Earth ChangesS


Attention

Indonesia's Mount Raung volcano erupts blasting ash, debris 12,460 feet into the air


weather.com
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 09:59 UTC
Image
© Aris Yanto
Indonesia Mount Raung sent an explosive eruption of ash into the air Friday, putting people who live near the volcano on high alert.

The ash spewing from the volcano on Indonesia's main island of Java sparked chaos for vacationers as airports closed and international airlines canceled flights to tourist hotspot Bali, stranding thousands.

Mount Raung in East Java province, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) from Bali's international airport, has been rumbling for several weeks. The level of activity increased in the past week and on Friday it blasted ash and debris 3,800 meters (12,460 feet) into the air.

Government volcanologist Gede Suantika said the eruption forced authorities to close five airports due to the risks posed by volcanic ash, though two airports on Lombok island reopened Friday afternoon. The Transport Ministry told airlines to avoid routes near the mountain. It said a decision about reopening other airports would be made later Friday.

Suantika said lava and ash fall from the 3,332-meter (10,930-feet) -high mountain on Indonesia's most densely populated island also caused the government to urge people to stay away from a three-kilometer (two-mile) -high danger zone around the volcano.

Evacuation of residents living near the volcano is still considered unnecessary, but authorities are urging people to wear masks.
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Attention

Anthrax confirmed in 2 bison deaths in Saskatchewan, Canada

David Giles
globalnews.ca
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 14:01 UTC
Image
File photo of bison. Anthrax has been confirmed as the cause of death in two Saskatchewan bison, may be cause in seven other deaths.
Officials are advising producers to be on the lookout for anthrax. Saskatchewan Agriculture confirmed Thursday anthrax was the cause of death in two bison northwest of North Battleford and is the suspected cause in seven other deaths.

Anthrax, with is caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis, can survive in spore form for decades in soil. Changes in soil moisture, from flooding and drying, can lead to a build-up of the spores on pastures.

Livestock become infected when they eat forage contaminated with spores.

Ruminants such as bison, cattle, sheep and goats, are highly susceptible, and horses can also be infected. While swine, birds and carnivores are more resistant to infection, farm dogs and cats should be kept away from carcasses.

The carcass of any animal suspected of having anthrax should not be moved or disturbed and should be protected from scavengers to ensure the spores from spreading.
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Attention

18 dead bison found in pasture at Fort Belknap, Montana

David Murray
Great Fallls Tribune
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:49 UTC
Image
© Richard PetersonThe first calf born to the transferred Yellowstone Park bison herd at the Fort Peck Reservation was born April 22, 2012. Eighteen bison from this original herd were found dead on the Fort Belknap Reservation last Sunday.
Multiple official sources have confirmed that the bodies of 17 dead bison were discovered over the Fourth of July weekend near a watering trough on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The exact cause of the bison deaths remains under investigation, but the sudden demise of so many animals is raising concerns from both tribal members and area ranchers.

Repeated requests for comment from Fort Belknap tribal officials went unanswered Wednesday, however, a Facebook posting by the head of tribe's buffalo management program fleshes out the details of what is known.

"There were 17 head of buffalo that were found dead on Saturday mid-morning," states a post from buffalo wrangler Bronc Speak Thunder, "so between Thursday night and Saturday morning something happened that is yet to be determined. Also, one appeared in good shape and no symptoms of being anything wrong died between the time I left Sunday night to early Monday morning, making it 18 total."
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Bizarro Earth

Mysterious giant hole in Siberia gradually filling up with water, expanding


RT.com
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 18:31 UTC
Siberian Sinkhole_1
© RT.com
The mysterious hole-turned-lake in Siberia's Yamal peninsula has expanded to 50 meters in depth, Russian scientists said. Researchers have been puzzled by its origins saying it was likely caused by gas explosions.

The giant sinkhole located not far from Gazprom's Bovanenkovo gas field in Russia's northern Yamal Peninsula has been expanding, scientists said as cited by Yamal region TV. The researchers also discovered additional smaller craters appearing around it, the media said. The whole area is within Russia's key strategic oil and gas region - the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

The crater, discovered last year, has been gradually filling up with water and turning into a lake. Over the past winter and spring the water level in the crater has risen by 10 meters and it will continue to rise, scientists said, according to the government website of the Yamal-Nenetsky region.

