Bears Show Signs of Mysterious Illness" [04/08/12] "Biologists have found Polar Bears in the Beaufort Sea with hair loss and skin lesions. Those are the same symptoms that have sickened ice seals and walruses in the arctic since last summer and led the federal government to declare the incident an unusual mortality event. Scientists are just beginning an investigation into whether polar bears are suffering from the same thing. [...]" 

MSM: "Santa Clara County Rattled By 13 Earthquakes In Seven Days" [04/08/12] "California: Thirteen earthquakes, averaging a magnitude of 1.9 on the Richter scale, struck Santa Clara County this week. The largest quake, with a magnitude of 2.9, occurred just nine miles north of Morgan Hill at 2:42 a.m. Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website. Three tremors rocked the county on Friday alone, with a 1.8 magnitude quake striking three miles south of Los Altos and 20 minutes from Campbell at 5:11 p.m. A slightly smaller quake, registering at 1.5, hit three miles from Los Altos the day before at 11:59 a.m. Multiple tremors shook the South County area, especially in Gilroy and Morgan Hill. In Gilroy, a 1.8 magnitude quake hit four miles south of the Garlic Capital at 4:08 p.m. Thursday, and three more hit Gilroy Wednesday. The first struck a few miles from Gilroy at 2:29 a.m. with a magnitude of 2.0. The second, a 1.2, hit three miles away at 4:28 p.m. and another 2.0 quake hit the Garlic City about 10 minutes later in the same area. On Tuesday, a 1.2 magnitude quake hit five miles from San Martin at 7:19 p.m., along with additional smaller quakes striking near the same area. To view the quakes that sent trembles through the county in the earlier portion of the week, view the UGSG earthquake list. [...]"  Related: "Is California's Earthquake Safety Program At Risk?" "California Seismic Safety Commission May Lose Funding ... The Seismic Safety Commission, created in 1975, provides advice and coordinates state policy on earthquake safety with a budget of $1.3 million. It is currently participating in a review of seismic risks involving San Francisco's water delivery system and, separately, the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant near San Luis Obispo, Gardner said. For the last decade, the commission has been funded by a fee on insurance companies. That fee was set to expire in July, but Brown's proposal would extend it indefinitely. [...]"  

Commentary: "Melting Glaciers In Antarctica: Searching For Hidden Volcanoes Under The Ice" [04/08/12] "Mount Sidley, the highest volcano in Antarctica, may have a lot of company lurking out of sight. Scientists are using seismographs to hunt for hidden volcanoes in Antarctica. Scientists have used radar and other imaging technology to uncover some astounding finds under the East Antarctic Ice Sheet: A vast mountain range that rivals the Alps, and Lake Vostok, one of Earth’s largest lakes. Finally, seismographs can reveal hidden sources of seismic activity — little earthquakes that could be the signatures of active volcanoes hidden under the ice. “It’s really the first time we’re able to look at the interior structure of the mantle,” said Andrew Lloyd, a WSLU Ph.D. student who traveled hundreds of miles by snowmobile to help retrieve some of the seismographs — and the reams of data they recorded. “It will enable us to say something really definitive about the tectonics and geology of the region, which is something nobody has been able to do before,” Lloyd said. Wiens said that the data are already revealing a tantalizing picture of what is going on beneath West Antarctica, a place that is, in the words of one scientist, “hemorrhaging ice. We do see these big variations in the temperature in the mantle across parts of Antarctica that will have a big effect on the ice sheet,” Wiens said. However, he added, many months of work lie ahead, and it will be some time before scientists are ready to announce to the world what lies beneath the ice. [...]" 

MSM: "6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The Coast Of Papua New Guinea" [04/07/12] "A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The quake hit at 02:15 am (16:15 GMT) 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Rabaul, in Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain province and 885 kilometers northeast of the capital Port Moresby at a depth of 85 kilometers. Quakes of such magnitude are common in impoverished Papua New Guinea, which sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire“, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. Last month, the country was hit by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake but while the tremor was widely felt it was too deep, at 105 kilometers, to cause much damage. Earlier in March, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the New Britain region of the country, with no damage or injuries reported. A giant tsunami in 1998, caused by an undersea earthquake, killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape, on the country’s northwest coast.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Active Volcanoes In The World – March 28 – April 3, 2012" [04/06/12] "This report covers active volcanoes recorded from March 28 – April 3, 2012 based on Smithsonian/USGS criteria. New unrest has been noticed around 7 volcanoes, ongoing activity was reported for 8 volcanoes. [...]"  

MSM: "China Builds Scores Of Dams In Earthquake Hazard Zones" [04/06/12] "More than 130 large dams built, under construction, or proposed in western China’s seismic hazard zones could trigger disastrous environmental consequences such as earthquakes and giant waves, finds a new report from the Canadian watchdog group Probe International. The report shows that 98.6 percent of the dams being constructed in western China are located in high to moderate seismic hazard zones. The location of large dams near clusters of recorded earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 4.9, and especially when the earthquake focal points are also close to the surface, “is cause for grave concern,” said the report’s author geologist “John Jackson.” John Jackson is a pseudonym for a geologist with detailed knowledge of western China who wishes to remain anonymous to protect his sources. In a worst-case scenario, Jackson reports, dams could collapse, creating a giant wave that would inundate everything in its path, including downstream dams, causing great loss of life and property. Should a dam suffer catastrophic collapse, says Probe International Executive Director Patricia Adams, Chinese citizens could direct their anger to the hydropower industry for threatening their lives with dangerous dams. To pierce the Chinese government’s secrecy over its dam building, the Probe report overlays a Chinese map of dam locations with U.S. Geological Survey earthquake data and a United Nations’ seismic hazard map.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Officials Blame 'Mystery Virus' For Widespread Death/Deformation Of Thousands Of Cattle" [04/06/12] "Thousands of lambs and cattle across Europe are bearing dead or severely deformed offspring, and the mainstream media and health officials are blaming a "mystery virus" for this inexplicable and worsening phenomenon. The U.K's Telegraph reports that at least 74 farms across southern and eastern England, and many more in Germany and various other places across Europe, are being afflicted by what some are now calling the "Schmallenberg Virus." [...]"  

Commentary: "How to Trigger a Volcanic Eruption on Purpose" [04/05/12]   "Over the last few weeks, a number of disparate items converged in my mind. First, in my Petrology and Volcanology class here at Denison, we spent a week talking about what geologists know about triggers for volcanic eruptions. Secondly, I was asked some questions about Richard Branson’s April Fools’ joke regarding the supposed Virgin Volcanic that would send a manned submersible into a volcano. Put these two ideas together, and you get to wondering about that age-old question: Could we trigger a volcano to erupt on purpose? This has been the realm of science fiction and conspiracy theorists for decades (centuries?), the idea that humans could figure out a way to get a volcano that isn’t erupting to start erupting. Mostly, this is in the hands of evil scientists/lunatics who are bent on world domination (paging Dr. Horrible) or some last ditch effort to save the planet (as in Crack in the World). [...]"  

  UK: "Snow And Ice Bring Disruption To Britain, Strange Weather Set To Continue" [04/05/12] "Winter weather brought major disruption to parts of the country today as motorways jammed up with snow and ice brought down power lines. Engineers were working round the clock to restore electricity supplies to thousands of homes cut off in the North East, Yorkshire and Derbyshire after strong winds and snow combined to cause 7ft drifts on exposed higher ground. But forecasters said milder weather will see a return to spring temperatures this Easter weekend after Britain experienced summer then winter in the space of a week. Electricity suppliers Northern Powergrid said 25,000 customers across Northumberland, west County Durham, the North Yorkshire Moors and West Yorkshire were still without power this afternoon as 180 faults remained to be fixed. Access to the more remote affected areas was proving difficult and a helicopter was used to inspect lines. Around 90,000 homes across northern England had suffered power cuts since the bad weather arrived yesterday afternoon. [...]"  

MSM: "3,000 Dolphins Found Dead On Peruvian Beaches In 2012" [04/05/12] "More than 3,000 dolphins have been found dead on beaches in Perú this year, and environmentalists are so far stumped as to what could be the cause, Perú 21 reports. One theory is that powerful waves caused by oil exploration ships could have resulted in internal damage for the mammals, Carlos Yaipen Llanos, science director of the marine mammal rescue group Organización Científica para Conservación de Animales Acuáticos (ORCA), told the Peruvian news source, according to Discovery News. The first hundred dolphins washed up on the shores in February. At that time, some hypothesized they had consumed toxic fish, though testing was unable to confirm this was the case. Yaipen Llanos told MSNBC he believes acoustic testing produced a "sonic blast" which caused internal bleeding and loss of equilibrium for the dolphins, though he has "no definitive evidence" of this. "It is a horrifying thought that these dolphins would die in agony over a prolonged period if they were impacted by sonic blast," Hardy Johns, head of the conservation group BlueVoice.org, said in an statement obtained by MSNBC. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. has paused similar acoustic testing for fear that it was having a fatal impact on the dolphin population. In addition to the dolphins, MSNBC reported thousands of anchovies have also been found dead on Peruvian beaches. [...]"  

Documentary: "Killer Lakes" [04/04/12] [43:50] "When Mount Nyiragongo erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo in January 2002 it seemed like a disaster.Molten lava plunged down the hillside and poured into nearby Lake Kivu. Many died, and much of the city of Goma was destroyed. In fact, the local people were lucky. Had the eruption spread to one of the many volcanic faults under Lake Kivu, it could have unleashed one of the most terrifying of all natural phenomena – lake overturn. The Nyos disaster promoted a survey of deep lakes in Africa and Indonesia to see where else lake overturn could happen. All seem to be safe, except one – Lake Kivu, in Rwanda. [...]"  

MSM: "4.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Oklahoma" [04/04/12] "A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook southeast Oklahoma at 2:33 a.m. Tuesday. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was centered in the town of Pittsburg, about 16 miles south-southwest of McAlester and 109 miles east-southeast of Oklahoma City. McAlester police says so far no damage or injuries have been reported. 2NEWS viewers in Tulsa reported feeling the temblor. The USGS says residents in Muskogee, Norman, Broken Arrow, Atoka and Shawnee also reported feeling tremors. On Nov. 5, 2011, a record 5.6 magnitude tremor shook the Sooner state, the strongest quake on record in Oklahoma. The USGS reported that tremors from the quake, centered in Lincoln County, were felt in most of Oklahoma as well as eastern and central Kansas, most of Missouri and Arkansas, north Texas and southeast Nebraska. Aftershocks were felt for weeks. [...]"  

MSM: "‘Disturbing’ Rise In Sex Crimes In New Zealand Partly Blamed On Earthquakes" [04/03/12] "Canterbury police are lauding a drop in most types of offending in the past year, but sexual violence is on the rise. The number of sexual assault and related offences reported to Canterbury police increased by 16.4 per cent last year, from 318 offences in 2010 to 370 in 2011. Sexual-violence offending also rose nationally, with 3466 offences reported across the country, an increase of 14.9 per cent on the previous year. Canterbury district commander Superintendent Gary Knowles said the increase was “disturbing” and did not match other types of offending, which had all decreased in 2011. Much of the increase could be because more people were reporting this type of crime. “The more people come forward the better,’ he said. Knowles had put staff on the job of analyzing the figures, particularly the “why, where and how” of sexual violence. More police were also being put on frontline duties, which he hoped would help reduce offending. Te Puna Oranga manager Tania Mataki, who works with victims of sexual abuse and their families, said sexual violence appeared to have increased after the Canterbury earthquakes. “We’ve seen a lot of changes in people’s behaviors – a lot more drinking, a lot more drug abuse, access to [pornography on] the internet. Wherever alcohol is involved there are behaviors that will escalate,’ she said. Usually sexual offending was committed by someone known to the victim and many people since the quakes had been forced to share accommodation or resources. Some of the cases were historical, but some related to offences committed after the February 22, 2011, earthquake, when many families left their damaged homes and moved in with others, or had others move in with them, Mataki said. [...]"  Note: Existential angst and DNA triggers for species propagation, in play, subconsciously, in body-centric people.

MSM: "M6.3 Earthquake Strikes Oaxaca, Mexico" [04/03/12] "A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck southern Mexico on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake’s epicenter was about 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Ometepec, Guerrero. It was about 7.6 miles (12 kilometers) deep, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Officials described the quake as an aftershock of the 7.4-magnitude temblor which struck in the same area on March 20, damaging hundreds of homes. There have been 280 aftershocks since that quake, Mexico’s National Seismological Survey reported. Residents felt Monday’s quake in Mexico City, hundreds of miles from the epicenter. There were no initial reports of major damage in the capital, Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter. The USGS describes Mexico as one of the most seismically active areas of the world. The country sees an average of seven earthquakes daily with a magnitude greater than 3.0, according to Mexico’s National Seismological Service. [...]"  

MSM: "New Zealand Residents Report ‘Loud Boom’ From Large Fiery Meteor" [04/03/12] "A spectacular, bright meteor that left a long trail in the sky has stunned witnesses in Wellington and Christchurch tonight. The WeatherWatch website has been inundated with reports of the fireball, which witnesses say rushed across the sky at about 6.30 pm. A Nelson resident described it as an “unbelievable”’ green, orange and white ball flying past at “super speed,” leaving behind a massive trail that lasted for nearly 10 minutes before dissipating. A Hanmer Springs resident said they heard “a loud boom”’ about two minutes after it streaked past. “Not sure if hit the ground or sonic boom, perhaps the latter, very exciting! Much more exciting than putting the washing out.” A Wellingtonian said the meteor was “full on magnesium bright and flaming”, while another said it was “almost fluorescent and very intense.” A Cantabrian said the whole family were excited by the meteor, which came low to the horizon with two bright flashes and trails of smoke. “Like an arc welder torch, it seemed very close and low to us, was waiting for the bang it seemed so close and bright, but obviously moving at tremendous speed. I have never seen anything like this!” Police central communications shift inspector Ken Climo said some of his staff had seen the event and described it as “quite spectacular.” The Rescue Coordination Centre described it as a contrail, he said.  [...]"  

MSM: "Unexplained Triple Mystery ‘Booms’ Rattle Houses In Northern Region Of France" Translated [04/03/12] " A “thud” and even “three booms” were heard in the sky near Bigouden Wednesday night, March 23rd. The phenomenon remains unexplained and apparently was repeated on the night of the 24th from north to south of Finistere. There were reports also in Côtes d’Armor and Morbihan. But where do these sounds come from? “It sounded like a thud of a child stamping his feet on the wall of the neighbor,” one witness said. Testimonials are legions Bigouden. But not only. Combrit Chateauneuf-du-Faou through Briec, Quimper, Plogastel-Saint-Germain, Pont l’Abbé, Tréméoc, Cockles, Plobannalec-Lesconil or Clohars-Fouesnant, many people on Wednesday to 21h, were intrigued by the phenomenon. Some alluded that “their houses were shaken three times.’ We’re talking about “three strong rumblings” that “have rattled houses” and even awakened some. Some people, meanwhile, heard what they described as “muffled explosions” while others are convinced that this was from “an earthquake.” But neither a reported earthquake, nor aerial maneuver by aircraft can explain the mystery. Contacted, the central office Seismological French (BCSF) states that nothing abnormal registered in this area. And for its size, Chateauneuf-du-Faou Clohars-Fouesnant, the blasts and aftershocks felt “like the equivalent of a magnitude 3 earthquake in force.” In 2005, Bigoudens remember, an earthquake on the fault of south Armorican which had a magnitude 3 on the Richter scale caused the same feelings. What then of these explosions heard and felt? An air-borne cause? Regional Centre of Western navigation, it is shown have no record this kind of phenomenon. Moreover, some also said they heard a helicopter. Proceeded by “three booms” recalling it sounded like “thunder.” One thinks of an aircraft. When questioned, the communications department of the Brest Maritime Prefecture said that there was no Navy operation in the region and even less involving helicopters. An official from the Joint Staff of the area of defense and security northwest (OGZDS), said there were no operations or “supersonic flights.” Bizarre; especially considering in March of 2003, three earthquakes also hit the Bigouden and that phenomenon also remains unexplained. [...]"  

MSM: "M5.9 Quake Shakes Fukushima Pref., Vicinity In Eastern Japan" [04/02/12] "An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 shook Fukushima Prefecture and its vicinity in eastern Japan on Sunday night, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. No tsunami warning was issued. The 11:04 p.m. temblor measured lower 5 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7 in the towns of Naraha and Tomioka in the prefecture, according to the agency. It registered 4 on the Japanese scale in some areas of Fukushima, Miyagi, Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures. [...]"  

MSM: "New Quake Reports Warn Of Destruction Of Tokyo, 34 Meter Tsunami" [04/01/12] "Japan’s Pacific coastline may be hit by an enormous tsunami, should a major earthquake occur off the coast of the country’s central island. This is the scenario feared – and expected – by local specialists. A special Cabinet Office panel warned of the possibility Saturday, after it revised its 2003 estimate, reports the Kyodo news agency. The new revision reflects new findings from the March 2011 earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami and the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years. Back in 2003, the panel was sure that Japan would never see a tsunami more than 20 meters high. The new report, however, is based on the assumption that the earthquake will have a magnitude of 9.0 and will occur on the Nankai Trough. The oceanic fault runs east of the central Japanese island of Honshu and is 900 km long. Moreover, this trough is one of the most probable places for an earthquake of such magnitude to occur in the coming decades, local specialists believe. The waves generated by 9.0 tremor would hit areas from Kanto to Kyushu, with waves as high as 34.4 meters. Areas in Shizuoka, Kochi and Miyazaki prefectures may see waves as high as 10 to 20 meters. Urban areas of Tokyo may be hit by a tsunami up to 2.3 meters high, however the village of Niijima in the Izu Island chain, which is administered by Tokyo, could face deadly waves up to 29.7 meters. What is worse, if the tremors were to continue for three minutes, some areas would be struck by a tsunami even before the tremors stop, adding to the potentially devastating outcome, said the panel. While the panel will continue to study the potential extent of the damage in the event of such an earthquake, the Japanese government faces a hard task of re-examining its emergency measures based on the new estimates. The last such earthquake at Nankai fault happened in 1946, with a magnitude of 8.1. The tsunami triggered by the quake destroyed over 35 thousand homes. Meanwhile, on Friday, a research team under the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has completed a five-year report. The report found that if a 7.3 magnitude quake hit Tokyo, some parts of the city and surrounding areas would be shaken at level 7 on Japan’s seven-point “Shindo” scale of seismic activity, Reuters reports. [...]" 

MSM: "Kashmir Valley Region Rattled By More Tremors" [04/01/12] "An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale hit Afghanistan on Saturday morning, sending tremors as far as Kashmir. The epicenter of the quake was said to be the Hindu Kush region. There have been no reports of casualties so far. “An earthquake of 5.2 magnitude was experienced at 9.46 am in Kashmir Valley,” Aamir Ali, coordinator of Natural Disaster Management Cell, said. This is the second tremor to shake the valley this month. On March 12, a moderate intensity quake was experienced in Kashmir Valley. Ali said people rushed out of their homes in panic and took shelter in open spaces. There was no immediate report of any loss of life or damage to property, he added.  [...]"  

