Earth ChangesS


Seismograph

Mystery grows as earthquake swarm in Reno, Nevada lasts 7 days straight

Meghan Bartels
Newsweek
Sat, 20 Jan 2018 01:27 UTC
earthquake swarm Reno 2018
More than 250 earthquakes hit South Reno, Nevada since January January 12, 2018.
In the past month, parts of Reno, Nevada, have experienced a total of 274 known earthquakes. But if you're surprised you haven't heard about them by now, consider that the vast majority of those have been truly tiny tremors-just five of those quakes have been stronger than a magnitude 2.0, which means they've mostly been too gentle to feel. Some have even been so tiny that seismological networks haven't even alerted scientists there has been a quake. Instead, they've pored through data to identify the small quivers.

According to Ken Smith, an earth scientist at the University of Nevada Reno's Nevada Seismological Laboratory, the swarm kicked off on December 18, then quieted down until January 12. Then seismological activity picked back up and has continued since, although in the past day or so the tremors have slowed down again. "Things are starting to cool off a little bit, so that's good news," Smith told Newsweek.

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Snowflake

Several ski resorts in the Alps cut off AGAIN as heavy snowfall closes rail and road links

Patrick Thorne
inthesnow.com
Sun, 21 Jan 2018 20:18 UTC
snow
A number of ski resorts in the Alps are currently in accessible as heavy snow either makes mountain roads and rail lines impassable or local authorities close them due to the avalanche danger.

The latest heavy snow, which may deposit a metre of snow at some resorts over the next three days, is the latest in a series of heavy snowfalls over the past month

Zermatt announced yesterday evening that it was closing its rail access from neighbouring Tasch due to the avalanche danger at 10pm and this morning said access remained closed for the time being with no end point yet known. Last night they advised arriving skiers to look for accommodation in Swiss cities rather than making the journey up to Zermatt.


Comment: See also: Over a meter of snow dumps on the Alps in 72 hours, with another meter forecast over next 3 days

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Snowflake Cold

At least 12 snowy owls from the Arctic found dead in Kansas, likely starved to death

Beccy Tanner
The Wichita Eagle
Fri, 19 Jan 2018 15:24 UTC
This snowy owl was photographed while alive
© Bob GressThis snowy owl was photographed while alive but was later found dead at Lake Cheney. The birds normally inhabit the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia but have been pushed south this winter.
A snowy owl was found dead recently at Cheney Lake Reservoir.

It most likely starved to death.

It is among nearly a dozen snowy owls found dead this winter by wildlife officials, and there may be more.

More than five dozen of the majestic white owls have shown up in Kansas this winter, pushed far from their usual habitat of the Arctic.

"Several of us, based on information, believe three-fourths of the owls seen in Kansas will not survive," said Chuck Otte, secretary of the Kansas Ornithological Society. "That's not uncommon. These are first-year birds hatched this year. In the wild, 80 percent of birds do not survive the first 12 months. People get upset about this but it's a rough world out there."
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Attention

New eruption at Kadovar Island volcano in Papua New Guinea


Los Angeles Times
Sun, 21 Jan 2018 15:07 UTC
Ash plumes rise from the volcano on Kadovar Island in the South Pacific.
© Brenton-James GloverAsh plumes rise from the volcano on Kadovar Island in the South Pacific.
An island volcano in Papua New Guinea erupted again Sunday, sending plumes of steam and ash into the air.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from islands surrounding Kadovar Island off the South Pacific nation's north coast since the volcano there began erupting on Jan. 5. Flights nearby have been canceled due to the risk posed by ash plumes and ships were warned to stay away from the island.

Experts warned last week that seismic activity beneath the volcano meant that a major eruption could be imminent.

Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has previously said state resources were being made available to support evacuations and he has warned northern coastal communities to be alert for possible tsunamis.
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Snowflake

Snow blocks 5,000 kilometers of roads in Morocco


Morocco World News
Sat, 20 Jan 2018 14:23 UTC
snow
© Saadia Dinia
The Moroccan Minister of Transport, Abdelkader Amara, told parliament on Monday that nearly 5,000 kilometers of national, regional, and provincial roads were closed this year due to "exceptional" snowfall.

