Earth ChangesS


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Major Russian Shiveluch volcano erupts again

Shiveluch volcano
© IVS FEB RAS/Y. Demyanchuk
The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Kamchatka erupted once again on Sunday, as the volcano's activity continues to grow, potentially leading to a major eruption.

The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Kamchatka territory woke up on Sunday morning local time, releasing a plume seven kilometers up in the atmosphere, the Kamchatka Branch of the Russian Academy of Science's Geophysical Service said.

Ice Cube

Violent summer hailstorm batters Johannesburg: Golf ball sized hailstones and heavy rain destroy shopping mall roof

hailstorm damage in Johannesburg
© emmanuelmarikite / Instagram

A violent hailstorm has wreaked havoc in Johannesburg, South Africa, causing the roof of a shopping mall to collapse and local residents to take shelter in their homes.

It's summer in South Africa, but dark clouds gathered over the African nation's largest city at around 3pm on Saturday, covering the streets with an unseasonable layer of snow and hailstones the size of golf balls.


Emergency services were called to the Key West Shopping Center in a town west of Johannesburg after the ceiling began to sag and disintegrate, the local Krugersdorp News reported.

Amazingly, nobody was killed, but three people were injured.

Pictures show how steel beams and debris caved in under the weight of heavy rain, the worst to hit the area in years.

Comment: Violent and freak hailstorms are being increasingly reported from around the world. A selection from the past few months include:


No Entry

Driver shows quick thinking as he sees oncoming floods on highway in Ventura County, California

Flood on Road
This petrifying footage shows one driver's quick thinking when faced with a deluge of flood water heading his way.

The video shows him driving along a empty road in the rain with no sign of any trouble.

But within seconds, muddy brown floodwaters and debris comes rushing towards him in scenes straight out of a Hollywood movie.

Thanks to some quick thinking, he throws the car smoothly into reverse and starts backing away from the danger at some speed.


Attention

4.4 magnitude tremor hits eastern Nepal

earthquake
A fresh tremor of local magnitude 4.4 was felt in eastern Nepal on Saturday midnight.

According to the National Seismological Centre, the light tremor was recorded at around 11:23:28 pm and it has been listed as an aftershock of the April 25 earthquake.

The epicentre of the aftershock was in Ramechhap district, with the coordinates of the location 27.48°N, 86.01°E. The location lies around 15 kilometres northwest of the district headquarters, Manthali.

With this, the NSC records show that as many as 424 significant aftershocks (of local magnitude 4.0 or above) have followed the devastating earthquake on April 25. Around 9,000 people were killed in the earthquake and its powerful May 12 aftershock in Nepal.

Earlier on January 4 morning, tremors of the powerful earthquake that struck northeast India were felt in the eastern Nepal also.

Ice Cube

Record number of 600 turtles rescued from ocean following cold snap in North Carolina

Turtle
Cold-stunned turtle
State biologists now say a record number of turtles were rescued earlier this week from our coast.

In all, 600 cold-stunned turtles were caught in frigid waters near the shore, as they were not able to swim.

The North Carolina Aquariums took in nearly 450 turtles, including the one at Pine Knoll Shores. Many of the turtles have made a quick recovery, but others need additional time and care before they can return to the ocean.

State officials say about 200 of the turtles will be transported to South Carolina & Georgia beaches tomorrow where they will be released into warmer waters. The rest will stay here for a couple of weeks for rehabilitation.

Tornado2

Supermarket van overturned as mini tornado touches down in Wales

mini tornado in Wales
The mini tornado swept through a supermarket car park and flipped a large Tesco van onto its side

'I've never seen anything like it,' says an eyewitness at the Tesco superstore


A mini tornado swept through a supermarket car park with such force it turned a large online delivery van on its side, a man has claimed.

Paul Boyce, who lives in Raven Hill, Swansea, told the Swansea Evening Post he was at Tesco in Fforestfach when he heard a loud bang.