MSM: "'Remarkable' Spate Of Man-Made Quakes Linked To Drilling, USGS Team Says" [04/01/12] "A rash of earthquakes in the middle of the country appears to be related to oil and gas drilling, according to a group of researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey. "A remarkable increase in the rate of [magnitude-3.0] and greater earthquakes is currently in progress," the scientists state in the abstract for their study. "A naturally-occurring rate change of this magnitude is unprecedented outside of volcanic settings or in the absence of a main shock." The surge in temblors is "almost certainly man-made," they found, and all of the potential causes they explore in the paper relate to drilling, or more specifically, deep underground injection of drilling waste. Casting the quakes as a trend could make it more difficult for oil and gas companies and state regulators to discount the earthquakes related to drilling as 'rare, isolated events'. That, in turn, could provide new ammunition to critics who want stronger regulations, or even a ban on drilling. The group of scientists, led by geophysicist William Ellsworth, is to present the paper next month at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America in San Diego. The abstract for their study has already been posted. [...]"  :

Commentary: "San Diego Residents Rattled By 3 Loud Booms, Following Tremor" [03/30/12] "A 3.4 earthquake struck four miles south-southwest of the Palomar Observatory, 17 miles northeast of Escondido and 39 miles north-northeast of San Diego at 11:09 p.m. March 29, 2012. According the U.S. Geological Survey, earthquake was 33.30°N 116.88°W and the depth was 11km. The San Diego earthquake occurred on the Elisinore fault, a system that has the capability of producing quakes measuring 7.0 or larger. Quakes in the magnitude 3.0 to 4.0 range are not uncommon in this area. Some 361 people in 51 zip codes from Fontana and Hemet to the north and El Cajon and Julian to the south had reported feeling it within 10 minutes of the event. According to responses on the USGS website, the San Diego earthquake was felt in Murrieta, Temecula, Lake Elsinore and other parts of San Diego County.  [...]" 

MSM: "Montserrat's Soufriere Hills Volcano Stirs With Activity After Two Year Slumber" [03/30/12] "For the first time in two years, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) monitoring the Soufriere Hills volcano noted unusual activity, with increased seismicity, accompanied by ash fall. Acting Director of MVO Roderick Stuart said the change, which was noted on Friday, is a break from a long state of pause, thus a reminder the volcano is still very active and residents there must always be cautious and aware. Stuart reported, “Last Friday we had the first sort of activity in the volcano in over two years. It generated some ash and because it was the first activity we had in two years, it was almost a precautionary measure that we closed daytime access to Zone C just in case this activity started something bigger,” Stuart told Observer Media. The authority also noted increased steam venting activity on the volcano and a new steam vent (fumarole) that appeared on the northwestern face of the lava dome behind Gages Mountain. Audible roaring associated with the venting were intermittently heard from the Observatory, 5.75 km northwest of the volcano. The seismic network recorded nine rock falls, 105 volcano-tectonic (VT) and four hybrid earthquakes. Additionally, two swarms of VT earthquakes occurred. Earthquakes in the second swarm were described as markedly larger than those in the first. Consequently Zone C on the volcanic risk map was closed until Tuesday when there was a decrease in volcanic tectonic earthquakes below the volcano. [...]"  

MSM: "Lava Dome Grows Inside Anak Krakatau Volcano – Rattled By 438 Quakes" [03/29/12] " An active lava dome is growing inside the summit crater of Krakatau volcano. Our tour expedition leader Andi just returned from a visit and reports that the dome is now about 100 m wide, and has 2 main active vents that eject jets of incandescent gas. At night, the glow from the dome is clearly visible from Rakata and Sertung islands, and a continuous intense solfatara plume is rising about 500 m above the summit. Andi and our group observed also that there are now more and larger fumarole fields on the southern part of the cone. According to our observations and the opinion of local scientists, this area is inflated due to the pushing of the lava dome. The seismic recordings from the observatory of Krakatau also show an increase in activity. On 26 March, there were 138 volcanic-tectonic (A-type) earthquakes and 300 long-period (B-type) quakes alone. The question is how long the lava dome remains quiet and purely effusive in style. Explosive, also larger vulcanian-type ones, activity could occur any time. [...]"  

Explorations: "Perpetual Ocean" – Ocean Currents Around The World" [03/29/12] [3:03] "The surface currents in this recently released video (bellow) of data collected between June 2005 and December 2007 show dominating forces that are continually in motion around our planet. Seeing the activity of the video with the eddies spinning off of their main gyres provides that dynamic visualization that is so often missing in static images from text books. And check out the ripples from the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties driving the Antarctic Circumpolar current in the Southern Hemisphere — that action gives a sailor reason to hit pause. [...]" 

Commentary: "Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Contaminated Ocean's Food Chain, Study Finds" [03/29/12] "A recent study has confirmed that toxic compounds derived from oil that was released in the Deepwater Horizon spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico nearly two years ago has entered the ocean's food chain through microorganisms. The study, funded by the National Science Foundation and led by a team of researchers from East Carolina University, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Oregon State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the U.S. Geological Survey, detected chemical compounds found in oil called hydrocarbons, some known to be carcinogenic, within the bodies of microscopic crustaceans called zooplankton. "Our research helped to determine a 'fingerprint' of the Deepwater Horizon spill--something that other researchers interested in the spill may be able to use," Dr. Siddhartha Mitra of East Carolina University said in a statement. "Furthermore, our work demonstrated that zooplankton in the Northern Gulf of Mexico accumulated toxic compounds derived from the Macondo well."  [...]"  Note: And, it's all still leaking.

MSM: "Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Hits Northeast Japan" [03/28/12] "A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit northeastern Japan on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, but there were no reports of damages or casualties and a tsunami warning was not issued. [...]"  

MSM: "Double Emissions Of Gas And Steam Erupt From Costa Rica’s Turrialba Volcano" [03/28/12] "Two large steam and gas emissions were spotted Tuesday morning atop the Turrialba Volcano in the province of Cartago, east of San José, authorities from the National Seismological Network (RSN) at the University of Costa Rica said. Turrialba residents said the two gas columns measure nearly 1 km in height and are moving towards the north face of the volcano. “These gases are mostly water vapor, 90 percent, and the rest are volcanic gases,” Raúl Mora Amador, the RSN’s lead volcanologist explained. One of the gas trails comes from the main crater, and the other rises from the east wall of the volcano, he added. RSN geologists this Wednesday will conduct a flyover sponsored by the National Emergency Commission to perform regular measurements of temperature and observe changes at the top. On Thursday, RSN experts will visit the zone. Access to the Turrialba Volcano National Park has been closed to visitors since last January, when spewing gas and ash alarmed locals and tourists.  [...]" 

MSM: "Ecuador’s Tungurahua Volcano Emits 3 Km Ash Cloud Amidst Explosions" [03/28/12] "Tungurahua volcano’s activity has been increasing, Ecuador’s Instituto Geofísico reports. Throughout the morning of March 26, a constant column of steam and ash was rising from the summit crater, reaching up to 3 km height and drifting towards the northeast, where ash fall occurred. Ash fall was significant in the San Francisco and Black River areas, and mild in Baños, the Ventanas en Runtún, Juive, Pondoa, Puntzán and Cusúa sectors. Occasional roaring explosion sounds were heard from small to moderate explosive events. Seismic activity remains characterized by volcanic tremor episodes lasting several minutes, interspersed with tremor bursts and long-period events, which are related to fluid movements within the volcano.  [...]" 

MSM: "Guatemalan Volcanoes Increase Activity: 33 Explosions At Santiaguito Volcano" [03/27/12] "Guatemalan volcanoes Santiaguito and Fuego increased their activity in the last hours and the authorities recommended on Monday took all the necessary precautions with the surrounding air traffic. The dispersion of ash in various directions and changes in wind pattern led to the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh) to warn about the civil aviation. An Insivumeh report that Santiaguito volcano recorded 33 explosions in 24 hours, with a range of up to 800 meters above the crater, leaving ashes scattered in the southwest and southeast. Santiaguito volcano is located in Quetzaltenango district, and its height is 2,550 meters above sea level. The Insivumeh reported white and blue plume up to 100 meters above the crater, with displacement to the southwest, in the case of Fuego volcano, whose height is 3,763 meters above sea level and is located between the departments of Sacatepequez, Chimaltenango and Escuintla (center south). [...]"  

MSM: "Researchers Discover New Super Volcano" Translated From German [03/27/12] "The view from the top of the remote area in southern Bolivia reveals nothing of the sinister events in the subsurface of the Andes. Rugged, barren and lifeless works the mountains, whose peaks rise for six kilometers. Radar satellites recognize, however, what remains hidden to the eye: When they send off their overflight electromagnetic radiation reflected at the bottom is. And over the massif in the south of Bolivia Uturuncu the signals have changed dramatically to the surprise of the researchers. The radar waves have been lately more and more likely reflects - its distance from earth to heaven has thus shortened. The conclusion of the scientists: the roof of the high mountain stands over an area ten times as large as Lake Constance, the researchers write Jennifer Jay of Cornell University, Ithaca, USA, in a study to be published shortly in the journal "Bulletin of Volcanology" is. The experts have collected measurements of ground motion. It did seem to confirm what many researchers already surmised: The Uturuncu could be a super volcano, about Shan de Silva said of the Oregon State University in the U.S., who studies the volcano. The mountain is a sleeping giant. That increase is volcanic areas, but nothing special. The size of the swelling, almost circular bulge of Uturuncu amazed but the researchers said. Uturuncu the volcano was extinct until recently no one on the bill, it seemed. The age of its lava flows reveals that the last eruption dates back nearly 300,000 years. But now the giant is stirring, he seems to awaken. The Uturuncu lift with one to two centimeters per year, Jennifer Jay and her colleagues report. And slight tremor shook the mountain every day, in the year there are more than a thousand.  [...]" 

MSM: "Batu Tara Volcano In Lesser Sunda Islands Of Indonesia Erupts" [03/27/12] "According to the regional VAAC, the Batu Tara volcano has erupted and is emitting a dense ash cloud. The aviation alert-status for the region has been raised to orange. Batu Tara volcano is located 50 km north of Pulau Lembata in the Flores Sea. The crater is in the middle of the island with dimensions of 900 m x 700 m. The uninhabited island of Batu Tara is the steep-sided summit of an active stratovolcano and has a small summit crater which is open to the east. The base of the island lies about 3,000 meters below sea level. Batu Tara is the northern-most active volcano in the Adonara Pantar sector of the Sunda arc. This is at the boundary of the collision of the north moving Australia tectonic plate, and the Sunda-Banda arc. Batu Tara volcano is located 230 km above the Benioff zone in a region where the arc crust is relatively young and thin. Rocks from Batu Tara contain crystals that formed in different magmas. Batu Tara last eruption was in 2010.  [...]" 

MSM: "New Report Claims Venice Sinking Five Times Faster Than Previously Thought" [03/27/12] "So Venice is sinking. New research by U.S. scientists suggests it is sinking more than five times faster than experts in Venice believe. It’s quite obvious to the naked eye (or rather, to the naked ankle when it floods) that parts of Venice are flooding more and more often. But the question remains — how long will it take before it turns from floating jewel to a playground for divers? The answer comes from a new research by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, expected to be published on Wednesday: Venice is still sinking, and sinking at a rate of up to two millimeters per year (0.08 inches). There’s more. Not only is the city being reclaimed by the waters that made it famous, it now looks like it’s actually heading out to sea, as if the glorious capital of the former Maritime Venetian Republic is tired of being a tourist attraction and wants to die in the Adriatic. According to measurements taken over 10 years, Venice is also tilting a bit, about a millimeter or two eastward per year. While this doesn’t mean that you should buy a ticket right away in order to see Venice before it disappears, it raises concern that not enough is being done to save it. A complex system of moving dams around Venice that took decades and millions of dollars to build is nearing completion. The new research could well call into question whether these major works will actually be enough to save the “Floating City.” One of the biggest experts on the state of Venice, Luigi Tosi, of Italy’s National Research Center, pointed out that Venice’s “sinking” was actually a combination of land subsidence and sea level rise. He said the Scripps researchers’ results “tell us nothing new.” “We have published a paper back in 1992 that arrived to the same conclusions,” he said.  [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.0 struck at Northern East Pacific Ridge" [03/27/12] "Strong earthquake measuring 6.0 occured today at Northern East Pacific Rise. The epicenter was located 568 km (352 miles) E of Clipperton Island, 862 km (535 miles) SSW of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, 864 km (536 miles) SSW of Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and 1146 km (712 miles) SSW of Mexico City, D.F., Mexico(10.198°N, 104.030°W). The epicenter was at depth of 9.9 km (6.2 miles). Earthquake-report says it is a harmless ridge earthquake in the Pacific Ocean at a very big distance (hundreds of km) from the nearest populated island. [...]"  

MSM: "7.1 Earthquake in Maule, Chile" [03/26/12] "A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit central Chile on Sunday, 64 miles (103 kim) west north west of the town of Talca, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake was at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km). Magnitude 7.0 earthquakes or greater are capable of causing widespread and heavy damage. The epicenter of the earthquake was 219 km (136 miles) from Santiago, Chile- near the vicinity of a moderate 5.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the region on yesterday. Seismic tension has been mounting over some of the world’s most dangerous subduction regions in recent weeks and stress eruptions may not be over yet. This is the second 7.0 + magnitude earthquake to strike the world in 5 days, provided the USGS doesn’t downgraded the earthquake. On March 20, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the western coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. Chile in on the front-line of the Nazca plate, one of the most dangerous subductive plate boundaries in the world. A 9.5, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in modern history, devastated Chile in 1960. [...]"  

MSM: "Mexico’s Popocatepetl Volcano – 33 Emission Events In 24 Hours" [03/26/12] "The National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred) reported that in the last 24 hours the Popocatepetl volcano registered 33 exhalations of low intensity, accompanied by emissions of water vapor and gas. The body of the Ministry of the Interior (Interior Ministry) explained that on Saturday one of these incidents occurred at 22:29, 23:21 and 23:56 hours on Sunday while they were at 5:14, 5:41 and 8:32 hours. In a statement, adding that Cenapred at 08:42 hours, an earthquake of low magnitude was followed by 96 minutes of spasmodic tremor segments, while the other parameters concerning the volcano remain unchanged. On Saturday night, there were numerous reports of incandescence material seen glowing in the mouth of the crater, though clouds made visibility poor for portions of the evening. The volcanic alert remains at phase two and yellow. Moderate exhalations are likely, some with ash emissions, sporadic bursts of low to moderate probability of emission of incandescent fragments short and a mild glow of the volcano in the crater may also be likely. The Cenapred recommended maintaining the safety radius of 12 kilometers.  [...]"  

Commentary: "New Mexico Dormant Volcano Venting Steam -- Carrizozo Lavic Fields" Dutch Since [03/25/12] [5:23] Related: "HAARP Rings/Scalar Squares, Volcanic Plumes, Man Made Earthquakes" [7:11] "This Past Week Has Vindicated Us On Many Levels... A .Pdf Paper From Stanford University... Fully Covering The Phenomenon That We've Been Documenting Since Last Year... The 'HAARP Ring'..'Stairstep Pattern'.. And 'Scalar Square' Radar Signature Patterns. Verified Via Scientific Paper Directly Relating To Haarp. Turns Out These Are What 'They' Call These Same Haarp Signatures .... Square Wave, Sawtooth Pattern, And Circle Sweep Mode. If You Haven't Put It Together Yet... Scalar Squares = Square Wave, Stairstep Pattern = Sawtooth Pattern , And HAARP Ring = Circle Sweep.[...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 4.9 - Island Of Hawaii, Hawaii" [03/25/12] "1 km (1 miles) W (271°) from Honolulu, HI [...]"  

MSM: "Moderate 5.1 Earthquake Rumbles Along The Outskirts Of Santiago, Chile" Translated from Portuguese [03/24/12] " A moderate earthquake of 5.3 magnitude (5.1 USGS) on the Richter scale struck near Santiago on Saturday morning in the central area of the country, according to the Seismological Service of the University of Chile. The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 4:28 am was located 43 kilometers northeast of the town of Casablanca, on the border regions of Valparaiso and Santiago, at a depth of 68.9 kilometers. It was in the capital and the fifth region where the earthquake was felt more strongly. According to reports received by the National Bureau of Emegencia (Onemi), the quake reached an intensity of V degrees on the Mercalli scale in Santiago, the Andes, Talagante, Tiltil, Valparaiso, Viña del Mar, Quintero, San Antonio, San Felipe, and German Village. V grades also recorded in Los Vilos, in the Coquimbo Region. In the Region of O’Higgins, meanwhile, the earthquake was felt with a force of IV degrees in Rancagua and III degrees on Christmas, Pichilemu, San Fernando and Santa Cruz. In the El Maule reached II degrees in Curicó and Order. It reached in the Fourth Region II degrees in La Serena. The Onemi received no reports of damage or injured as a result of the earthquake. [...]"  

MSM: "Central Australia Rattled By Largest Earthquake In 15 Years" [03/24/12] "A magnitude 6.1 earthquake (5.6 USGS), the biggest in the country for 15 years, has rattled Far North South Australia. The earthquake’s epicenter was recorded at shallow depth near Ernabella, 415km North West of Coober Pedy and about 320km south west of Alice Springs, just before 8pm. Geoscience Australia reported the quake could have been felt by people up to 500km away and damage. experienced within a 40km radius of the epicenter. Geoscience Australia seismologist David Jepsen said the quake was the biggest in Australia in 15 years. “There are a number of Aboriginal communities near the epicenter and they would have felt the earthquake strongly,” he said. “It is possible there could be some minor damage up there. One of these in a major city would be a different story. “People as far north as Alice Springs and as far south as Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta could have felt this.”An SA Police spokesman said there had been no reports of damage or injuries. Dr. Jepsen said a 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the same location about a week ago. The earthquake was the most powerful in Australia since a 6.3 magnitude quake off Collier Bay, on Western Australia’s north coast, on August 10, 1997. It is the second largest quake to be recorded in South Australia. The biggest was a 6.5 magnitude jolt near Beachport in the South East in 1897, which caused chaos at the nearby town of Kingston and was felt in Adelaide. A magnitude 3.3 quake rumbled through Adelaide on October 19 last year.   [...]"  

Explorations: "Yellowstone Supervolcano + Strange 'Rumbles' In Wisconsin" Dutch Since [03/24/12] [13:25] "Clintonville Wisconsin -- be sure to search the terms ... "marathon wisconsin volcano" ... "caldron reservoir" .. and "lake superior volcanic" . The nuclear power plant to the east is called the Kewaunee plant .. all these sites have ONE thing in common... deep earth shafts... pumped or filled full of water.... add in craton/plate pressure and a bit of deep earth magma surge underneath the plate as it gets pushed by the Pacific unrest... and you get underground explosions in Wisconsin near a dormant volcanic site. ... Georgia Had Reports Of The Same Kind Of Activity Just A Few Month Ago In Nov. 2011 .. Turns Out .. Vulcan Mining Company Was Mining Georgia's Pigeon Mountain Dormant/Extinct Volcano Just 19 Miles West Of The Town That Was Reporting The Ground Explosions. [...]"  Note: He may be on to something here ... dormant volcanoes ... pressure increases ... 

