New Zealand earthquake rips new fault line
[09/06/10]
"New Zealand’s powerful earthquake that smashed buildings, cracked roads and twisted railway lines around Christchurch ripped a new 11ft wide fault line in the earth’s surface, a geologist said.
Canterbury University geology professor Mark Quigley said what ‘looks to us that it could be a new fault’ had ripped across the earth and pushed some surface areas up.
The quake was caused by the continuing collision between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, said Prof Quigley, who is leading a team trying to pin down the temblor’s source. [...]"
Amazon River At Lowest Level In 40 Years
[09/04/10]
"Officials in the Peruvian city of Iquitos said the river level had fallen to 14.4ft, a point not seen in more than four decades, and was predicted to drop further.
Low levels have brought economic havoc in areas of Peru that depend on the Amazon for shipping, by denying boats a navigable river as well as usable ports and harbors.
At least six boats are stranded because of the lack of river flow over the past three weeks and several shipping companies have been forced to suspend service, leading to economic hardship in areas of Peru that depend on the Amazon for shipping. The drop has been caused by a lack of rain and high temperatures.
The Amazon is the second-longest river in the world, after the Nile, but discharges far more water at its mouth than any other.
It also drains more territory than any other, from Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay and Venezuela before running across Brazil and into the Atlantic. [...]"
Cambodian
vultures defying extinction [09/04/10]
"Vultures in Cambodia are increasing in number, making it the only
country in Asia with an increasing population of the scavengers, researchers
say. [...]"
Note: Yeah, a few genocides here and there have kept the
population thriving ...
Related: Cambodian
army has live firing exercise
Huge
7.4 earthquake rocks New Zealand [09/03/10]
"One of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history has struck Christchurch and the South Island this morning.
The massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit before dawn, causing widespread damage and cutting power.
The quake was centred 30km west of Christchurch and 33m underground. It hit at 4.35am and there have been many reports of damage.
It was felt widely across the South Island, including Christchurch and Timaru, and there have also been reports of the quake being felt as far as Wellington. Several aftershocks have been felt.
The rail network in the South Island has been shut down while it is inspected for damage.
Civil Defence is considering activating its emergency management national crisis centre. [...]"
Scientists study Earthly 'flip-flop'
[09/03/10]
"Scientists studying rocks in Nevada say they've found evidence that Earth's magnetic field can reverse or "flip-flop" more rapidly than previously believed.
"Geomagnetic field reversals" of the Earth's magnetism occur every couple hundred thousand years and normally take about 4,000 years but the Nevada finding suggest at least one particular reversal of the globe's magnetic poles happened much faster, ScienceNews.org reported.
The discovery bolsters the theory, first proposed after a similar examination of rocks in Oregon in 1995, that reversals really can happen quickly, over the course of years or centuries instead of millennia, researchers say.
"We're trying to make the case that [the new work] is another record of a superfast magnetic change," says lead author Scott Bogue, a geologist at Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Bogue studied a series of well-preserved lava flows. As each flow cooled, it preserved evidence of the magnetic field at the time, locked like tiny compass needles in the magnetic crystals in the lava.
One particular flow showed the crystals reorienting themselves 53 degrees within a single
year, the study said. [...]"
"Mass Extinction Threat: Earth on Verge of Huge Reset Button?"
[09/02/10]
"Mass extinctions have served as huge reset buttons that dramatically changed the diversity of species found in oceans all over the world, according to a comprehensive study of fossil records. The findings suggest humans will live in a very different future if they drive animals to extinction, because the loss of each species can alter entire ecosystems.
Some scientists have speculated that effects of humans — from hunting to climate change — are fueling another great mass extinction. A few go so far as to say we are entering a new geologic epoch, leaving the 10,000-year-old Holocene Epoch behind and entering the Anthropocene Epoch, marked by major changes to global temperatures and ocean chemistry, increased sediment erosion, and changes in biology that range from altered flowering times to shifts in migration patterns of birds and mammals and potential die-offs of tiny organisms that support the entire marine food chain.
Scientists had once thought species diversity could help buffer a group of animals from such die-offs, either keeping them from heading toward extinction or helping them to bounce back. But having many diverse species also proved no guarantee of future success for any one group of animals, given that mass extinctions more or less wiped the slate clean, according to studies such as the latest one. [...]
diversity limit also appears to have changed spontaneously throughout Earth's history about every 200 million years.
[...] How today's extinction crisis — species today go extinct at a rate that may range from 10 to 100 times the so-called background extinction rate — may change the face of the planet and its species goes beyond what humans can predict, the researchers say. [...]
the background extinction of individual species has also remained consistent – the average species lasts just a few million years
Of course, the ongoing extinction crisis of modern times goes far beyond the background extinction rate. Alroy noted that it could not only wipe out entire branches of evolutionary history, but may also change the ecosystems shaped by each species.
That means today's species matter for environments around the world, and so humans can't simply expect replacements from the diverse species of the future.
"
Note: It never dawns on these people that 'humans' could be
the extinct 'species' ... and that all the rest of this doesn't matter.
UK: Killer space blast 'off the hook'
[09/01/10]
"The theory that the great beasts living in North America 13,000 years ago were killed off by a space impact can now be discounted, a new study claims. [...]"
Indonesian volcano erupts again [08/30/10]
"Mount Sinabung, a volcano on Sumatra, Indonesia, erupts for the second time. [...]"
Related: Thousands flee Indonesia volcano
| Indonesian Volcano Blows After 400 Years
"An Indonesian volcano that's sat silently since 1600 blew ash and sand a mile into the sky this morning, days after its rumblings sent thousands scrambling to evacuate. Lava was mostly contained around the crater of Mount
Sinabung, reports the AP, and a government volcanologist said the eruption appeared to have stopped. The government has given out some 7000 masks to evacuees and set up public kitchens. [...]"
Life On Earth:
Up To 50
Previously Unknown Colorful Species Discovered With Robotic Deep-Sea Vehicle
[08/28/10]
"Scientists using cutting-edge technology to explore waters off Indonesia were wowed by colorful and diverse images of marine life on the ocean floor – including plate-sized sea spiders and flower-like sponges that appear to be carnivorous.
They predicted Thursday that as many as 50 new plant and animal species may have been discovered during the three-week expedition that ended Aug. 14.
More than 100 hours of video and 100,000 photographs, captured using a robotic vehicle with high-definition cameras, were piped to shore in real-time by satellite and high-speed Internet.
Verena Tunnicliffe, a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, said the images provided an extraordinary glimpse into one of the globe's most complex and little-known marine ecosystems. [...]"
Oldest arrowheads found in Africa
[08/27/10]
"Anthropologists in South Africa say they've discovered 64,000-year-old stone points that are the earliest direct evidence of human-crafted arrows. [...]"
Age Confirmed for 'Eve,' Mother of All Humans
[08/27/10]
"Genetic models agree that mitochondrial Eve, a maternal ancestor to everyone, lived about 200,000 years ago, according to recent research. [...]"
"Are We Witnessing the Death of Our Planet?"
[08/21/10]
"It seems that we are witnessing the death of our planet right before our very eyes. The extreme weather, Gulf oil disaster and use of deadly dispersants, to decades of agrichemical and synthetic medicines leeching into water ways, and general human pollution resulting in having to now map the North Atlantic Garbage Patch (not to be confused with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) -- has resulted in major breaches to our interdependent life system.
Here are a few recently-reported disturbing indicators that our life support system may be nearing critical condition: [...]"
"Big San Andreas Quakes More Frequent than Thought"
[08/20/10]
"Fault could be in natural lull, but another big quake is likely. [...]"
New fossils could be oldest animals
[08/19/10]
"U.S. researchers say they found what may be the oldest fossils of fully developed animal bodies, pushing evidence of animal life into an earlier geologic time.
The newly discovered fossils, resembling sponges, are in rocks between 635 million and 659 million years old from a time when most of the Earth was covered by ice, a geologic period known as the Cryogenian, ScienceNews.org reported Wednesday.
Princeton University scientists found fossils in south Australia of what might be ancient marine sponges in the rocks between mounds of fossilized bacterial mats, or stromatolites. [...]"
Satellites confirm world mangrove losses
[08/19/10]
"A decline in the world's mangrove forests has been confirmed through comprehensive and exact data gathered by orbiting satellites, scientists say. [...]"
Scientists stunned as bee populations continue to decline
[08/16/10]
"Scientists remain stymied as honeybees in the United States and across the world continue to die in large numbers.
"There are a lot of beekeepers who are in trouble" said David Mendes, president of the American Beekeeping Federation. "Under normal condition you have 10 percent winter losses ... this year there are 30, 40 to 50 percent losses."
For many years, beekeepers have been plagued by colony collapse disorder, in which formerly healthy bees abruptly vanish from their hives. The number of beehives in the United States dropped 32 percent in 2007, another 36 percent in 2008 and still another 29 percent in 2009.
A number of explanations for the phenomenon have been suggested, including diseases, parasites, malnutrition, but toxic chemicals are emerging as a major concern among beekeepers. [...]"
Note: It remains a fact that mason bees, who are even more
efficient at gathering honey, are not seemingly affected by whatever this is.
Historical Record of Earthquakes shows vast increase in
6.0 + quakes since 2000 [08/12/10]
(Graphic)
Note: As a curious aside, 2000 is coincidentally when the
first volume of M5 was initially published, so the graphic shows activity so
far during the M5 project dynamic, obviously active until the end of the local
game. Even more interesting to me is that the whole trend began to alter in
1990-91, when Leading Edge Research Group was established as a base for the
later publication of books, again showing that reality is a nested
orchestration which depends on timing between different dynamics. At certain
timings, specific things are brought into focus to achieve that which is set
forth to be, in 'destiny'. Graph
for Increase in All Quakes | Graph
for All All Quakes in 2010
Strong 6.9 quake rocks Ecuador capital
[08/12/10]
"A 6.9 magnitude earthquake has rocked Ecuador in a region south of Quito in the center of the country, the US Geological Survey says. [...]"
Strange Honeycomb Cloud Patterns Explained
[08/11/10]
"The honeycomb-like patterns of clouds often seen over the open ocean are known to shift, with patches of
sky
alternately becoming clear or cloud-covered. Scientists now think they know
what drives these shifting fields of holey clouds. Researchers studying
these cloud patterns in models and real data have found that rain and
alternating air movements form the patterns and cause them to shift in the sky
while the clouds themselves remain cohesive structures — following a
principle called self-organization that also explains phenomena like flocks of
birds, shifting sand dunes and the synchronized flashing of fireflies.
Understanding how and why these clouds shift through the sky is important
because "the pattern of the clouds affects how much of the sun's energy
gets reflected back into space," said study team member Hailong Wang of
the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in Richland,
Wash. In turn, understanding how much solar energy passes through to the
Earth's surface helps scientists better understand and model the planet's
climate. Scientists call the honeycomb-patterned clouds "open-cell
clouds"; they are low, flat clouds that, to someone peering down from an
airplane, resemble a quilt. The quilt patches are spaces of open air framed by
walls of clouds. [See different cloud shapes and what they mean.] The
honeycomb is created by a simple form of convection, air movement caused by
warm air rising and cold air falling (the same phenomenon that happens in a
pot of boiling water). [...]"
Note: It would take a supercomputer a while to discern even ten
minutes of earths daily climate, never mind a year. Without decades of
observation backed by supercomputing, there is no way to even assess climate,
so ANY ruminations NOW about this are infantile and poorly reasoned.
7.5 Earthquake rattles South Pacific Island of Vanuatu
[08/11/10]
"A 7.5-magnitude earthquake rocked the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu Tuesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake's epicenter was about 24 miles west-northwest of Port-Vila, Vanuatu's capital, and about 1,174 miles east-northeast of Brisbane, Australia, the USGS said. [...]"
Life On Earth: Invasion of the Invasive
Species [08/11/10]
"Here’s a fact that I suspect most people don’t know: Wherever we humans have gone in the past two centuries, we have increased local and regional biodiversity. Biodiversity, in this case, is defined as increasing species richness. Yet, “the popular view [is] that diversity is decreasing at local scales,” Brown University biologist Dov Sax and University of California, Santa Barbara biologist Steven Gaines report [PDF].
Ample scientific evidence shows that this popular view is wrong, however. For example, more than 4,000 plant species introduced into North America during the past 400 years grow naturally here and now constitute nearly 20 percent of the continent’s vascular plant biodiversity.
The fear among opponents of "invasive species" is the aggressive outsiders will cause a holocaust among the native plants. That might initially seem reasonable because there are a few species, like kudzu, purple loosestrife, and water hyacinth, that grow with alarming speed wherever they show up. But that doesn't mean other species are in danger. “There is no evidence that even a single long term resident species has been driven to extinction, or even extirpated within a single U.S. state, because of competition from an introduced plant species,” Macalester College biologist Mark Davis notes [PDF]. Yet this spurious threat of extinction persists as one of the chief reasons given for trying to prevent the introduction of exotic species.
Meanwhile, there are plenty more examples in which local and regional species richness has been increasing. Introduced vascular
plan ts have doubled the species richness of the plant life on most Pacific Islands. In fact, the species richness of some islands has increased so much that they now approach the richness of continental areas. In New Zealand 2,000 introduced plant species have taken up residence with the islands’ 2,000 native species and only three native plant species have gone extinct. The opening of the Suez Canal introduced 250 new fish species into the Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea which resulted in only a single extinction. [...]"
Earth's Inner Core on the Move
[08/08/10] 
"Shift could explain recent seismic discoveries. Earth's inner core
shifts eastward [...]"
Major
7.0 quake rocks Papua New Guinea [08/04/10]
"A major earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale has rocked the island state of Papua New Guinea, the US Geological Survey says. [...]"
Strong
6.4 earthquake hits off Aleutians [08/04/10]
"An undersea earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale rattled the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska early Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. [...]"
U.S., Canada cooperate in sea floor survey
[08/03/10]
"Canadian and U.S. icebreakers will be mapping the arctic sea floor to help settle how much of it each country can claim as its own, officials say.
International law gives coastal nations rights to natural resources within 200 nautical miles from their coast.
This includes the seabed and subsoil -- and all the minerals, petroleum and animals in and on their slice of the continental shelf.
The new map generated by the U.S.-Canadian mission will let both countries know if and how far they can extend their reach, Brian Edwards, chief scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey aboard the Healy, said.[...]"
Earthquakes shake Indonesia
[08/03/10]
"The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 shook Indonesia
on Tuesday [...]"
Iran hit by back-to-back quakes
[08/01/10]
"A 5.8-magnitude earthquake southeastern hit Iran Saturday, injuring at least 170 people, local officials said. [...]"
Life On Earth: Plankton declining across oceans, Study Finds
[07/29/10]
"Microscopic marine plants dwindling in warming seas. [...]"
Note: It's not like it hasn't happened before during
this planets history.
7.3,
7.4, 7.6 magnitude quakes hit Philippines [07/24/10]
"The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 6:08 a.m. local time on Saturday (2208 GMT Friday), was 106 kilometers (66 miles) off the coastal city of Cotabato, Mindanao, and 923 kilometers (573 miles) southeast of Manila.
The underwater quake struck at a depth of 595 km (361 miles). [...]"
Video: Tropical Storm Bonnie hits Florida
[07/24/10]
Video clip
"Tropical storm Bonnie came ashore just south of Miami on Friday as it headed to the Gulf of Mexico. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore reports. (Nightly News) [...]"
Satellite spies vast algal bloom in Baltic Sea
[07/24/10]
"A satellite image reveals the scale of a vast algal bloom, described as the size of Germany, spreading across the Baltic Sea. [...]"
Note: Wow!
Life On Earth:
Aquaculture: Jellyfish Dominate as Predators Disappear
[07/22/10]
"As the world’s oceans are degraded, will they be dominated by jellyfish? Boneless, bloodless and brainless, they thrive in warming oceans and dead zones, unaffected by CO2, spewing 45,000 eggs a day. A bourgeoning enterprise capitalizes on jelly blooms, as global fisheries collapse from over-harvesting. [...]"
Related: Video: Jellyfish, stingrays, algae blooms--oh my!
5.8 Magnitude quake hits southern Iran
[07/20/10]
"A magnitude 5.8 earthquake has struck Iran's Persian Gulf coast on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey reported. [...]"
6.6 Quake hits New Guinea
[07/20/10]
"550 km (340 miles) NE of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea [...]"
6.7 Aleutians quake
[07/18/10]
"Officials in Alaska said Sunday there was apparently no significant damage from a magnitude 6.7 earthquake that rumbled through the remote Aleutian Islands. [...]"
US: Nearly 1,000 Small Quakes Since July 7th 5.4 Magnitude Earthquake - Southern California
[07/18/10]
"A week after a strong 5.4 magnitude shook the Coachella Valley and surrounding areas, more than 800 smaller quakes have been recorded in the same area.
According to U.S. Geological Survey data, hundreds upon hundreds of smaller magnitude quakes have hit the Borrego Springs and nearby communities since July 7, adding up to around 877 temblors.
Of those, six earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 3.0 have hit in the area, according to the
U.S.G.S. On July 7, an earthquake measuring 5.4 magnitude hit northwest of Borrego Springs, sending shock waves through Southern California and neighboring Arizona, Nevada and Mexico. More than 24,000 people reported feeling that earthquake to the
U.S.G.S., using their 'did you feel' it feature. [...]" See
Graphic
Another Gigantic Undersea Volcano Found Off Coast of Indonesia
[07/18/10]
"Now, this illustrates one of the problems with the global warming alarmists theories, because they claim to know for a certainty how much humans contribute to global warming.