"I am very surprised by the size, it's very big!" Japanese reporter for Asahi Shimbun Terukhiko Nouse, who accompanied the science expedition, told local TV. "And the sound of the glacier melting...this sound amazes me."
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V

Grizzly bear fed up with being held captive at Minnesota Zoo attempts to escape by smashing rock into glass pane

Paul Walsh
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Mon, 06 Jul 2015 01:44 UTC
Image
© ROBIN FICKERThis pane of glass at the Minnesota Zoo was shattered Monday but remained in place after a bear slammed a rock against it several times.
A grizzly bear at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley picked up a basketball-sized rock with both front paws Monday morning and repeatedly slammed it into a pane of glass, shattering the barrier as startled patrons stood on the other side.

The five-layer pane stayed in place "like a windshield," and no creatures on either side of the multiple panes were harmed, said zoo animal collections manager Tony Fisher.

The rambunctious bear and two other grizzlies in the open-air exhibit were called back inside, and the area remains closed to the public until a temporary fix can be made. Later, a permanent pane will be custom-made and installed at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars, Fisher said.

Comment: You can't really fault the bear for wanting to escape from what is essentially prison, with the added bonus of having people arrive every day to watch your every move. Looks like this bear decided enough was enough.

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Attention

Dead sperm whale found for the first time near Singapore

Audrey Tan, Chew Hui Min
The Straits Times
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 17:40 UTC
Image
© Lim YaohutThe sperm whale carcass being pulled onto land at Tuas Marine Transfer Station.
A sperm whale's 10m-long carcass was found floating off Jurong Island on Friday morning.

The species had never previously been found in the waters around Singapore or peninsular Malaysia.

Oil industry worker Mr Jailani Salleh told The Straits Times that he spotted the dead mammal under a jetty at around 7.45am and posted a video of it on Facebook.

Mr Marcus Chua, curator of mammals and birds at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, was informed and told The Straits Times it was an "exciting find". It is to be studied by scientists.

The museum will now work to preserve the specimen, believed to be a young adult. A museum volunteer then informed Mr Chua about the incident at about 9.30am.

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Black Cat

12 deaths in animal attacks this year in Uttarakhand, India, situation alarming

Jotirmay Thapliyal
The Tribune (India)
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 16:33 UTC
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Twelve persons have lost their lives in wild animal attacks this year indicating that the man-animal conflict in Uttarakhand has reached an alarming proportion.

The death of two sisters in Chamoli in a leopard attack is the latest incident in the series of man-animal conflicts in the state. Leopards have killed five persons in June.

Experts say the death toll might break the all-time record by the year-end. Rapid changes in the forest eco-system, mainly owing to excessive human intervention and climate change, have been forcing wild animals to stray into human habitations frequently.

Since the formation of the state, 400 persons have fallen prey to leopards. The wildlife authorities, despite their best efforts, have failed to curb the increase in the fatal animal attacks on humans.

The coming months will be more challenging for the wildlife authorities as rains increase vegetation growth and thickens bushes and foliage, thereby, providing adequate cover to prowling leopards.
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Umbrella

Waterspouts seen near Alabama coast


uk.news.yahoo.com
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 15:58 UTC
Image
Waterspout
Waterspouts were spotted off the coast of Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico on July 9. The National Weather Service in Mobile said conditions were favorable for waterspouts. It issued a special marine warning because of waterspout reports.

This video shows one waterspout in the gulf taken by a fishing-charter captain.

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Windsock

Water spout sighted on Lake Tahoe

Kale Williams
SF Gate
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 13:19 UTC
Water spout
© Courtesy, Brett Kendall
Lake Tahoe was treated to a rare weather occurrence Wednesday night as a water spout formed along the west shore of the lake.

The water spout, essentially a very weak tornado over water, formed near the mouth of Emerald Bay just after 9 p.m., according to Brett Kendall, brewmaster at nearbyFOLK Brewing Co., who snapped a picture of the aqueous twister from the lake's east shore.

"Water spouts can happen anytime there is a thunderstorm with a strong enough rotation to form a funnel," said Chris Smallcomb, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno. "They are generally weak, with winds around 60 or 70 mph, and they are pretty slow moving, but they can be unpredictable so people should try to steer clear."

Comment: For more strange weather, check out: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - June 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, and High Strangeness

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Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.7 - 155km SSW of Dadali, Solomon Islands


US Geological Survey
Fri, 10 Jul 2015 05:54 UTC
Solomon Quake_1000715
© USGS
Time
  1. 2015-07-10 04:12:41 (UTC)
  2. Times in other timezones
Nearby Cities
  1. 155km (96mi) SSW of Dadali, Solomon Islands
  2. 168km (104mi) W of Honiara, Solomon Islands
  3. 467km (290mi) SE of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
  4. 874km (543mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
  5. 885km (550mi) E of Alotau, Papua New Guinea
Scientific Data
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