MSM: "Middle East: Earthquake Hits Dead Sea Region, Felt In Jerusalem" [03/24/12] "An earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale shook the Dead Sea area and was felt as far away as Jerusalem on Thursday morning. The quake struck at 6:17 a.m. with an epicenter near Masada, according to the Seismological Institute. There were no reports of injuries or damage from the tremor. MK Zeev Bielski (Kadima), the head of a Knesset subcommittee for Home Front preparedness, used the event to lament the country’s lack of readiness for an earthquake, Maariv reported. Not enough of the country’s buildings have been quake-proofed, as is called for under National Master Plan 38, he said. “NMP 38 is not being implemented and there is a sense of complacency in the government over anything concerning an earthquake,” Bielski said. “This is a matter that should be at the top of national priorities. We need to learn from other countries that invested budgetary and other resources to protect the home front, and not wake up one day and discover we are too late.” Two weeks ago another 3.7 quake rattled the Galilee in the north of the country causing alarm but no injuries or damage. The epicenter for that quake was just over the border in southern Lebanon. In February, a 3.1 earthquake struck the Tiberias area, also without injury or damage. [...]"  

MSM: "Minor Earthquakes Have Become Frequent In Armenia" [03/24/12] "The number of earthquakes has recently increased in Armenia and the region. The National Seismic Protection Service (NSPS) of Armenia on Wednesday registered a magnitude-3 tremor, whose epicenter was 13 kilometers southeast of Martuni city. Thirteen earthquakes measuring 3 magnitude or higher have occurred in the region. In an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am Ashkhen Tovmasyan, representative of the National Seismic Protection Service, said According to her, seismic risks are growing with urban development and with population growth. Risk increases in Armenia when new buildings are built and population grows, if there was no urban development there would be no risks. As Ashkhen Tovmasyan mentioned, currently there are no serious anomaly indicating earthquakes, so there is no need to worry about any earthquake. There are often all the indicators of an earthquake but no quake happens. The expert advised to build buildings in safe places and avoid blocking the main entrances. [...]" 

Commentary: "Active Volcanoes In The World – March 14 – March 20, 2012" [03/23/12] "This report covers active volcanoes recorded from March 14 – March 20, 2012. New unusual unrest has been noticed around 2 volcanoes, ongoing activity was reported for 12 other volcanoes. [...]"  

MSM: "Mexico Earthquake Sets Off Seismic Swarm At San Salvador Volcano" [03/22/12] "The National Service of Territorial Studies, which is known as SNET is reporting that 8 earthquakes have rattled the San Salvador Volcano which is located northwest of the capital city of San Salvador- a population of about 540,000 people. An emergency declaration has been declared at the volcano as a precautionary measure. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in a statement recalled that the last seismic swarm with epicenter in the San Salvador volcano was in 2007, when there were 142 micro-earthquakes, four of them felt by the population. The volcano last erupted in 1917. The volcano is believed to have sprung to life after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico. [...]" 

Anomalies: "Mexican Earthquake Coincides With Drill Based Around Exact Same Scenario" Paul Watson [03/22/12] Video clip  [3:53]  "Bizarre Coincidence: A government run simulation also had earthquake measuring 7.9 on Richter scale which took place at the same time and date. Fears amongst some that governments are experimenting with technology that can trigger seismic events have heightened following the bizarre occurrence of yesterday’s Mexican earthquake coinciding with a government drill that was scheduled to take place at precisely the same time simulating an earthquake of the exact same magnitude.  The video above documents how Mexican Civil Protection (CP) authorities had planned to stage a response drill to an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale on March 20 at 12 noon local time, which is precisely when an earthquake hit Mexico yesterday. After having initially been reported as 7.9 on the Richter scale, the earthquake was later revised to measure 7.4. The exercise was being run under the auspices of Mexico’s State Emergency Committee, the government department tasked with responding to natural disasters. “As part of preparations for the next megasimulacro March 20, state authorities of Civil Protection (CP) performed exercise tests before a cabinet to simulate the response to a contingency situation, an earthquake measuring 7.9 degrees on the scale Richter,” states a translated report out of Mexican newspaper El Heraldo, which ran the story on March 2. A poster to publicize this “megasimularco” was also published by authorities, announcing the date of the drill to take place on March 20.[...]  Another Mexican newspaper, La Voz del Norte, also reported on the “megasimularco,” on March 13, noting that three departments of “government are prepared to carry out the Mega Drill to be held on March 20 at about 12 o’clock.” Yesterday’s earthquake hit precisely at 12:02PM local time in the region of Oaxaca, according to the USGS. The bizarre coincidence has prompted claims that the event could have been a seismic experiment. The fact that governments have access to seismic-triggering technology is not a conspiracy theory, it’s a scientific fact."    Related: "7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Guerrero And Oaxaca, Mexico" [03/21/12] "A powerful earthquake measuring 7.4/7.6 on the Richter scale has hit Mexico’s southwest, with no immediate reports of serious damage. The quake struck near the tourist resort of Acapulco on Tuesday, causing residents to pour out into the streets, the US Geological Survey reported.  [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.7 - New Guinea, Papua New Guinea" [03/22/12] "A strong earthquake struck the island of New Guinea in Papua New Guinea on early Thursday morning, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The 6.6-magnitude earthquake at 8:15 a.m. local time (2215 GMT Wednesday) was centered about 63 kilometers (39 miles) east-southeast of Goroka, the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province in the Oceanian country. It struck about 105.9 kilometers (65.8 miles) deep, making it an earthquake with intermediate depth, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the region, but the USGS estimated that approximately 147,000 people near the epicenter may have felt ‘strong’ shaking which could result in light to moderate damage. 

MSM: "Super-Bolt Rumbles In Skies Over Oklahoma" [03/22/12] "It woke up sleepy Tulsans, set-off car alarms and freaked out the family pet. Many people thought it was an earthquake that hit Tulsa at 3:33 this morning. Instead, says National Weather Service Meteorologist Steve Amburn, is was a “Super Bolt.” Amburn says a super bolt is a positively-charged cloud-to-ground stroke of lightning. Computer records indicate a single “super bolt” struck in the heart of South Tulsa just after 3:30.  [...]" 

MSM: "Ecuador’s Tungurahua Volcano Rocked By Major Explosions, Noise Heard 14 Km Away" [03/21/12] "Another series of explosions has occurred early today at Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador, the Instituto Geofísico (IG) reports. The eruption was reported to be very noisy and caused minor ash fall in nearby villages, but no damage. From 23:39 (local time) on March 19, a rapid increase of tremor was detected and observers reported roaring noises from the volcano in up to 14 km distance. About an hour after the onset of tremor reports of ash fall came from El Manzano and Choglontús. At 00h22 today, there was an loud explosion whose cannon-shot like shock wave was heard in Choglontús, El Manzano and Puntzán. Incandescent lava bombs could be seen ejected from the summit crater and landing up to approx. 200 m distance on the upper slope. From the 01h08 (local time) tremor decreased and also the noises from the volcano. Cloud cover prevented detailed observations this morning. According to a first analysis, only the south-west sector received ash fall. In the Choglontús area, ash continued to fall until 07:00 (local time) and was measured to have accumulated 383 grams per square meter, corresponding to less than 1 mm of ash.  [...]"  

MSM: "Volcanologists Watch Increase Of Activity At Alaska’s Mount Iliamna" [03/21/12] "Mount Iliamna is showing more seismic activity than normal, so scientists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) are keeping an eye on it. AVO upgraded Iliamna to a code yellow at the beginning of March after an increase in earthquakes and gas emissions. It’s been about 16 years since Mount Iliamna has shown this kind of activity. The fumaroles, or gas vents, near the summit usually produce about 100 tons of carbon dioxide per day. Now that’s up to 1,000 tons per day. “This level of activity we’re seeing right now is very similar to what we saw at the beginning of that period in heightened activity in 1996, so right now we don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Cindy Werner, a research geologist with AVO. Volcanologists call the activity in 1996 a “failed eruption.” They say that’s likely what will happen this time as well. But there’s not a lot of history to predict what the volcano will do. Researchers say the last time it likely erupted was more than 300 years ago. “Worldwide when volcanoes become restless, or unrest develops, 50 percent of the time it culminates in some kind of eruptive activity and 50 percent of the time, it goes back to sleep. In 1996 it went back to sleep and we don’t have and indication it’s going to do anything different but you never know,” said Game McGimsey, a volcanologist with AVO.” [...]"  

MSM: "Magma Plume: Mount Etna Erupts For Fourth Time In 2012" [03/19/12] Video clip  [2:50]  " Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna erupted on Sunday sending a four mile-long plume of smoke and ash into the sky. The eruption is the fourth of its kind this year sending a lava stream into Sicily’s uninhabited valley of Valle del Bove. Etna, which is 11,000ft high and located 18 miles above the Sicilian town of Catania, often erupts but rarely causes damage. 11,000ft high, sits. Nearby airports remained open and continued operations during the eruption although authorities shut down two nearby flight paths.  [...]"  

MSM: "More Tremors Rattle The Philippines" [03/19/12] "Three mild quakes rocked some areas in Northern Luzon on Saturday afternoon and this morning but no damage to properties was reported, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) satellite office here said. Phivolcs said that a 3.2 magnitude tremor happened at 7:10 a.m. Sunday with epicenter at 69 kilometers northeast of Laoag City in Ilocos Norte with a depth of 85 kilometers. It was reported that no intensity and aftershocks were recorded. Yesterday, Phivolcs recorded two other earthquakes that rocked Northern Luzon areas. The first happened at about 6:25 p.m. yesterday recording a 4.0 magnitude tremor in some areas in Cagayan province with epicenter at 15 kilometers northwest of Claveria town with a depth of 14 kilometers. Intensity 4 was felt in Claveria, Cagayan and intensity 2 in Sanchez Mira, Cagayan but no reported damage and no aftershocks happened. The other quake was a 3.0 magnitude that happened at about 8:09 p.m. with epicenter located at 24 kilometers northwest of Laoag City with a depth of 32 kilometers but no recorded intensity. Phivolcs said that the three quakes were tectonic in origin caused by the sudden movement of the underground’s rock formation.  [...]"  

MSM: "Strong 5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Struck Leyte, Philippines" [03/17/12] "Strong and dangerous earthquake with magnitude 5.7 struck Leyte, Philippines today at 07:58:05, March 16, 2012 UTC according to USGS. The epicenter was located 25 km (15 miles) NNE of Surigao, Mindanao, Philippines (10.041°N, 125.670°E). The depth of epicenter reported by USGS was 35.4 km (22.0 miles). [...]" 

MSM: "Kamchatka’s Karymsky Volcano Unleashes 3100 Meter Ash Cloud" [03/17/12] "Karymsky volcano, erupting in Kamchatka, alert level has been raised to a Code Orange threat to aviation, although all routes on the peninsula are stretched so that the planes do not appear in the action zone of active volcanoes. The height of gases and ash that accompanies the eruption has reached three thousand one hundred meters above sea level. Lava has been detected oozing from the slopes of volcano. The volcano poses no danger to the localities. The Karymsky volcanic summit, with a height of 1536 meters, is one of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka. Its latest eruptive phase began in January 1996 and continues today.  [...]"  

MSM: "Indonesia’s Lamongan Volcano Awakens From Sleep After 114 Years" [03/16/12] "A new volcano in Indonesia, Lamongan volcano in Eastern Java, is showing signs of unrest: weak steaming from its active crater and increasing earthquakes were reported by Indonesian scientists. The increase in earthquakes started on 23 February and seismicity increased again significantly on 8 March when tremor was recorded continuously the next day. CVGHM raised the Alert Level to 2 (on a scale of 1-4) on 9 March. Residents and tourists were prohibited from going within a 1-km-radius of the active crater. Lamongan is a small, relatively unknown stratovolcano east of the large Tengger massif (which contains the famous Bromo volcano). It was very active in the 19th century when it produced several lava flows, but has remained more or less silent during the past 110 years. It’s last eruption was recorded in 1898. [...]"  

MSM: "Alaska Aleutian Island Cleveland Volcano Explodes For Third Time In A Week" [03/16/12] "Cleveland Volcano has exploded for the third time in just over a week. The latest eruption of the Aleutian volcano Tuesday afternoon was relatively small, according to a release from the Alaska Volcano Observatory. Scientists at the Observatory weren’t able detect an ash cloud associated with this event or either of the other two. There’s no real-time monitoring equipment on Cleveland. None of the recent eruptions have interrupted air travel in the region. Cleveland’s last major eruption in 2001 sent ash clouds as high as 39,000 feet. The volcano is on uninhabited Island, about 160 miles west of Unalaska.  [...]" 

Commentary: "Santorini: History’s Most Dreaded Volcano Awakes And Is Rapidly Inflating Warns Geologist" [03/15/12] Video clip  [2:20]  "The British Broadcasting Company named it the world’s best island in 2011. Santorini is a tourist magnet, famous for its breathtaking, cliff side views and sunsets. It’s also a volcanic island that has been relatively calm since its last eruption in 1950. Until now. The Santorini caldera is awake again and rapidly deforming at levels never seen before. Georgia Tech Associate Professor Andrew Newman has studied Santorini since setting up more than 20 GPS stations on the island in 2006. “After decades of little activity, a series of earthquakes and deformation began within the Santorini caldera in January of 2011,” said Newman, whose research is published by Geophysical Research Letters. “Since then, our instruments on the northern part of the island have moved laterally between five and nine centimeters. The volcano’s magma chamber is filling, and we are keeping a close eye on its activity.” [...]"  

MSM: "More Reports Of Dolphins Stranded Off Brazil" [03/15/12] " ...There is no single answer for marine mammal strandings, just as there is no single answer for what causes car crashes or traffic jams,” Dr. Darlene R. Ketten, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., told The Huffington Post in an email.  [...]"  

MSM: "6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits New Britain Region, Papua New Guinea" [03/15/12] "Magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit New Britain Region of Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 21:13:11 UTC (Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 07:13:11 Local). USGS reported it with depth of 47.8 km (29.7 miles). Epicenter was 6 km (59 miles) E of Kimbe, New Britain. 1000 people will have felt a strong shaking, 63,000 people a moderate shaking. [...]"  

MSM: "Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Continues To Simmer" [03/15/12] "During February, Poás activity consisted in strong high-temperature fumarolic activity and sporadic small phreatic explosions, reported by park rangers. The latest monthly bulletin of Costa Rica’s volcano observatory OBSICORI published a more detailed summary of Poás’ activity during February summarized as follows: The ultra-acid crater lake had a greenish-gray color with sporadic convection cells visible in the central part carrying sulfur in suspension. Lake temperature were measured at 44° C, which is a value significantly lower than those measured during most of 2009-2011. [...]"  

MSM: "Cities On Alert As Smoke And Ash Rise From Colombia’s Nevado Del Ruiz Volcano" [03/15/12] "A rising smoke plume from a Colombian volcano put nearby cities and towns on alert as it continued to emit smoke, vapor and ash Monday. The Nevado del Ruiz volcano, located in central Colombia about 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of Bogota, has been on yellow alert since October 2010 and began spewing ash and smoke last week. The director of the Manizales seismic observatory, Gloria Cortes, said they are keeping a close eye on the volcano and monitoring seismic activity as they work with local officials to ensure the safety of nearby residents and tourists in the area.  [...]" 

MSM: "Two Nuke Plants Shutdown As Japan Rocked By M6 & M7 Quakes" [03/14/12] "Japan has been hit with 3 back to back earthquakes ranging between M6 and M8 coming approximately 2 hours apart from each other, with the last one striking very close to Tokyo, and each one having an epicenter approximately 10 kilometers deep. Those earthquakes have been accompanied by at least a dozen more. [...]"  Related: "Japan: EQ Within The Last Week"  

MSM: "Indonesia’s Ijen Volcano Placed On High Alert After Rise In Activity" [03/14/12] "The official alert level for Ijen volcano in East Java, Indonesia, has been raised again to 3 (“alert”) due to an increase in activity, our Indonesian correspondent Andi reports. A new 10 m wide gas vent, which erupted burning gasses, was observed on 10 March at 17 m distance from the shore. Thick steaming, larger than usual, forming a thick white column of sulfur steam 200 m high was already noted since 3 March. Measurements of the lake water temperature at 5 m depth had also shown increased values of 42.70 deg C. On 10 March, the lake surface was 2 meters higher than normal, although this could be attributed to heavy recent rain fall. Another sign of increased activity is that many leaves of trees and other plants around the crater have died recently, suggesting higher than normal SO2 levels. Seismic activity has been rising as well. Since 22 Feb, a near continuous tremor signal has been being recorded. In the interval 22-31 Feb, there were 52 harmonic tremor periods lasting up to 20 minutes, as well as 17 2 low-frequency earthquakes, 38 mostly shallow volcanic quakes. This number increased to 306 tremor episodes lasting up to 25 minutes, 27 low frequency, and 125 mostly shallow volcanic earthquakes during the latest observation period between 1-10 March. Ijen volcano in East Java, famous for its turquoise acid lake Kawah Ijen and the sulfur mine inside its crater, had been on higher alert starting 18 December 2011, but was lowered to alert 2 on 4 Feb this year, but is now again at the second highest level of 3, meaning that volcanologist think an eruption could be imminent. Access to the crater is currently closed. Ijen last erupted in 1999. [...]" 

MSM: "Japan’s Sakurajima Experiences Its Most Violent Eruption In 3 Years" [03/13/12] "Sakurajima continued its second day of violent eruptions on Tuesday, spewing hot rocks and ash, but there was no major damage in the vicinity, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said. The agency said Monday’s powerful eruption was the most forceful since 2009. The volcano is located in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima. The Meteorological Agency added that the volcano has been erupting steadily for the last two years, but the eruption on Monday turned violent, throwing 50-centimetre (1 foot 6 inches) rocks nearly 1.2 miles away, the furthest since 2009. In response, the Meteorological agency extended the eruption warning to residents living further away from the mouth of the volcano. The volcano has already had over 300 eruptions this year. Sakurajima volcano, one of Japan’s more active volcanoes, resumed activity in 1955 and has been active ever since. Sakurajima volcano in Japan’s southern Kagoshima prefecture erupts violently in what officials say is the most powerful since 2009, though there has been no damage so far.  [...]" 

MSM: "New South Wales Snowy Mountains Rattled By Tremor" [03/13/12] "AUSTRALIA - People in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains are reporting what they say is an earth tremor. Residents at Jindabyne say the earth was shaking around the Kalkite area, on the shores of Lake Jindabyne early this morning. Jim Crocker from the Jindabyne township says the tremor took him by surprise. But he says earth movements are not uncommon when the lake is full. “About 5.20am (AEST) I was laying in bed contemplating getting out and all of a sudden there was an almighty bang and then it rumbled away up towards Kalkite area.,” Mr Crocker said. “We have had these experiences, these tremors in past years and they normally occur round about when we have full lake levels. [...]" 