But in order to have an accurate figure for the human contribution to the temperature of the oceans and atmosphere, you need to be able to subtract out all other factors.
So, how many active undersea volcanoes are there in the world? [...]"
Note: No one knows for sure, but it's been estimated that at
least 80% of the active volcanoes are under the oceans.
Life On Earth:
Methane Thought To Be Responsible For Mass Extinction
[07/18/10]
"What caused the worst mass extinction in Earth's history 251 million years ago? An asteroid or comet colliding with Earth? A greenhouse effect? Volcanic eruptions in Siberia? Or an entirely different culprit? A Northwestern University chemical engineer believes the culprit may be an enormous explosion of methane (natural gas) erupting from the ocean depths. [...]"
Methane eruption blamed for mass extinction
Video: Coasts brace for another heat wave
[07/17/10]
"As record high temperatures continue to grip Southern California, New York braced for another week of triple digits. The Weather Channel's Chris Warren reports. (Nightly News) [...]"
Earthquake rattles
Washington D.C. [07/16/10]
"A 3.6-magnitude earthquake, fairly rare on the US east coast, rattled Washington and the surrounding area early Friday, the US Geological Service said.
The temblor struck 35 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the US federal capital, in the state of Maryland, at 0904 GMT.
But the quake was felt for several seconds in many areas north of Washington as well as in downtown Washington near the White House. [...]"
Seismology: The secret chatter of giant faults
[07/15/10]
"An imminent swarm of tiny quakes beneath western North America could help seismologists prepare for a big one — but only if they can learn to interpret the tremors, finds Naomi Lubick. [...]"
Deep Tremor Shakes the Earth
[07/14/10]
"The Earth doesn’t shake only after violent volcanoes or earthquakes. A recently discovered phenomenon known as "deep tremor" also rumbles the globe.
Technically speaking, the process is called non-volcanic tremor. It was once thought to be caused by magma flowing beneath volcanoes. Today scientists know that this process is triggered deep underground, well in advance of earthquakes, in the area where two tectonic plates scrape past each other.
Non-volcanic tremor isn't as obvious as a volcano, and the phenomenon was previously overlooked as background noise in seismic data. Its main characteristics are a long but soft shaking — a steady grumble deep within the Earth. [...]"
Earthquake strikes Chile's Bio-Bio region [07/14/10]
"A 6.5-magnitude earthquake rumbled near Bio-Bio region in central Chile, Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The earthquake, which occurred 17 miles below the Earth's surface, was centered 61 miles north-northwest of
Temuco, 82 miles south of the region's capital of of Concepcion and 344 miles from the country's capital of Santiago.
The South American country was hit by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake Sunday 50 miles east-northeast of Calama in Chile's
Antofagasta region, the USGS said. [...]"
Life On Earth: Large-mammal decline seen in African parks
[07/14/10]
"African national parks, favorites of tourists hoping to see the continent's wildlife, have seen steep declines in large-mammal populations, researchers say. [...]"
Note: Come on ... keep going ... species are being
withdrawn, steadily ...
6.2 magnitude quake hits Chile
[07/12/10]
"A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Chile Sunday night, seismic monitors said.
The quake's epicenter was 50 miles east-northeast of Calama in Chile's Antofagasta region, the U.S. Geological Survey said. That put the quake about 130 miles east of Tocopilla and 780 miles north-northeast of Santiago.
The quake, which occurred about 8:11 p.m. local time, originated at a depth of 56.7 miles, the USGS said. [...]"
Katla - 14 earthquakes in 48
hours [07/11/10]
"Fourteen earthquakes have occurred below Iceland's Mýrdalsjökull glacier during the past 48 hours - one within the last 4 hours. Katla Volcano lies beneath the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.
Katla Volcano usually erupts every century, says Iceland's President Olafur
Grimsson. and the last eruption was in 1918. "The time for Katla to erupt is coming close."
"I don't say if, but I say when Katla will erupt," Grimsson says. "We have been waiting for that eruption for several years." [...]"
5.4 quake hits Southern Calif.
[07/07/10]
"A magnitude-5.4 earthquake rocked Southern California Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey said. [...]"
Early humans lived in northern Europe more than 780,000 years ago
[07/07/10]
"Artifacts recently found in a British river deposit indicate early humans lived in northern Europe more than 780,000 years ago, researchers
said. The discovery, reported in this week's Nature, provides more information about how early humans scattered when they left Africa more than 1.8 million years ago, British researcher Nick Ashton and his colleagues said. [...]"
Life On Earth: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
[07/07/10]
"As much as one-third of all flowering plants faces extinction at the hands of humans, according to new research—and that’s not even factoring in climate change. Such a die off would have a devastating impact on the food chain. As one of the researchers put it, “if you get rid of [plants] you get rid of a lot of the things above them.”
If we take the number of species that are currently known to be threatened, and add to that those that are yet to be discovered, we can estimate that between 27% and 33% of all flowering plants will be threatened with extinction,” said David Roberts, one of the co-authors, of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent.
The paper adds: “These estimates are based on immediate threat, and do not consider further development of destructive factors - including climate disruption.” The paper’s third, lead, author was Lucas Joppa of Microsoft Research in Cambridge. [...]"
6.3 quake jolts northern Japan
[07/05/10]
"A strong quake with a magnitude of 6.3 has rattled northern Japan, but there was no immediate report of damage, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. [...]"
2 Kamchatka Volcanoes Stirring
[07/03/10]
"Two of the active volcanoes on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula have been sending plumes of ash as much as 5 miles into the air, scientists said Saturday.
No warnings had yet been issued about air traffic in the area, RIA Novosti reported. Volcanic ash can damage aircraft engines, and an eruption in Iceland earlier this year caused chaos for air traffic in Europe and on trans-Atlantic routes.
Kamchatka, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, has 29 active volcanoes.
Karymsky, the most active volcano in the eastern zone of the peninsula, has been spurting ash up to 3.7 miles into the atmosphere. The 4,875-foot volcano showed a new burst of activity in 1996, with periodic eruptions ever since. [...]"
Southern Mexico hit by earthquake
[06/30/10]
"A 6.2 magnitude earthquake hits the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca but no major damage is reported. [...]"
80% chance of Gulf-bound tropical depression in Caribbean
[06/26/10]
"A low-pressure area over the western Caribbean now has an 80% chance of developing into a tropical depression as it heads toward the Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center reports in their 2:00 p.m. update.
If a depression and then a storm does form, it would be named Alex, and could play havoc with Gulf oil cleanup operations. Tropical depressions have wind speeds of below 39 mph, and become named tropical storms when their wind speeds surpass 39 mph.
An Air Force reconnaissance plane will be investigating the disturbance later today to determine whether a tropical cyclone has formed, the center says.
“Shower activity has become a little more concentrated this morning … and surface pressures are falling,” the center reports. “Upper-level winds are gradually becoming more conducive for development … and the system is likely to become a tropical depression before it reaches the Yucatan Peninsula in a couple of days.” [...]" See
Oil & Environment link on Special Articles panel for related
stories.
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Canada, Cities Across U.S.
[06/23/10]
"A Canada earthquake shook Toronto and Ottawa at approximately 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time today, June 23, 2010. The USGS reports the quake had a magnitude of 5.0.
The Globe and Mail is reporting on its mobile site that there are numerous reports of "unusual ground shaking in various parts of Ontario," as well as Buffalo, N.Y.
The quake was also felt by some as far away as Boston, Cleveland and Chicago. [...]"
Earthquakes and Liability: Italy puts seismology in the dock
[06/23/10]
" The deadly earthquake that struck the central Italian city of L'Aquila on 6 April 2009, has had a bizarre aftershock: some of Italy's top seismologists could face charges of manslaughter for not alerting the population before the disaster. The indictment has outraged experts around the world, who note that earthquakes cannot be predicted and who say that the Italian government neglected to enforce building codes that could have reduced the toll. [...]"
Related: CA: Building Owners Liable for Deaths After Quake
"The owners of a building that collapsed in an earthquake and killed two women are liable to the victims' families, a California appeals court ruled. [...]"
Note: Interesting developments, after all these years.
Arctic sea ice shrinks, ice around South Pole grows
[06/18/10]
"While Arctic sea ice continues to shrink as the world warms, the ice around Antarctica is actually growing, thanks to the influence of the ozone hole over the southernmost continent, scientists have reported.
Turner reported in a 2009 study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters that this mysterious ice increase is likely due to the huge rift in our planet's protective ozone layer, which has created what Turner called a "shielding effect." Essentially, a huge vent hole in the atmosphere — the famous ozone hole — causes cool winds to circle the continent, keeping Antarctica chilled. Currently, during the area's winter freeze, sea ice has expanded to an area roughly twice the size of Europe.
[...]"
Indonesia struck by earthquakes
[06/16/10]
"At least three people die after three powerful earthquakes strike Indonesia, briefly triggering a tsunami warning.
The Indonesian earthquake agency said the largest quake, off the coast of Papua in eastern Indonesia, had a magnitude of 7.1.
There have been reports of collapsed homes in some areas. Papua is one of Indonesia's most remote and underdeveloped provinces.
A tsunami warning was issued but it has since been lifted. [...] In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Aceh triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed quarter of a million people in 13 countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
"
India’s Nicobar Islands Hit by 7.5-Magnitude Quake
[06/13/10]
"A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck near India’s Nicobar Islands, with the epicenter about 95 miles (150 kilometers) west of Mohean and 1,730 miles southeast of New Delhi, the U.S. Geological Survey said in an e-mailed statement.
The quake struck at 1:26 a.m. local time, the USGS said in its advisory. The earthquake was 275 miles west-northwest of Banda Aceh in Indonesia’s Sumatra, and 710 miles southwest of Bangkok, the agency said.
Another earthquake, of 5.4 magnitude, struck near the Nicobar Islands at 6:44 a.m. Malaysian time, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Malaysian Meteorological Department. The department, which also issued a tsunami alert, lifted the warning, Xinhua said. [...]"
Life On Earth: Snakes in mysterious global decline
[06/10/10]
"A study published in the journal Biology Letters reviews records of 17 snake populations in 5 countries including France, Nigeria and Australia spanning the period 1997 to 2008. They found that 11 snake populations, including the smooth snake
(Coronella austriaca), Britain’s rarest snake, declined sharply and synchronously over a four year period between 1998 and 2002.
Project leader, Chris Reading of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, which has its headquarters in Wallingford, UK, says, “This is the first time that data has been analysed in this way, and what we've shown is that in different parts of the world we seem to have this steep decline in a short period."
“We don’t have a clue” what might have caused the drop in numbers, he told BBC News.
Snakes are top predators among reptiles, so declines in their numbers could impact how ecosystems function.
Populations shrank even in protected areas, suggesting that the progressive loss of habitat for wild animals being seen all over the world is not the only cause.
Similar steep declines observed in frogs and newts in an earlier period were eventually found to be caused by the fungal disease
chytridiomycosis. The year when many of the snake declines began - 1998 - raises the question of whether climatic factors might be involved, as very strong El Nino conditions contributed to making it the hottest year recorded in modern times.
[...]"
World's Oceans Remain Largely Mysterious
[06/10/10]
"The ocean covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface, but on this World Oceans Day (June 8, 2010) scientists say they still know shockingly little about the mysterious deep blue sea.
With 95 percent of the ocean unmapped, more is known about the moon's surface than the ocean depths, said aquatic filmmaker Fabien Cousteau, grandson of ocean diving pioneer Jacque Cousteau. In fact,12 men have stepped foot on the moon, but only two have been to the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean at roughly 7 miles (11 kilometers) deep. [...]"
Quake shakes southern Australia
[06/07/10]
"Seismologists say they are looking into an earthquake that rattled a large part of southern Australia Sunday.
The magnitude of the shaker was not immediately calculated; however, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said it could have topped 5.0, which is
unusual for that area. [...]"
Ecuadoran volcano sparks fly
[06/05/10]
"Ecuadorians got another nighttime spectacular from their country's "Throat of Fire" volcano, officials said.
The volcano, called Tungurahua in the Quechua language, tossed blazing rocks into the sky Thursday night, accompanied by booming explosions that shook the ground, Britain's Independent Television News reports.
Eruptions this week prompted the evacuation of hundreds of nearby residents. Officials say they've recorded at least 135 explosions, including 15 longer events, ITN says.
Tungurahua, one of eight active volcanoes in Ecuador, has been lively since 1999, with a strong eruption in 2008. [...]"
Easyjet tests volcanic ash sensor
[06/05/10]
"Budget airline Easyjet says it will be the first carrier to trial a system that allows planes to fly round ash clouds. [...]"
8 aftershocks jolt Tibetan area of China
[06/04/10]
"Eight aftershocks jolted China's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Thursday nearly two months after an earthquake flattened a city there, state media said. [...]"
Note: After two months ..... they're NEW quakes, not
'aftershocks' from old ones.
Undersea Oil Pipelines Vulnerable to Hurricanes
[06/03/10]
"The study found that the 31,000 miles of pipelines along the seafloor of the Gulf could crack or rupture unless they are buried or their supporting foundations are built to withstand hurricane-induced currents. "Major oil leaks from damaged pipelines could have irreversible impacts on the ocean environment," the authors wrote. Researchers got a unique look at what a hurricane can do underwater during Ivan, a Category-4 hurricane with wind speeds of more than 130 mph in the Gulf. Ivan passed over a network of sensors on the ocean floor. The study's calculations are the first to show that hurricanes propel underwater currents with enough force to dig up the seabed as far as almost 300 feet below the surface, potentially creating underwater mudslides and damaging pipes and other equipment that rest on the bottom. There have been more than 1,000 reports of damage to Gulf oil pipelines over the past two decades, according to the MMS report. The most oil was spilled into the Gulf after Katrina and Rita. "As a result of both storms, 124 spills were reported with a total volume of roughly 17,700 barrels of total petroleum products," the report says. [...]"
Desert storm: Huge cloud of sand descends on Chinese village
[06/03/10]
"Like a scene from a Hollywood disaster movie, a towering cloud of sand dwarfs the rows of uniform houses as it descends on a small village in central China.
Residents hid inside their homes with their windows and doors locked shut as the dust storm swept through the region advancing 70ft a minute. [...]"
Note: Very neat pictures!
Powerful Cyclone Phet barrels toward Oman
[06/03/10]
"Phet was a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, with sustained winds of over 130 mph. It was expected to become a Category 5 storm, the most powerful with winds of over 156 mph, in the next 24 hours.
Phet would lash Oman’s eastern region shores with hurricane-strength winds through Friday before moving northeast. It was expected to weaken before coming ashore just south of Karachi as a Category 3 storm on Sunday. [...]"
NOAA Expects Busy Atlantic Hurricane Season
[06/02/10]
" 14 to 23 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
8 to 14 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which: 3 to 7 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph) [...]"
Note: he outlook ranges exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
Hurricanes could damage pipelines
"Hurricanes could complicate the clean-up of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and damage other offshore pipelines, experts warn. [...]"
Guatemala lashed by deadly storm
[06/01/10]
"Tropical storm Agatha kills at least 13 people in Guatemala, adding to disruption caused by an erupting volcano. [...]"
Central America storm toll rises
[05/31/10]
"At least 73 people die in three Central American countries after powerful Tropical Storm Agatha strikes the region. [...]"
Raining Oil in Florida: This is Just the Beginning
[05/29/10]
"Oil is semi-volatile, which means that it can evaporate into the air and create a heavy vapor that stays near the ground -- in the human breathing zone. When winds whip up oily sea water, the spray contains tiny droplets -- basically a fume -- of oil, which are small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs. We know that's happening in the Gulf Coast, because people are reporting a heavy oily smell in the air. Already my colleagues in Louisiana are reporting that people in the coastal community of Venice, Louisiana are suffering from nausea, vomiting, headaches, and difficulty breathing. [...]
The following eyewitness account came to our attention yesterday: Hi all,
Making this quick, don't feel well. About 4:15pm or so eastern, coming back from Tampa, Florida north on Veteran's Expressway...about 7 miles perhaps from SR 54...it sprinkled some gray watery and solid black oil on my car. Thought it was bugs, but so fast did not make sense and windshield wipers just smeared it. Got out of car at store and looked on the paint and solid black dots on my car...I touch? huh? it's wet? it's
OIL. "
Note: See Special Articles panel, "Oil
Disasters" for updates and related stories.
Big volcanic eruptions in Guatemala, Ecuador
[05/29/10]
"Explosive eruptions shook two huge volcanos in Central and South America on Friday, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and disrupting air traffic as ash drifted over major cities.
Guatemala's Pacaya volcano started erupting lava and rocks Thursday afternoon, blanketing the country's capital with ash and forcing the closure of the international airport. A television reporter was killed by a shower of burning rocks when he got too close to the volcano, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Guatemala City. [...]"
Volcanic
Ash Receiving Electric Charge; “Atmospheric Electricity and Normal Weather
Activity” Probably Not the Source [05/28/10]
"The ash plume from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which crippled
international air travel in April, held a shocking secret: an unexpected
electric charge. Ash plumes directly over erupting volcanoes have been
known to generate lightning, and electrically charged ash has been found in
previous plumes up to 30 miles (50 kilometers) from their source volcanoes.
