Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes Argentina

Argentina Quake
© Google Map
A strong earthquake (sismo) with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 has struck near San Juan in western Argentina, with tremors being felt as far away as Chile's capital Santiago, seismologists and residents say.

The earthquake, which struck at 5:57 p.m. local time on Sunday, was centered about 75 kilometers west of San Juan, or 253 kilometers northeast of Santiago. It struck at a depth of about 115 kilometers, making it a deep earthquake.

Chile's seismological agency put the preliminary magnitude of the earthquake at 6.3, while the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude at 6.4. Shaking was felt across parts of Argentina and Chile, including cities such as San Juan, Mendoza, San Rafael, San Felipe, and Santiago.

There was no immediate word about damage or casualties, but authorities say there is no threat of a tsunami because the earthquake was centered on land. We're working to gather additional information.

Cloud Precipitation

Flash flood in Licata, Italy; 6 inches of rainfall in 3 hours

Floods in Licata, Sicily, November 2016.
© Angelo CambianoFloods in Licata, Sicily, November 2016.
Over 160 mm of rain fell in just 3 hours yesterday, 19 November, 2016, causing major flooding in the city of Licata, Italy. The city is in the province of Agrigento, and is located on the south coast of Sicily at the mouth of the Salso River.

The Mayor of Licata, Angelo Cambiano, requested that people stay at home until the severe weather had passed.

In a statement via Social Media he said that areas of his city were flooded after 162 mm of rain fell in 3 hours. Despite serious damage to roads and buildings, there has been no reports of injuries of fatalities.

Mayor Cambiano said "I want to thank all those who have worked so hard: civil defence, the fire department, the municipal police, the municipal employees, volunteers and citizens. Thanks to them the worst was avoided, and their commitment testifies that when everyone works together, the community benefits."




Bell

Oil from the BP spill has officially entered the food chain

 BP Deepwater Horizon oil
Seaside sparrows show signs of BP Deepwater Horizon oil.
Researchers in Louisiana have found carbon from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the feathers and digestive tracts of seaside sparrows, proving for the first time that oil from the disastrous 2010 spill has entered the food chain.

The study, published today in Environmental Research Letters, was conducted by scientists from Louisiana State University and Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. They found oil carbon signatures consistent with the Deepwater Horizon event in each of 10 birds tested.

These marsh-dwelling sparrows inhabit an area known to have been contaminated by the spill. Sediments from the site also tested positive for oil with the same fingerprints as that found in the tested birds.

Seismograph

California earthquake responders prep for damage exceeding that of Hurricane Katrina

CA faults connect
© Daily Mail
Scientists are warning of a new earthquake danger in Northern California. They've discovered that two fault lines link together north of San Francisco, creating a new risk for the nearly seven million people living in the Bay Area.

Some 1,200 emergency responders took part in an earthquake drill Thursday, and hundreds of scientists, engineers and politicians gather Friday in Los Angeles to discuss the next big quake, reports CBS News correspondent Mireya Villarreal.

Here's what happens in the drill: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hits California and the clock is ticking. National guardsman are working to pull a trapped man from an elevator shaft, while a specially trained dog searches for stranded survivors. This is meant to help emergency responders prepare for the real thing. "We want to be the best prepared, the best trained and the most efficient as possible," said Major Richard Chappell.

But these extreme scenarios could easily become reality. USGS scientists recently discovered that two of the country's most dangerous faults -- once thought to be at least two miles apart -- are actually connected, creating one massive 118-mile long fault. Using an acoustic device, they confirmed that the Hayward fault meets the Rogers Creek fault in the shallow waters of the San Pablo Bay near San Francisco.

"The longer a fault, the larger an earthquake it can produce, and if the Hayward and Rogers Creek faults went together along their entire length, it would up to a magnitude 7.4," said USGS geophysicist Janet Watt.


Comment: On a good day, traffic throughout this area is a nightmare. Hopefully there are options for the public, given the population density and available exodus.


Cow

New Zealand earthquake left cows stranded on island of grass

stranded cows
© Live Sciencethree cows stranded on an island of grass in a paddock that had been ripped apart following an earthquake near Kaikoura, New Zealand Monday, Nov. 14, 2016.
Three New Zealand cows whose predicament captured the interest of many people around the world after they became stranded on a small island of grass following a powerful earthquake have been rescued.