MSM: "Strong Earthquake With Magnitude 5.6 Hit Northwestern Kashmir" [03/13/12] "A strong 5.6 magnitude earthquake (reported by USGS) with depth of 49.3 km hit northwestern part of Kashmir on March 12th, 2012 at 06:06 UTC. EMSC reported 5.7 magnitude earthquake with depth of 60 km. The nearest populated places are: Lasht (13km), Baroghil (19km), Kharach (20km), Dehe Gholaman (18km). The closest civilian airport is Chitral (159km). The Murgab hydrodam is located 62 km from the epicenter.  [...]"  

MSM: "5.1-Magnitude Quake Jolts West Indonesia" [03/12/12]   "An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale has struck off the coast of western Indonesia but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.  [...]" 

MSM: "Caribbean Plate Stress: Cuba And Jamaica Rattled By Tremors" [03/11/12] " The Earthquake Unit at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies says tremors from a magnitude 5.0 (4.9 USGS) earthquake that occurred in Cuba this morning were felt in several parishes in Jamaica. This is the second earthquake felt in Jamaica in consecutive days following the 3.4 magnitude quake recorded near Yallahs, St Thomas, yesterday. A release from the unit says this morning’s earthquake occurred at 3:34 and was felt in Clarendon, St Catherine, St Mary and Kingston and St Andrew. There are no reports of any damage or injuries. The epicentre of the earthquake was in the Santiago de Cuba province.  [...]" 

MSM: "Mexico Withers Under Worst Drought In 71 Years" [03/11/12] " 2.5 million Mexicans affected by an extreme bout of dry weather across two-thirds of Mexico's states. Humanitarian workers say that if this year's rainy season, which typically begins at the end of spring, is equally dry, some might struggle to grow food and feed their families for another two years. "In some parts of the country this has grown to be a bigger issue than even security," says Alejandro Aboytes, a farmer in Guanajuato and former president of a local producers group. "It is hardest for those who must rely on the rain to grow food. They cannot grow anything, so it means they don't eat." Mexico's drought gained international attention after rumors spread across social media that members of an indigenous group, the Tarahumara of Chihuahua State, were committing mass suicides because they couldn't feed their families. The Tarahumara, featured in the book "Born to Run," are famous for their long-distance running. Those rumors were dismissed by the government, but the group – which lives amid the cliffs of Copper Canyon in northern Chihuahua, one of Mexico's premier tourism destinations – has been among the hardest hit, along with communities in the states of Durango, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí. The federal government, along with nongovernmental organizations such as the Red Cross and World Vision, has responded with food drives, water service, and temporary jobs. Mexico's Ministry of Social Development says it has provided 432 million liters of potable water and 360,000 food packets since May 2011. But David Muñoz, a spokesman in Mexico for World Vision, says that 2 million Mexicans still lack adequate food. One of the biggest problems is the isolation of some of the worst-hit areas. [...]"  

MSM: "5.6 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Coast Of Alaskan Peninsula" [03/10/12] " A 5.6 magnitude earthquake was reported just off the coastline of the Alaskan peninsula at 5:10 am. The earthquake registered at a depth of 17.7 km or 11.0 miles below the surface and struck the ocean floor. The epicenter of the earthquake was 819 km (508 miles) SW of Anchorage, Alaska and 1455 km (904 miles) W of JUNEAU, Alaska. Both seismicity and volcanic activity has been steadily increasing along the Alaskan region over the last several weeks. People in high-risk areas should stay alert for the potential occurrence of seismic episodes. [...]" 

MSM: "Series Of Moderate Earthquakes Rattle The Globe: 6.7 Hits Vanuatu" [03/10/12] "A series of moderate to strong earthquakes has rattled several parts of the globe including Iran, China, the Philippines and parts of the South Pacific in the past 12-24 hours. There have been no reports of serious damage or fatalities from these quakes thus far and no tsunami warnings were issued for areas that could be impacted. A similar earthquake earlier this week did injure 10 people in the Philippines. The strongest of the recent quakes was centered near Vanuatu, where the quake was recorded at a magnitude of 6.7 by the USGS. These recent quakes come less than two days from the anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan, causing a massive tsunami that devastated parts of the northeast coast of Japan and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. More than 15,000 people were confirmed dead while more than 3,000 remain missing following the disaster.  [...]"  

MSM: "5.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Western Desert Region Of China" [03/10/12] "An earthquake has struck the far west of China but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said Friday that the 5.8 quake struck about 7 a.m. (2300 GMT) in the southern part of Xinjiang region. An official from the Communist Party Propaganda Department in Luopu county, where the earthquake hit about 175 miles (280 kilometers) northeast of Hotan, said the epicenter was in the desert and no reports of injuries had been made. The official refused to give his name. The USGS put the quake’s depth at 22 miles (35.5 kilometers).  [...]" 

MSM: "Kamchatka’s Bezymianny Volcano Erupts, Expels Ash Cloud 8 Km High" [03/10/12] "Friday saw a new eruption of the Bezymianny volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East. Earlier in the day, the volcano spewed ash up to 8 kilometers high, seismologists said, adding that the eruption does not pose a threat to population centers in the area. One of the most active volcanoes in the world, Bezymianny is located 350 kilometers northeast of the city of Petropavlovsk- Kamchatsky. During its most powerful eruption in 1956, the 2,800-meter volcano ejected about three cubic kilometers of volcanic debris in a very short time.  [...]"  Related: "Active Volcanoes In The World – Last 7 Day Report"

MSM: "Earthquakes In Japan Increase Five-Fold After March 11, 2011 Earthquake" [03/10/12] "Figures compiled by the ABC reveal that since the massive earthquake in Japan a year ago the country has been rattled by more than five times as many tremors as usual. That includes 10 aftershocks of magnitude seven or greater. Using figures provided by Japan’s meteorological agency, the ABC found that there have been more than 9,000 significant tremors under and around Japan since last year’s March 11 earthquake. That compares with 1,300 for all of 2010. As well as 10 quakes of magnitude seven or greater in the past year, there were more than 100 that were more violent than magnitude six. Recent media reports suggest Tokyo has a 70 per cent chance of being hit with a major earthquake in the next four years. [...]"  Related: "Scientists Warn Tokyo Could Soon Be Hit By Major Earthquake" "A year on from one of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history, Japanese scientists are warning anew that Tokyo could soon be hit by a quake that will kill thousands and cause untold damage. Greater Tokyo, home to 35 million tightly packed people, has seen a three-fold increase in tectonic activity since the magnitude 9.0 undersea quake that unleashed a killer tsunami last March. Every day, an average of nearly 1.5 quakes are recorded in and around the city, one of the most populated places on Earth. [...]"  

MSM: "Ohio Stiffens Regulations After Concluding That Fracking Caused Earthquakes" [03/10/12] "Ohio state regulators announced tough new regulations on Friday after concluding that the injection of wastewater underground as part of the controversial gas-drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” had almost certainly caused a dozen earthquakes near one well. The regulations will require well operators to supply extensive geological data before requesting a new drill site, avoid certain rock formations, and keep track of pressure, volume, and the chemical makeup of all drilling water using state-of-the-art technology. Investigators pointed to “a number of coincidental circumstances” connecting the quakes in northeast Ohio, which began in March 2011 and continued to the end of the year, with a well which had begun operation three months earlier. They also noted the presence of a fault in the rocks that was identified only after drilling began. [...] The quakes clustered around the city of Youngstown and ranged from magnitude 2.1 to 4.0, with the largest one, on December 31, causing Ohio Governor John Kasich to place a moratorium on drilling at certain locations. Quakes in other locations have previously been blamed on fracking, the most notable being a 4.7 quake in Arkansas on February 27, 2011. “Our evidence strongly suggests that the injection fluid lubricated a previously unmapped fault and contributed to seismic activity,” a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources explained. “It was an unfortunate situation, and the operator drilled the well to specifications and operated within all permitted levels. [...]"

MSM: "San Francisco Earthquakes Rattle Bay Area Residents" [03/06/12] "Two back-to-back earthquakes rattled the San Francisco Bay area awake around 5:30 a.m. Monday morning, the Associated Press reports. There are no reports of serious damage or injury. According to the AP, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that a magnitude-2.9 quake struck at 5:33 a.m. It was followed eight seconds later by a magnitude-4.0 quake. While most San Franciscans were startled from sleep when the quake hit, local reporter Kristen Sze was on-air when the KGO TV studio began to shake. Watch as Sze coolly switches from a report on rallies for higher education funding to a report on the quake:  [...]"  

MSM: "India Shaken By 19th Earthquake In 2012" [03/06/12] "Monday’s earthquake that shook the capital and certain areas in its neighboring states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh was the 19th tremor in the country this year so far and third in the past five days. The tremor, measuring 4.9 on the Richter Scale with Haryana’s Bahadurgarh as epicenter, shook Delhi and neighboring towns at 1:11 pm. A strong 5.2- magnitude earthquake (USGS) struck close to the Indian capital on Monday, with powerful tremors shaking buildings and sending frightened residents scurrying into the streets. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, this was the 19th quake in the country this year so far and third this month alone. In January this year, there were 10 tremors which were recorded in various parts of India. Six quakes measuring between 5.0 to 3.6 on the Richter scale were felt in February. Last year, there were 80 earthquakes in India, which measured between 3.5 to 6.5 on the Richter scale. A majority of these quakes occurred in the northern Indian regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Harayana and Punjab. “India has always been a zone which experiences a lot of seismic activities since ancient times. We are continuously doing research in the seismology department,” RS Dattatrayam, a scientist with IMD’s Seismic Department, told PTI. “Delhi will continue to experience these quakes and termors as it falls on the junctures of faults and ridges,” said Dattatrayam. According to the Seismic Zone Mapping done by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Delhi is among 30 cities in the country falling in zone IV, which is defined as a severe intensity seismic zone. This is the third tremor in Delhi, which is among the 30 cities which fall in the high risk seismic zone, since September last year.  [...]" 

MSM: "Mt. Etna Volcano Rocked By Third Eruption In 2012" [03/06/12] " Etna just keeps on rolling. The Italian volcano had its third paroxysm of 2012 (see above) on March 4 and first since early February. This new eruption was a short event that was preceded by 18 days worth of small strombolian activity. The event may have been only ~2 hours, but it produced some spectacular explosions, aiding in some part by interaction with snow and a pyroclastic flow was spotted as well. Osservatario Etneo reported that even a small lahar was produced during this paroxysm as a result of volcanic material mixing with snow. Air traffic around Sicily was not affected by this paroxysm.  [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Hit Santiago Del Estero, Argentina" [03/06/12] "Magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit Santiago del Eastero region in Argentina today (Mar 5th) at 07:46:09 UTC. The epicenter was located at 47 km (29 miles) WNW of Anatuya, Santiago del Estero, Argentina, 112 km (69 miles) ESE of Santiago del Estero, 250 km (155 miles) SE of San Miguel de Tucuman, Tuc. and 828 km (514 miles) NNW of Buenos Aires, D.F., Argentina (28.227°S, 63.242°W). According to USGS the epicenter depth was at 550 km (341.8 miles). Very strong but also very deep... [...]"  Note:  Seismic activity has seen a notable up-tick in recent days which portends a large seismic event may be brewing on the horizon. The Argentina quake erupted in quick succession after a string of moderate earthquakes struck the Loyalty Islands, Japan, Indonesia and India. People in high-risk seismic areas should remain alert for the potential outbreak of seismic events.

MSM: "6.6 Magnitude Quake Hits New Caledonia" [03/04/12] "A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit south-east of the Loyalty Islands in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia late Saturday but there was no tsunami alert, seismologists said. The quake struck 260 kilometres east-southeast of the town of Tadine on the island of Mare at 11:19 pm (local time) at a relatively shallow depth of 15 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. USGS initially measured it at 6.9 but later revised it down to 6.6. Geoscience Australia gave it an initial magnitude of 6.7 at a depth of 46 kilometres and estimated that it was unlikely to have caused damage. There was no threat of a widespread destructive tsunami from the tremor, which hit about 400 kilometres east of the New Caledonian capital Noumea, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. “However earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometres of the earthquake epicenter,” it said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the sparsely populated and remote Loyalty Islands. New Caledonia lies on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.  [...]"  

MSM: "Tsunami Warning System Budget Slashed By Obama Administration" [03/03/12] "Less than a year after a tsunami devastated Japan, killing almost 16,000 people and causing nuclear accidents, the Obama administration is proposing to cut $4.6 million from tsunami early warning and education programs. The cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2013 budget have been fiercely criticized by scientists who say they harm the agency's ability to keep the public safe. The cuts would affect the operation and maintenance of high-tech buoys that can detect tsunamis. Already about 25 percent of NOAA's early warning stations covering the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are inoperative. "Reducing support for tsunami warning is like removing the smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector in your house," John Orcutt, a professor of geophysics at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, told the Watchdog. "It's increasing the risk of death and destruction." [...]"  

MSM: "Oklahoma Sees Record Year For Number Of Earthquakes" [03/03/12] "Just Wednesday afternoon, a 3.0 magnitude earthquake shook the central Oklahoma town of Wellston. Experts tell us the state experienced more than 1,000 quakes last year, with tremors felt by more than 60,000 people across Oklahoma and surrounding states. Seismologists saw a big jump in the number of earthquakes in Oklahoma last year. More than 1,000 quakes were recorded in 2011 — ten times the average number of 100 a year. Last year also produced the strongest quake in the state’s history — a 5.6 magnitude tremor in Lincoln County — in November. Oklahoma Geological Survey Seismologist, Austin Holland says it’s uncommon to see the number of earthquakes jump so drastically. “It’s a little unusual, to see this large uptick, some of that is due to the fact we have more seismic instruments in the state, so the more you listen, the more you’re gonna hear,” Holland said. November 5th, 2011 — an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 shook Lincoln County. Just a few hours later, a record 5.6 magnitude quake rocked the county. Several other quakes in that area followed a few days later. “That’s quite normal after a large earthquake like this, you’re gonna have many felt earthquakes afterwards and the number of felt earthquakes falls away with time. And the number of earthquakes in general dissipates with time,” Holland said. Thousands of people from as far north as Wisconsin, to as far south as the Dallas-Fort Worth area felt tremors from that earthquake. Holland says it has something to do with the rocks in the region. “Here in the central U.S., the rocks are colder and older than rocks in western United States, so a same size earthquake can be felt over a broader region in central United States than it is in the western United States.” Holland says there are a few fault-lines running through Texoma and one of them could cause a significant earthquake. “The largest fault that we know of that is capable of producing earthquakes is the Meers fault in southwestern Oklahoma,” Holland says. “So we know there are faults in the area and it’s possible to have large earthquakes in that portion of Oklahoma. The whole area is actually susceptible to earthquakes. There are a few well known fault lines, one is now the Wilzetta fault line, which is just north of Texoma, northeast of the Ada area, and that has been sparking several earthquakes in the past few years.” [...]"  

MSM: "Indonesia’s Mount Merapi Volcano Shaken By Twin Eruptions " [03/01/12] Mount Marapi, a volcano located in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, briefly erupted on early Wednesday morning, officials said. It comes after activity was also reported at the volcano in August 2011. The 2,891-meter (9,485 feet) tall volcano, which is located near the cities and town of Bukittinggi, Padang Panjang and Batusangkar in West Sumatra, began erupting at around 7:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, according to the Antara news agency. Marapi’s initial eruption lasted around fifteen minutes and spewed out volcanic ashes which reached some 200 meters (656 feet) to the south from its crater. A second eruption took place moments later, lasting about ten minutes and bringing thick white smoke about 100 meters (328 feet) up. Suparmo of the Volcanological and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) in Bukittinggi told the Antara news agency that Mount Marapi will remain at a Level II alert status as it is still prone to eruptions and other kinds of activity. In addition, he called on locals to remain alert. Since August 2011, Mount Marapi, the most active volcano on the island of Sumatra, has shown increased volcanic activity. The PVMBG has installed seismometers and digital analogs at an altitude of 2,000 meters (6.560 feet) at Nagari Batu Palano and at an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) at Nagari Lasi in order to monitor the activity. Dozens of active volcanoes in Indonesia are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes is Mount Merapi, which is located on the island of Java near Jogjakarta, the country’s second-most visited area after Bali. Last year, more than 300 people were killed in a series of eruptions between October and November which also displaced over 300,000 people. – [...]"  

MSM: "Nine Killed As Tornadoes Tear Through U.S. Midwest" [02/29/12] "At least nine people were killed overnight as a line of tornadoes marched across the Midwest, hitting places like the tourist hub of Branson. Forecasters warned more twisters could strike the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians through Wednesday evening. Six of the deaths occurred in Harrisburg, Ill., after a possible tornado swept through; destroying 35-40 homes, according to local TV station KFVS12. A hospital official later confirmed the deaths. The fourth death happened when a suspected tornado hit a mobile home park in southwest Missouri, outside the town of Buffalo. Another 13 people at the trailer park were injured. At least 8 people were injured when a suspected tornado ripped through Harveyville, Kan., on Tuesday night, NBC News reported. At least three of the injured are in critical condition, according to weather.com, and 40 percent of the town suffered damage. NBC affiliate KSHB TV reported that an apartment complex and a church were among the damaged buildings in the town of about 250 people. [...]"  

MSM: "Mexico’s Popocatepetl Volcano Rumbles With 16 Low Intensity Emissions" [02/29/12] "The National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred) reported that in the last 24 hours, the Popocatepetl volcano registered 16 emissions of low intensity, accompanied by emissions of water vapor, ash, and gas. The body of the Interior Ministry said in a statement that the largest emissions occurred yesterday at 14:50 and 17:12 hours during the night glow was observed on the volcano, while the rest of the monitoring parameters remain approximately unchanged. He said, at the time of the report, a slight emission of water vapor and gas was flashing from the volcano. The volcanic alert remains in Phase 2 yellow. The Ministry said there were moderate exhalations, some with ash emissions, sporadic bursts of low to moderate probability of emission of incandescent fragments within walking distance of the crater and incandescent light in the observable crater overnight. The Cenapred explained that a security parameter remains in a 12 kilometer radius of the volcano, so staying in that area is not permitted and controlled traffic is maintained between Santiago and San Pedro Nexapa Xalitzintla via Paso de Cortes. He called the Civil Protection authorities to maintain preventive procedures, according to their operational plans and to keep people alert to the official information that is released. [...]"  

MSM: "Kilauea Lava Flowing, Earthquake Swarms Over For Now" [02/28/12] "A photo from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on the Big Island shows the thermal image of lava flows coming down the Pali through the Royal Gardens subdivision area. Over the weekend, scientists say the swarm of earthquakes that occurred last week are over for now. It started early Wednesday morning and lasted through Saturday. Officials say the will continue to monitor activity. So far, that series of earthquakes have not affected eruptions on the Big Island. [...]"   Related: See "Earthquake swarm continues between Kilauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes" [02/26/12] below.