But according to a new study, electric ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano
was found a record 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) away from the eruption.
At that distance, it wasn’t energy from the eruption itself that charged the
ash, said study co-author Giles Harrison, a meteorologist at the University of
Reading in the U.K. Based on the average size and shape of particles in the
ash, “any initial charging that occurred would have decayed away many times
over.” In fact, ash from deep in the volcanic plume was still charged
32 hours after being spewed from the Iceland peak, which suggests that the
charge was self-renewing, the scientists say. The discovery means that
many volcanic ash plumes might be electrified, which could have implications
for the air-travel industry.[...] Even in fair weather, a very small electric
field is present in Earth’s atmosphere. This field can charge airborne
particles and the edges of clouds, Harrison said. But the electric
volcanic ash was found in the middle of the thick plume, not on its edges.
That would seem to rule out atmospheric electricity and normal weather
activity as sources of the charge. “There has to be something related to the
particles themselves, because the charge is in proportion to where the
particles are and how many there are,” Harrison said. “But we really
can’t say any more than that.” Prior research done with weather balloons
had shown that desert dust storms can become electrified through a process of
particle collision that is not yet completely understood. The same phenomenon
may be at work with volcanic ash, the scientists suggest. [...]"
Note: HAARP .... or a side-effect of another natural
process going on?
2nd, stronger Iceland volcano 'to erupt'
[05/28/10]
"Scientists have warned a second much larger volcano in Iceland is showing signs of eruption, with the government expressing readiness to face a possible crisis.
Scientists have warned a second much larger volcano in Iceland is showing signs of eruption, with the government expressing readiness to face a possible crisis.
After the successive eruptions of Eyjafjallajokull which caused air traffic mayhem in Europe and brought thousands of flights to a halt earlier in the year, Katla volcano is also threatening to blow.
Experts say there has been a 200 percent increase in its volcanic activity in recent days, MSNBC reported.
"An eruption in the short term is a strong possibility," the University College London
(UCL) institute for risk and disaster reduction outlined in a report. Seismic readings indicated a
substantial increase in tremors in the areas surrounding the volcano, the
report said. On May 21 alone, four earthquakes near Katla were detected in 12 hours; a record since the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano in March.
The previous volcanic eruption in Iceland caught the entire aviation system off guard. [...]"
Note: This will affect air travel in June and July at least.
Major
7.2 earthquake hits South Pacific
[05/28/10]
"A shallow 7.2 earthquake struck off Vanuatu Friday, seismologists said, sparking a tsunami warning which was later cancelled.
The quake at 04:14 am (1714 GMT Thursday) hit at a depth of 36 kilometres (22 miles), 214 kilometres northwest of Luganville, or 2,070 kilometres northeast of Brisbane, Australia, according to the US Geological Survey.
The United States issued a tsunami warning for areas of the South Pacific including the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Such warnings mean coastlines near the epicentre can be subject to tidal waves within minutes. But the alert was later cancelled.
An 5.7-magnitude aftershock hit ten minutes later 35 kilometres under the seabed, 190 kilometres northwest of Luganville, Vanuatu's second-largest city. [...]"
6.4 quake
Ryukyu Islands
[05/26/10]
The Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyūshū in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin pronunciation Liuqiu. They stretch southwest from the Japanese island of Kyūshū to within 120 kilometres (75 mi) of the island of Taiwan.
Odds 1-in-3 for Northwest Mega-Quake Within 50 Years
[05/25/10]
"There's more than a one-in-three chance that a titanic temblor will happen within the next 50 years in the Pacific Northwest. [...]"
Icelandic volcano grows quiet
[05/25/10]
"The Icelandic volcano that disrupted thousands of flights over Europe with its ash plume appears to be dormant, at least temporarily, officials said. [...]"
6.3
Mid-Atlantic Ridge [05/25/10]
"The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and the longest mountain range in the world. It separates the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South American Plate in the South Atlantic. The Ridge extends from a junction with the Gakkel Ridge (Mid-Arctic Ridge) northeast of Greenland southward to the Bouvet Triple Junction in the South Atlantic. Although the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is mostly an underwater feature, portions of it have enough elevation to extend above sea level. The section of the ridge which includes the island of Iceland is also known as the Reykjanes Ridge."
6.5 quake logged in Brazil
[05/25/10]
"An earthquake with a 6.5 magnitude struck Brazil Monday, geological monitors said."
5.9-magnitude quake strikes Peru [05/24/10]
"A relatively strong earthquake with the magnitude of 5.9 has jolted southern Peru, the US Geological Survey said."
Scientists: Timor Sea metorite cluster altered Earth’s climate
[05/22/10]
"Australian scientists have discovered a crater deep beneath the Timor Sea made during a heavy meteor storm which may have altered the Earth's climate, the lead researcher said Thursday.
Australian National University archaeologist Andrew Glikson said seismic activity led experts to the Mount Ashmore 1B site, and a study of fragments showed a large meteorite hit just before the Earth's temperatures plunged.
"The identification of microstructural and chemical features in drill fragments taken from the Mount Ashmore drill hole revealed evidence of a significant impact," Glikson said, adding it was at least 50 kilometres (31 miles) wide and about 35 million years old.
A meteorite 100 kilometres wide hit Siberia at the same time, along with an 85 km one in Chesapeake Bay, off the US coast of Virginia, followed by a large field of molten rock fragments over northeast America, he said.
"This defined a major impact cluster across the planet," said Glikson. [...]"
Which U.S. Volcanoes Are Most Dangerous Right Now?
[05/21/10]
"There are currently 65 volcanoes in the United States that scientists consider to be active, including Mount St. Helens. [...]"
Earth's Gooey Insides Ooze Faster Than Thought
[05/20/10]
"... The scorching, molten rock inside the Earth — known as the Earth's mantle — oozes around faster than expected in certain spots, a new study suggests.
The Pacific plate is the largest tectonic plate on the Earth, covering roughly a third of the surface of the earth and sitting under most of the Pacific Ocean. The plate is moving at a speed of just under 2 inches (5 centimeters) per year, and the underlying mantle is flowing at about 35 in (90 cm) per year. An average plate moves between 0.4 and 4 in (1 to 10 cm) per year.
"We expected it to flow faster, but the surprise was that it is flowing 20 to 30 times faster," Billen said.
The finding has indirect implications for earthquakes because the energy available to cause big earthquakes is related to how fast a plate is
subducted. The new model suggests there should be less energy available to drive earthquakes. However, this area of the world often has large earthquakes, so the study may challenge geologists to rethink how much energy is required to drive earthquakes, [...]"
Life On Earth:
Oceanography: Death and rebirth in the deep
[05/20/10]
"When a submarine volcano erupts, the results can be devastating — and fascinating. Jane Qiu finds new drama in underwater biogeography. [...]"
Oil Already in Loop Current, Headed for Florida Keys
[05/18/10]
"Researchers have evidence that oil from the Deepwater Horizon well accident in the Gulf of Mexico is on its way to the Florida Keys, carried by currents.
That evidence comes from computer models, satellite images and an eyewitness observation on a University of South Florida research vessel.
That ship, the Weatherbird II, returned Monday after studying plankton levels at the oil spill site. [...]"
Related: Tar Balls Found Off Key West
[05/18/10]
"The U.S. Coast Guard says 20 tar balls have been found off Key West, Fla., but the agency stopped short of saying whether they came from a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Some 5 million gallons of crude has spewed into the Gulf and tar balls have been washing ashore in several states along the coast.
Scientists are worried that oil is getting caught in a major ocean current that could carry it through the Florida Keys and up the East Coast. [...]"
Scientists forecast decades of ash clouds
[05/18/10]
"The Icelandic eruption that has caused misery for air travellers could be part of a surge in volcanic activity that will affect the whole of Europe for decades, scientists have warned. They have reconstructed a timeline of 205 eruptions in Iceland, spanning the past 1,100 years, and found that they occur in regular cycles — with the relatively quiet phase that dominated the past five decades now coming to an end. At least three other big Icelandic volcanoes are building towards an eruption, according to Thor
Thordarson, a volcanologist at Edinburgh University. “The frequency of Icelandic eruptions seems to rise and fall in a cycle lasting around 140 years,” he said. “In the latter part of the 20th century we were in a low period, but now there is evidence that we could be approaching a peak.” [...]"
Ash closes U.K. airports, including Heathrow
[05/17/10]
Video clip [1:30] "A new cloud of ash is bearing down on Europe, and it could turn out to be a major problem for international flights. NBC’s Stephanie Gosk reports.
[...]"
Sinkholes wreak havoc in Canada and China
[05/12/10]
Video clip [0:30]"A family in Canada is missing after their home was swallowed by a sinkhole, and a village in China is facing major problems with sinkholes. NBC's Brian Williams reports. (Nightly News) [...]"
Strong 7.2 quake rumbles off Sumatra Island
[05/09/10]
"A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the Aceh coast on Indonesia's Sumatra Island Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. [...]"
Iceland volcano roars back to life
[05/07/10]
"Iceland's volcano roared back to life Thursday, shooting a plume of ash 4 1/2 miles high and appearing ready to blow again, Iceland's meteorology office said.
"The eruption has changed back to an explosive eruption, lava has stopped flowing and most of the magma gets scattered due to explosions in the crater," the Icelandic Meteorological Office and the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland said in a statement. [...]"
6.2 quake strikes
in Southern Peru [05/05/10]
"30 km (20 miles) W of Tacna, Peru."
6.5 quake strikes
in Sumatra [05/05/10]
"135 km (85 miles) WSW of Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia."
6.4 quake strikes off coast of Chile [05/04/10]
"The quake's epicenter was located 151 kilometers southwest of Concepcion at a depth of 20.6 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said.
The temblor hit at around seven in the evening local time. The city of Concepcion was near the epicenter of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake of February 27 that triggered a local tsunami and killed at least 452
people."
Global Wild Card: Mother of all gushers could kill Earth's oceans
[05/04/10]
"Imagine a pipe 5 feet wide spewing crude oil like a fire hose from what could be the planets' largest, high-pressure oil and gas reserve. With the best technology available to man, the Deepwater Horizon rig popped a hole into that reserve and was overwhelmed. If this isn't contained, it could poison all the oceans of the world. [...]"
For more info, see Special Articles page and the link Oil
Industry Events/Gulf Oil Spill 2010
Government Report Calls For Global Authority On Planetary Geo-Engineering
[05/02/10]
"A recently published lengthy UK Government report suggests appointing a global body such as the UN to exclusively regulate world wide geoengineering of the planet in order to stave off man made global warming. Steve Watson Prisonplanet.com Thursday, April 29th, 2010 The House of Commons report, entitled The Regulation of
Geoengineering, was compiled [...]"
Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe
[05/02/10]
"Disturbing evidence that honeybees are in terminal decline has emerged from the United States where, for the fourth year in a row, more than a third of colonies have failed to survive the winter. [...]"
Life On Earth: "World fails to stop extinction"
[05/01/10]
"World leaders have failed to prevent the extinction of species despite pumping millions of pounds into nature
conservation, according to a new study.
[...]"
Related: Recent Extinctions: Living on Borrowed Time
[04/02/10]
[0:00]
Note: From Matrix 5: "... Actually the extinction
of species has been part of the cycle since the creation of 3rd density
Earth. Change is constant and a part of the Way things are. Due to
immature/not mature enough and minion incarnations who revere physical life
more than anything else (covered elsewhere in Matrix 5 materials), we have
had this constant whining about species whose time has passed or is passing.
Part of the passing is due to the Planetary Spirit no longer requiring
incarnations in a particular plant or animal. The Planetary Spirit has no
problem with shim's progression and has all the experiences, of being
whatever species, stored within shim's Higher Self. ... This
does not mean that people should be reckless in dealing with Earth's
plant/animal life. As with other polarity issues on this planet, you have
two sides on this topic as well. There is the one with take/kill the
resources at will and without regard, such as hunting for 'sport' when food
is plentiful or damaging trees/forests for greed. The opposite is to submit
yourself to nature and allow the resources to control you, such as not
eating cows when people are starving or operating under the false belief
that the nature realm is superior to the Earther Higher Self realm.
Both
are imbalance. You will have to spend time in both mindsets as part of
your progression for understanding ...''
Call of Life' Facing the Mass Extinction Trailer
[9:18]
Note: Here they say that nature is collapsing because of humans,
which is not true. However, they do recognize that there is a
general extinction process in progress. At the same time all this is
happening, they're discovering tens of thousands of species they never
realized were here .... all existential experiences of the planetary spirit
being ...
6.9-magnitude earthquake rocks Taiwan
[04/27/10]
"A strong earthquake shook southeastern Taiwan Monday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. ..."
Fastest deep ocean current discovered
[04/27/10]
"An international team has discovered a fast-moving deep ocean current near Antarctica that may help researchers monitor the impact of climate change on the world's oceans. ..."
Note: We knew about this a long time ago. It was even on a
Discovery channel documentary.
Life On Earth: 25% World's Right Whales Show Up Off RI Coast
[04/25/10]
"A record number of rare right whales have been spotted in Block Island Sound off Rhode Island.
Researchers from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Falmouth spotted 98 North Atlantic right whales during an aerial survey Monday.
Researchers said they circled the area after noticing a "flukeprint" — a smooth patch of water that forms after a whale dives and flexes its tail underwater.
There are only about 400 of the whales left after they were nearly hunted to extinction. ..."
Life On Earth:
A microbial world
[04/21/10]
"Estimates for the number of microbial species in the world's oceans have jumped massively.
When the International Census of Marine Microbes (ICoMM) kicked off in 2003, microbiologists had identified 6,000 kinds of microbe and predicted that they might find as many as 600,000. But the latest analyses indicate that the oceans are home to at least 20 million types, including acantharians (pictured) — protists with skeletons made of strontium sulphate crystals. "The results just blow the wheels off all estimates of microbial diversity," says ICoMM leader Mitch Sogin of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
..."
Apropos ‘Earth Day’: the Late George Carlin on Saving the Planet
[04/21/10]
[7:38]
"since today is “Earth Day,” I think that it’s such a terrific statement on the “save” the environment nonsense ..."
Australian Goldfields rocked by largest earthquake in 50 years
[04/21/10]
"Hundreds of schoolchildren and miners were evacuated when the biggest earthquake in 50 years hit Australia’s Goldfields earlier today, causing damage to buildings in two towns. So far, only two people have been reported as being treated for minor injuries.
The shallow, 5.0 magnitude quake struck about 8.20am local time (23.20GMT), 10km (six miles) north-east of the gold mining city of Kalgoorlie and the neighbouring town of Boulder in Western Australia.
Tremors were felt up to 200km (124 miles) away from the epicentre of the quake, which struck at a depth of 10km and caused structural damage to many buildings, including local pubs.
Locals in Kalgoorlie, including some who initially thought the quake was one of the regular blasts from the nearby mines, said it lasted about 20 seconds.
...Geoscience Australia spokesman Chris Thompson said it was largest shallow area earthquake to rock Australia in decades. “It’s certainly the largest event in 50 years for the area, and possibly the biggest since we have begun recording in the early 1900s,” Mr Thompson told The Times.
..."
More Delays: New Ash Cloud Heads Towards UK
[04/20/10]
"Air passengers are being warned of further delays tomorrow after warnings that a "new ash cloud" was spreading towards the UK. ..."
Forget
Eyjafjallajokull, Mt. Katla Is Now Getting Ready To Rumble [04/19/10]
"The ground is now literally shaking around Iceland's Mt. Katla. .."
Aftershocks pound quake-hit region in China
[04/19/10]
"Aftershocks rocked earthquake-shattered Yushu County in China's northwest Qinghai province, adding to the misery of the survivors, officials said. ..."
Global Wild Card: Iceland's disruptive volcano
[04/18/10]
18 very nice photos
"Today, British civil aviation authorities ordered the country's airspace closed as of noon, due to a cloud of ash drifting from the erupting Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. The volcano has erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. The volcanic ash has forced the cancellation of many flights and disrupted air traffic across northern Europe, stranding thousands of passengers. Collected here are photos of the most recent eruption, and of last month's eruptions, which were from the same volcano, just several miles further east. (18 photos total) ..."
Related: Experts: No end to volcano ash in sight
| Volcano
Fallout Deals Blow to Fragile Economy Video clip
This is just the beginning, warn scientists
"Eyjafjallajokull has erupted twice in the past 1,100 years, the last time in December 1821. That continued for more than a year until January 1823.
Andrew Hooper, an expert on Iceland’s volcanoes at Delft University in Holland, said: “There is a very real possibility that the volcano will continue to erupt on and off for months.
“Eruptions of Eyjafjallajokull in 1821-3 and 1612 were followed in short shrift by eruptions of
Katla, with a far greater potential for disrupting travel and the climate.” ..."
Volcanic ash spreads more travel misery across Europe
[04/18/10]
"Millions of stranded travellers face further air chaos as the volcanic ash from Iceland that has closed most of Europe's airspace continues to spread. ..."
Note: MAP
4.9 Quake Hits Utah, Idaho
[04/16/10]
"An earthquake has hit the states of Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho. The Utah earthquake registered a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter scale.
The epicenter of the Utah earthquake appears to have been five miles outside of Randolph, a small town 73 miles northeast of Salt Lake City. The Utah earthquake hit just before 6 pm mountain time.
