Earth ChangesS


Ice Cube

Fantastic frozen waterfalls formed in northwest China following days of snow (VIDEO)

waterfall frozen
Fantastic frozen waterfalls have formed in northwest China after days of lingering snowfall.

The incredible spectacle is seen in a valley in Xunyi County of Shaanxi Province, where it has been snowing for days. The frozen waterfalls cling closely to the three stonewalls at the end of the valley through the winding, precipitous trench.

The valley is one of the Guanjiadong grottoes which are typical of the Danxia landform -- various landscapes which feature red beds and steep cliffs usually found in east, southwest and northwest China.

The frozen waterfalls, formed in different shapes and sizes, look like beautiful stalactites, an uncanny workmanship of the nature attracting large number of shutterbugs and tourists.


Bizarro Earth

Something brewing? California rocked by 15 earthquakes over 2.5 magnitude during the past week

trabuco canyon los angeles earthquake jan 2018
Three earthquakes hit California on Thursday, one as far south as Trabuco Canyon and a second all the way up to a spot off the coast of Eureka, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

A third earthquake struck near Lytle Creek, California, registering a 2.5 on the Richter scale. Trabuco Canyon, which is close to Lytle Creek, registered 4.0. Both cities are near Los Angeles.

The northernmost earthquake, closest to Eureka, registered a 5.8 on the Richter scale. However, because it hit 100 miles off the coastline, the vibrations were not as strong when they reached land. ABC7 reports that residents of Ferndale, California, in Humboldt County, felt the earthquake, but there are currently no reports of damage or injuries.

Comment:


Snowflake Cold

Blizzard wreaks havoc across Central, Eastern China

Airport crews remove snow from an airplane at Changzhou airport, in Jiangsu province, on Jan. 25, 2018.
© VCGAirport crews remove snow from an airplane at Changzhou airport, in Jiangsu province, on Jan. 25, 2018. A blizzard caused flight and train delays Thursday and Friday across much of central and eastern China.
A blizzard sweeping across central and eastern China since Thursday has led to cancellations and delays of dozens of flights and high-speed train services.

Up to 20 centimeters (7.87 inches) of snow had fallen by 5 a.m. Friday on southern parts of Henan province, northwest Hubei, southwestern parts of Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang province and Shanghai, according to China's Central Meteorological Administration.

In Shanghai, the first heavy snow to hit the metropolis this winter forced the city's two airports, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao Airport, to cancel 138 flights - nearly 12% of scheduled flights - by 6p.m on Thursday., according to the city's airport authority. Seven more were delayed by at least two hours. Another 70 flights out of Shanghai had been cancelled by midday Friday.


Cloud Precipitation

China's largest inland saltwater lake sees record water rise due to "unusually" abundant precipitation

Qinghai Lake, Largest Saline Lake in China
Qinghai Lake, Largest Saline Lake in China
Qinghai Lake, China's largest inland saltwater lake, saw a record increase of 0.4 meter in its water level last year, the highest during the past 13 years.

The rise largely resulted from "unusually" abundant precipitation in the lake basin, which recorded average rainfall of 511 millimeters in 2017, 40 percent more than previous years, according to Dai Sheng, senior engineer at the provincial meteorological center.

The lake's water level has grown by 2.07 meters since 2005, Dai said, adding that the current water level is equal to the level in the mid-1970s.

Rising temperatures and precipitation due to climate change, as well as increasing snow melt, have contributed to continuous growth in the lake's water level, Dai said.

Qinghai Lake plays an important role in the ecological security of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The lake had been shrinking since the 1950s, but the combined effects of conservation and changes to the regional climate turned things around in 2005.

Snowflake Cold

Inner Mongolia village hits 50 degrees Celsius below zero

This photo taken on January 24, 2018 shows ice forming on the face of a Chinese sanitation worker on a cold winter day in Hulun Buir, northern China’s Inner Mongolia region.
© AFPThis photo taken on January 24, 2018 shows ice forming on the face of a Chinese sanitation worker on a cold winter day in Hulun Buir, northern China’s Inner Mongolia region.
Temperatures in parts of Inner Mongolia have reached -50.2 degrees Celsius, according to the Inner Mongolia Weather Bureau.