MSM: "Scientists Find Flu Virus In Bats For The First Time" [02/28/12] "For the first time, scientists have found evidence of flu in bats, reporting a never-before-seen virus whose risk to humans is unclear. The surprising discovery of genetic fragments of a flu virus is the first well-documented report of it in the winged mammals. So far, scientists haven’t been able to grow it, and it’s not clear if – or how well – it spreads. Flu bugs are common in humans, birds and pigs and have even been seen in dogs, horses, seals and whales, among others. About five years ago, Russian virologists claimed finding flu in bats, but they never offered evidence. “Most people are fairly convinced we had already discovered flu in all the possible” animals, said Ruben Donis, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist who co-authored the new study. Scientists suspect that some bats caught flu centuries ago and that the virus mutated within the bat population into this new variety. Scientists haven’t even been able to grow the new virus in chicken eggs or in human cell culture, as they do with more conventional flu strains. But it still could pose a threat to humans. For example, if it mingled with more common forms of influenza, it could swap genes and mutate into something more dangerous, a scenario at the heart of the global flu epidemic movie “Contagion.” The research was posted online Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The CDC has an international outpost in Guatemala, and that’s where researchers collected more than 300 bats in 2009 and 2010. The research was mainly focused on rabies, but the scientists also checked specimens for other germs and stumbled upon the new virus. It was in the intestines of little yellow-shouldered bats, said Donis, a veterinarian by training. These bats eat fruit and insects but don’t bite people. Yet it’s possible they could leave the virus on produce and a human could get infected by taking a bite. It’s conceivable some people were infected with the virus in the past. Now that scientists know what it looks like, they are looking for it in other bats as well as humans and other animals, said Donis, who heads the Molecular Virology and Vaccines Branch in the CDC’s flu division.  [...]"  Related: See below.

UK: "Mystery Virus Kills Thousands Of Lambs" [02/28/12] "The Schmallenberg virus causes lambs to be born dead or with serious deformities such as fused limbs and twisted necks, which mean they cannot survive. Scientists are urgently trying to find out how the disease, which also affects cattle, spreads and how to fight it, as the number of farms affected increases by the day. So far, 74 farms across southern and eastern England have been hit by the virus, which arrived in this country in January. A thousand farms in Europe have reported cases since the first signs of the virus were seen in the German town of Schmallenberg last summer. The National Farmers Union has called it a potential “catastrophe” and warned farmers to be vigilant. “This is a ticking time bomb,” said Alastair Mackintosh, of the NFU. “We don’t yet know the extent of the disease. We only find out the damage when sheep and cows give birth, and by then it’s too late.”  [...]" Related: See below.

MSM: "Food-Chain Unraveling: Livestock Plagues Hit U.S., Nepal, And UK, Mystery Virus Killing Numerous Animals" [02/27/12] "Thousands of lambs are dying in Britain. The Schmallenberg virus causes lambs to be born dead or with serious deformities such as fused limbs and twisted necks, which mean they cannot survive. Scientists are urgently trying to find out how the disease, which also affects cattle, spreads and how to fight it, as the number of farms affected increases by the day. So far, 74 farms across southern and eastern England have been hit by the virus, which arrived in this country in January. A thousand farms in Europe have reported cases since the first signs of the virus were seen in the German town of Schmallenberg last summer. The National Farmers Union has called it a potential “catastrophe” and warned farmers to be vigilant. “This is a ticking time bomb,” said Alastair Mackintosh, of the NFU. “We don’t yet know the extent of the disease. We only find out the damage when sheep and cows give birth, and by then it’s too late.” It is unclear exactly how the disease arrived in Britain, but the leading theory is that midges carried the virus across the Channel or North Sea in the autumn. However, scientists cannot yet rule out transmission of the disease from animal to animal. Infected ewes do not show any symptoms of the virus until they give birth, with horrific results. Farmers have described delivering the deformed and stillborn animals as heartbreaking. The lambing season has only just begun, which means that the full impact of the disease will not be felt until the weather warms up and millions more animals are born. On the Continent, some farms have lost half of their lambs. So far the worst hit in Britain have lost 20 per cent, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Approximately 16 million lambs are born in Britain every year and sell at market for about £100 each. The effect of the disease on farms that are already struggling in the downturn could be severe. [...]"  Related: "Nepal: 20‚000 Fowls Die In Dharke"  | "Mystery Grows As More Livestock Dies In Maury County, Tennessee" - "Video Report" [2:55] 

MSM: "6.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southwestern Siberia" [02/27/12] "The 6.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the Tyva republic in Russia’s East Siberia on Sunday will trigger a new series of earthquakes in the region, a Russian scientist said. “Judging from the data received from our stations, this is not the continuation of the Tyva earthquake that occurred in late 2011 with its epicenter at the Academician Obruchev Ridge but signals a new series of earthquakes,” said Viktor Seleznyov, director of the Geophysical Institute at the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The earthquake, the second powerful tremor in East Siberia in the past two months, had its epicenter located 107 km (66 miles) east of the city of Kyzyl near the border with Mongolia, at a depth of 15 km. The earthquake struck at 10:20 a.m. Moscow time (06:20 GMT) with a magnitude of 6 to 7 points in the epicenter. The earthquake caused no casualties or damage, according to preliminary data reported by the Russian Emergencies Ministry. The previous earthquake with a 6.7 magnitude occurred in December 2011 in the Kaa-Khemsky district of Tyva, some 100 km east of the city of Kyzyl, at a depth of 10 km. The tremor caused no destruction or casualties. The next earthquake was expected to strike closer to Lake Baikal. Normally, a fault that becomes active in one area causes a series of decreasing tremors by their magnitude, he said. “In this case, it is most likely that some neighboring fault became active near the previous one. This means that Tyva will now be rattled by two series of earthquakes simultaneously,” he said. This is the second large earthquake to strike Siberia in two months.  [...]"  

MSM: "4.9 Hits Southeast France: The Strongest Earthquake In 15 Years" [02/27/12] " The earth shook in Crévoux, 16 km northeast of Barceloneta, tonight at 11:37 p.m. accurate, according to the website of Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). The earthquake measuring 4.9 (4.7 USGS ) on the Richter scale was felt in the Var, Alpes-Maritimes and even Marseille where many people reported they felt the tremor for 3 to 4 seconds. It is the strongest earthquake to hit the region of the Hautes-Alpes since 1997.  [...]" 

MSM: "Panic Hits Taiwan After 5.9 Tremor Rattles Mainland" [02/27/12] " A shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake sent people fleeing onto the streets in Taiwan’s second-largest city of Kaohsiung and led to temporary halting of rail services. No casualties were reported yesterday. The quake struck 57 kilometers east of the southern city at 10.34am at a depth of just four kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Hong Kong Observatory measured the quake at a magnitude of six, while Taiwan’s Seismology Centre put it at 6.1. The National Fire Agency said there were no casualties or major material damage. “A few Kaohsiung residents sought safety in the streets for a short while, but it wasn’t many,” a police officer said. A spokesman for the center said it is relatively rare for a quake of such magnitude to hit the Kaohsiung area. “While the quake was strong, it didn’t last long,” Chen Jung-yu said. “Even in some towns near the epicenter, buildings swayed for no more than seven seconds. That explained why it did not inflict damages.” A high-speed railway linking Kaohsiung with Taipei in the north resumed about 90 minutes after the quake prompted services to be suspended. The greater metropolitan area of Kaohsiung has a population of nearly three million. Taiwan is regularly hit by quakes as it lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. [...]" 

MSM: "Rise In Activity At Colombia’s Dreaded Nevado Del Ruiz Volcano" [02/27/12] "From 12:30 hours local time on February 23, a new increase in seismic activity of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano began, characterized by the occurrence of shallow earthquakes associated with fluid movements and fracturing of rock. So far, the energy level of this increase is low compared with previous episodes of unrest, but small eruptions in the near future are possible. On November 13, 1985, a small eruption from Nevado produced an enormous lahar that buried and destroyed the town of Armero in Tolima, causing an estimated 25,000 deaths. This event later became known as the Armero tragedy—the deadliest lahar in recorded history. The seismicity is located under the active Arenas crater at depths ranging between 0.5 and 3 km, and reached a maximum recorded magnitude of 1.4 on the Richter scale. The volcano last erupted in 1994.  [...]"  

MSM: "Earthquake swarm continues between Kilauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes" [02/26/12] "A 4.3-magnitude earthquake rocked Hawaii Island early Friday morning. The tremor was centered three miles from Kilauea volcano and is the largest of more than 100 small quakes in a swarm that started early Wednesday morning. Hawaii Island residents were awakened at 3:52 a.m. by the sound of books falling to the floor. "This is the kind of event when you feel it, you feel like a truck just hit your house and it's a fairly quick jolt and then it's gone," says Wes Thelen, the Seismic Network Manager for the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. "But that quick jolt can obviously knock things off shelves and rattle dishes pretty loudly." Scientists say the 4.3 magnitude earthquake was about 24 miles southwest of Hilo. It came nearly seven hours after a 4.1 magnitude quake struck the same area last night. "Both quakes were felt island wide," says Thelen.  [...]"  

MSM: "Next Big Pacific NW Quake Worse Than Predicted?" [02/26/12] [4:45]  "Experts agree that it's not a matter of if, but when the Pacific Northwest is rocked by an enormous earthquake, but new information shows that the "big one" could be even bigger and badder than first thought. Scientists say when the next big one hits, it could be something straight out of your nightmares. "Right now, technology is telling us we should be prepared, we should prepare for something like we saw in Japan," said Dr. Eddie Bernard, a Tsunami Expert and former NOAA Director. Like Bernard, University of Washington seismologist Bill Steele said hidden under the Pacific Ocean is a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. "There will be a lot of destruction," Steele said. Because Washington, Oregon and California are sitting against a huge subduction zone, the area could see see an earthquake and tsunami similar to the one that hit Japan last year. And now new data just collected from Japan's damaged coastline warns seismologist that the next mega quake to hit the Pacific Northwest could be ever bigger than first thought. "It means we'll probably get a little more shaking the next time there is a great earthquake here," said John Vidale, a UW professor and the state's seismologist. Vidale said researchers were surprised to learn this week that the strongest shaking in Japan's quake came from the deepest part of the subduction zone and not the shallow region as scientists expected. "That's more of a problem for us than Japan because the deeper part of our fault is under the land, under the cities, in Japan the action was mostly off-shore," he said. [...]"  

MSM: "New Ice Age To Begin In 2014" [02/26/12] "Habibullo Abdusamatov, a scientist from the Pulkovo Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences considers that the sharp drop in temperature will start on the Earth in 2014. “According to the scientist, our planet began to “get cold” in the 1990s. The new ice age will last at least two centuries, with its peak in 2055. “It is interesting, that the same date was chosen by the supporters of the theory of global warming. [...]" 

MSM: "Puna Area On Hawaii Island Shaken By Mysterious Force" [02/25/12] " A noisy, unexplained shaking in the Puna area of Hawaii Island remains a mystery at this time, but it certainly has the area talking. A number of people in a triangular area between Seaview Estates, Leilani Estates, and Black Sand Beach Subdivision report hearing a thunder-like sound, or an explosion, and feeling the ground shake around 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Folks leaving comments on the popular Punaweb forum are saying it happened around 8:42 a.m. John Drummond, the acting administrator of the Hawaii County Civil Defense, says that the incident cannot be explained at this point in time. Drummond says that he spoke to operators of Puna Geothermal Venture, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and personnel on the ground… no one has an explanation. One theory being considered is some sort of sonic boom, although who or what could have produced such an effect is presently unknown. News videographer Daryl Lee, who says he felt the shaking in Hawaiian Paradise Park, immediately hit the road in search of the source of the rumble. What he found were many folks around Puna makai who felt the same thing… but no answers. Drummond says luckily, there are no reports of damage as of 2 p.m. [...]"  

Commentary: "Magma Plume: Is Hawaii’s Most Active Volcano About To Enter A More Violent Phase?" [02/25/12] "A magnitude 4.1 earthquake rattled the summit of Kilauea tonight, continuing a swarm of small tremors that shook the region Wednesday. The latest quake, which hit at 9:11 p.m., was the strongest of the swarm so far and was centered 5 miles west of Volcano at a depth of 3.2 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The shaking was felt up to 75 miles away in Waikoloa, according to the USGS. A flurry of small temblors were recorded after the 4.1 magnitude quake. On Wednesday, USGS officials said a swarm of more than 60 small, shallow quakes — the strongest measuring magnitude 3.2 — were recorded in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Swarms of small quakes have been recorded before in the area and sometimes signal a shift in the eruption of the east rift of the volcano, they said. On Friday, February 24th, 2012, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake, the strongest in the swarm series thus far, struck the region near the volcano. On January 24, 2012, the volcano was rattled by a 4.7 maganitude earthquake. Clearly, Kilauea is entering a more violent phase of eruptions. Like El Hierro in the Canary Islands, like Italy’s Mt. Etna, and Icleand’s volcanic fields, the planet’s magma plumes are seen an inordinate rise in activity- a sign of more trouble to come. We began sounding the warnings back in December of 2011, when a profuse lava flow from Kīlauea breached the West Ka‘ili‘ili ocean for the first time in 4 years. A scientist then warned the volcano was capable of very violent eruptions. Meanwhile, the earthquake swarm continues. [...]" 

MSM: "5.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The Coast Of Mexico" [02/24/12] "A 5.0 magnitude earthquake rattled the ocean floor 101 km off the coast of Chiapas Mexico. Tension is building along this region of the Cocos tectonic plate, which borders the Caribbean Plate on the East and the Nazca Plate to the South. As the earthquake was 60 km in depth, there were no tsunami or damage reports issued for the region. [...]"  

MSM: "Cloud Tops Dropping Closer to Earth, NASA Satellite Finds" [02/24/12] "The sky is falling… sort of. Over the last 10 years, the height of clouds has been shrinking, according to new research. The time frame is short, but if future observations show that clouds are truly getting lower, it could have an important effect on global climate change. Clouds that are lower in the atmosphere would allow Earth to cool more efficiently, potentially offsetting some of the warming caused by greenhouse gases. "We don't know exactly what causes the cloud heights to lower," study researcher Roger Davies of the University of Auckland in New Zealand said in a statement. "But it must be due to a change in the circulation patterns that give rise to cloud formation at high altitude." [...]" 

MSM: "The Earth Might Have A "Pulse" That Causes Extinctions Every 60 Million Years" [02/23/12] "Every sixty million years, the biodiversity of our planet's oceans mysteriously crashes. This strange boom and bust cycle goes back 500 million years, and we now might know why: rising continents make the oceans too shallow for species to survive. The key to this mystery, according to new research led by University of Kansas physicist Adrian Melott, is the isotope strontium-87. This is one of four stable isotopes of the element strontium, although its less common (7.0%) than strontium-86 (9.86%) and much, much less abundant than strontium-88 (82.58%). The researchers, which also included paleontologist Richard Bambach and earth scientists Kenni D. Petersen and John M. McArthur, found that the concentration of Sr-87 relative to Sr-86 in marine fossils seems to increase every 60 million years, in lockstep with the periodic wave of extinction. [...]" 

MSM: "East Prairie, Mo. Earthquake Felt In At Least 9 States " [02/21/12]   "The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 4.0 earthquake was centered near the town of East Prairie, Mo. Geological Survey geophysicist Amy Vaughan says several people in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee reported being awakened by the quake that happened at 3:58 a.m. A few residents of North Carolina, Alabama, Indiana and Georgia also felt it. [...]" 

MSM: "Aleutian Island’s Kanaga Volcano Awakens- First Eruption In 17 Years" [02/21/12] "The remote Kanaga stratovolcano in the Aleutian Islands might have begun erupting, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reports. A possible ash cloud about 39 km (24 mi) NE of the volcano, likely from weak explosive activity, was detected on satellite imagery, and volcanic tremor was detected under the volcano from 15:23-15:27 UTC (6:23 AM AKST) on 18 February, followed by numerous small events for about an hour at Kanaga Volcano. AVO has placed the volcano at Aviation Color Code YELLOW. “This new unrest indicates a possibility for sudden explosions of ash to occur at any time, and ash clouds exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level may develop. If a large, explosive, ash-producing event occurs, the local seismic network, satellite ash alarms, infrasound, and volcanic lightning will alert AVO to the new activity.” Kanaga Volcano occupies the northern corner of Kanaga Island, one of the most southerly members of the central Aleutian chain. [...]"  

MSM: "Japan’s Mt. Fuji Volcano Awakens After 300 Years- Increased Risk Of An Eruption Warns Scientist" [02/19/12] "Reports are appearing about unrest and signs of a possible awakening of Mt Fuji volcano in Japan. According to a report which includes an unclear photo of the area, a row of new craters, the largest 50 m in diameter, has appeared on the eastern flank of the volcano at 2200 m elevation. Steam was observed erupting from these vents. The observation joins other signs suggesting a gradual reawakening: A swarm of earthquakes including 4 of magnitude 5 have occurred northeast of Mt Fuji on and after 28 January. An earlier 6.4M quake occurred under the volcano on 15 March 2011. The report also mentions increased activity from a fumarole vent at 1500 m elevation and hot spring areas at the eastern flank observed since 2003. These locations seem to be aligned geographically, and are probably connected. Dr. Masaaki Kimura of Ryukyu University is quoted to admit that there is an increased risk of an eruption on the eastern flank and that the status of the volcano should be closely monitored. Mt. Fuji last erupted in 1707, some 305 years ago.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Crack That Opened In Earth’s Magnetic Field On Feb 15th Still A Puzzle To Scientists" [02/18/12] "On February 10th there was filament eruption in the northern hemisphere that produced CME which traveled few days before reaching our magnetosphere on February 14. As magnetic disturbance rippled around the Arctic circle on February 14th, it opened a crack in our planet’s shield and it is still a puzzle to our scientists. At the time, local solar wind data showed nothing but disturbance that just happened. The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) amplified the display. The IMF near Earth tilted sharply south for long durations, opening a crack in our geomagnetic field. Solar wind poured in and it helped to trigger a brief G1 Geomagnetic Storm at high latitudes and fueled the widespread auroras. The magnetosphere acts as a shield that protects us from solar storms. Expert say that the reason for this outburst is still not completely clear. [...] Immense cracks sometimes develop in Earth’s magnetosphere and remain open for hours. This allows the solar wind to gush through and generate geomagnetic storms. And such occurrences sometimes cause problems with satellites, radio communication and power systems. The solar wind is a fast-moving stream of electrically charged particles (electrons and ions) blown constantly from the Sun, mostly from its coronal holes. The wind can get gusty during violent solar events, like coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can shoot a billion tons of electrified gas into space at millions of miles per hour. Earth’s magnetic field and the IMF come into contact at the magnetopause: a place where the magnetosphere meets the solar wind. Earth’s magnetic field points north at the magnetopause. If the IMF points south – a condition scientists call “southward Bz” — then the IMF can partially cancel Earth’s magnetic field at the point of contact. South-pointing Bz‘s open a door through which energy from the solar wind can reach Earth’s atmosphere. Southward Bz‘s often herald widespread auroras, triggered by solar wind gusts or coronal mass ejections that are able to inject energy into our planet’s magnetosphere.[...]"  