The US Geological Survey website reports that the Randolph, Utah earthquake was felt as far as Provo and Ogden all the way to Jackson, Wyoming and Pocatello, Idaho. ..."
Experts say major Utah earthquake is inevitable
"Utah, it's not a question of if, but when a big quake hits our state. And where you live in the Salt Lake Valley could mean all the difference.
Pictures from the Univ. of Utah Seismograph Stations show what Utah looked like just after its last major earthquake in 1934. A 6.6 magnitude quake hit the Hansel Valley north of the Great Salt Lake. Although another big one hasn't rocked the Wasatch Front since, it's on the way.
Carey said Utah has a one in four chance for a 7.0 quake in the next 50 years. And this time the destruction will be much different than the last one...."
NASA Satellite Monitoring Iceland Volcano -Worried More Massive Eruptions to Follow
[04/16/10]
"Within 24 hours of the eruption, NASA's JPL team confirmed the volcano was emitting more than one billion watts of energy - enough to power 40,000 passenger cars. It has discharged more than six tons of lava per second. Data that used to take three weeks to gather can now be had in less than 24 hours, according to researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ..."
Second Massive Garbage Patch Found In Atlantic
[04/16/10]
"Researchers are warning of a new blight at sea: a swirl of confetti-like plastic debris stretching over a remote expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
The floating garbage – hard to spot from the surface and spun together by a vortex of currents – was documented by two groups of scientists who trawled the sea between scenic Bermuda and Portugal's mid-Atlantic Azores islands.
The studies describe a soup of micro-particles similar to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a phenomenon discovered a decade ago between Hawaii and California that researchers say is likely to exist in other places around the globe.
"We found the great Atlantic garbage patch," said Anna Cummins, who collected plastic samples on a sailing voyage in February. ..."
6.9 quake strikes
China [04/14/10]
"A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck western China Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, with Chinese media reporting casualties...." What Was Different About China's Quake?
"The earthquake that struck western China occurred in the middle of a plate within the Tibetan Plateau. ..."
Chemtrails: Earth
Being Sprayed With Aluminum? [04/13/10]
"Could a Ban of Transparent Reporting at the Asilomar Conference be an
Attempt to Cover-Up World-Wide Contamination From Stratospheric Aerosol
Geo-Engineering Programs? ... Geo-engineers gathered once again near Monterey
California at the Asilomar International Conference on Climate Intervention
Technologies meeting to develop norms and guidelines for what they say will be
“controlled experimentation” on geo-engineering the planet. While many
claim that stratospheric aerosol geo-engineering (SAG), aka chemtrail programs
are in full-scale deployment, organizers of this meeting showed a lack of
transparency by either denying or holding reporters to a high set of rules
which limited what information was brought to the attention of the public.
While we might never know how much information from the conference was
suppressed in articles and reports, we do know some of the information that
was not included. The issue of current SAG deployment and the use of aluminum
in these programs seemed to be missing from reports and articles that came out
of the conference ...."
Related: |Geoengineering
Watch website
Metals
in Chemtrails Heat-Up Atmosphere, HAARP and Earthquake triggering
[10:22]
Chemtrails and HAARP Weather Warfare: History
Channel - Part 1
[04/13/10]
[10:16]
Note: Part
2 [10:20] Part
3 [10:22] Part
4 [9:48]
7.0 quake strikes off Solomon Islands
[04/12/10]
"A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands Sunday but caused no damage or injuries and posed no tsunami threat, authorities said. ..."
6.3 quake
in Spain [04/11/10]
"25 km (15 miles) SE of Granada, Spain"
Fringe Research: Breakthrough in Earthquake Prediction
[04/08/10]
[5:16]
"By associating active regions near coronal holes with their hyper-symmetric storm activity, the position of foreshadowed quakes may be ascertained. ..."
Note: Interesting theory .... if true, it is indeed a breakthrough.
Related: Predicting Earthquakes with Astrotometry
7.8 quake strikes northern Sumatra
[04/07/10]
"A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck northern Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. ..."
Earthquake Watch Update - AV-2010-04-05
[04/08/10]
[6:19]
"John Thomas Bryant, Jr. the creator of Astrotometry, a rigorous scientific study of the nature of the physical universe.
Working towards reconciliation of specific conflicts in various world views, the Astrotometry channel is like a provisional classroom for a completely new school of thought.
7.2 quake rocks northwestern
Mexico/Baja, CA [04/04/10]
"A strong earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border shook high-rises in downtown Los Angeles and San Diego and was felt across Southern California and Arizona.
The 7.2 magnitude quake struck at 3:40 p.m. in Baja California, Mexico, about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, according to seismologists at the California Institute of Technology. The area was hit by magnitude 3.0 quakes all week.
." 7.2
Mexicali Earthquake
Video clip [1:28]
Note: Unique clip
Northeast Hit With Devastating Floods, As Federal Flood Insurance Expires Due To GOP Obstruction
[04/03/10]
"Last week, Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), blocked an extension of unemployment benefits, claiming that they objected to granting the extension without offsetting it with a spending cut elsewhere. Last month, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) and a handful of his Republican allies did the same thing, with Bunning telling Democrats who wanted to pass an extension by unanimous consent “tough
shit.” But it wasn’t only unemployment benefits that expired: the same package that the Republicans blocked also included extenders for the National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP). And the critical nature of NFIP was brought into the spotlight this week, as many northeastern states have been battered with record amounts of rainfall, which has led to widespread flooding.
Flooding in Rhode Island was the worst it’s been in 100 years, with some rivers “several feet above all-time records.” Boston saw its wettest March since record keeping began in 1872, while “bridges and highways have washed out from Maine to Connecticut and sewage systems have been overwhelmed to the point that families were asked to stop flushing toilets.” National Guard troops have been mobilized to aid residents in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. ..."
Quake rattles islands off Indian coast
[03/31/10]
"A 6.4-magnitude earthquake shook parts of Andaman and Nicobar islands off the Indian coast Tuesday, injuring two people, officials said. ..."
Buried alive: Half of Earth's life may lie below land, sea
[03/30/10]
"While astronomers scour the skies for signs of life in outer space, biologists are exploring an enormous living world buried below the surface of the Earth.
Scientists estimate that nearly half the living material on our planet is hidden in or beneath the ocean or in rocks, soil, tree roots, mines, oil wells, lakes and aquifers on the continents.
They call it the "subsurface biosphere," a dark world where the sun and stars don't shine. Some call it Earth's basement. ..."
Bees in more trouble than ever after bad winter
[03/30/10]
"The mysterious 4-year-old crisis of disappearing honeybees is deepening. A quick federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-off this winter, while a new study shows honeybees' pollen and hives laden with pesticides. ..."
Mysterious Whale Die-Off Is Largest on Record
[03/30/10]
"The largest recorded die-off of great whales has experts gathering to try and figure out the unknown cause of death among right whale calves. ..."
Undersea volcano threatens southern Italy: report
[03/29/10]
"Europe's largest undersea volcano could disintegrate and unleash a tsunami that would engulf southern Italy "at any time", a prominent vulcanologist warned in an interview published Monday. ..."
Strong earthquake rattles northern Chile
[03/26/10]
"An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale rattled northern Chile Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. ..."
Three earthquakes jolt Philippines
[03/24/10]
"One quake, registering a magnitude of 5.7, was about 18 miles northeast of Laoag City in the northern Luzon area, with a second quake measuring 3.2 about 24 miles from the city, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
Another quake, with a 3.8-magnitude, rumbled in the Visayas region, about 10 miles northeast of Ormoc City, officials said. ..."
6.6 magnitude tremor
in Japan [03/14/10]
"A strong earthquake hit off the eastern coast of central Japan today, rattling buildings across a broad swath of the country, including the crowded Tokyo capital.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, and the government said there was no danger from tsunamis.
The quake had an initial estimated magnitude of 6.6, according to the Japan
Meteorological Agency. It hit at 0808 GMT on Sunday, or 5:08 p.m. local time. The earthquake was centered about 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the eastern coast of central Fukushima Prefecture, and struck at a depth of 25 miles (40 kilometers).
..."
7.0 magnitude tremor jolts Indonesia
[03/14/10]
"The earthquake occurred at 7:57 a.m. local time (0057 GMT) with the epicenter located 132 kilometers (82 miles) southeast of Labuha in North Maluku province, at a depth of 56 kilometers, Xinhua quoted the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency as saying. ..."
Connecting the Dots: Cosmic Climate Change, Financial Terrorism
[03/13/10]
"Earthquakes dominate once again this month as a string of strong quakes prompts us to ask, "What in Earth is going on?" That the US government would engage in such nefarious activity to induce a strategically-placed earthquake in Haiti is a frightening prospect. Could any or all of the recent cluster have been deliberately induced? Or have we just witnessed Nature's awesome retort to the Evil Empire's puny arsenal? We'll examine the political state of play in Chile on the occasion of its most powerful earthquake in 50 years and recall the notorious roots of the
Pathocrats' economic shock therapy that's so prevalent today. Record snowfall blanketed all but Hawaii in the US and freezing temperatures froze ships mid-stream in Europe, yet Canada emerged from the cruelest of winters warm and dry. We would ask the "climatologists" for their take on this but they're too busy modelling alternate realities, answering corruption charges and just generally keeping well below the radar. We'll present an alternative Cosmic Climate Change hypothesis that honours the scientific data and doesn't require sleight of hand to "hide the decline."
Financial terrorism from Wall Street's finest banksters struck gold again this month with a false-flag attack on the euro. Economic warfare, like any other form of warfare, sears a trail of tears and destruction through innocent peoples' lives, only it comes in the covert manner of currency manipulations and speculative attacks on target economies. And just as with conventional warfare, its psychopathic conspirators often hatch their murderous plans over dinner and fine wine. From a meeting in Manhattan we'll chart the Evil Empire's desperate pitch to keep its paper-worthless dollar atop the sinking pile.
When a tiny country like Israel can manipulate empires from afar, what is there to stop it walking into its neighbour's house and murdering him? Well, nothing, as the Mossad brazenly demonstrated in January. But if Dubai can have Interpol serve arrest warrants where no other country dares to tread, we wonder if the international exposure Mossad Murder Inc received this month has severely compromised its cover of darkness? More light, say we!
Join us as we Connect the Dots in February... ..." Coincidence of
EQ and other events
Oregon's monster mushroom is world's biggest living thing
[03/13/10]
"The outline of the giant fungus stretches 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometres) across, and it extends an average of three feet (one metre) into the ground. It covers an area as big as 1,665 football fields. ..."
Note: If it decides to attack in the middle of the night, what can
we do? What can we do? I remember this story from two or three years ago.
Besides, I thought the Earth's biggest living thing was the Earth itself.
New seismic trend to generate more quakes: Report
[03/12/10]
"Earth has entered a 'long' period of increased seismic activities that will likely trigger more violent quakes in the coming years, a report says.
The report, published by Russian news agency RIA Novosti, has identified regions around the Pacific Ocean as hotspots that might experience earthquakes and tsunamis in the years ahead.
According to the March 12 report, the Pacific seismic zone, including Russia's Far Eastern territories of Kamchatka and Chukotka, the US state of Alaska and coastal regions along South American countries are going through rising seismic activities as the globe enters another period of tectonic activity.
"Seismic activity in the Pacific belt has increased in the recent years... which means that the Earth entered another period of tectonic activity. It is a long process, which is likely to take years," said Vladimir Bormotov, a scientist at the Far Eastern Institute of Tectonics Geophysics in southeastern Russian city of Khabarovsk, quoted by RIA Novosti.
..."
Freak waves spotted from space
[03/12/10]
"As part of a project called MaxWave - which was set up to test the rumours - two Esa satellites surveyed the oceans.
During a three week period they detected 10 giant waves, all of which were over 25m (81ft) high. ...Over the last two decades more than 200 super-carriers - cargo ships over 200m long - have been lost at sea. Eyewitness reports suggest many were sunk by high and violent walls of water that rose up out of calm seas.
But for years these tales of towering beasts were written off as fantasy; and many marine scientists clung to
"statistical models" stating "monstrous deviations from the normal sea state occur once every 1,000
years". But, "two large ships sink every week on average," said Wolfgang Rosenthal, of the GKSS Research Centre in Geesthacht, Germany. "But the cause is never studied to the same detail as an air crash. It simply gets put down to 'bad
weather'.....The goal is to find out how these strange cataclysmic phenomena may be generated, and which regions of the seas are most at risk.
Dr Rosenthal concluded: "We know some of the reasons for the rogue waves, but we do not know them
all.... "
Related: New type of ocean wave detected: Coupled Waves
"A new type of ocean wave has been found. It hugs the sea bed and constantly exchanges energy between the sea floor and the water just above it.
It was discovered by Cinna Lomnitz of the University of Mexico and US oceanographer Rhett Butler using data from a unique sea floor seismic observatory in the Pacific.
Professor Lomnitz was alerted to the possible existence of so-called coupled waves by the disastrous earthquake in Mexico City in 1985.
Destructive waves rippled through mud layers beneath the city causing many buildings to collapse. The waves found spreading through the oceans following earthquakes are similar.
..."
Second Tropical Cyclone Ever Forms in South Atlantic
[03/12/10]
"The second ever tropical cyclone to form in the South Atlantic has been spotted about 180 miles off the coast of Brazil.
Tropical cyclones typically don't form in the Southern Atlantic because the waters are usually too cool. ..."
7.2
Quake in Chile [03/11/10]
"A 7.2-magnitude earthquake and two strong aftershocks rumbled Thursday near Libertador O'Higgins, Chile, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake and aftershocks struck the administrative division just as Chile prepared to inaugurate Sebastian Pinera as president, CNN reported.
The quake's epicenter was about 83 miles north of Talca, 85 miles south of Valparaiso and 92 miles southwest of Santiago, Chile's capital, USGS said, and about 22 miles deep.
Aftershocks registering magnitudes of 6 and 6.9 were felt within an hour off the earthquake...."
They believe this is an 'aftershock' from the 8.8, but it's been too
long. To throw anything that happens after two weeks in there, is only an
attempt to obfuscate the fact that new quakes are happening.
'Doomsday' Seed Vault Stores 500,000 Crops
[03/11/10]
"A global seed vault dug out of an arctic mountainside has just reached its half-million mark of seed varieties. ..."
Note: And, it's all for nothing.
MSN: "13 Crazy Earthquake Facts"
[03/10/10]
"Earth has been more seismologically active in the past 15 years or so
....."
Growing low-oxygen zones in oceans worry scientists
[03/09/10]
"Lower levels of oxygen in the Earth's oceans, particularly off the United States' Pacific Northwest coast, could be another sign of fundamental changes linked to global climate change, scientists say. ..."
Documentary: Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives
[03/08/10]
4 Video clips
"In his journeys to the most famous fossil sites in the world, David Attenborough discovers a pre-historic world teeming with life ..."
6.0 Quake
in Turkey [03/08/10]
"An earthquake of 6.0-magnitude has killed five people in the eastern Turkish village of Okcular in Elazig Province, the governor of the province said."
Experts confirm asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs
[03/06/10]
"Dinosaurs were wiped out by a huge asteroid that smashed into Earth 65 million years ago with the force of a billion atomic bombs, scientists said, hoping to lay an age-old debate to rest once and for all.
The definitive verdict came from an international panel of experts who reviewed 20 years' worth of evidence about what caused the Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT) extinction that wiped out more than half the species on the planet.
They determined it was a massive asteroid, measuring around 15 kilometers (nine miles) wide, which smashed into what is today Chicxulub in Mexico.
The event marked a pivotal point in history because it cleared the way for mammals to become the dominant species on Earth. ..."
6.5
Quake off coast of Sumatra [03/05/10]
6.6 Quake
off coast of Chile 6.0 Quake
off coast of Chile
The Politics of Earthquakes
[03/05/10]
"If the earthquakes in Chile and Haiti carry any message for those of us fortunate enough not to live in those places, perhaps it is that government regulation could save your life—while right-wing ideology may kill you someday. ..."
New data: Mega-quake could strike near Seattle
[03/05/10]
"Using sophisticated seismometers and GPS devices, scientists have been able to track minute movements along two massive tectonic plates colliding 25 miles or so underneath Washington state's Puget Sound basin. Their early findings suggest that a mega-earthquake could strike closer to the Seattle-Tacoma area, home to some 3.6 million people, than was thought earlier..... ..."
Note: Well, it will be what it is.
Violent Planet: The Forces that Shape Earth
[03/05/10]
"Earth is a violent planet, with blasts and explosions a pivotal throughout Earth's history, shaping and reshaping our planet. ...The fact that the recent earthquake in Chile was powerful enough to shift Earth's axis by 3 inches just goes to show the planet remains a violent, dynamic place to live.
"
6.3 Quake
in Antofagasta, Chile [03/04/10]
| 6.4 Quake
in Vanuatu | 6.1 Quake
offshore
Valparaiso, CHILE
|6.4 Quake Rattles Taiwan
Chilean Quake Likely Shifted Earth’s Axis, NASA Scientist Says
[03/02/10]
"The earthquake that killed more than 700 people in Chile on Feb. 27 probably shifted the Earth’s axis and shortened the day, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist said. ...Earthquakes can involve shifting hundreds of kilometers of rock by several meters, changing the distribution of mass on the planet. This affects the Earth’s rotation, said Richard Gross, a geophysicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who uses a computer model to calculate the
effects ... The changes happen on the day and then carry on “forever,” Benjamin Fong
Chao, dean of Earth Sciences of the National Central University in Taiwan, said in an e-mail.
