Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Magnitude-6.6 underwater earthquake hits eastern Indonesia


NZ Herald
Thu, 24 Sep 2015 18:44 UTC
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© AFP
Jakarta - A 6.6-magnitude quake hit Indonesian waters early Saturday, panicking people and several houses were reported damage but no immediate reports of casualties, officials said.

The quake, struck at 00:53 a.m. Saturday (1553 GMT Friday), was centered about 28 kilometers (17 miles) north of Sorong, a town of Indonesia's West Papua province, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. It occurred at a depth of 24 kilometers (15 miles).

Hundreds of people fled their homes in panic in Sorong and Manokwari city, 315 kilometer (195 miles) to the west, and several houses were reported damage, said Karel Roni, the operational chief at Sorong Search and Rescue Agency.

He said no immediate reports on casualties and rescuers are still collecting data on damages and injuries.

Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency put the underwater quake's preliminary magnitude at 6.8 but has no potential to generate tsunami waves along nearby coasts, said Budi Waluyo from the agency.

The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In 2004, a monster temblor off Aceh shores triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in Aceh.

Source: Associated Press
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Attention

Rarely-seen beaked whale dies in Provincetown Harbor, Maine


Cape Cod Today
Thu, 24 Sep 2015 17:58 UTC
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© Center for Coastal Studies A rarely-seen beaked whale stranded in Provincetown Harbor Wednesday
A rarely-seen beaked whale stranded in Provincetown Harbor Wednesday. According to a Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) release, the whale died before a rescue could be attempted. CCS researchers responded and identified the animal as a beaked whale, although the species has yet to be determined.

The Provincetown Harbormaster and his crew assisted CCS with recovering the whale and towing it into the harbor. Researchers from the Yarmouth Port-based International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) will transported the whale to their facilities where a necropsy will be performed to determine cause of death, the release said.

A deep water species, beaked whales are typically only encountered hundreds of miles from shore. In July, a dead beaked whale washed ashore in Plymouth. Researchers from New England Aquarium responded on that day. According to the New England Aquarium, beaked whales are most often encountered by commercial fisherman when they are caught as by-catch. The last time aquarium researchers had encountered a beaked whale was in Duxbury in 2006.

The whale's dolphin-like beak gives them their name, the CCS release said.
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Attention

Texas man mauled by brown bear in Alaska


BABW News
Wed, 23 Sep 2015 17:43 UTC
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Grizzly bear
A North Texas man was viciously mauled by a brown bear that had a group of cubs while he was hunting for moose in Alaska. According to a report from Dallas Morning News, the man is in critical condition after the attack.

47-year-old Gregory Joseph Matthews of Plano, TX suffered life-threatening injuries on Tuesday as his brother watched on in horror while the two were out hunting in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The man is expected to survive.

The refuge manager, Andy Loranger, reported that fishermen in the area notified authorities of the attack, and Matthews was airlifted out of the park and to a nearby hospital. On Wednesday, Matthews was reportedly in good condition but refused requests for an interview following the attack.

Loranger says that the salmon are making their annual pass through the Alaskan rivers, and this has attracted the attention of a number of large predators. Wildlife officials are currently searching for the bear that attacked Matthews in the area surrounding Doroshin Bay, as well as the upper shores of Skilak Lake, but they still have found no evidence of the culprit.
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Attention

Magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes off coast of Indonesia - USGS


RT
Thu, 24 Sep 2015 16:10 UTC
Earthquake off Indonesia
© usgs.gov
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck off Irian Jaya, Indonesia, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake hit 15 miles (24 kilometers) north north-west of the city of Sorong. It measured at a depth of 39.9 miles (64 kilometers).

There were no immediate reports of damage, and a tsunami warning has not been issued.

Comment: There has been increasing seismic and volcanic activity around Indonesia recently: Keep informed on these increasingly chaotic events by viewing the monthly SOTT Earth Changes Summary.

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - August 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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Boat

California kayaker films fight with hammerhead shark

Ben Hooper
upi.com
Wed, 23 Sep 2015 14:53 UTC
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Paddle versus shark
A kayaker off the coast of Goleta, Calif., shared video of his struggle with an aggressive hammerhead shark that repeatedly attacked his kayak.

Mark McCracken, who posted his video to YouTube, said he was in his kayak "trolling for bonito" off the coast of Gaviota State Beach in Goleta Saturday when the "tweaked out hammerhead started ramming and biting my kayak."

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Binoculars

Two Carribean seabirds turn up in Baltimore Harbor

Don Rush
delmarvapublicradio.net
Wed, 23 Sep 2015 13:57 UTC
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© Jerry Jackson A brown booby sits on a mooring line between the ships Denebola and Antares in Baltimore's Inner Harbor Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015.
Two birds normally found in the Caribbean and parts south are visiting Baltimore's harbor.

Two brown boobies, an adult and a "subadult" about a year old, have been seen around Baltimore's harbor this month.

Phil Davis of the Maryland Ornithological Society said in a phone interview Tuesday that he has seen and photographed the seabirds. He says a water taxi operator spotted the birds recently and emailed the Audubon Society, and the message was posted on the Ornithological Society's email list.
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Wolf

91-year-old woman mauled by family dog, dies in Miami hospital


miami.cbslocal.com
Tue, 22 Sep 2015 13:38 UTC
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Elderly woman killed in possible dog attack
Authorities said they are investigating the death of an elderly woman found mauled by a dog on Tuesday.

According to Miami-Dade Police, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue requested their assistance at around 4 p.m. after they found a 91-year-old woman unresponsive and suffering from an apparent dog bite.

Police responded to the home located at 9415 SW 18th Terrace and called in Miami-Dade Animal Services in regards to the dog. The dog found at the home also lives there, police said.

The woman was taken to Kendall Regional Hospital where she died. Investigators have not confirmed if the dog bite was the cause of her death or it was from her age.

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Question

Water at bird refuge turns pink in Santa Barbara, California


6abc.com
Tue, 22 Sep 2015 13:04 UTC
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Santa Barbara bird refuge
The water at a bird refuge in Santa Barbara, California has turned a startling shade of pink.

Officials say it may look pretty, but it's a sign of an unhealthy ecosystem.

Warmer temperatures have allowed purple sulfur bacteria to reproduce more frequently.

Officials believe a lack of rain may also be to blame.

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Sun

California drought crippling ancient sequoias


yahoo.com
Wed, 23 Sep 2015 12:51 UTC
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Giant Sequoia trees
The ancient trees are losing limbs and needles at rates that scientists have never seen before. Jacob Ward reports.


Source: Al Jazeera America
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Attention

Tropical storm may have carried corn tar spot disease into U.S. farm belt from Latin America

Tom Polansek
Reuters
Wed, 23 Sep 2015 19:18 UTC
corn tar spot disease
A tropical storm could have carried the corn disease tar spot into the heart of the U.S. farm belt for the first time, as winds and rain blew in from Latin America, researchers told Reuters.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed cases of tar spot in at least four locations in Indiana and three in Illinois. The fungal disease has been a problem for years in Mexico and in Central and South America, with farmers fighting infections that can lower yields.

Tropical Storm Bill, which brought rain to the central United States in June after spinning through the Gulf of Mexico, may have transported the disease, said Bill Dolezal, a research fellow for seed company DuPont Pioneer.

"It looks like it came up out of that area," Dolezal said.

The USDA is working with experts in Indiana and Illinois to determine how tar spot entered the country.
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