Commentary: "Silent Famine Pandemic Sweeping The Planet" [02/17/12] "A quarter of young children around the world are not getting enough nutrients to grow properly, and 300 die of malnutrition every hour, according to a new report that lays bare the effects of the global food crisis. There are 170 million children aged under five whose development has been stunted by malnutrition because of lack of food for them and their breastfeeding mothers, and the situation is getting significantly worse, according to research by the charity Save the Children. In Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Peru and Nigeria – countries which are the home of half of the world’s stunted children – recent rises in global food prices are forcing the parents of malnourished children to cut back on food and pull children out of school to work. [...]"  Note: Probably somewhere around 80% of the planet's population are not higher self incarnations of any description, but consist of nature spirit in a human body .... since the planetary spirit (an individuality on the nature spirit path) will be leaving this planet very soon, it's not a surprise that energetic connections with different manifestations are being withdrawn, in preparation for departure. This can be seen in 'wildlife' extinctions, mass death scenarios involving various embodiments of nature spirit, and more. Since the experience has been gained, and the level of maturity desired has been gained, there is no longer a reason to stick around. Of course, all this is to some degree concurrent with the departure of those in higher self path incarnations. Related "Probe Continues Into The Hundreds Of Dead Dolphins Washed Up On Peruvian Beaches" "At least 264 dead bottlenose dolphins have washed ashore over a stretch of Peru’s northern coast, officials said as they seek to discover what killed the marine animals. The dead dolphins were found over a 103 km stretch of sandy beach, Edward Barriga, an official with Peru’s Oceanic Institute, said. “We have taken samples to determine the cause of death,” said Mr. Barriga, speaking from the city of Lambayeque, adding that vast quantities of dead anchovies had also been found in the region. The dolphins may have been killed by the impact of off-shore oil exploration and drilling in the region, said Carlos Yaipen with ORCA, a non-governmental group that focuses on helping ocean creatures in the South Pacific. The mass dolphin deaths are a “very serious” issue, Mr. Yaipen said. The head of a Lambayeque group representing aqua-farmers, Jorge Cabrejos, said the anchovies appeared to have eaten contaminated plankton, which then sickened the dolphins that ate the small fish. Thirty-four of the world’s 81 cetacean species are found off the Peruvian shores, 17 of which are dolphins. Of those, the most common is the bottlenose dolphin.  [...]"  

Explorations: "Volcano / Earthquake Watch Feb 9-13, 2012" [02/16/12] [5:10] "Targeting Coronal Hole (CH499). With associated solar disturbances and significant Pc3 spikes indicate a strong seismic event in the coming days. After analysis I have isolated (26-30°S Latitude). Solar symmetry to earth indicates best fit regions for a possible 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake are: Kermadec Islands Region, La Rioja Argentina, Atacama Chile, San Juan Argentina or the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Time frame Feb 9-10. Targeting Coronal Hole (CH500) indicates a strong seismic event for the end of this watch period Feb 11-13. After analysis I have isolated (10-16°N Latitude). Solar symmetry to earth indicates best fit regions for a possible 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake are: Nicaragua, Andoman Islands India Region, Samar-Mindoro Philippines, Gulf Of Aden or the Owen Fracture Zone. *Possible volcanic activation (Bulusan Volcano) [...]"  

MSM: "6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The Coast Of Oregon" [02/15/12] "A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon at the shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) and was about 256 km (159 miles) off the coast of Oregon’s closest point, which is Coos Bay, Oregon. The earthquake comes after a volley of moderate earthquakes rippled up the U.S. west coast radiating towards an area of seismic tension along the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate which we identified several days ago when tremors shook Washington State and the seafloor near Vancouver Island. The stress on the Pacific Plate continues and we should expect more stress eruptions along Nazca, in South America and in the South Pacific along the Ring of Fire. The U.S. Hawaii Pacific Naval observation center said no tsunami was expected from today’s earthquake based on the previous seismic history of the region. [...]"  

MSM: "Over 100 Earthquake Insurance Claims Denied By Swiss Insurance Companies" [02/15/12] "Over 100 reports of damage have been filed with insurance companies following the earthquake in the Zurich area that took place on Saturday night. Shortly before midnight on Saturday, an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale rocked the greater Zurich area. The epicenter was determined as being close to Zug and about 30 kilometers under the earth’s surface. The earthquake was thought too deep to cause any damage, but Zurich Building Insurance has received over 100 small reports of damage, newspaper Tages Anzeiger reports. The majority of the damage is made up of hairline cracks in building work, according to Heinz Fröhlich from Zurich Building Insurance. Although the cracks are visible, the integrity and safety of the buildings have not been compromised. The insurance company has decided that it will not pay out on these claims because it considers that the earthquake was too weak on the seismic scale. This is the case not only in Zurich, but also in Lucerne, which also saw damage from the quake. Lucerne Building Insurance has also refused to make payouts following the damage, online news website 20 Minutes reported on Sunday. [...]"  Note: They'll have to upgrade building standards and/or apply retrofits to preserve stability, since Swiss companies are going with the 'act of nature and that's tough' concept.

Commentary: "Introduction To Earth-Sun Relationship And Effects On Earth’s Seismic Activity" [02/14/12] "... Coronal mass ejection’s relate to fueling an earthquake cycle but not the cause of earthquakes per say, The strong coronal mass ejection (CME) or Halo CME are usually associated with severe weather related phenomena here on earth (tropical cyclones, tornadoes, sub-tropical storms, extreme weather and a relationship with volcanic eruptions/ increase in magma movements here on Earth). Therefore the magma “push” from the deep earthquake fuels the earthquake cycle which then spreads across the globe. (Conceptually we can visualize that volcanoes are the arteries and magma is the blood of the Earth).  We usually have a window of 3-4 days where solar activities affect the Earth, high solar winds are incoming information’s or energy’s, once solar winds drop to levels before the increase then we know the full information/ energy’s have been received by the Earth and we are close to an earthquake related event providing the rise in solar winds were caused by a coronal hole. [...] It’s important that when thinking of Galactic forces that we understand the effects are energetic in nature and higher dimensional, not measurable by gravity. Many sometimes use the moons gravitational influence on the Earth and then expect other celestial body’s to have that same effect, unfortunately it does not. Now thinking outside the box, the earthquake has already happened here on Earth energetically but not physically, the Sun acts like a mirror and shows us slightly ahead in time what’s about to happen with the emergence of sunspots, coronal holes and coronal mass ejection’s ect …. So in simple terms the Earth makes an “order”, the Sun takes the “order” and transmutes it, and then sends the translated energy’s back to be manifested here on Earth. We use solar data to catch a glimpse of these higher dimensional energy transfer/exchange that are in progress and sometimes it may be perceived that we tap into the future by doing this. [...]"  Note: See the "Solar Watcher" website link at the top of this panel. Astrophysicist and Meteorologist Piers Corbyn also recognizes this connection. There is also another site called "Sky Watcher" that understands these connections, as does Dutch Sinse. Note 2: Another point is that we watch these things here on the website closely, because when you consider the existing dynamic detailed in the Matrix 5 material, in terms of the Sun being the location of the higher self node for the individual on the nature spirit path who manages life on Earth, and that individual is due to depart (graduate) very soon (this will happen, and it probably won't be the only aspect of the dynamic in play), and in doing so, all life on/inside Earth will drop to the ground, part of the atmosphere (which is bio-energetic) will fly off, and all incarnations, regardless of mode, will be ejected from the bodies, while the individual awareness nodes move up into the 4th density, and everyone goes their own way, except for 80% of the Earth's population, which comprises nature spirit in bodies, not higher self incarnations. All those will be absorbed instantly .... from a 3rd density perspective, this involves 'mass death' scenarios that terrify those who mistakenly identify with their body, which is just a temporary vehicle that our higher self differentiates into, through the time stream, to gather experiences in order to mature and progress toward greater responsibility. This is only a temporary 'civilization' and was never meant to be a long term dynamic, here ... because of the nature of this planet and those who are here, and why.

MSM: "6.0 And 6.4 Earthquakes Strike Near Japan And Solomon Islands" [02/14/12] "The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center reports a strong earthquake has occurred near the Solomon Islands, but there is no risk of a tsunami on the West Coast. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.4. It occurred Tuesday at 12:20 a.m. PST, about 46 miles west of Kira Kira, Solomon Islands. The warning center at Palmer, Alaska, says that based on historic tsunami records and on the quake’s magnitude and location, a damaging tsunami is not expected in Alaska or anywhere along the West Coast. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake also struck Honshu, Japan. [...]"  

MSM: "Double Tremors Strike Near Bulgarian Capital" [02/14/12] " Two mild earthquakes were felt in the first hour of Friday morning in the area of the towns of Elhovo and Topolovgrad in southeastern Bulgaria. The quakes measured 3.1 and 3.5 on the Richter scale respectively and were registered a little after midnight, about 260 km southeast of the capital Sofia, the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) said in a statement. The tremor was lightly felt in a number of villages in the Tundzha municipality in the Yambol region. There are no reports of injuries and/or damage [...]"  

MSM: "5.6 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Northern California" [02/14/12] "A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck northern California 50 km (31 miles) from Eureka, Ca. and 352 km from Sacramento according to the USGS. The earthquake had a preliminary depth of 32 km (20.4 miles) below the surface. The earthquake is the second to strike the region in 24 hours. On Sunday, seismometers recorded a 4.4 magnitude tremor with an epicenter near Cobb Mountain. Sunday’s earthquake, which occurred at 8:47 p.m., initially was reported as being 4.4 in magnitude, but was later dialed back slightly to 4.3 after it was reviewed by a seismologist, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report. Centered three miles east of The Geysers geothermal steam-field, three miles south southwest of Cobb and three miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, the earthquake occurred at a depth of two-tenths of a mile, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The USGS issued a warning that gave a 28 percent probability that aftershocks measuring 5.0 in magnitude or above could occur within the next seven days in the same location. The warning also stated that most likely the 5.6 magnitude quake was the main earthquake; there was a 5 percent to 10 percent possibility an earthquake measuring equal to or greater could occur within the next seven days in the same location. There have been no initial reports of damage from today’s 5.6 earthquake. [...] Northern California Seismic Network (NCSN) say that at this time (immediately after the main shock) the probability of a strong and possibly damaging aftershock in the next seven days is approximately 28 %. Most likely, the recent main shock will be the largest in the sequence. However, there is a small chance (5 to 10%) of an earthquake equal to or larger than this mainshock in the next 7 days. In addition, approximately 12 to 40 small aftershocks are expected in the same 7-day period and may be felt locally. (NCSN Propability Report - February 13, 2012 @ 21:18:03 UTC) [...] "  

MSM: "5.8 quake reported off Costa Rica" [02/13/12] "A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Costa Rica on Monday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake's epicenter was nearly 50 miles (75 kilometers) south of the capital city, San Jose, the survey said. The quake was about 17 miles (28 kilometers) below the Earth's surface, and its epicenter was just off the country's southwestern coast. It struck about 4:55 a.m. local time (5:55 a.m. ET), according to the geological survey. There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries. The agency estimated a higher magnitude for the quake earlier Monday in a preliminary reading." 

MSM: "4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Switzerland" [02/13/12] "The Swiss Seismological Service says a moderate earthquake shook Switzerland with the epicentre in the northcentral canton (state) Zug and Lake Zurich area. The Zurich-based service said today the magnitude of 4.2 quake could be felt around much of Switzerland yesterday night, and some minor damage was possible but unlikely. There were no immediate reports of any damage. Switzerland is an area of moderate seismic activity most do not exceed a magnitude of 3 and the last earthquake that caused damage was in 1991 in the southeast canton of Graubuenden. The last earthquake in Switzerland with a magnitude of 6 or higher was in 1946 in the southwestern canton of Valais, home to the Matterhorn. [...]"  

Commentary: "New Volcano Observatory Opens In California – Observing A Dozens Of Potentially Threatening Volcanoes" [02/13/12] "The U.S. Geological Service has opened a new volcano observatory, located outside San Francisco, within existing USGS facilities in Menlo Park. Main purpose of a fifth volcano observatory is to help volcanologists keep a better eye on the state’s varied volcanic activity. CalVO for short, will increase awareness of the volcano threats in California and will provide improved hazard-information products to the public and decision-makers. Officials at CalVO will research, monitor and assess hazards for all of the potentially active volcanoes in California and work with local and state emergency managers in the event of a volcanic crisis. [...]"  

MSM: "Power Cuts In Serbia As Europe's Deep Freeze Threatens National Grid" [02/12/12] "Serbia has started implementing power cuts in a desperate bid to stave off the collapse of its national grid as the country suffers the effects of days of freezing temperatures. EPS, the state-run power company, said it would cut power to industry first, warning that unless demand falls by about 10 per cent in the next few days the entire system could collapse under the strain . It has urged the public via a national television address to save electricity, . Temperatures as low as -30C have sent demand soaring but also interrupted coal production, restricting supplies to Serbia's coal-fired power stations. With the bad weather affecting neighbouring countries Serbia has also been unable to import extra energy to boost supplies. Zoran Manasijevic, EPS's assistant director, said that some 2,000 companies will have their power cut over the next few days, but stressed supplies for domestic consumers and vital buildings such as hospitals will remain unaffected. The power cuts comes as most of Europe still battles the unrelenting grip of a cold front that has brought chaos and death to the continent for almost two weeks.  [...] Some 70,000 people in Serbia remain cut off by the thick snow that has blanketed the Balkans, and state authorities have had to resort to helicopters to fly in supplies of food. In Romania 20,000 people have to contend with dwindling food supplies after snow as deep as 13 feet cut them off from the rest of the world. The death toll attributed to the deep freeze has now reached 540 as is expected to continue to climb with temperatures predicted to remain well below -20 C over the weekend in much of central and eastern Europe. Forecasters in the Czech Republic have also warned that night-time temperatures could crash to as low as -40C in the mountains. In Ukraine 140, mostly homeless, people have died despite the provision of the emergency shelter and food, while in Poland the figure has climbed to 82. Even in Italy, which has for the most part escaped the full wrath of the cold front, 25 people have died in the past 10 days, and forecasters predict that as much as 11 inches of snow could fall on Rome over the weekend as the country experiences its coldest temperatures in almost 30 years. "  

Analysis: "World Earthquakes 2011 Visualization Map" Link Fixed [02/10/12]   [9:02] All 2011 Earthquakes 6.0 and above. Note: Amazing increase in March ....

MSM: "Scientists Mystified By Largest Dolphin Stranding In Northeast U.S. In 20 Years" [02/07/12] "Nearly 130 dolphins have beached themselves on Cape Cod in the last three weeks, with 92 dying in what’s become “the single largest stranding” in at least two decades in the Northeast, the International Fund for Animal Welfare reported Monday. On Sunday, four more dolphins were stranded along Cape Cod’s hook-shaped peninsula and were quickly helped back to sea. The Massachusetts peninsula sees many dolphin strandings each year, but the 129 since Jan. 12 is typically about what rescuers see over an entire year, based on records that go back to 1999, IFAW marine mammal rescue manager Katie Moore told msnbc.com. “This event started on the 12th and is still continuing,” she added at a press conference on Monday, noting that rescuers from IFAW and other stranding networks were deployed in “anticipation of more dolphins coming in this afternoon.” Most of the dolphins have appeared to be in good health, adding to the mystery of why so many have come ashore. Dolphins are known to strand in groups due to their tight social structure, but given the large numbers this year, other factors such as weather and tides are being investigated. “I don’t know,” Moore said when asked about causes. “It pains me to say those three words.” Asked if climate change might be a factor, Moore said she couldn’t rule that out or in. As for the possibility of sonar or other human-made sounds disrupting the dolphins, she said no known sources existed inside Cape Cod. Initial results of studies on nine of the dead dolphins “do not indicate any pattern,” she noted. This stranding “is not only out of the ordinary,” she said, “but it takes a huge toll on our resources. It’s hard labor.” [...]"  

MSM: "Philippines: 900 Aftershocks In First 24 Hours After 6.9 Magnitude Earthquake" [02/07/12] "The local seismology monitors recorded as much as 900 mild aftershocks as of noontime today after the 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Central Visayas on Feb. 6. According to the local Philippine Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), through Engineer Nolan Evangelista, aftershocks are just ordinary incidents after a major earth movement.  [...]"  

MSM: "53 Dead In 6.7 Earthquake That Leaves The Philippines Reeling, As Region Hit By 6.0 Aftershock" [02/07/12] "Filipino officials say a strong earthquake has rocked the central Philippines, killing at least 53 people and causing widespread damage and power outages. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 6.8-magnitude quake struck late Monday morning at a depth of 20 kilometers. The quake was centered in a narrow strait just off Negros Island. Authorities say a landslide killed 29 people, others were killed in buildings and homes that collapsed on Negros, including the seaside town of La Libertad. Dozens of people are missing. Numerous aftershocks continued to shake the island hours after the quake. Officials say there is no concern of a tsunami, although some coastal towns nearby were hit by large waves. – [...]"  Related: "6.8 Earthquake Shakes Central Philippines" [02/06/12] "A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines on Monday, killing a child and triggering a local tsunami alert. [...]"  

MSM: "300 Dead in European Cold Snap" [02/06/12] " Now in its second week, a European cold snap has claimed more than 300 lives and sent hundreds more to hospitals, the Telegraph and BBC report. Some temperatures have plunged as low as -40 Fahrenheit. Ukraine still has it worst with 131 officially dead—most of them homeless—and 1,800 hospitalized, but Poland saw eight more die overnight to bring its death toll to 53. In eastern Bosnia, rescue helicopters are dropping food to the needy while Sarajevo, paralyzed by snow, has declared a state of emergency. The cold has even licked North Africa, where 16 Algerians are reported dead on snowy roads and in other weather-related incidents. At least four have died in France, while snowed-in Rome is sheeted in black ice. "It's awful," said one Rome resident. "The area is full of trees that have fallen on cars but no one's come to help us." Not all the news is bad, however: A Croatian woman gave birth with the help of neighbors when emergency workers couldn't get there in time. Her new daughter's name: Snjezana, or "Snow-White" in Croatian. [...]"  

MSM: "6.0-Magnitude Quake Strikes Off Philippines" [02/05/12] "An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale has hit off the eastern coast of the Philippines, but there were no immediate reports of damage or a tsunami alert. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake occurred at 9:09 p.m. local time (1309 GMT) on Saturday off the island of Samar and around 100 kilometers north of the city of Guiuan. The epicenter was located around 600 kilometers east of the capital Manila and at a depth of 60 kilometers (38 miles), according to the USGS. The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is an area with intense seismic and volcanic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates. Ten people were injured last November when a moderate 5.0-magnitude earthquake shook a city in the southern Philippines.  [...]"  

MSM: "5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Off Vancouver Island, Canada" [02/05/12] "A 5.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the waters off Vancouver Island Saturday afternoon. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake occurred at 12:05 p.m. local time about 170 kilometers west from Ucluelet, B.C. It was recorded at a depth of 12.8 kilometres in the Pacific Ocean. Natural Resources Canada assigned the quake a magnitude of 5.6, differing slightly from the USGS assessment, and said “no tsunami (is) expected from an event of this magnitude.” Some Ucluelet residents told local media they felt a small tremor. According to the USGS, a handful of residents in Nana, Courtenay and Campbell River reported feeling “weak” tremors. No damage has been reported. [...]"  