“This small contribution is buried in larger changes due to other causes, such as atmospheric mass moving around on Earth,” Chao said."
Eyewitness Says Sky Changed Color Before Chile Earthquake
[03/02/10]
VIDEO [9:57]
"An eyewitness speaks about the earthquake in Chile this weekend, describing some interesting details regarding changes in the colour of the sky. ..."
Huge icebergs break off Antarctica
[02/28/10]
"An iceberg the size of Luxembourg has broken off from a glacier in Antarctica after being rammed by another giant iceberg, scientists said on Friday, in an event that could affect ocean circulation patterns.
The 2,500 sq km (965 sq mile) iceberg broke off earlier this month from the Mertz Glacier's 160 km (100 miles) floating tongue of ice that sticks out into the Southern Ocean.
The collision has since halved the size of the tongue that drains ice from the vast East Antarctic ice sheet.
Note: 14
photos
Chile quake
500x more intense than Haiti [02/27/10]
Video "Telemundo's Jose Diaz Ballart talks to msnbc's Alex Witt about the area damaged by the magnitude-8.8 earthquake that struck Chile early Saturday.
..." More than 55 aftershocks, too.
Huge 8.8 earthquake hits Chile, at least 78 dead
[02/27/10]
"A powerful magnitude-6.1aftershock hit offshore central Chile early Saturday in the wake of a powerful magnitude-8.8 earthquake, leaving 78 people dead. ..."
35 km (21.7 miles) Aftershocks: 6.2, 6.0, 6.9,
6.1. "A huge 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Chile early on Saturday killing at least 78 people, toppling buildings and triggering a tsunami threatening the Pacific rim of fire, officials said.
The massive quake plunged much of the Chilean capital, Santiago, into darkness as it snapped power lines and severed
communications. AFP journalists spoke of walls and masonry collapsing while people in pyjamas fled onto the streets.
Television images showed destroyed or heavily damaged buildings and debris-strewn streets.
Residents in the south of the city, which appeared to have borne the brunt of the quake, said roads had crumpled and a bridge had been damaged, as an AFP correspondent said buildings "shook like jelly."
The US Pacific Tsunami warning center issued a "widespread" tsunami warning for all Pacific nations. Related article: Pacific nations on tsunami alert
... In May 1960 the country was ravaged what is now known as Valdivia or Great Chilean Earthquake, which was rated 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale.
Video
6.3 Quake hits
Salta, Argentina [02/27/10]
"Depth +/- 19.1 km (11.9 miles)..."
7.3 quake rattles Japan's Okinawa
[02/27/10]
"A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 jolts south of Japan in the Pacific Ocean, the government's Meteorological Agency says. ..."
Note: Depth 22 km (13.7 miles) a magnitude 7.3 tremor hit the city of Kobe in 1995, killing more than 6,400.
Half the planet's primates 'threatened with extinction'
[02/19/10]
"Seldom seen species of lemur, monkey and gorilla are among 25 primates facing near-certain extinction unless urgent measures are taken to protect them, a report has warned. ..."
Note: I guess this includes all the politicians and minions in 'people
suits'.
6.9-magnitude earthquake rattles N Korea border with China
[02/18/10]
"A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake has jolted off North Korea's border with China and Russia, the US Geological Survey reports.
There was no immediate report of the casualties due to the powerful quake that happened early Thursday at 10:13 a.m. local time (0113 GMT), 111 kilometers northeast of Chongjin at a
depth of 562 kilometers. ..."
Note: This is significant! So deep, yet a 6.9 on the surface!
Alien Landscapes on Planet Earth, pictures by Martin Rietze
[02/18/10]
"Spectacular eruptions and barren deserts captured by Martin Rietze. ..."
Note: 15 pictures. Interesting.
United States' drought has 'extraordinary' reversal
[02/18/10]
"What a difference a rain makes. The nationwide drought that had farmers, communities and entire states fighting to conserve water has reversed in the most dramatic turnaround since federal scientists began keeping records.
More than 92% of the country is drought-free — the nation's best showing since 1999.
"The lack of drought is extraordinary," said Douglas Le Comte, a meteorologist with the federal Climate Prediction Center. ..."
Ocean Anomalies: Rogue Wave Strikes in California
[02/16/10]
"An unexpectedly large wave caught spectators by surprise over the weekend as they watched a surfing competition at Half Moon Bay, California. The wave washed beyond the beach [video], knocking people down and causing injuries.
Only in recent years have scientists begun to understand rogue waves, which can arise out of seemingly nowhere and soar up to 80 feet.
They can be spawned by distant hurricanes, like one that struck Maine in 2008, or they can arise from relatively calm seas when tiny waves concentrate together to become abnormally large waves, one study found.
Image
Gallery: Monster Waves
6.2 Quake hits Indonesia
[02/16/10]
"620 km (385 miles) NNW of DARWIN, Northern Territory, Australia ..."
Supervolcanoes
[02/14/10]
VIDEO [46:00] " The Yellowstone Caldera Super
volcano explodes every 600,000 years. The last time was 600,000 years ago. It
could accelerate and go off at any time, and when it does, it will throw so
much ash and gases into the atmosphere that it will lower the global
temperature 5 degrees C, cutting off much sunlight and destroying most, if not
all of the human civilization. This is NOT a matter of "if' but when.
The last time a supervolcano went off was 74,000 years ago, in Toba, Sumatra,
and according to the history and analysis of human mitochondrial DNA, it
nearing wiped out the whole civilization, reducing the population to a few
thousand people on the whole planet ..... there is no possibility of an
human action to change this event. Secondly, not all locations of
supervolcanoes on Earth are known."
Note: Eighty percent of all volcanoes erupt under the ocean,
injecting billions of tons of CO2 into the ocean water. There is no way to
compute the amount that human CO2 impacts the biosphere, because not much is
known about the total production of CO2 on the planet. Therefore, any carbon
trading concept that is arrived at by ambitious financial planners is a scam
that has no basis in reality.
6.1-Tonga
Islands [02/14/10]
1950 km (1210 miles) NE of Auckland, New Zealand
Meteor Hits Mexico Leaving 30 Meter Crater
[02/13/10]
"A meteor has been reported to have hit Mexico leaving a 30 meter crater.
According to Mexican media milenio.com, the meteor’s impact was in between the towns of Ahuazotepec and Cuautepecy in Central Mexico. The impact of the meteorite was in a relatively unpopulated area and hit Mexico around 6.30pm local time. ..."
5.8 magnitude quake hits Argentina
[02/12/10]
"A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit near Mendoza, Argentina on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said. ..."
Rare 3.8 magnitude quake rocks Chicago area
[02/11/10]
"A minor earthquake struck about 40 miles outside of Chicago early Wednesday morning, jolting awake a region already mostly buried beneath recent snowfall. NBC's John Yang reports. (Nightly News) ..."
5.7
quake jolts southern Mexico [02/09/10]
"Southern Mexico has been shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey. ..."
6.4
earthquake off Japan [02/07/10]
"No casualties were reported Sunday from a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan's Ryukyu Islands, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. ..."
Scientists Drill Deepest Hole off New Zealand
[02/07/10]
"Scientists aboard the research ship the JOIDES Resolution recently drilled two kilometers into Earth’s crust, setting a new record for the deepest hole drilled through the seafloor on a single expedition. ..."
Canada hit by rare earthquake
[02/07/10]
"A rare earthquake shook New Brunswick Friday just before midnight, Canadian authorities said.
The 3.2-magnitude quake hit about 11:49 p.m. local time . "It was just large enough to be felt," Natural Resources Canada seismologist Sylvia Hayek said. "We'll get a few in a year. A lot of them just go unnoticed because they're too small."
Natural Resources Canada is assessing possible damage, Canwest News Service reported Saturday.
In 1982 New Brunswick was hit by a string of temblors beginning with a 5.7 quake. ..."
6.1-earthquake
Kuril Islands, Russia [02/05/10]
Note: Serious volcanoes in that area.
6.2-earthquake
Western Australia area [02/05/10]
"Southeast Indian Ridge..."
6.0- earthquake
northern California
[02/05/10]
"A 6.0-magnitude earthquake centered off the Pacific coast has shaken northern California, according to the US Geological Survey. ..."
Yellowstone Eruption Days Away?
[02/05/10]
"The current earthquake swarm at Yellowstone can now be called the longest and most eventful in modern history. I include the following snapshot from today's reports.
... While the debate is raging whether the intensity of these quakes is being under-reported, the more important issue of depth of these quakes is being ignored. They have been closer and closer to the surface. Starting at about 15 kilometers deep a few weeks ago to an average of 5 kilometers deep today. From 10 kilometers deep on 1/27 to 5 kilometers deep today. ..." 2010 Yellowstone Swarm Continues
"As of January 30, 2010 9:00 AM MST there have been 1,585 located earthquakes in the recent Yellowstone National Park swarm. The swarm began January 17, 2010 around 1:00 PM MST about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the Old Faithful area on the northwestern edge of Yellowstone Caldera. Swarms have occurred in this area several times over the past two decades. YVO continues to monitor the
activity ..."
6.5
Quake strikes off coast of Papua New Guinea [02/01/10]
"The 6.5 quake occurred at 8:28 am local time Monday (2228 GMT) 126
kilometers west of Arawa, Bougainville, with its epicenter 215 kilometers
south of the town of Rabaul at a depth of 35 kilometers, the US Geological
Survey reported. Papua New Guinea, where continental plates meet, is
frequently hit by earthquakes as it sits on the Pacific "Ring of
Fire." ..."
Life On Earth: Something rotten in the state of
paleontology [02/01/10]
"Interpretations of fossil record fail to account for decay. ... A collection of decomposing bodies is challenging the interpretation of the fossil record, and could force researchers to rethink the evolution of vertebrates.
An assumption underlying the interpretation of many fossils is that as the animals rot they lose their identifying characteristics in a random order, says a team of palaeontologists from the University of Leicester, UK. By studying how animals decay, they have shown that this assumption is flawed.
"The issue is: is a character not present because it was never there or is it that the character was there and had rotted away. In cases where all we have are decay resistant structures we have to be very careful," says study author Mark
Purnell ....."
Note: All right .. sigh .. let's take a look. Now it's 'BoneGate"
China Ports Freak Weather Alert
[01/30/10]
"Freak weather conditions and/or abnormal weather patterns have been reported in several parts of the world during recent months warns the American P&I Club. One of the latest examples is a significant build-up of sea ice in some major northern Chinese ports, the volume exceeding, it says, anything experienced in more than 30 years. ..."
Strong quake reported in South Pacific
[01/29/10]
"An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale on Jan 29th rattled deep waters near the South Pacific island of Vanuatu. ..."
New 6.1-quake hits Haiti, people flee into streets
[01/20/10]
"A strong earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday morning, shaking buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets only eight days after the country's capital was devastated by a previous quake ..."
Yellowstone hit by swarm of earthquakes
[01/20/10]
"Yellowstone National Park has been rattled by more than 250 earthquakes in the past two days following a period of 11 months of quiet seismic activity in the park.
The quakes have been gaining strength, with a 3.1 tremor recorded at 11:03 a.m. today. A 2.9 quake was recorded at 12:38 p.m.
Prof. Robert B. Smith, a geophysicist at the University of Utah and one of the leading experts on earthquake and volcanic activity at Yellowstone, said that the activity is a "notable swarm." ..."
Seismologist calls international earthquake preparation a
"disgrace" [01/18/10]
"Prof. John McCloskey: " Expert sees impending super-quake off Sumatra with Padang in cross-hairs for tsunami. ..."
Note: Saving lives in countries with predominantly minion
populations has never been a focus.
Haiti facing even more powerful quakes in the future
[01/18/10]
"Haiti and its neighbors must prepare themselves for more massive quakes after the devastating tremors this week increased pressure along a lengthy fault line, scientists warned Friday.
Paul Mann, a senior research scientist at the Institute for Geophysics at the University of Texas at Austin, warned that just because the rebuilding process had started people shouldn't assume the risk was over.
..... "This fault system is hundreds of kilometers long and the segment that ruptured to form this ear quake is only 80 kilometers long," Mann said in a telephone interview. ...
Adding to the danger is the fact that the segment which broke was not among those closest to Port-au-Prince.
And there is a second fault system in the north of Haiti which extends to the Dominican Republic which has not ruptured in 800 years and has built up sufficient pressure for a 7.5 magnitude quake.
"The question is when are those going to rupture," Mann said, adding that it is very difficult to predict "whether or not that's going to happen next week or 100 years."
Eric Calais, a French geophysicist who works at Purdue University in Indiana, is among those trying to assess the danger.
He had warned Haitian officials years ago of dangerous pressure in the fault which caused this week's devastating quake, but little could be done to reinforce the desperately poor nation's weak buildings.
... In March 2008 he and Mann presented a paper showing that the fault had built up sufficient pressure to cause a 7.2 magnitude quake.
"It's very important for Port-au-Prince to rebuild properly," he added. "There are other segments of that fault that could rupture in the future.""
Note: Port-au-Prince and all the cities were slums for nature in
people suits. That won't be different later, no matter how much they claim to
pour into this country.
6.0 quake strikes off Guatemala and El Salvador
coast [01/18/10]
"Epicenter 60 miles south-southeast of Guatemala City and 65 miles west of San Salvador. No tsunami warning issued. ..."
Strong quake jolts Argentina's offshore region
[01/17/10]
"A strong magnitude-6.3 quake has shaken a sea area in the Atlantic Ocean off Argentina's coastal waters with no casualties or damage reported so far. ..."
Moderate earthquake jolts southwestern Iran
[01/17/10]
"A moderate magnitude-4.9 earthquake has shaken the city of Andimeshk in Iran's southwestern province of Khuzestan, seismologists have announced. ..."
String of earthquakes in Latin America continues
[01/17/10]
"A 4.7-magnitude earthquake 150 kilometers (around 93 miles) northeast of Colombia's capital Bogota rocked the area on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey has reported. ..."
Seismic Activity 5 Times More Energetic Than 20 Years Ago
[01/14/10]
"New research compiled by Australian scientist Dr. Tom Chalko shows that global seismic activity on Earth is now five times more energetic than it was just 20 years ago.
Excerpt: “The most serious environmental danger we face on Earth may not be climate change, but rapidly and systematically increasing seismic, tectonic and volcanic activity,” said Dr. Chalko. ..."
Minion Mass Death Event: 7.0 Quake hits
Haiti - Largest Earthquake in Over 200 Years [01/13/10]
"The strongest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and heavily damaging the National Palace, U.N. peacekeeper headquarters and other buildings. U.S. officials reported bodies in the streets and an aid official described "total disaster and chaos."
United Nations officials said a large number of U.N. personnel were unaccounted for.
Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a full picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places.
Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid ...the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had a depth of 5 miles (8 kilometers). It was the largest quake recorded in the area and the first major one since a magnitude-6.7 temblor in 1984, USGS analyst Dale Grant said."
As the World Churns: Earth's Liquid Outer Core Is Slowly 'Stirred' in a Series of Decades-Long Waves
[12/28/09]
"Most of the time, at least from our perspective here on the ground, Terra firma seems to be just that: solid. Yet the Earth beneath our feet is actually in constant motion. It moves through time and space, of course, along with the other objects in the universe, but it moves internally as well. The powerful forces of wind, water and ice constantly erode its surface, redistributing Earth's mass in the process. Within Earth's solid crust, faulting literally creates and then moves mountains. Hydrological changes, such as the pumping of groundwater for use by humans, cause the ground beneath us to undulate. Volcanic processes deform our planet and create new land. Landslides morph and scar the terrain. Entire continents can even rise up, rebounding from the weight of massive glaciers that blanketed the land thousands of years ago. Indeed, the outermost layers of the celestial blue onion that is Earth-its crust and upper mantle-aren't very solid at all. But what happens if we peel back the layers and examine what's going on deep within Earth, at its very core? Obviously, Earth's core is too deep for humans to observe directly. But scientists can use indirect methods to deduce what's going on down there. ... ..... analyses isolated six slow-moving oscillations, or waves of motion, occurring within the liquid core. The oscillations originated at the boundary between Earth's core and its mantle and traveled inward toward the inner core with decreasing strength. Four of these oscillations were robust, occurring at periods of 85, 50, 35 and 28 years. Since the scientist's data set goes back to 1840, the recurrence period of the longest oscillation (85 years) is less well determined than the other oscillations. The last two oscillations identified were weaker and will require further study. The 85- and 50-year oscillations are consistent with a 1997 study by researchers Stephen Zatman and Jeremy Bloxham of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., who used a different analysis technique. A later purely theoretical study by Harvard researcher Jon Mound and Bruce Buffett of the University of Chicago in 2006 showed that there should be several oscillations of this type; their predicted periods agree with the first four modes identified in Dickey and deViron's study....."