The temperature of -50.2 degrees Celsius was recorded on Thursday morning in Jinhezhen, a village in the northeast of China, near its border with Russia. The village had experienced temperatures below minus 47 degrees for several days.

The weather bureau said that a bout of cold weather swept into the region since the beginning of this week, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures across the region reached record lows.


Attention

4.0 magnitude earthquake felt across Southern California

Earthquake seismograph
A 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck an area of the Santa Ana Mountains straddling Riverside and Orange counties early Thursday, Jan. 25, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The temblor hit at 2:09 a.m. at a depth of around 6 miles, with the epicenter described as 10 miles south, southeast of Corona in Riverside County and 8 miles northeast of Trabuco Canyon in Orange County, according to a report by the Southern California Seismic Network, a cooperative project of Caltech and the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor quakes in Southern California.

There were no immediate reports of damages, but hundreds of tweets flooded Twitter after the quake, with people in San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange counties saying they felt it or it shook them awake.

Comment: Also see: Two shallow earthquakes above magnitude 5.0 strike off California coast

Later on Thursday, a 2.9 quake hit San Jose, bringing the Bay Area total to 7 in a week.


Snowflake

Alpine resorts buried in the snow (PHOTOS)

snow
As the skies clear following one of the snowiest Januaries on record in the Alps, great images are appearing of vehicles, buildings and other structures buried in the snow.

There are various claims that, after three winters with little snowfall at the start, this is the snowiest start to a season for 20, 30 or 40 years - one resort is comparing this with the winter of 1948.

Here are some of the best images we've seen:

Attention

North Atlantic right whale discovered dead off Virginia coast, 1st in 2018

At least 18 North Atlantic right whales have now died in Canadian and U.S. last year and this winter.
© Center for Coastal Studies/NOAAAt least 18 North Atlantic right whales have now died in Canadian and U.S. last year and this winter.
Another North Atlantic right whale has been found dead, the first to be recorded in 2018 and the 18th since last year.

The whale was reportedly found off the coast of Virginia on Jan. 22.

Jennifer Goebel, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), confirmed the information to Global News on Thursday.

According to NOAA, the remains of the whale appeared to be wrapped in a fishing line.

Based on past experience with entangled whales the NOAA believe the whale was alive and swimming when it encountered the line.

Attention

17-feet great white shark found dead on the east coast of Luzon Island, Philippines

17-feet shark
17-feet shark
Fishermen have been warned to take care after a huge Great White Shark washed up off the east coast of Luzon Island.

The 17-feet-long monster was reported in the town of Dipaculao, in Aurora province, today (Wednesday, January 24).

The species is a rare visitor to the warm seas of the Philippines, with only four sightings on record. Nonetheless, it is a protected species by law.

Eddie Fabrigas Rebueno, of the Dipaculao Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the find was reported to his office at 6.30am this morning.

He said the shark, a female, did not show any sign of serious injury apart from some bruising on her snout and some missing teeth.

Cloud Precipitation

France's wettest winter since 1959: Paris flooding worsens as Seine rises towards 6 meters (VIDEOS)

seine flooding 2018
The Seine River in Paris is expected to rise farther out of its banks through this weekend despite northeastern France catching a break from heavy rain.

The flooding has already inundated roads, railways and walking paths in Paris along the river, according to The Local.

The river is projected to challenge the levels recorded during the June 2016 flooding, during which the Louvre Museum was closed for four days as workers evacuated 35,000 pieces of art.

Comment: All over the world we're seeing an incredible increase in flooding with these articles below being just some of the stories that have happened in the last few months: And if we look back in history we can find a clue: Massive flooding in Europe during the Little Ice Age