MSM: "Snow Falls In Rome For The First Time In 26 Years" [02/05/12] "Snow fell in Rome today for the first time in 26 years as freezing temperatures took the death toll across Europe to more than 150. The Italian capital is usually blessed by a moderate climate but the snowfall prompted authorities stop visitors from entering the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, the former home of Rome's ancient emperors. The last substantial snowfalls in Rome were in 1985 and 1986, though there have been other cases of lighter snow since then, including in 2010. The director of the Colosseum, Rossella Rea, said the sites were closed out of fears that visitors could slip on ice.. Snow began falling in the late morning Friday, leaving a light dusting on trees and cars and forming slush on the roads. It wasn't clear if there would be any significant accumulation on the ground.  [...]"  

MSM: "Britain Shivers As Heavy Snowfall Sweeps Across Frozen Isles" [02/04/12] [1:11] "Snow showers swept the UK this evening as the first widespread big freeze of the winter threatened to cripple much of the country. With most of the UK on amber alert, the Met Office's second highest severe weather warning, flights were cancelled and a string of sporting fixtures fell victim to the big chill. It came after Britain shivered through the coldest night of the winter so far with temperatures plunging to minus 12.4C last night and forecasters predicting up to 15cm of snow. [...]"  

MSM: "Bat Population Near Extinction In U.S. Northeast" [02/04/12] "The little brown bat could be wiped out in the northeastern United States within the next decade by white-nose syndrome according to new projections. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that since 2006, when white-nose syndrome was initially discovered, as many as 6.7 million bats have died from that disease. Bats control pests on farms and in forests and serve as important pollinators. Spokeswoman Ann Froschauer says some bat species are affected more than others, but typically the fungal disease is 80 to 85 percent fatal. “The little brown bat in the northeast is right around 90 percent mortality right now,” Froschauer said. “So… that doesn’t leave a lot of bats to try to repopulate. So there continues to be problems for the remaining bats.” Some caves in Pennsylvania that have been tracked are even worse. For instance, in Bucks County, the Durham caves had nearly 7,400 bats in 2004. In 2011, only 161 bats were counted — a stunning 98 percent loss over seven years. These were once home to one of the largest wild bat populations in the state. Other tracked Pennsylvania caves aren’t any better. Three caves had bats in the single digits. One cave had no bats at all. Froschauer says even with current efforts to repopulate bats, it could take centuries to bring them back to previous levels. Bats can only produce about one baby per year.  [...]"  

MSM: "Philippines Record 87 Earthquakes In The Month Of January 2012" [02/04/12] "... Of the 87 tremors recorded in January, eight were in the magnitude of 5 or higher in the Richter Scale. The strongest was a magnitude-5.9 that occurred 55 kilometers northeast of Mercedes, Eastern Samar on Jan. 17 at 8:55 p.m. Earlier on that same day at 6 p.m., a 5.1 magnitude tremor hit an area 29 km northeast of Don Marcelino, Davao del Sur. The next strongest was a magnitude 5.5 that hit 62 km southeast of Virac, Catanduanes on Jan. 28 at 8:17 a.m. At noon on that same day, a 5.0 earthquake occurred at 38 km northwest of Calayan, Cagayan. Another 5.5 quake occurred 41 km northwest of Calayan, Cagayan on Jan. 15. Other quakes of the scale of magnitude 5 were: 5.0 that hit 10 km southwest of Talacogon, Agusan del Sur on Jan. 12; 5.0 at 103 km southwest of Sarangani, Davao del Sur, and 5.3 on Jan. 24 at 8 km northeast of Barobo, Surigao del Sur. Of the 13 earthquakes that occurred during the first three days of February, the strongest had an intensity 5 recorded at 38 km northeast of Borongan, Eastern Samar on Feb. 1 at 12:30 p.m. All of these earthquakes were of tectonic origin. In November 2011, a total of 95 quakes were recorded, of which 21 were felt at various intensities. [...]"  

Commentary: "Weather Weapons and Earthquake Bombs: World Leaders Condemn Britain and America’s Secret Arsenal" [02/03/12] "After the Haiti earthquake in 2010, which the US used as yet another excuse to militarise the tortured country’s aid relief, Hugo Chavez bravely quoted a Russian Northern Fleet document suggesting that America’s huge array of electromagnetic and acoustic weapons (which have been stranding poor dolphins and whales for decades) were used to trigger the earthquake. The Western media had a good chuckle at Chavez, keeping silent about the fact that official sources reveal the existence of such weapons, some of which have been around since the 1930s. [...]"  

MSM: "Concerns Grow Over Volcanic Eruptions In The U.S." [02/03/12] "Scientists have known for decades that hidden under those impressive vistas at sites such as Death Valley and Yellowstone National Park are magma pools that under the right conditions can trigger explosive eruptions. Now, new research is changing scientists' understanding of the timing of those eruptions, and prompting them to call for greater monitoring of sites to help save lives when the next big volcano explodes. Two recent papers highlight the shift. One looked at a Death Valley volcano thought to be 10,000 years old and found it last erupted just 800 years ago, and is still an eruption danger. The other found that large caldera volcanoes, such as the one under Crater Lake in Oregon, can recharge in a matter of decades, rather than the thousands of years previously thought. "The understanding of the timing of eruptions and the timing of the building up to eruptions is changing," says Margaret Mangan, the scientist in charge of volcano monitoring in California for the U.S. Geological Survey. "These two papers are very nice examples of good scientific work." One thing that's coming to light is that eruptions are often clustered, with "long stretches of inactivity punctuated by periods of activity that can go on for years," Mangan says. [...]"  

MSM: "7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Region Of Vanuatu" [02/03/12] "An earthquake measuring 7.1 struck in the Pacific Ocean off Vanuatu on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but residents said there were no reports of damage. The quake, which hit at 1334 GMT, was at a shallow 6.3 miles (10 km) depth, the USGS said, and was centered 122 km (76 miles) west of Port-Vila, the capital of Vanuatu or about 1,800 km (1,120 miles) east of the Australian coast. A police official in Port Vila, reached by telephone, said the quake was felt strongly, but there had been no reports of damage. “We felt a big effect, but no we haven’t heard of any damage,” he said. Based on historical data, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, there was no threat of a widespread destructive tsunami. [...]"  

Commentary: "HEPA Air Filters in California Recorded Radiation Levels 538% Above Normal" [02/03/12] [9:41] "A test of a HEPA air filter stationed in California recorded radiation levels at 351% and 538% above normal background levels. The tests, conducted by the Enviroreporter, show levels much higher than normal background levels that are most likely coming from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It is clear that, despite a large scale misinformation campaign conducted by various governments and sock puppets throughout the internet, an increase in radiation HAS been seen in the United States after the Japan Fukushima nuclear disaster. [...]" 

Overview: "Seismic Destabilization Of The South Pole: Update for January to February 2, 2012" [02/02/12] (Map Image)

MSM: "Small Tremor Rattles Faults Around New Madrid Region" [02/01/12]   "Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey confirm a small earthquake rattled an area of Southern Illinois early this morning. A magnitude-2.2 tremor was recorded at the St. Louis University Earthquake Research Center at 5:10 a.m. No damage was reported. Researchers said the quake’s epicenter was about four miles east of Troy, Ill., or around 25 miles east of St. Louis. The quake originated from an estimated depth of 1.8 miles. The quake was believed to have related to a series of faults associated with the New Madrid Fault Zone. The last major earthquake recorded in Southern Illinois was a 5.2 tremor recorded on April 18, 2008 and was centered near Bellmont, Ill. A 2.7 tremor was noted on September 13, 2011 east of Cisne, Ill.  [...]" Related: See "U.S. To Begin Large-Scale Emergency Preparedness Drills For New Madrid Fault Region" [01/29/12] below.

MSM: "Alert Level Raised At Alaska’s Cleveland Volcano – Explosions Expected With Lava Dome" [02/01/12] "The warning level for a remote Alaska volcano has been raised after a new lava dome began forming, indicating the mountain could explode and send up an ash cloud that could threaten aircraft. The Alaska Volcano Observatory on Tuesday elevated the alert status for Cleveland Volcano. Officials say the new lava dome was spotted in the summit crater. The observatory says as of Monday, the dome was about 130 feet in diameter. There have been no eruptions since Dec. 25 and Dec. 29, which destroyed the earlier lava dome built up over the fall. Cleveland is a 5,675-foot peak on an uninhabited island 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. Authorities say sudden eruptions could occur at any time, and ash clouds 20,000 feet above sea level are possible.  [...]" 

MSM: "6.3 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Coast Of Peru" [01/31/12] "A earthquake of 6.3 magnitude rattled the coast of Peru early on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake occurred shortly after midnight local time (1 a.m. ET) and was centered about 9 miles southeast of the city of Ica and about 170 miles south-southeast of Lima. Witnesses said the quake shook buildings in coastal Lima, Peru’s capital. Although there were no reported injuries or damage, local radio said residents near the epicenter were alarmed and ran outside their homes when they felt the quake. Power was out in nearby Pisco, the radio said. “We felt a terrible earthquake that’s really scared us,” Ica resident Blanca Cabanilla told the local radio. “It was similar to what happened to us in 2007.” An 8.0 quake in 2007 killed more than 500 people in Ica and wrecked thousands of homes [...]"  

MSM: "Volcanoes May Have Sparked Little Ice Age" [01/31/12] "A mysterious, centuries-long cool spell, dubbed the Little Ice Age, appears to have been caused by a series of volcanic eruptions and sustained by sea ice, a new study indicates. The research, which looked at chemical clues preserved in Arctic vegetation as well as other data, also pinpointed the start of the Little Ice Age to the end of the 13th century. During the cool spell, which lasted into the late 19th century, advancing glaciers destroyed northern European towns and froze the Thames River in London and canals in the Netherlands, places that are now ice-free. There is also evidence it affected other continents. "This is the first time anyone has clearly identified the specific onset of the cold times marking the start of the Little Ice Age," said Gifford Miller, a geological sciences professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the lead study researcher. "We also have provided an understandable climate feedback system that explains how this cold period could be sustained for a long period of time." [...]"  

MSM: "Eruption Update for January 30, 2011: Popocatépetl, Santorini, El Hierro, Etna, Grimsvötn" [01/31/12] "Let’s start the week with a bevy of new volcano news – the slow start to 2012 seems to be gaining some life. It isn’t all new eruptions as such, but a number of well-known volcanoes are potentially rumbling. [...]" 

MSM: "6.2 Magnitude Kermadec Earthquake Sets Off Swarm Of Aftershocks" [01/29/12] "A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has struck beneath the Pacific off New Zealand’s Kermadec Islands. The earthquake was later downgraded to a 5.8 by the USGS. No tsunami warning has been issued. The United States Geological Survey says the remote offshore quake hit at 05:42 am local time (1742 GMT) at a depth of 28 kilometers. Its epicenter was 44 kilometers east southeast of Raoul Island and 937 kilometers south southwest of Tonga. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert for the area, part of the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire,” a highly active tectonic zone that frequently experiences earthquakes. The initial quake was followed five minutes later by a 5.2-magnitude aftershock in a similar area which turned into a swarm. The remote Kermadec Islands are New Zealand’s northern most islands, 1,100 kilometers north of Auckland. The 5.8 earthquake was followed by a swarm of aftershocks- a 5.0, 5.1, a 5.2, a 5.3, and a 5.4. [...]" 

MSM: "U.S. To Begin Large-Scale Emergency Preparedness Drills For New Madrid Fault Region" [01/29/12] "Washington’s emergency management director is encouraging individuals, businesses, schools and service groups to participate in a regional earthquake preparedness drill. The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut will take place Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 10:15 a.m. As of Friday, more than 1.6 million participants from the region have agreed to take part in the drill in some form. Of those, more than 366,000 are from Missouri so far. Those interested in taking part in the drill can sign up to register at http://shakeout.org/centralus. Bill Halmich, emergency management director, said the city of Washington has registered for the drill. Halmich provided city departments with information about the drill and said each department will participate in a manner that does not disrupt city services that day. A resolution to participate is expected to be brought before the city council Monday, Feb. 6, Halmich said. Unlike other natural disasters, earthquakes can be an unusual challenge to prepare for because there are no advance warnings, he said. Those who register can participate at different levels based on how much time they can allow for the exercise. “It can be as easy as providing information to your staff,” Halmich said, such as emailing employees tips on how to prepare for an earthquake at home and work or hanging banners and signs throughout organizations or workplaces. Another way to participate is hold post-drill discussions to hear what people learned and plan their next steps. Participants also can consider taking part in safety drills, discussing what to expect will happen during the drill and then holding a feedback session after the drill to identify strengths and weaknesses. Registered participants will be asked after the drill to provide information as to what they did to prepare. Then, those individuals or groups will receive a certificate of participation. Halmich is asking once participants receive their certificate to notify him so he can make a list of who in this area took part and how. On April 28, 2011, 486,238 organizations and individuals in Missouri took part in the first Great Central U.S. ShakeOut. [...]"  

MSM: "Scientists Find New Dangerous 200 Km Long Fault Off The Coast Of Japan" [01/29/12] "An active fault around 200 km long that is believed to have been a source of huge quakes in the past has been found off Honshu’s Kii Peninsula, according to researchers at the University of Tokyo. If the fault on the Nankai Trough moves, it could trigger a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, the researchers said, adding they have found a seabed cliff several hundred meters high that was created by the fault’s past movements. “There is a high probability that fault shifts have caused great tsunami,” said Park Jin Oh, associate professor of marine geology. “We need to reformulate disaster countermeasures by taking into account an active fault on the seabed 200 km or longer.” Park analyzed sonar data on the seabed collected by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology and found a fault branching off from a boundary between two tectonic plates in an area west of the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture. The fault was found to be connected to a similar fault to the east of the peninsula and to extend at least 200 km, the researchers said. While it remains unclear exactly when or how many times the fault has moved, the eastern and western parts are believed to have shifted often and at the same time, judging from the geographical characteristics of the area. Such movements may have caused the 8.6-magnitude Hoei earthquake in 1707, Park said. The eastern part of the fault is meanwhile believed to have caused a magnitude 7.9 quake and tsunami that struck in 1944. In addition, an extended area of the newly discovered western part overlaps the area where a magnitude 8.0 quake struck in 1946. It is therefore possible that the western part moved two years after the eastern part did, Park said.  [...]"  Note:  Related:

Commentary: "Volcano / Earthquake Watch Jan 22-26, 2012" [01/28/12]   [5:08] Note: Correlation of solar events with geological events on Earth.

MSM: "Santorini Comes Under Close Observation After Crete Rattled By Second 5.2 Earthquake" [01/28/12] "Crete has been hit with a second 5.2 earthquake in 24 hours. After a serial of strong earthquakes on 26 January the Greeks begin to take the seismic development around an under Santorini serious. Today there have been several earthquakes south-west of Santorini on the Christiana-Kameni-Koloumbos-Fault starting with 5.2 R, 4,2 R end 3,2 R. It is a logic development that helps a magma chamber uprising. The status of the Nea Kameni volcano remains still at “yellow”, but we have to expect something. The team of VolcanoDiscovery is already prepared for a possible volcanic activity. It is not a danger to the tours, because there is a safe distance from the island Nea Kameni (the volcano) to the main part of the island (Thira). We watch the seismic activity on a daily base and will start an excursion from the time we will see a suddenly much higher rate of earthquakes on the island.  [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude-5.5 Quake Rocks Eastern Japan" [01/28/12] "A magnitude-5.5 earthquake has hit eastern Japan, Reuters reports. According to NHK TV, there is no tsunami warning.  [...]"  

MSM: "Mexico’s Turbulent Popocatépetl Volcano Erupts Again" [01/28/12] "The 5,400-metre high Popocatepeti volcano has erupted again with a plume of ash after shaking for several minutes early on Thursday. Civil protection authorities reported that the cloud drifted west before turning back eat towards Puebla City. Lying 37 miles southeast of Mexico City and its 18 million inhabitants it remains to be seen how the ash cloud will effect the megalopolis. The volcano’s activity has been reported as stable and there is no threat to populated areas. However, authorities have urged people to stay at least seven miles from the area and to await further information from Mexico’s national disaster prevention agency. The gas cloud is the largest in many years with authorities eagerly keeping watch over any potential change in activity. Popocatepetl has had more than 15 major eruptions since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. [...]" 

MSM: "Costa Rica’s Turrialba Volcano Unleashes 15,000 Ft Ash Cloud" [01/28/12] "Costa Rica’s Turrialba volcano produced a burst of activity that shot water, vapor and ash more than 15,000 feet into the air. Nearby residents reported that ash from the blast showered several communities. The mountain’s volcano observatory said that a new fissure broke open on the southeastern flank of the crater during the eruption. Turrialba last produced an eruption in 1866, which sent ash falling as far away as Nicaragua, according to historical records. The mountain has become increasingly active since it began to rumble again in January 2001. In January 2010, it spewed ash with such force that two nearby villages, La Central and El Retiro, were evacuated briefly [...]"  

MSM: "Tremors Trigger Panic In Eastern India" [01/27/12] "Mild tremors in parts of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday triggered panic among people. There was no loss of life or damage to property. People ran out of their houses in several parts of Krishna and Guntur districts in north coastal Andhra and Khammam district in Telangana region as the earth vibrated for few seconds. People in some areas said they experienced tremors at least five times between 12.25pm and 12.30pm. Vessels and other house-hold items trembled and even fell on the ground, people said. Fearing another earthquake, people were reluctant to return home and preferred to stay in open grounds. Scientists at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) here described the tremors as seismic vibrations. The tremors were not recorded at the observatory. A scientist said only tremors of an intensity of above 2.8 on the Richter scale get recorded. The NGRI scientists said there was no need for panic as such vibrations are a common occurrence. [...]" 

MSM: "Earthquakes Strike Regions Of Mt. St. Helens" [01/25/12] " A magnitude 3.4 earthquake occurred at 2:51 a.m. Wednesday about 10 miles north of Mount St. Helens. The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network reports mild shaking was felt in Longview, Castle Rock and Morton. The University of Washington reports the quake was followed by a half-dozen small aftershocks in the next hour. Small quakes are common in the area around the volcano in southwest Washington.  [...]"  

Commentary: "World’s Oceans Threatened By Growing Danger Of Volcanic Explosions" [01/24/12] " Between 75 and 80 per cent of all volcanic activity on Earth takes place at deep-sea, mid-ocean ridges. Most of these volcanoes produce effusive lava flows rather than explosive eruptions, both because the levels of magmatic gas (which fuel the explosions and are made up of a variety of components, including, most importantly CO2) tend to be low, and because the volcanoes are under a lot of pressure from the surrounding water. Over about the last 10 years however, geologists have nevertheless speculated, based on the presence of volcanic ash in certain sites, that explosive eruptions can also occur in deep-sea volcanoes. But no one has been able to prove it until now. By using an ion microprobe, Christoph Helo, a PhD student in McGill’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has now discovered very high concentrations of CO2 in droplets of magma trapped within crystals recovered from volcanic ash deposits on Axial Volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, off the coast of Oregon. These entrapped droplets represent the state of the magma prior to eruption. As a result, Helo and fellow researchers from McGill, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, have been able to prove that explosive eruptions can indeed occur in deep-sea volcanoes. Their work also shows that the release of CO2 from the deeper mantle to the Earth’s atmosphere, at least in certain parts of mid-ocean ridges, is much higher than had previously been imagined. Given that mid-ocean ridges constitute the largest volcanic system on Earth; this discovery has important implications for the global carbon cycle which have yet to be explored. [...]"  