To address the unprecedented road conditions, the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment, Transport, and Logistics mobilized 117 snow plows. Amara also made a public reminder that, before getting behind the wheel, Moroccans can use the application "MaRoute" to access the most recent information about the state of the roads across the country.

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Attention

Over 1,000 turtles stunned by the unusually cold weather are rescued off Florida Panhandle


Daily Mail
Sat, 20 Jan 2018 13:28 UTC
Rescued turtles are transported to Gulf World Marine Park, with the hopes of rehabilitating them and releasing them back in the bay
Rescued turtles are transported to Gulf World Marine Park, with the hopes of rehabilitating them and releasing them back in the bay
More than 1,000 sea turtles stunned by unusually cold weather have been rescued from waters off the Florida Panhandle this month.

U.S. Geological Survey sea turtle expert Margaret Lamont said cold-stunned sea turtles began appearing in St. Joseph Bay in early January as freezing temperatures gripped the region and water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico plummeted.

'It's now over 1,000, maybe up to 1,100,' she told the Tampa Bay Times, referencing the number of turtles that had been collected so far from the bay.

That number is usually 30 or 40.
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Wolf

Baby girl killed by stray dogs in Raipur, India


India Today
Sat, 20 Jan 2018 13:02 UTC
canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
A 14-month-old girl was mauled to death by stray dogs here today, police said.

The horrific incident took place in Anupam Nagar area today morning when the girl was playing outside her house, a police official told PTI.

CCTV footage of the spot showed the child, Riya Sahu, crawling on the street when two stray dogs attacked her, he said.

The dogs bit her severely before other residents of the area rushed and drove them away, he said.

Riya was taken to a local government hospital where she was declared dead.
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Attention

Dead, decomposing whale found on beach in Auckland, New Zealand


Stuff
Sun, 21 Jan 2018 12:55 UTC
The whale's body appeared to have been bitten by sharks.
The whale's body appeared to have been bitten by sharks.
The body of a dead and partially decomposed whale has been disposed of at sea after washing up on an Auckland beach.

Beachgoers alerted surf lifesavers of the gruesome sight at Murrays Bay, on the North Shore, just after midday on Saturday.

Lifeguard Spencer McGarry inspected the body at 1.30pm.

He suspected it was a dead minke whale.
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Arrow Down

Humongous sinkhole opens up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Michael Tanenbaum
Philly Voice
Sun, 21 Jan 2018 12:39 UTC
Massive sinkhole opens up on Taggert Street in Fishtown on January 19, 2018.
© Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceMassive sinkhole opens up on Taggert Street in Fishtown on January 19, 2018.
Sinkholes have a weird way of upsetting a viewer's sense of order in the world.

You see a gigantic hole in the street and it makes you think you've survived some kind of earthquake. The reality is that infrastructure can fail for any number of reasons.

Around noon on Friday, neighbors on Fishtown's tiny Taggert Street — a single block connecting E. Norris and E. Dauphin Streets — were stunned to see a giant sinkhole form outside one of the rowhomes.

"Tons of rats were flying out of the hole," one witness told PhillyVoice.

Another neighbor and longtime Fishtown resident said the incident may have been related to a plumbing issue.

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Windsock

Large dust storm engulfs Mardin, Turkey turning sky dark red


Sott.net
Sun, 21 Jan 2018 09:08 UTC
dust storm in Turkey
Strong winds carrying dust from Syria and Iraq hampered daily life in southeastern Turkey on January 19, 2018. Reduced visibility and air quality affected southeastern provinces of Diyarbakır, Şırnak, Mardin, Şanlıurfa and Batman.

Dust clouds accompanied by muddy rain engulfed the area turning the sky dark red. In Mardin province, which was the most affected from the storm, the disabled, unwell, and pregnant women in public offices were given a day's leave from work according to the Daily Sabah.

It reduced visibility across the Kurdistan Region also, down to two kilometres in Erbil, five in Duhok, four in Kirkuk, and less than half a kilometre in Tuz Khurmatu.

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