When he went outside, he claims he found the van overturned and the store front's Tesco Extra sign partially ripped off by the wind's strength.

He said: "The noise was absolutely incredible. It was so loud. It was like a metal being ripped, and the wind was absolutely howling. I had no idea what it could be.

"I saw the manager and he told me there had been a mini tornado that had touched down just outside.

"I didn't believe him at first, but I went to have a look and I couldn't believe what I was seeing."

Comment: Other incidents of 'rare' UK tornadoes in the past year include: West Sussex, Northampton, Somerset, Newport and Northern Ireland.


Tornado2

Giant 1,000ft waterspout photographed near Sydney, Australia

Waterspout
A 1,000ft tornado which emerged above the ocean was seen swirling at incredible speeds and caused an unsuspecting yacht to flee, in fear of being caught in the freak occurrence
A huge 1,000ft waterspout caused a storm on a popular beach after swirling around at incredibly high speeds - forcing a yacht to flee in a hurry.

As a storm turned the sky grey this week, a wispy cloud emerged and began to swirl around and headed towards the water just off the coast of Bungan Beach, in the northern suburb of Sydney, Mona Vale.

The freak occurrence - known as an intense columnar vortex - was spotted by a photographer as she glanced out of her window.

Waterspout
Thick grey clouds funneling towards the water emerged when a wispy cloud began to break away from dark storm clouds above

Arrow Up

Earthquake swarm rattles northwest Oklahoma

oklahoma earthquake swarm
More than two dozen earthquakes have been recorded in northwest Oklahoma since Wednesday night.

Four of the temblors measured magnitude 4.0 or stronger, and one was the strongest quake recorded in Oklahoma so far this year, according to U.S. Geological Survey records.

Despite all the shaking, there have been no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The earthquake swarm began at 10:27 p.m. Wednesday with the strongest quakes — measuring magnitude 4.4 and 4.8 — 30 seconds apart at Waynoka, in Woods County. Over the next hour, those were followed by two quakes measuring 3.4 magnitude at Waynoka, and one 3.3 magnitude temblor in the Major County town of Cleo Springs.

According to USGS, the 4.4 magnitude quake was 3 miles deep. It was originally reported to be 4.3 magnitude, but it was later upgraded to 4.7 before being downgraded again to 4.4 magnitude. The 4.8 magnitude quake was 3.7 miles deep. The other temblors were all about 3 miles deep.

In the hours that followed, there were 12 magnitude 3.0 or greater temblors, and 11 measuring below magnitude 3.0.

The two strongest quakes since Wednesday night both measured magnitude 4.0, and both were about 3 miles deep. The first, at 2:37 a.m. Thursday was recorded at Aline, in Alfalfa County. The second occurred at 1:59 p.m. Thursday in Waynoka.

There were two other quakes less than 30 seconds apart in the swarm. A 3.0 magnitude temblor was recorded at 4:48 a.m. Thursday at Waynoka. It was 2 miles deep. A 3.5 magnitude quake followed 24 seconds later, within the same minute, at Waynoka. It was 3 miles deep.

Comment: See also:


Tornado2

Waterspout filmed off the coast of Portugal

Waterspout
A waterspout is essentially a tornado over water, and in this case we manage to see one form and disappear right in front of us! Watch this natural phenomena travel across the ocean off the small fisherman town of Praia da Cova do Vapor in Costa da Caparica, 15 kilometers from Lisbon.


Cloud Grey

Dramatic lenticular cloud photographed over Sicily, Italy

Lenticular cloud
© Mario PappalardoLenticular cloud
Dramatic lenticular clouds have been offered as an explanation for some UFO sightings.

Well looking at this one in the sky of Sicily I don't blame ufologists.

Mario Pappalardo captured these insane lenticular clouds at sunset on January 5, 2016 and published them on his Facebook page.

Lenticular clouds in scientific jargon also known as Altocumulus lenticularis are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form in the troposphere.

Lenticular cloud