MSM: "6.3 Magnitude Quake Strikes Near Fiji, The Fourth Consecutive Major Quake In 4 Days" [01/24/12] "A very deep 6.3 magnitude earthquake erupted along the seafloor off the island of Fiji. The earthquake had a depth of 582.8 km (362.2 miles). The epicenter of the earthquake was 759 km (472 miles) from SUVA, Fiji and about 1374 km from Auckland, New Zealand. The Fiji earthquake was the fourth consecutive earthquake to strike the planet in four days. Earlier today, a 6.2 struck off the coast of Chile, preceded by a 6.0 in the South Sandwich Islands the day prior, and a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Chiapas, Mexico prior to that. The string of quakes comes both before and during a phase where solar activity and CME’s are colliding with the planet’s magnetosphere. [...]"  

MSM: "Strong Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Struck Offshore Chiapas, Mexico" [01/24/12] "A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has hit the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, shattering windows and sending frightened residents into the streets. The quake struck in the Pacific Ocean about 35 miles (55km) south-west of the city of Mapastepec, near Mexico's border with Guatemala. The tremor was felt hundreds of miles away in El Salvador's capital, San Salvador. [...]"  

MSM: "Moderate Earthquake Rattles Northeastern Iran- Strongest In 10 Years" [01/24/12] "An earthquake hit north-eastern Iran on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. The magnitude 5.5 (5.1 USGS) earthquake hit at 4:05pm (local time) about 10 kilometers outside the city of Neyshabur, which is some 70km away from the holy city of Mashhad, the official IRNA news agency said. “There have been no reports of casualties yet,” Red Crescent official Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh told the semi-official Fars news agency, adding that windows of some houses in Neyshabur had been shattered. The IRNA news agency said the quake lasted seven seconds and was the strongest felt in the region in 10 years. Many parts of Iran are prone to earthquakes. At least seven people were killed in a magnitude 6.5 quake that jolted the south east on December 20 in 2011, the same region where a huge tremor killed some 31,000 people in the city of Bam in 2003. [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.0 - South Sandwich Islands Region" [01/24/12]   [0:00] "38 km (85 miles) E of Visokoi Island, South Sandwich Islands [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.2 - Offshore Bio-Bio, Chile" [01/24/12] "50 km (31 miles) N of Concepcion, Bio-Bio, Chile [...]" Followed by continuing aftershocks.

MSM: "5.0 Quake Rattles Hawaii" [01/24/12] "A 5.0 earthquake and several aftershocks hit Hawaii late this afternoon, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injury. The tremblor struck Kae'na Point in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Nearby resident Joe Lopez, 70, felt a "pretty good jolt," he told the Honolulu Star Advertiser. The quake shook his home and sent books plunging to the floor. No tsunami warning was issued.  [...]" 

MSM: "Geothermal Test Will Pour Water Into Volcano To Make Power" [01/24/12] "Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in central Oregon this summer to demonstrate technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live up to its promise. [...]"  Note: Wait until they trigger geological activity. Let's watch ... and see what the meddlers do ...

MSM: "Eruption Continues Unabated At Congo’s Nyamulagira Volcano" [01/17/12] [3:08] "The eruption at Nyamuragira volcano (DR Congo) continues with lava fountains 50-150 m high, ejections of incandescent bombs reaching up to 600 m, and the emission of an aa lava flow from the second (eastern) vent. Nyamuragira has been described as Africa’s most active volcano and has erupted over 40 times since 1885. The latest eruption began in November of 2011.  [...]"  

MSM: "25 Volcanoes In Indonesia Now Showing Signs Of Abnormal Activity" [01/16/12] "Twenty-five volcanoes in Indonesia are now showing abnormal activity or have been put on alert or watch status, presidential special aide Andi Arief said here on Saturday. “According to official data, 25 volcanoes are now under alert or watch status and they must be given priority with regard to disaster mitigation planning at district or city levels,” he said at a workshop on journalists’ role in disaster management. He said in West Sumatra there were two volcanoes that need to be closely watched, namely Mount Marapi and Mount Talang, as they are still under alert status. Mount Marapi is located in Agam and Tanahdatar districts and rises 2891 meters above sea level, and Mount Talang (2597 meters above sea level) in Solok district was located around 40 kilometers from the provincial capital Padang. Apart from the two volcanoes, the government and regional disaster management agencies were also giving priority attention to Mount Papandayan in West Java, Mount Karangetan and Lokon in North Sulawesi, Mount Ijen in East Java, Mount Gamalama in North Maluku, Mount Krakatau in Banten and Lampung and Mount Lewoloto in East Nusa Tenggara. He said “it is not impossible that volcanoes that are now still normal could change to become abnormal due to earthquakes that have happened to trigger magma in the mountains to increase their activity, and therefore alertness and readiness of the people must continue to be maintained.” Andi said earthquakes below five on the Richter Scale could trigger magma in the volcanoes to rise and so people must not only be alert over big but also small tremors. The 4.4 magnitude earthquake like the one in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, is one of the examples, where people had never predicted before that it could happen there, he said. “The small magnitude quake is now being studied by researchers with regard to minimizing the damage in case an eruption happens in the country as there are a lot of volcanoes in Indonesia,” he said. [...]"  Related: "Seven Volcanoes In Indonesia On Alert Status" [01/09/12] below.

MSM: "6.6 Earthquake Hits Off Antarctica's Coast" [01/16/12] "A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck Sunday off the coast of Antarctica, prompting a warning that there was a "small possibility" it could trigger a tsunami. [...]"  

Analysis: "Global Earthquake Overview -- Europe, Asia, Americas" [01/15/12] [14:59] Very interestiing.

MSM: "Scientists Find Rift Between New Mexico And Colorado Geologically Active And Capable Of Generating Quakes" [01/14/12] " The Rio Grande Rift, a thinning and stretching of Earth’s surface that extends from Colorado’s central Rocky Mountains to Mexico, is not dead but geologically alive and active, according to a new study involving scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. “We don’t expect to see a lot of earthquakes, or big ones, but we will have some earthquakes,” said CU-Boulder geological sciences Professor Anne Sheehan, also a fellow at CIRES. The study also involved collaborators from the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, Utah State University and the Boulder-headquartered UNAVCO. The Rio Grande Rift follows the path of the Rio Grande River from central Colorado roughly to El Paso before turning southeast toward the Gulf of Mexico. Sheehan was not too surprised when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck about 9 miles west of Trinidad, Colo., in the vicinity of the Rio Grande Rift on Aug. 23, 2011. The quake was the largest in Colorado since 1967 and was felt from Fort Collins to Garden City, Kan. Along the rift, spreading motion in the crust has led to the rise of magma — the molten rock material under Earth’s crust — to the surface, creating long, fault-bounded basins that are susceptible to earthquakes, said Sheehan, a study co-author and also associate director of the CIRES Solid Earth Sciences Division. The team studied the Rio Grande Rift region to assess the potential earthquake hazards. Also, the team may attempt to determine vertical as well as horizontal activity in the region to tell whether the Rocky Mountains are still uplifting or not, Berglund said. As far as the potential for future earthquakes in the region, the study’s results are unequivocal, however. “The rift is still active,” Sheehan said. [...]"  

MSM: "Mystery Booming Noise Leaves Residents And Houses Reeling In Costa Rica" [01/13/12] Video clip [2:07] " Monday morning started off with a bang for residents of the Central Valley when a loud, as yet unidentified, series of booms rattled windows about 30 minutes after midnight. Many did not hear it, but enough people did to cause a firestorm of comment on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The strange sound was prolonged – many described it as lasting for five minutes or so. Perhaps the only one making no comments were scientists and government authorities, who were reticent about commenting or speculating. A few things it wasn’t: Volcanologists discounted a volcanic eruption; nor was it a supersonic aircraft, because the powerful radar at Juan Santamaría International Airport outside of San José picked up no planes at the time, not even subsonic ones. Also, there were no climatological phenomena or strange weather conditions. By nightfall Monday, the speculation was still going along briskly with the major vote going to fireworks at the festival at Zapote, in San José. But many said it sounded like no fireworks they had ever heard. Mario Sánchez, spokesman for the National Meteorological Institute, discounted a storm because the only thing that would sound like the noise described would be a storm accompanied by lightning – and early Monday morning was clear with a full moon. The sound reverberated in Coronado, Heredia, Desamparados, Escazú, Cartago, San Ramón, Turrialba and as far south as Pérez Zeledón near the Panama border. Rafael Arias, advisor to the San José Municipality, confessed to being puzzled. Yes, he told the daily La Nación, there were fireworks that closed out the fiestas, and they might have been heard as far away as Desamparados – but not in San Joaquín de Flores. Although other citizens might be celebrating with fireworks, they certainly would not be heard that far away, he added. The owner of fireworks firm Cavica, Carlos Villavicencio, thinks it could have been his company’s work in the night. “Yes, we closed out the festival with about 150 bombetas [exploding aerial bombs].” But he still couldn’t explain how they could have been heard in Turrialba. The director of the School of Physics at the University of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Carboni, scoffed that only a volcanic eruption could be heard that far away. But Fabio Antonio Chávez, a Zapote resident, was not convinced the fireworks didn’t cause the uproar. He told La Nación, “They set off my car alarm. They were very strong. … I’ve never seen anything like them in the 10 years I’ve lived here.” [...]"  

MSM: "7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra" [01/10/12] " A 7.3 magnitude tectonic earthquake at a depth of 29 km (18 miles) was recorded on Tuesday, 420 km (260 miles) south west of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey said. No immediate tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for its Indian Ocean area but later that was changed. The epicenter of the strong earthquake was about 1789 km (1111 miles) WNW of Jakarta, Java, Indonesia. In recent weeks, a spasm of earthquakes have rattled the region in around Indonesia and currently 7 volcanoes in the very geologically-active archipelago are on high alert status. The earthquake is the second large earthquake of 2012 and comes on the heels of yesterday’s 6.6 magnitude earthquake which struck the Santa Cruz Islands.  [...]"  

MSM: "Seven Volcanoes In Indonesia On Alert Status" [01/09/12]   "The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has warned that seven volcanoes located across the archipelago are on alert statuses. The agency said it has prepared measures for the worst-case scenarios and officials met on Saturday to discuss the measures, said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugrowo. The seven volcanoes are Papandayan Mountain in West Java, Karangetang and Lokon in North Sulawesi, Ijen in East Java, Gamalama in North Maluku, Anak Krakatau in Lampung and Lewotolo in East Nusa Tenggara. Sutopo said the agency was closely monitoring each volcano, and that mitigation measures varied in each region because of the different characteristics of the volcanoes and the territories. However, he said, in general, the agency has planned evacuation routes, sites for refugees, logistics supplies, machinery and volunteer mapping. “The plan is standardized, but we keep renewing it to adjust to current conditions. For Papandayan, we have a done dry-run three times so the people could get used to the measures,” he said. On Friday, Lokon Mountain erupted, spewing volcanic ash up to 1,500 meters high, but it had calmed down by Saturday morning and people living near the mountain were not evacuated. In North Maluku, some 296 people remain in refugee shelters in Dufa-Dufa following Mount Gamalama’s last eruption in early December. [...]" 

MSM: "6.6 Quake - Santa Cruz,  Solomon Islands" [01/09/12]  "Monday, January 09, 2012 at 04:07:16 UTC [...]"

MSM: "Mt. Etna Enters 2012 With New Paroxysmal Eruption Spewing Ash Up To 5 Kilometers" [01/06/12] "In the morning hours of January 5, 2012 the New South-East Crater of Mt. Etna has produced a new episode paroxysmal eruption after 50 quiet days. Last eruption had occurred November 15, 2011. Istituto Nazionale di Geosifica e Vulcanologia – Sezione di Catania (INGV) reported several hours of weak strombolian explosions within the crater, lava fountains from several vents within the crater and flanks the south-eastern and northern emission of lava flows and to the south-east... [...]" 

Commentary: "Unknown Magma Pool Causing Ground Uplift In Oregon" [01/05/12] "Volcanic activity is causing the earth to rise in Oregon, scientists have found. Though whether such uplift is a sign of an imminent eruption remains uncertain. As early as the summer of 1996, a 230-square-mile (600-square-kilometer) patch of ground in Oregon began to rise. The area lies just west of the South Sister Volcano, which with the North and Middle Sisters form the Three Sisters volcanoes, the most prominent peaks in the central Oregon stretch of the Cascade Mountains. Although this region has not seen an eruption in at least 1,200 years, the scattered hints of volcanic activity here have been a cause of concern, leading to continuous satellite-based monitoring. Now 14 years of data is revealing just how the Earth is changing there and the likely cause of the uplift — a reservoir of magma invading the crust 3-to-4 miles (5-to-7 km) underground. ... By analyzing precisely how the landscape was changing, the researchers suggest the magma pocket behind this uplift has a volume of 1.76-billion-to-2.47-billion cubic feet (50-million-to-70-million cubic meters), enough to fill 20,000-to-28,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Since the ground is still rising, “magma may still be accumulating, and as a result, this area needs to be continually monitored to determine whether or not there will be an eruption,” Riddick told OurAmazingPlanet. “If there were to be an eruption, it would probably not be from a pre-existing volcano that we can see because the uplifting ground area is several kilometers from historically active volcanoes,” Riddick added. ‘A new volcanic vent would likely form. Lava would be ejected from a vent and fall to the ground to create a cinder cone, which is a steep conical volcano made of lava fragments. We believe it would be a small eruption, because we calculated that only a relatively small amount of magma has accumulated in the earth’s crust so far.” [...]" 

MSM: "Volcanic Year in Review for 2011" [01/05/12] "Now that 2011 has come to a close, it is time for me to look back on the year. This by no means is an inclusive list of all the activity in 2011. For something close to that, check out the archives of the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program. However, this is a look back at many of the volcanic topics we tackled on Eruptions this year.  [...]" 

MSM: "Ohio Quakes Could Incite Fracking Policy Shift" [01/04/12] "In Ohio, geographically and politically positioned to become a leading importer of wastewater from gas drilling, environmentalists and lawmakers opposed to the technique known as fracking are seizing on a series of small earthquakes as a signal to proceed with caution. Earthquakes caused by the injection of wastewater that's a byproduct of high-pressure hydraulic fracture drilling, aren't new. Yet earthquakes have a special ability to grab public attention. That's especially true after Saturday's quake near Youngstown, at magnitude 4.0 strong enough to be felt across hundreds of square miles. Gov. John Kasich, a drilling proponent, has shut down the wastewater well on which the quake has been blamed, along with others in the area, as the seismic activity is reviewed. "Drilling's very important for our economy and to help us progress as a state, but every single person in the Mahoning Valley felt this earthquake," said state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, a Youngstown Democrat who on Tuesday called for a public hearing.  [...]" 

Commentary:  "Is A Super-Volcano Just 390 Miles From London About To Erupt?" [01/03/12] "A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up. It’s lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See Lake near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma. This monster erupts every 10 to 12,000 years and last went off 12,900 years ago, so it could blow at any time. The Laacher See volcano is similar in size to Mount Pinatubo, which caused a 0.5C drop in global temperatures when it erupted in 1991. It covered 620 square miles of land with ash and rocks and several small earthquakes in the region last year indicate that it could be awakening from its deep sleep. Experts believe that if it did go off, it could lead to widespread devastation, mass evacuations and even short-term global cooling from the resulting ash cloud blocking the Sun. The effect on the UK is hard to predict but it’s possible that large parts of southern England could be covered ash. It’s thought that the volcano is similar in size and power to Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, which blew in 1991 and became the biggest eruption of the 20th century. It ejected 10 billion tons of magma, 20 billion tons of sulphur dioxide 16 cubic kilometres of ash and caused a 0.5C drop in global temperatures. Volcanologists believe that the Laacher See volcano is still active as carbon dioxide is bubbling up to the lake’s surface, which indicates that the magma chamber below is ‘degassing.’ 2010 was the year Laacher See begin experiencing seismic and thermal anomalies and that was probably the year the volcano began awakening. [...]" 

MSM: "41 Quakes In 24 Hours Hit Christchurch, New Zealand" [01/03/12] "A swarm of large aftershocks, including a violent magnitude 5.5, rattled the Christchurch overnight and knocked out power to thousands of homes. Christchurch continues to be rocked with 41 earthquakes recorded in the Canterbury region over the past 24 hours. There have been no reports of significant damage or injury, but it was a sleepless night for most residents.  [...]"  

Greece: "Increased Seismic Activity Seen At Dangerous Santorini Caldera" [01/03/12] "Greece. The seismic unrest beneath Santorini which had started in July 2011 continues into 2012, greeting the world with a small swarm of quakes beneath the caldera. The slightly increased number of quakes is concentrated on the volcano-tectonic Kameni line, which stretches SW-NE through the caldera and extends outside, especially to the NE where the submarine volcano Kolumbo is located 8 km off the coast. The alignment defines a tectonic graben structure underlying Santorini and has been used for rising magma for nearly all past eruptions of the volcano. [...]"  

MSM: "Powerful 7.0 Quake Rocks Tokyo, Japan On New Year’s Day" [01/01/12] "A major 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Tokyo Sunday as Emperor Akihito led Japan’s New Year celebrations by urging people to work together in rebuilding the nation from March’s quake-tsunami disaster. The tremor struck at 2:28pm (0528 GMT) with its focus deep at about 370 kilometres (230 miles), Japan’s Meteorological Agency said. The US Geological Survey put the depth at 348 kilometres. Its epicentre was located near Torishima, a northwestern Pacific island about 560 kilometres south of Tokyo. [...]"  Related: See video "Volcano / Earthquake Watch Dec 27-31, 2011" [12/28/11] which predicted 7.0 level action now.

Commentary:  "Volcanic Activities At Start Of 2012" [01/01/12]   "We entering into 2012 with ongoing volcanic activities at El Hierro (Canary Islands),Fueg0 (Guatemala), Karymsky,Kizimen and Shiveluch ( Kamchatka,Russia), Kilauea (Hawaii), Popocatépetl (México), Puyehue-Cordón Caulle (Chile), Sakura-jima (Kyushu, Japan). 6 Indonesian volcanoes are now on high alert- Ijen, Gamalana, Papandayan, Karangetang, Lokon and Krakatau. Ijen turquoise crater lake has changed color to white. Office of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), reported that a thin layer of volcanic ash was ejected up to 500 meter high by Mount Marapi on Saturday afternoon. The Cleveland volcano (Alaska) sent ash 15,000 feet in the sky during a single explosion event on Thursday. New activity is reported at Galeras (Colombia), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Bulusan (Philippines), Nyamuragira (DR Congo), Dukono (Halmahera, Indonesia), Cerro Machin (Colombia) and Zubair Group (Yemen) which produced new island emerging from the Red Sea.[...]" 

MSM: "Magnitude 7.0 - Izu Islands, Japan Region" [01/01/12] "495 km (307 miles) SSW of TOKYO, Japan [...]"  See video "Volcano / Earthquake Watch Dec 27-31, 2011" [12/28/11] which predicted 7.0 level action now Related: "More On Japanese Coastal Earthquake" [0:30] 

 

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