The Newshub news service reported Tuesday that the two cows and a calf were rescued after a farmer and some helpers dug a track to them and brought them out.

Newshub first filmed the cows stuck on the patch of grass near the township of Kaikoura after the magnitude 7.8 quake triggered landslides around them.

The farmer, who was not named by Newshub, said the cows were desperate for water after they were rescued. He said the quake fault line ran right beneath his farm, which had been relatively flat before the earthquake.

New Zealand's 10 million cattle easily outnumber its 4.7 million people.


Snowflake

Record snowfall of 11 feet at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, British Columbia

 Revelstoke Mountain Resort
Revelstoke Mountain Resort
"Epic Conditions - 340cm of Snow so Far!" More than 11 feet!

"With 2 weeks left before the season starts on December 3rd, Revelstoke Mountain Resort has maintained it's historic snowfall with 340cm of snow so far and a base of 100cm.

"We have record amounts of snow"

See Revelstoke webcams:

Revelstoke Snow Report

No! I need a spade! Not a bloody fishing rod!
No! I need a spade! Not a bloody fishing rod!

Snowflake

Record November snowfall of 43 inches in Xinjiang, China

A person holding an umbrella walks in the snow in Atlay in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on November 15, 2016.
© VCGA person holding an umbrella walks in the snow in Atlay in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on November 15, 2016.
Snowstorms have paralyzed traffic and halted flights in Altay prefecture in NW China's Xinjiang, following 50 hours of blizzards in the region.

In mountainous areas, 43 inches of snow has been reported, setting a new record for November.


Snow cleaners clear snow in Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Nov. 16, 2016. The local authority launched a level-four emergency response after the city's snowstorm continued past 50 hours.
© Xinhua/Ye Erjiang Snow cleaners clear snow in Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Nov. 16, 2016. The local authority launched a level-four emergency response after the city's snowstorm continued past 50 hours.

Attention

Dead humpback whale found near Klemtu, British Columbia

A dead humpback whale was found entangled in empty aquaculture lines near Campbell River Tuesday — the second time a whale has been trapped at the site since September.
© Michael Dwyer / APA dead humpback whale was found entangled in empty aquaculture lines near Campbell River Tuesday — the second time a whale has been trapped at the site since September.
A fish farming company is reporting that a humpback whale was found dead this week, after being entangled in an anchor support line at one of its empty fish farms in Sheep Passage near Klemtu, B.C.

According to a statement from Marine Harvest Canada, the whale was discovered when staff were taking the system apart on Tuesday. The company said another whale was caught in a similar situation in September, but was safely untangled.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has been notified and the incident is being investigated.

Marine Harvest Canada, which is based in Campbell River, said it is now looking at similar aquaculture sites to prevent future entanglements from occurring.

Arrow Down

Large sinkhole opens up outside house in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania

Family fears sinkhole could swallow home
Family fears sinkhole could swallow home
A family in Schuylkill County has been forced out of their home after a giant hole opened up in their backyard.

The family says that massive hole opened within minutes on Saturday night, swallowing up most of their backyard. They worry the hole could widen and take their home.

On Saturday night, Tracey Quick and her husband heard odd noises coming from the backyard of their home on Park Place Road near Mahanoy City. Then they heard louder noises coming from the home.

"It started cracking. The whole house sounded like it was going to go. It was horrible," she said.

Quick woke up her three children and got them out of the home safely because that cracking sound was the foundation of the home shifting as the house began to lean as the backyard gave way. Her husband went into the backyard to check on the noise. He was standing in the area just two minutes before the ground gave way.


Arrow Down

Sinkhole opens up in driveway of home in Toronto

A sinkhole has appeared in the driveway of an Upper Beaches home.
© Mike Nguyen/ CP24A sinkhole has appeared in the driveway of an Upper Beaches home.
A sinkhole has formed outside a home in the city's east end.

It happened in the driveway of a house on Golfview Avenue, in the area of Woodbine Avenue and Kingston Road.

A portion of the road has been closed as a result of the incident.