NASA Data Reveal Major Groundwater Loss in California
[12/16/09]
"New space observations reveal that since October 2003, the aquifers for California's primary agricultural region -- the Central Valley -- and its major mountain water source -- the Sierra Nevadas -- have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America's largest reservoir. The findings, based on data from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace), reflect California's extended drought and increased rates of groundwater being pumped for human uses, such as irrigation. Combined, California's Sacramento and San Joaquin drainage basins have shed more than 30 cubic kilometers of water since late 2003, said professor Jay Famiglietti of the University of California, Irvine. A cubic kilometer is about 264.2 billion gallons, enough to fill 400,000 Olympic-size pools. The bulk of the loss occurred in California's agricultural Central Valley. The Central Valley receives its irrigation from a combination of groundwater pumped from wells and surface water diverted from elsewhere. "Grace data reveal groundwater in these basins is being pumped for irrigation at rates that are not sustainable if current trends continue," Famiglietti said. "This is leading to declining water tables, water shortages, decreasing crop sizes and continued land subsidence. The findings have major implications for the U.S. economy, as California's Central Valley is home to one sixth of all U.S. irrigated land, and the state leads the nation in agricultural production and exports." ..."
Study
finds Arctic seabed afire with lava-spewing volcanoes [12/15/09]
"The Arctic seabed is as explosive geologically as it is politically
judging by the "fountains" of gas and molten lava that have been
blasting out of underwater volcanoes near the North Pole. “Explosive
volatile discharge has clearly been a widespread, and ongoing, process,”
according to an international team that sent unmanned probes to the strange
fiery world beneath the Arctic ice. ..."
Plumbing of Yellowstone supervolcano larger than first thought
[12/15/09]
"New studies of the plumbing that feeds the Yellowstone supervolcano in Wyoming's Yellowstone
National Park shows the plume and the magma chamber under the volcano are larger than first thought and contradicts claims that only shallow hot rock exists. University of Utah research professor of geophysics Robert Smith led four separate studies that verify a plume of hot and molten rock at least 410 miles deep that rises at an angle from the northwest. The studies also indicate the banana-shaped magma chamber a few miles beneath Yellowstone is 20 percent larger than previously thought- meaning a cataclysmic eruption could be even larger. "We have a clear image, using seismic waves from earthquakes, showing a mantle plume that extends from beneath Yellowstone,'' Smith says. Some researchers have doubted the existence of a mantle plume feeding Yellowstone, arguing instead that the area's volcanic and hydrothermal features are fed by convection - the boiling-like rising of hot rock and sinking of cooler rock - from relatively shallow depths of only 185 miles to 250 miles. But the series of studies show the plume angles downward 150 miles to the west-northwest of Yellowstone and reaches a depth of at least 410 miles. That puts the plume below the town of Wisdom, Mont. Smith says "it wouldn't surprise me" if the plume extends even deeper, perhaps originating from the core-mantle boundary some 1,800 miles deep. In fact, a preliminary study by other researchers suggests Yellowstone's plume goes deeper than 410 miles, ballooning below that depth into a wider zone of hot rock that extends at least 620 miles deep. The notion that a deep plume feeds Yellowstone got more support from a study published this month indicating that the Hawaiian hotspot - which created the Hawaiian Islands - is fed by a plume that extends downward at least 930 miles, tilting southeast. The study estimates the plume is mostly hot rock, with one to two percent molten rock in sponge-like voids within the hot rock. Smith also points out the plume isn't vertical, but has three components: * The 45-mile-wide plume that rises through Earth's upper mantle from at least 410 miles beneath the surface. The plume angles upward to the east-southeast until it reaches the colder rock of the North American crustal plate, and flattens out like a 300-mile-wide pancake about 50 miles beneath Yellowstone. The plume includes several wider "blobs" at depths of 355 miles, 310 miles and 265 miles. * A little-understood zone, between 50 miles and 10 miles deep, in which blobs of hot and partly molten rock break off of the flattened top of the plume and slowly rise to feed the magma reservoir directly beneath Yellowstone National Park. * A magma reservoir 3.7 miles to 10 miles beneath the Yellowstone caldera. The reservoir is mostly sponge-like hot rock with spaces filled with molten rock. Researchers previously believed the magma chamber measured roughly six to 15 miles from southeast to northwest, and 20 or 25 miles from southwest to northeast, but new measurements indicate the reservoir extends at least another 13 miles outside the caldera's northeast boundary, Smith says. The Yellowstone caldera, like other calderas on Earth, huffs upward and puffs downward repeatedly over the ages, usually without erupting. Since 2004, the caldera floor has risen 3 inches per year, suggesting recharge of the magma body beneath it. ..."
Note: Research
Articles | New Story Title and Link
Hawaii sees highest surf in decades
[12/09/09]
"Extremely high waves on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Maui have attracted thousands of surfers and onlookers, clogging traffic in the area, observers say. Surf lovers jammed Oahu's Kamehameha Highway and packed every inch of the North Shore beach Monday as waves as high as 40 feet pounded the shore, while massive, 50-foot waves were predicted for Tuesday, Hawaii Magazine reported. The magazine said this winter's first round of swells was already being considered the best in many years, perhaps decades. ..."
Role of the mysterious microbe in ocean ecology
[12/08/09]
"An unusual microorganism discovered in the open ocean forces scientists to rethink their understanding of how carbon and nitrogen cycle through ocean ecosystems… An unusual microorganism discovered in the open ocean may force scientists to rethink their understanding of how carbon and nitrogen cycle through ocean ecosystems. A paper describing the new findings appears in the November 14 issue of the journal Science. A research team led by Jonathan Zehr, a marine scientist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, characterised the new microbe by analysing its genetic material, even though researchers have not been able to grow it in the laboratory. Zehr said that the newly described organism seems to be an atypical member of the cyanobacteria, a group of photosynthetic bacteria formerly known as blue-green algae. "This research has revealed a big surprise about the microbiology of the oceans, and the complex integration of the ocean's nitrogen and carbon cycles," said Philip Taylor, section head in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the work.
..."
Deciphering mass extinctions: What the planet’s past mass extinctions tell us
[12/02/09]
"Extinction is common. The fossil record indicates that the average species lasts — from origin to extinction — a geologically short 1 million to 10 million years. And ending a species doesn’t require an asteroid the size of a small city (although that certainly helps). Extinctions largely reflect Darwin’s theory of natural selection — that those individuals better adapted to environments are more likely to carry on. When a species does fail, it is called a “background” extinction, and it is background extinctions that scientists think account for about 95 percent of all extinctions in the history of life. The other extinctions aren’t so routine. These are mass extinctions, events that not only exterminate large numbers of species, but whole classes of animals, in a near geological instant. They include the
Cretaceous-Paleogene, or K-PG, extinction (formerly known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary, or K-T, extinction), which witnessed the end of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and the Permian-Triassic extinction 252 million years ago in which 95 percent of marine life and 70 percent of terrestrial vertebrate life were wiped out. Scientists have identified three other major mass extinctions in this “Big Five,” likewise labeled by the geologic periods that contain them: the Late Ordovician (445 million years ago), the Late Devonian (376 million years ago) and the Triassic-Jurassic (200 million years ago). Scientists are still working out the exact causes of these extinctions, but geological evidence points to some possibilities. Sediment deposits, fossils and isotopic evidence, for example, point to a rapid advance and retreat of glaciers during the Late Ordovician, which may have changed sea levels, climate and ocean circulation so quickly that many organisms could not adapt in time; 85 percent of marine species died ..."
Plankton fossils discovered at depths of up to nearly 21,981 feet
[11/08/09]
"Many of the discoveries that were made were completely unexpected, thus proving that we can really only guess at the unknown and oftentimes those guesses are incorrect....."
Earthquake Shakes Afghanistan, Pakistan
[10/30/09]
"The quake was centered in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains about 160 miles (250 kilometers north of Kabul. The U.S. Geological Survey says its preliminary magnitude was 6.0,
but Pakistani officials said it was 6.1."
Asteroid
explosion over Indonesia raises fears about Earth's defences [10/28/09]
"An asteroid that exploded in the
Earth’s atmosphere with the energy of three Hiroshima
bombs this month has reignited fears about our planet’s defences against
space impacts. On 8 October, the rock crashed into the atmosphere above South
Sulawesi, Indonesia. The blast was heard by monitoring stations 10,000 miles
away, according to a report by scientists at the University of Western
Ontario. Scientists are concerned that it was not spotted by any telescopes,
and that had it been larger it could have caused a disaster. The asteroid,
estimated to have been around 10 metres (30ft) across, hit the atmosphere at
an estimated 45,000mph. The sudden deceleration caused it to heat up rapidly
and explode with the force of 50,000 tons of TNT. Luckily, due to the height
of the explosion – estimated at between 15 and 20 km (nine to 12 miles)
above sea level – no damage was caused on the ground. However, if the object
had been slightly larger – 20 to 30 metres (60 to 90ft) across – it could
easily have caused extensive damage and loss of life, say researchers. An
asteroid or comet fragment around 60 meters across is believed to have been
behind the Tunguska Event, a powerful explosion that took place over Russia in
1908. The blast has been estimated at equivalent to 10-15 million tons of TNT
– enough to destroy a large city. The White House is to develop a policy on
the space object impact threat by October next year...."
6.4 Earthquake Rocks Indonesia As Nation Recovers From Last Month's Quake
[10/18/09]
"A strong undersea earthquake caused minor damage and made buildings in Indonesia's capital sway Friday, but there were no immediate reports injuries. The quake came as Indonesia is still recovering from another, more powerful earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people last month, not far from Friday's temblor. The epicenter of the latest quake was in the Sunda Strait off the western coast of Java and had a preliminary magnitude of 6.4, Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.
Suhardjono, an official at the agency who like many Indonesian goes by a single name, said it was not powerful enough to cause a tsunami. ..."
Volcanic activity and earthquakes hit Caribbean islands
[10/07/09]
"The volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat shot a plume of ash more than two miles into the sky today, lightly dusting the small island. The venting by the Soufriere Hills volcano has been accompanied by more than 30 tiny earthquakes since last night, according to Paul Cole, director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. He said it was the volcano's first sign of activity in 10 months. ..."
Note: Eruptions seem to be accelerating a bit.
Great
Drought Disaster Looms In East Africa [10/04/09]
"Across East Africa an extraordinary drought is drying up rivers, and grasslands, scorching crops and threatening millions of people with
starvation. In Kenya, the biggest and most robust economy in the region, the rivers that feed its great game reserves have run dry and
since the country relies on hydropower, electricity is now rationed in the cities. ... And yet, it is in the semi-desert on the southern fringe of
the Sahel zone where the most dramatic changes are being felt. Droughts are nothing new here and the nomadic way of life where herders
follow patchy rains across the seasons developed centuries ago as a response to precarious natural resources. The herds of cattle, sheep,
goats and camels – which are venerated by the nomads – were built up in the good years to pad the margins of life when the rains failed.
But this way of life is being overwhelmed, even the camels are dying of thirst..."
Sumatra: Warning of bigger tremor to come
[10/04/09]
"The earthquake that struck Sumatra three days ago is likely to be followed by an even larger tremor that could cause a tsunami as
devastating as the one that hit Indonesia in 2004, according to a leading seismologist. ..."
Latest Earthquakes in the World - Past 7 days
[10/04/09]
""This list contains all earthquakes with magnitude greater than 2.5 located by the USGS and contributing networks in the last week (168
hours). Magnitudes 4.5 and above are in bold font. Magnitudes 6 and above are in red. (Some early events may be obscured by later ones
on the maps.) The most recent earthquakes are at the top of the list. Times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Click on the word
"map" to see a ten-degree tall map displaying the earthquake. Click on an event's "DATE" to get a detailed report.".."
Venezuela rocked by 6.4 earthquake
[09/13/09] "Strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake was felt for several seconds across Venezuela on Saturday, shaking buildings in the capital, Caracas, but no damage was immediately reported."
Largest UK Crop Circle Ever In Corn Field
[
09/07/09 ] "Knighton Hill, nr Wayland Smithy, Oxfordshire. Reported 29th August."
Mysterious Tubular Clouds Defy Explanation
[
08/28/09 ] "These long, crazy-looking clouds can grow to be 600 miles long and can move at up to 35 miles per hour, causing problems for aircraft even on windless days. Known as
Morning Glory clouds, they appear every fall over Burketown, Queensland, Australia, a remote town with fewer than 200 residents. A small number of pilots and tourists travel there each year in hopes of “cloud surfing” with the mysterious phenomenon. Similar tubular shaped clouds called roll clouds appear in various places around the globe. But nobody has yet figured out what causes the Morning Glory clouds. This shot was captured by photographer Mick Petroff from his plane near Australia’s Gulf of Carpenteria. ..."
Related: Movies
of 'morning glory clouds' | The
Cloud Appreciation Society | The
Cloudspotters Guide Note: Ha! I wonder if they
stock "How to Get a Life".
New Clues in the Mass Death of Bees
[
08/26/09 ] "Any number of possible causes for CCD have been put forward, from bee viruses to parasites to environmental triggers like pesticides or even cell-phone transmissions. Despite the Department of Agriculture's allotment of $20 million a year for the next five years to study
CCD, it's still a mystery — and the bees keep dying. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS) shows that the causes of CCD may be more varied than scientists expect. The bees may be dying not from a single toxin or disease but rather from an assault directed by a collection of
pathogens ..." Note: Look how hard they work to avoid the suggestion that genetically modified crops may be the root cause of the deaths of the honeybees, yet it is already documented that pollen from genetically modified plants is harmful to benign insect species! See
Transgenic pollen harms monarch larvae (Nature, Vol. 399, No 6733, p 214, May 1999)
Extraterrestrial Dust to explain bouts of extinction on Earth
[
08/23/09 ] "Until ten years ago, most astronomers did not believe stardust could enter our Solar System. Then ESA’s Ulysses spaceprobe discovered the stardust particles leaking through the Sun’s magnetic shield, into the realm of Earth and the other planets. Now, the same spaceprobe has shown that a flood of dusty particles is heading our
way ..." Earth’s Magnetic Field is rapidly Weakening
"The strength of the Earth’s magnetic field has decreased 10 percent over the past 150 years, raising the remote possibility that it may collapse and later reverse, flipping the planet’s poles for the first time in nearly a million years, scientists said. At that rate of decline, the field could vanish altogether. All this while the Suns Magnetic Field is increasing."
Vast oceans under Earth's surface
[
08/21/09 ] "Scientists believe areas of enhanced electrical conductivity in the mantle - the thick region between the Earth's crust and its core - betray the presence of water. Water divining researchers produced a global three-dimensional map of the mantle showing the areas through which electricity flowed most freely. ..."
Wobbling earth triggers climate change
[
08/17/09 ] "Regular wobbles in the earth's tilt were responsible for the global warming episodes that interspersed prehistoric ice ages, according to new evidence. The finding is the result of research led by Dr Russell Drysdale of the University of Newcastle that has been able to accurately date the end of the penultimate ice age for the first
time ..."
Earthquakes In Tokyo, Indian Ocean Shake Asia
[
08/10/09 ] "A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 hit Tokyo and nearby areas shortly after dawn Tuesday, halting trains and forcing two nuclear reactors to be shut down for safety checks. The U.S. Geological Survey said another, unrelated quake with a 7.6 magnitude hit the Indian Ocean about 160 miles (257 kilometers) north of Port Blair in India's Andaman Islands. A tsunami watch was called for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh. The caution was later lifted without any tsunami being recorded. The Andaman Islands quake was reported to be 20.6 miles (33.15 kilometers) deep, the U.S. Geological Survey
said ..."
World's Rubbish Dump:
Stretches from Hawaii to Japan
[
08/07/09 ]
"A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the
Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said. The vast expanse of debris - in effect the world's largest rubbish dump - is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan. Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" or "trash vortex", believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. Marcus Eriksen, a research director of the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which Mr Moore founded, said yesterday: "The original idea that people had was that it was an island of plastic garbage that you could almost walk on. It is not quite like that. It is almost like a plastic soup. It is endless for an area that is maybe twice the size as continental United States."
Curtis Ebbesmeyer, an oceanographer and leading authority on flotsam, has tracked the build-up of plastics in the seas for more than 15 years and compares the trash vortex to a living entity: "It moves around like a big animal without a leash." When that animal comes close to land, as it does at the Hawaiian archipelago, the results are dramatic. "The garbage patch barfs, and you get a beach covered with this confetti of plastic," he
added ..."
Will Krakatoa rock the world again?
[
07/31/09 ] "With an explosive force 13,000 times the power of the atomic bomb that annihilated Hiroshima, the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa killed more than 36,000 people and radically altered global weather and temperatures for years afterwards. The eruption was so violent and catastrophic that no active volcano in modern times has come close to rivalling it, not even the spectacular eruption of Mount St Helens in the U.S. in 1980. Now, almost a century-and-a-half on, are we about to experience the horrors of Krakatoa once again? 'Volcanic prediction is getting better,' says Professor Jon Davidson, chair of Earth Science at Durham University and a volcanologist who has studied Krakatoa first-hand. 'But we are never going to be able to fully predict big and unusual eruptions, precisely because they are unusual.' Yet there is little doubt that if Krakatoa were to erupt again with such force and fury, the impact would be far more devastating than that which was experienced in the 19th
century ..."
Massive 7.8 NZ Quake Moves Entire Country West
[
07/24/09 ] "Southern New Zealand has moved slightly closer to the east coast of neighboring Australia as a result of a massive earthquake last week off the country's South Island, a scientist said Wednesday. The magnitude 7.8 quake, centered in the ocean near Resolution Island in the country's Fiordland region, twisted South Island out of shape and moved its southern tip 12 inches (30 centimeters) closer to Australia, seismologist Ken Gledhill said. Gledhill, director of government-owned GNS Science's "GeoNet" national earthquake monitoring project, said the island's geographic shift showed the immensity of the forces
involved ..."
Jellyfish invade Japan
[
07/23/09 ] "Giant Nomura's jellyfish are stifling the country's fishing industry.
The massive sea creatures, called Echizen kurage in Japanese, measure up to six feet (1.83 meters) in diameter and weigh more than 450 pounds (204 kilos). For the past four summers, they have mysteriously materialised in the Yellow Sea off China and the Korean peninsula before drifting across into the Sea of Japan. They are expected to be at their most populous in the coming months. The arrival is inevitable,” Professor Shinichi Ue, from Hiroshima University, told the Yomiuri newspaper. “A huge jellyfish typhoon will hit the country.” The vicious creatures, which would not be out of place in a sci-fi adventure, poison fish, sting humans and have even been known to disabling nuclear power stations by blocking the seawater pumps used to cool the reactors. Nomura's jellyfish first arrived in Japanese waters in 2005 when fisherman out looking for anchovies, salmon and yellowtail began finding large numbers of the gelatinous creatures in their nets. The larger specimens would destroy the nets while the fish caught alongside them would be left slimy and inedible. In a country where fish is one of the economy's mainstays, the result was disaster. Fishermen in some areas of the country stopped going out altogether and many cited an 80 per cent drop in their
income ..."
Arctic sea full of huge blobs of floating
'goo' [
07/17/09 ] "... The odorous substance, which has been described variously as "goey", "gunky" and "hairy" has been also been found of the coast of Barrow, 72 miles north east of Wainwright ... The "goo", which is believed to be formed of organic matter, is reportedly floating in strands of up to 15-miles long. The US Coast Guard told the Anchorage Daily News that the strange find is not an oil product or a hazardous substance of any kind. "It's definitely, by the smell and make-up of it, some sort of naturally occurring organic or otherwise marine organism," said Petty Officer 1st Class Terry Hasenauer. "In recent history I don't think we've seen anything like this," he added. "From the air it looks brownish with some sheen, but when you get close and put it up on the ice and in the bucket, it's kind of blackish stuff and has hairy strands on it," he said. The samples of the substance taken by the coast guard are being analysed in Anchorage, with results expected next
week."
'Rosetta
Stone' Of Bacterial Communication Discovered
[
07/15/09 ] "The Rosetta
Stone of bacterial communication may have been found. Although they have no
sensory organs, bacteria can get a good idea about what's going on in their
neighborhood and communicate with each other, mainly by secreting and taking
in chemicals from their surrounding environment. Even though there are
millions of different kinds of bacteria with their own ways of sensing the
world around them, Duke University bioengineers believe they have found a
principle common to all of them. It is already known that a process known as
"quorum sensing" underlies communication between bacteria. However,
each type of bacteria seems to have its own quorum-sensing abilities, with
tremendous variations, the researchers said ... "Quorum sensing is a
cell-to-cell communication mechanism that enables bacteria to sense and
respond to changes in the density of the bacteria in a given
environment," said Anand Pai, graduate student in bioengineering at
Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. "It regulates a wide variety of
biological functions such as bioluminescence, virulence, nutrient foraging and
cellular suicide." ... The researchers found that the total volume of
bacteria in relation to the volume of their environment is a key to quorum
sensing, no matter what kind of microbe is involved ... "If there are
only a few cells in an area, nothing will happen," Pai said. "If
there are a lot of cells, the secreted chemicals are high in concentration,
causing the cells to perform a specific action. We wanted to find out how
these cells know when they have reached a quorum ..."
Mysterious tremors detected on San Andreas Fault
[
07/10/09 ] "Scientists have detected a spike in underground rumblings on a section of California's San Andreas Fault that produced a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in
1857 ..."
Ant mega-colony takes over world
[
07/02/09 ] "A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered. Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same interrelated colony, and will refuse to fight one another. The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination. What's more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together. Argentine ants
(Linepithema humile) were once native to South America. But people have unintentionally introduced the ants to all continents except Antarctica. These introduced Argentine ants are renowned for forming large colonies, and for becoming a significant pest, attacking native animals and crops. In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the 'Californian large', extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of
Japan ..."
More 'Astonishing Crop Circles'
[
06/28/09 ] Below Milk Hill (3) Near Alton Barnes, Wiltshire
| South Field, Near Alton Priors, Wiltshire
| Tawsmead Copse, West
Stowell, Wiltshire | The entire month of
June 2009 UK
800ft 'jellyfish crop' circle found in Oxfordshire field
[
06/01/09 ] (Photo: M AND Y ) A
800ft jellyfish pattern has appeared in a barley field in Kingstone Coombes, Oxfordshire, in what is one of the most intriguing crop circles ever seen in Britain. The vast pattern appeared in the field last week and experts are claiming it to be the first of its kind in the world. Karen Alexander, a crop circle expert, said: "We have seen butterfly and bird patterns in the past, but this is the first jellyfish crop circle in the world. "It is absolutely huge - roughly three times the size of most crop patterns and extremely interesting. People have been aghast at the size of it. It is a complete monster. "We are looking into the meaning of it, but at present it just seems to have appeared out of nowhere." Crop circle theorists known as 'croppies' - believe the patterns are created by UFOs during nocturnal visits, or caused by natural phenomena such as unusual forms of lightning striking the earth. But it has been proven the patterns can be easily created artists. Last year a crop circle described as the most complex ever to seen in Britain was discovered in a barley field in Wiltshire. The formation, measuring 150ft in diameter, was a coded image representing the first 10 digits, 3.141592654, of pi. Michael Reed, an astrophysicist, said: "The tenth digit has even been correctly rounded up. The little dot near the centre is the decimal point. "The code is based on 10 angular segments with the radial jumps being the indicator of each segment. "Starting at the centre and counting the number of one-tenth segments in each section contained by the change in radius clearly shows the values of the first 10 digits in the value of pi."
Dozens Of Whales Beached In South Africa
[
05/31/09 ] "Fifty-five false killer whales washed up on the shores of Kommitjie, near the Cape of Good Hope, in the early morning, prompting a massive all-day rescue effort. Hundreds of locals wearing wet suits or shorts braved high winds and rough waves to try to push the massive mammals from knee-deep water back into the open sea.
..."
UK: "Where have all our birds gone?"
[
05/26/09 ] "People have been listening to skylarks singing in Britain for 10,000 years. But now they, and many other much-loved species, are vanishing fast. David Adam finds out why..."
Scramble For World Resources: Battle For Antarctica
[
05/19/09 ] "May 13th of this year marked the deadline for "states to stake their claims in what some experts are describing as the last big carve-up of maritime territory in history," Reuters reported in October of 2007. At the time the British Foreign Office announced that it was submitting a claim to expand the nation's Antarctic territory by a million square kilometers and would also submit "four other claims...for Atlantic seabed territory around South Georgia and the Falkland Islands and also around Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, near the Bay of Biscay in the North Atlantic, and in the Hatton-Rockall basin off Scotland's coast." Prior to 1962, the British Antarctic Territory was a dependency of the Falkland Islands and also included South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. On March 31 of this year Britain made a partial submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf regarding the Hatton-Rockall area in the Northeast Atlantic (Rockall is a miniscule craggy isle, though one with strategic significance way out of proportion to its size), which gives the country its only claim to the Arctic shelf that is estimated to contain a fifth of the world's undiscovered oil and nearly a third of undiscovered natural
gas ...."
Melting ice could cause gravity shift
[
05/16/09 ] "A study into how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could respond to global warming has found its disintegration would change the focus of the planet's gravitational field, so sea levels would rise disproportionately more
around North America than in other parts of the world. If the ice sheet covering West Antarctica disappears, the loss of so much mass from the southern hemisphere would effectively make the pull of gravity stronger in the northern hemisphere, affecting the spin of the Earth and causing sea levels to rise higher here than in the south, where the mass of ice is currently
located ... The disintegration of the Antarctic ice sheet could cause catastrophic flooding on the east and west coasts of America
... With less mass at the South Pole, and more water in the oceans, the Earth's gravity field would weaken in the southern hemisphere and strengthen in the northern hemisphere, causing water to pile up in the northern oceans, Professor Bamber said. This redistribution of mass would also affect the Earth's rotation, which in turn would cause water to build up along the North American continent and in the Indian Ocean, Professor Bamber added."
Thick Arctic ice surprises scientific expedition
[
05/10/09 ] "Ice in the Arctic is often twice as thick as expected, report surprised scientists who returned last week from a major scientific expedition. The scientists - a 20-member contingent from Canada, the U.S., Germany, and Italy - spent one month exploring the North Pole as well as never-before measured regions of the Arctic. Among their findings: Rather than finding newly formed ice to be two metres thick, "we measured ice thickness up to four metres," stated a spokesperson for the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific organization...."
Mystery worms turn on northwest China herdsmen
[
05/09/09 ] "An invasion of unidentified worms has forced 50 herdsmen and their families from their grassland homes, taking 20,000 head of livestock with them, in northwest China's Xinjiang region, state news agency Xinhua said Friday. The worms are packed up to 3,000 per square meter and chew through the grasslands like lawnmowers, leaving only brown soil in their wake, Xinhua said. The agency described it as the worst plague in three decades in Usu, about 280 km (175 miles) west of the Xinjiang capital Urumqi. Local experts could not identify the 2-cm (1 inch) long, thorny green worm with black stripes and samples had been sent to Xinjiang Agricultural University, Xinhua said...."
10
Strange Looking Places on Earth
[
05/06/09 ] Huh. Cool.
30 Creepiest Trees on Earth
[
04/28/09 ] "If you are a horror movie buff, you’ve certainly noticed the liberal use of trees to set the mood. Halloween is hardly complete without the image of a moon-lit and fog-laden tree. However, some trees have been molded by Mother Nature into specters of their own. Scary, frightening, or downright weird, the trees we’ve amassed in this collection will leave you wondering if Mother Nature herself digested some magic mushrooms...."
Mount Redoubt Volcano in Alaska Erupts Explosively
[
04/28/09 ] "Mount Redoubt Volcano, 106 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, erupted explosively more than 10 times this week, sending ash skyrocketing as high as 65,000 feet into the
air ..."
UK Study: Antarctic sea ice increasing
[
04/24/09 ] "Scientists in the United Kingdom have produced a study which shows ice has grown by 100,000 square kilometres each decade in the past
30 years."
Quake scientist predicts Iran will shake in late April
[
04/21/09 ] "We wrote last year about the attempts of two Chinese researchers to predict earthquakes several weeks in advance using unusual cloud formations. One of the researchers, Guangmeng Guo of the Remote Sensing Center at Nanjing Normal University in Jiangsu province, eastern China, recently emailed me with an update. He says his team has detected the same unusual clouds above Iran. They predict that there will be a magnitude 5.0 to 6.0 earthquake at the end of April in southern Iran. According to Guo, the pressure that builds up in rocks before an earthquake causes electromagnetic disturbances which influence cloud formation overhead. The characteristic shapes can be seen in satellite pictures and act as an early warning signal of tectonic stresses. "This method can be used to predict location and magnitude, but it is difficult to predict the date," writes Guo. He is not alone in believing it is possible to forecast earthquakes several weeks or months before they happen (see Unknown Earth: Can we predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?). Friedemann Freund, a visiting astrochemist at the NASA Goddard centre, is working on a similar theory. Plus, just last month, Italian seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani predicted the earthquake that struck l'Aquila on 6 April and killed over 200 people. Giuliani's forecasts were based on concentrations of radon gas - also thought to be related to geological stresses. He was forced to remove his findings from the internet because local authorities thought he was spreading panic. All these theories are still far from conclusively proven though, putting the days of formal earthquake forecasts some way off.
(comments follow)"
Earthquake prediction: Gone and back again [
04/16/09 ] "The 1990s and early 2000s were hard times for earthquake prediction research. “For 10 years, there was limited funding in the U.S.,” says Dimitar Ouzounov, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and professor at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. That changed in 2004, Ouzounov says, after a magnitude-9-plus quake struck off the coast of Sumatra and set off a tsunami, killing more than 225,000 people in 11
countries ..."
Ice Survey Shows Thickening Arctic Ice [
04/14/09 ] "The WUWT Arctic Ice Thickness Survey has been conducted from the comfort of a warm living room over the last half hour, without sponsors, excessive CO2 emissions or hypothermia. The data is collected from the US military web site http://imb.crrel.usace.army.mil. All of the active military buoys show significant thickening ice over the past six months to a
year ..."
Obama Advisor Back Pedals On Geo-engineering Announcement [
04/11/09 ] "President Obama's chief scientific adviser is back pedaling over comments he made in an interview regarding planetary geo-engineering.
As we reported earlier this week, John Holdren told Associated Press that the Obama administration has held discussions regarding the possibility of artificially altering the earth's climate, with the justification of countering global warming. According to the report, Holdren discussed methods of geo-engineering such as shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays and other radical terraforming programs such as creating an "artificial volcano". "It's got to be looked at," Holdren was quoted as saying, "We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table." The AP also reported that Holdren said he has raised the concept in administration discussions. However, since both the mainstream and alternative media picked up on Holdren's comments and sent them viral, the former director of Harvard University's Science, Technology and Public Policy Program has backtracked, saying that his comments were exaggerated and that the Obama administration IS NOT considering
geo-engineering ..."
Antarctic Sea Ice Up Over 43% Since 1980, Where's The Media? [
04/10/09 ] "Sea ice at Antarctica is up over 43% since 1980 and we hear nothing in the news, yet Arctic ice is down less than 7% and they're all over it! We've been waiting for the main stream media to pick up on the increase of Antarctic ice but so far they're been totally absent. Guess its doesn't fit the plan."
Related: Global Warming Meltdown
Italian earthquake: 40 dead and 50,000 homeless [
04/08/09 ] "The powerful 'quake struck about 60 miles northwest of Rome at a depth of 6.2 miles.
Related: Italy muzzled scientist who foresaw earthquake; warning removed from Internet
[
04/07/09 ] "A powerful earthquake tore through central Italy on Monday killing more than 90 people as Renaissance buildings in a historic town were reduced to rubble. The quake hadn't been completely unexpected. Italy muzzled a scientist who foresaw it. "Vans with loudspeakers had driven around the town a month ago telling locals to evacuate their houses after seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani predicted a large quake was on the way, prompting the mayor's anger," Gavin Jones reports for Reuters. Jones adds, "Giuliani, who based his forecast on concentrations of radon gas around seismically active areas, was reported to police for 'spreading alarm' and was forced to remove his findings from the Internet." The Telegraph reports he also "posted a video on YouTube in which he said a build-up of radon gas around the seismically active area suggested a major earthquake was imminent." A New York Times blog report notes, "The Italian version of PC World has an article about Mr. Giuliani’s warning, featuring an interview with him posted on YouTube, in which he repeated the prediction just a few days before the quake struck." Rescue workers quoted by the Italian media, said the provisional death toll had risen to 92, updating an earlier toll of 50 dead, while officials said more than 1,500 people had been injured in the deadly
quake ..." More on seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani
Alaska's Mount Redoubt has another large eruption
[04/04/09
] "The Mount Redoubt volcano in Alaska has had another large eruption after being relatively quiet for nearly a week. The Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage says the volcano about 100 mile southwest of the city erupted early Saturday. The National Weather Service said radar indicated a plume of volcanic ash rose 50,000 feet into the sky, making this one of the largest eruptions since the volcano became active on March 22. The ash cloud was drifting toward the southeast and there were reports of the fine, gritty ash falling in towns on the Kenai Peninsula."
Alaska volcano Mount Redoubt erupts 5
times in one night
[03/23/09
] "Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupted five times overnight, sending an ash plume more than 9 miles into the air in the volcano's first emissions in nearly 20 years ... The first eruption, in a sparsely area across Cook Inlet from the Kenai Peninsula, occurred at 10:38 p.m. Sunday and the fifth happened at 4:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory."
Deadly nerve toxin affecting deep ocean creatures
[03/23/09
] "A nerve toxin produced by marine algae off California appears to affect creatures in the deep ocean, posing a greater threat that previously thought, U.S. researchers said on Sunday. Surface blooms of the algae known as Pseudo-nitzschia can generate dangerously high levels of domoic acid, a neurotoxin blamed for bizarre bird attacks dramatized in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film "The Birds." "It's a natural neurotoxin. It is produced by a diatom, which is a phytoplankton. As other animals eat this phytoplankton, like sardines or anchovies, this toxin can be transferred up the food chain," said Emily Sekula-Wood, a doctoral student at the University of South Carolina whose study appears in the journal Nature Geoscience. Domoic acid has been linked to deaths of sea lions, whales and other marine animals and people who eat large quantities of shellfish. "If you consume enough of it, you can get brain damage. In humans it's called amnesic shellfish poisoning. You experience short-term memory loss," Sekula-Wood said."
Major Decline Found In Some Bird Groups
[03/22/09
] "Several major bird populations have plummeted over the past four decades across the United States as development transformed the nation's landscape, according to a comprehensive survey released yesterday by the Interior Department and outside experts
..."
Magnitude 7.9 - TONGA REGION
[03/19/09
] A tsunami was generated after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck at 2:17 p.m. Eastern time beneath the sea near the volcanic eruption in waters near Tonga. A tsunami alert for areas outside the immediate region was canceled six minutes after an initial bulletin was issued. The alert, issued by the international organization that was greatly bolstered following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, said that tidal gauges confirmed that a tsunami was generated. The quake caused a stir in Tonga, but it’s not clear yet whether any resulting waves caused coastal damage or injuries. (Updates coming.) Wire services had reported earlier today that scientists were heading toward the volcano to do surveys. The eruption had been building for several
days: See
Video
Magnetic reversal “imminent,” says National Geographic
[03/01/09
] "This video from the National Geographic says the reversal is “imminent.”
Magnitude 7 quake hits Indonesia
[02/12/09
] The Ring of Fire has been quite active today.
Erupting volcano sends mile-high column of ash raining down on Tokyo
[02/03/09] "Britain may have awakened to a world covered with snow today - but in Tokyo, people got up to find everything covered in a fine layer of ash. These astonishing images show the snowcapped Mount Asama, northwest of Tokyo, erupting early today, sending up a huge plume of smoke and gas and raining fine, powdery ash on parts of Japan's
capital ... Mount Asama, about 90 miles (145 kilometres) northwest of Tokyo, belched out a plume that rose about a mile (1.6 kilometres) high, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency. The plume was still roiling over the volcano's crater. The volcano erupted at 1:51 a.m. (0451 GMT) today. Chunks of rock from the explosion were found about 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) away from the volcano. Ash was drifted down over a wide area, including as far away as central Tokyo. No one has been reported killed or injured."
Alaskans Brace for Volcano to Blow
[01/31/09] "Mount
Redoubt in Alaska will erupt any day now. Seismic activity has been heavy, and
there have been earthquakes every hour. The last time this volcano blew was in
1989 during a 5 month stretch. At this time, air traffic was disrupted and the
town of Anchorage and surrounding area was covered in ash. Unlike the Hawaii
volcanoes which have lava flow, Mt. Redoubt will explode. Built up gas pressure will erupt suddenly, shooting ash made of jagged pieces of rock and glass over miles into the sky."
Pelicans fall out of sky from Mexico to Oregon [01/08/09]
"Pelicans suffering from a mysterious malady are crashing into cars and boats, wandering along roadways and turning up dead by the hundreds across the West Coast, from southern Oregon to Baja California, Mexico, bird-rescue workers say. Weak, disoriented birds are huddling in people's yards or being struck by cars. More than 100 have been rescued along the California coast, according to the International Bird Rescue Research Center in San Pedro. Hundreds of birds, disoriented or dead, have been observed across the West Coast."
Oceanic heat levels increasing temperature on land [01/07/09]
"Scientists find greenhouse gas hysteria to be myth. As dignitaries from around the world gather for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, attendees are unlikely to champion a recent study that demonstrates oceanic heat levels – and not man-made greenhouse gases – are to blame for increases in temperature on land. A study released earlier this year by Gilbert Compo and Prashant Sardeshmukh of the University of Colorado and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and presented in the scientific journal Climate Dynamics,
revealed that all the greenhouse gases humans have dumped in the atmosphere over the last 46 years – the primary factor most climate change proponents cite to blame humans for global warming – haven't affected land temperatures at all. The rise in land temperatures, the study states, can be tied directly to increased heat and humidity coming from warmer oceans, which in turn, the study admits, may be caused solely by natural forces ... "The recent worldwide land warming has occurred largely in response to a worldwide warming of the oceans," concludes the study's abstract, "rather than as a direct response to increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) over land ... But if rising land temperatures are caused by rising ocean temperatures, what's causing the earth's seas to heat up? The study admitted it could be ... underwater volcanoes."
Mag 7.6 quake hits Papua Indonesia [01/03/09]
Related: More
Yellowstone Earthquakes Raise Fears Several more earthquakes rattled Yellowstone National Park on Friday, raising fears over the recent geological activity in the area.
Since Dec. 26, about 400 temblors have rumbled under the park, centered under the northern end of Yellowstone Lake. The small quakes Friday registered up to a magnitude of
3.5 ...."
Study: Diamonds link comet to mammal extinction [01/03/09 ] "Tiny diamonds found in the soil are "strong evidence" a comet exploded on or above North America nearly 13,000 years ago, leading to the extinction of dozens of mammal species, according to a study ... "A rare swarm" of comets rained over North America about 12,900 years ago, sparking fires that produced choking, leading "to the extinction of a large range of animals, including mammoths, across North America," the report said. The nanodiamonds that we found at all six locations exist only in sediments associated with the Younger Dryas Boundary layers, not above it or below it," said University of Oregon archaeologist Douglas Kennett. "These discoveries provide strong evidence for a cosmic impact event at approximately 12,900 years ago that would have had enormous environmental consequences for plants, animals and humans across North America." The other sites studied were in Bull Creek, Oklahoma; Gainey, Michigan and Topper, South Carolina, as well as Lake Hind, Manitoba; and Chobot, in the Canadian province of Alberta."
Note: Here's a thought - since the Moon is alleged to have been
placed in orbit about 13,000 years ago ... it's possible there was some
'fallout' from this process that produced this minor extinction at the time.
How one would go about tying the two together would be interesting ... it is
however, a historical synchrony.
Scientists watch unusual Yellowstone supervolcano (Potential Extinction Level Event) quake swarm [12/30/08 ] "Scientists are closely monitoring more than 250 small earthquakes that have occurred in Yellowstone National Park since
Friday. If the Yellowstone Supervolcano lets go ..." "The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that a notable swarm of earthquakes has been underway since December 26 beneath Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, three to six miles south-southeast of Fishing Bridge, Wyoming. This energetic sequence of events was most intense on December 27, when the largest number of events of magnitude 3 and larger occurred. The largest of the earthquakes was a magnitude 3.9 (revised from magnitude 3.8) at 10:15 pm MST on Dec. 27. The sequence has included nine events of magnitude 3 to 3.9 and approximately 24 of magnitude 2 to 3 at the time of this release. A total of more than 250 events large enough to be located have occurred in this swarm. Reliable depths of the larger events are up to a few miles. Visitors and National Park Service (NPS) employees in the Yellowstone Lake area reported feeling the largest of these earthquakes ... This December 2008 earthquake sequence is the most intense in this area for some years and is centered on the east side of the Yellowstone caldera. Scientists can not identify any causative fault or other feature without further analysis ... And what if the supervolcano blew? Kind of like if a giant rock hit the Earth. A planet killer. An extinction-level event. Within a week, the skies will be dark with dust from the impact and they will stay dark for years. All plant life will be dead within weeks. Animal life within a few months."
Check at the USGS
link periodically for potential updates.
Sea Ice is Shrinking at the North Pole, But Growing at the South Pole
[12/18/08 ] "Sea ice has been shrinking in the Arctic, at the "North Pole". See this side-by-side comparison of different years to get a sense of the shrinkage. For example, between September 1979 and September 2007, it shrunk from 7.2 to 4.3 million square kilometers. But at the South Pole (Antarctic), sea ice has been expanding. For example, if you select the appropriate dates in this side-by-side comparison, you will see that the area covered by sea ice grew from 18.4 to 19.2 million square kilometers between September 1979 and September 2007."
Climate change alters ocean chemistry:
Study [12/15/08 ] "U.S. researchers have discovered that the ocean's chemical makeup is less stable and more greatly affected by climate change than previously believed. The researchers report in the Dec. 12 issue of Science that during a time of climate change 13 million years ago the chemical makeup of the oceans changed dramatically. The researchers warn that the chemical composition of the ocean today could be similarly affected by climate changes now underway -- with potentially far-reaching consequences for marine
ecosystems ..."
Ancient Earth Had Magnetic Field Three Times Stronger Than Once Thought
[11/25/08 ] "A new technique for measuring the Earth's magnetic field back to the days of the dinosaurs and beyond has revealed that the magnetic field was as much as three times
Meteor
Over Denver Video
[11/22/08 ] Meteor over Edmonton, Canada
Related:
Meteor sighted over Cyprus
|
Suspected Ohio plane crash may have been meteor
| NASA Begins Hunt for New Meteor Showers
|
52 whales die in mass stranding in Australia
[11/22/08 ]
"Fifty-two pilot whales have died after a mass stranding on Tasmania's northwest coast, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Saturday."
Sea Ice Growing at Fastest Pace on Record
[11/14/08 ]
"An abnormally cool Arctic is seeing dramatic changes to ice levels. In sharp contrast to the rapid melting seen last year, the amount of global sea ice has rebounded sharply and is now growing rapidly. The total amount of ice, which set a record low value last year, grew in October at the fastest pace since record-keeping began in 1979."
Coastal Maine tide change a mystery
[11/01/08 ]
"Meteorologists are baffled by rapid tidal changes along the Maine coast, which damaged some boats and piers. Witnesses say low tide turned and became high within a matter of minutes on Tuesday afternoon. The changes occurred six or seven times. The National Weather Service says reports from several locations indicated that water levels fell and rose from 4 feet to as much as 12 feet during the event.
In a public information statement, the weather service says the cause "remains a mystery and may never be known." It said significant rapid rises and falls in tide levels were observed around 3 p.m. in Boothbay Harbor, Southport and Bristol. The statement said rapid surges can be caused by the underwater movement of land, most often due to an earthquake, or due to slumping of sediments along a steep canyon or shelf, but no earthquakes were reported in the area Tuesday. A similar event occurred on Jan. 9, 1926, in Bass Harbor, the statement said."
25% of Mammals at Risk of Extinction
"A five-year review done by experts from 130 countries paints a grim picture for the world's 5,487 known mammal species."
That's really good news. Shortly, it will be 100% of the life on the planet.
Earth's Core, Magnetic Field Changing Fast, Study Says
"Fluctuations in the magnetic field have occurred in several far-flung regions of Earth, the researchers found. In 2003 scientists found pronounced changes in the magnetic field in the Australasian region. In 2004, however, the changes were focused on Southern Africa. The changes "may suggest the possibility of an upcoming reversal of the geomagnetic field," said study co-author Mioara Mandea, a scientist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam."
The methane time bomb
"The first evidence that millions of tons of a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere from beneath the Arctic seabed has been discovered by scientists. The Independent has been passed details of preliminary findings suggesting that massive deposits of sub-sea methane are bubbling to the surface as the Arctic region becomes warmer and its ice retreats. Methane is about 20 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and many scientists fear that its release could accelerate global warming in a giant positive feedback where more atmospheric methane causes higher temperatures, leading to further permafrost melting and the release of yet more methane ... At some locations, methane concentrations reached 100 times background levels. These anomalies have been seen in the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea, covering several tens of thousands of square kilometres, amounting to millions of tons of methane, said Dr Gustafsson. "This may be of the same magnitude as presently estimated from the global ocean," he said. "Nobody knows how many more such areas exist on the extensive East Siberian continental
shelves ..."
Surprisingly rapid changes in the Earth's core discovered
"In a recent paper published in Nature Geoscience (*), the geophysicist Mioara MANDEA from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam and her Danish colleague Nils OLSEN from the National Space Institute/DTU Copenhagen, have shown that motions in the fluid in the Earth’s core are changing surprisingly fast, and that this, in turn, effects the magnetic field of our Planet ... The very precise measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field delivered by the geosatellite CHAMP combined with Ørsted satellite data and ground observations over the past nine years, have made it possible to reveal what is happening at 3000 km under our feet. Indeed, for the first time, Nils Olsen and Mioara Mandea have computed a model for the flow at the top of the Earth’s core that fits with the recent rapid changes in the magnetic field, and is also in agreement with the changes in the Length-of-Day variation. This core flow is rather localized in space, and involves rapid variations, almost sudden, over only a few months — a remarkably short time interval compared with the respectable age of our Planet or even with the time of the last magnetic field reversal, some 780000 years ago."
Extinction threatens more species than thought
"The true number of species at risk of extinction is likely to be many times higher than the current official estimate of 16,000, scientists have warned.
A new study concludes that the risk that an endangered species will disappear completely may be underestimated by as much as 100-fold using present methods. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates more than 16,000 species worldwide are threatened with extinction: one in four mammals, one in eight bird species and one in three amphibian species are on the IUCN "Red List."
Related: Butterfly decline points to sixth mass extinction
Earth's Core, Magnetic Field Changing Fast, Study Says
"The changes "may suggest the possibility of an upcoming reversal of the geomagnetic field," said study co-author Mioara Mandea, a scientist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam."
Volcanoes Erupt Beneath Arctic Ice
"Robert Reeves-Sohn of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts
a nd his colleagues discovered jagged, glassy fragments of rock scattered around the volcanoes, suggesting explosive eruptions occurred between 1999 and 2001."
China consuming twice its supply of resources
"China consumes more than double what its natural resources can supply, a report by Chinese and international environmentalists said."
Huge landslide hits Dorset's Jurassic Coast "It began as a low rumble on Tuesday night, but soon giant chunks of land "the size of cars" were cascading into the sea off Dorset. By yesterday morning, a 400m section of the World Heritage Jurassic Coast between Lyme Regis and Charmouth had disappeared, in what has been described as the biggest landslide Britain has seen in a century."
5/8/08
UN sounds alarm over decline in migratory birds "The United Nations Environment Programme on Thursday voiced concern over declining numbers of migratory birds globally, in what it said was an alarming sign of the state of world biodiversity."
Endgame.
Earthquake Preparedness Conference Underway
[Midwest US] "Officials will discuss the possibility of disaster as they talk about the New Madrid fault at an earthquake preparedness conference in Metropolis, Illinois. The two day conference started with a noon luncheon at Harrah's conference center and will feature several panel discussions. Conference topics include preparing for disaster, earthquake communication plans, earthquake risk reduction and community planning.
." 5/6/08
'Baffling' rise in beached whales
"Whale and dolphin watchers are puzzled and alarmed at an unprecedented spike in the number of deep-water species being stranded and found dead on Irish beaches in the last 14 weeks."
5/3/08
Earth's Hum Sounds More Mysterious Than Ever
"Earth gives off a relentless hum of countless notes completely imperceptible to the human ear, like a giant, exceptionally quiet symphony, but the origin of this sound remains a mystery. Now unexpected powerful tunes have been discovered in this hum. These new findings could shed light on the source of this enigma. The planet emanates a constant rumble far below the limits of human hearing, even when the ground isn't shaking from an earthquake. In the past, the oscillations that researchers found made up this hum were "spheroidal" - they basically involved patches of rock moving up and down, albeit near undetectably. Now oscillations have been discovered making up the hum that, oddly, are shaped roughly like rings. Imagine, if you will, rumbles that twist in circles in rock across the upper echelons of the planet, almost like dozens of lazy hurricanes. Scientists had actually expected to find these kinds of oscillations, but these new ring-like waves are surprisingly about as powerful as the spheroidal ones are. The expectation was they would be relatively insignificant ... This discovery should force researchers to significantly rethink what causes Earth's hum. While the spheroidal oscillations might be caused by forces squeezing down on the planet - say, pressure from ocean or atmospheric waves - the twisting ring-like phenomena might be caused by forces shearing across the world's surface, from the oceans, atmosphere or possibly even the sun."
Note: This is the second article on this that I have seen over
the last month or so. But it doesn't matter .. if there was a measured change over time,
compared with now, we might be able to match those variations with an endgame
process. However, another aspect is that they would notice this now,
during endgame.
Freshening of deep Antarctic waters worries experts
"Scientists studying the icy depths of the sea around Antarctica have detected changes in salinity that could have profound effects on the world's climate and ocean currents. So-called Antarctic bottom water helps power the great ocean conveyor belt, a system of currents spanning the Southern, Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans that shifts heat around the globe. "The main reason we're paying attention to this is because it is one of the switches in the climate system and we need to know if we are about to flip that switch or
not," said Rintoul of Australia's government-backed research arm the CSIRO. "If that freshening trend continues for long enough, eventually the water near Antarctica would be too light, too buoyant to sink and that limb of the global-scale circulation would shut down," he said on Friday."
Unusual Earthquake Swarm Off Oregon Coast Puzzles Scientists
"Scientists at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center have recorded more than 600 earthquakes in the last 10 days off the central Oregon coast in an area not typically known for a high degree of seismic activity. This earthquake “swarm” is unique, according to OSU marine geologist Robert Dziak, because it is occurring within the middle of the Juan de Fuca plate – away from the major, regional tectonic boundaries. “In the 17 years we’ve been monitoring the ocean through hydrophone recordings, we’ve never seen a swarm of earthquakes in an area such as this,” Dziak said."
European Mountain Top Vanishes
" The peak of the Stubai Mountains in the Austrian Alps has vanished. It was around a couple of months back, but since then no one can say exactly when it disappeared."
New Kink in Sun's Strange Corona
"Here's a strange scenario: You move farther away from a fire, getting cooler and cooler, until suddenly you are burning up. That's essentially what happens in the sun: Its outer layer, the corona, is inexplicably hot. A new study may complicate things further by poking holes in a leading theory that aims to account for the puzzling phenomenon."
Massive volcano beneath Antarctic ice
"A powerful volcano erupted under the
ice sheet of Antarctica around 2,000 years ago and it might still be active today, a finding which raises questions about ice loss from the white continent. Another little tidbit the "cult" neglected to mention in their rush to blame the ice shelf breakup on global warming."
Related: Scientists blame global warming for Antarctica ice shelf collapse
This is a classic case of policy-driven science. Despite the data showing that the Earth is not getting warmer , the scientists whose funding depends on global warming claim that everything that happens is a direct result of whatever they are out to prove.
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