Earth ChangesS


Tornado2

Unusually large dust storm billows through Boulia, Australia

Daksha Rangan
The Weather Network
Wed, 16 Dec 2015 11:23 UTC
Boulia dust storm
© Jan Norton/Facebook/Brisbane Times
A "larger than normal" dust storm billowed through the Australian outback town of Boulia Tuesday, creating an otherworldly spectacle.

Local photographers jumped at the opportunity to capture the Martian-like moment, where visibility was reportedly limited to just a few metres.
Boulia dust storm
© Jan Norton/Facebook/Brisbane Times
Although dust storms are common in the area, lifestyle photographer Ann Britton told the Brisbane Times that Tuesday's happening was substantially larger than usual.
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Bizarro Earth

USGS reports 6.6-magnitude quake hits off southern Pacific coast of Mexico


RT
Thu, 17 Dec 2015 20:14 UTC
Map Tres Picos, Mexico
An earthquake with magnitude 6.6 occurred near Pijijiapan, Chiapas, Mexico at 19:49:54.80 UTC on Dec 17, 2015.

The quake location 15.892°N 93.429°W depth=96.9 km (60.2 mi) ENE of Tres Picos, Mexico.
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Bizarro Earth

Carlsbad State Beach in California swallowed by ocean


Sputnik
Thu, 17 Dec 2015 19:23 UTC
An interesting weather phenomenon occurred on the West Coast of the US.


Whether it was caused by El Nino or not, the Carlsbad State Beach was almost completely swallowed by the ocean.
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Attention

5.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Ilocos Sur, Philippines

Mikas Matsuzawa
CNN Philippines
Thu, 17 Dec 2015 18:14 UTC
map Phillipines
A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck near the town of San Juan in Ilocos Sur on Thursday evening (December 17), according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Aftershocks are expected, it added.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), however, said the quake that struck at 8:44 p.m. had a magnitude of 5.4.

Strong quake felt in one town

Based on Phivolcs' earthquake intensity scale, an Intensity 5 or a strong quake was reported in the town of Sinait, more than 30 minutes drive from the town of San Juan.

Many sleeping people are awakened, while stationary vehicles rock noticeably at this intensity, the agency said.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill soldier, fisherman in the Philippines

A. Perez Rimando
The Standard (Philippines)
Thu, 17 Dec 2015 18:05 UTC
LIGHTNING AGAIN
An Army soldier and a fisherman were killed when they were struck by lightning in separate incidents during heavy rain Tuesday afternoon here, police said.

A report received by Sr. Supt. Angelito Casimiro, Zamboanga City Police Director, identified the fatalities as Army Cpl. Eduardo R. Talanayan, 29, of the Army's Alpha Co., 1st Infantry Battalion, and Rey M. Masucang, 43, of barangay Buenavista in Curuan district.

The report said Talanayan was resting near an electric post inside his outpost at Sitio Malasugat, Barangay Sangali Port Area when lightning hit, causing his electrocution. Residents in the area took the troop to the nearby Mindanao Central Sanitarium where he was declared dead on arrival.
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Attention

Shiveluch volcano in Russia spews ashes over nearby village


The Moscow Times
Wed, 16 Dec 2015 15:22 UTC
Shiveluch volcano
© NASA / JSC / Wikicommons
A volcano in Russia's Kamchatka region has spewed ashes, covering a local village with a thin layer of soot, the Emergency Situations Ministry said on Wednesday, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The ash cloud from the Shiveluch Volcano reached 6,500 meters above sea level, the ministry said in a statement, RIA Novosti reported. The volcano is 3,283 meters high.

Winds carried ashes nearly 50 kilometers east of the volcano, reaching the village of Ust-Kamchatsk, where a 1-millimeter layer of ash fallout was registered, the report said.

The incident presented no hazards to local residents' health, the report said.
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Dominoes

Triple eruption of ash, smoke recorded at Mexico's Colima volcano

Adam Justice
International Business Times
Tue, 15 Dec 2015 20:18 UTC
Colima volcano 12-14-15
© Screenshot via IB Times
Mexicos Colima or Fire volcano roared to life, spewing columns of gas and ash into the sky early on 14 December. The first explosion took place in the early morning before sunrise and it was followed by another blast at 8.06am local time.

The National Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said on his Twitter account that the column of ash and smoke rose 3,000 meters over the crater, before it was pulled by winds heading southeast. A third outburst took place at 11.41am local time, with the column rising to 1,500 meters.

Located in the southwestern Mexican state of Colima, the Fire Volcano has been exhibiting continuous activity since 9 July. Officially known as the Colima Volcano, it was previously active in January and February of 2015 and is part of the Pacifics Ring of Fire.

Mexico contains over 3,000 volcanos, but only 14 are considered active. Major eruptions in Mexican history have included the 1953 eruption of the Paricutin Volcano in Michoacan, the 1982 eruption of Tacana Volcano in Chiapas and the 1986 eruption of the Colima Volcano.

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Better Earth

Oklahoma reports surge in earthquakes during 2015

Dana Branham
The Oklahoma Daily
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 20:50 UTC
As 2015 nears its end, 850 earthquakes of magnitude three or greater have stirred the state of Oklahoma. Compared to 584 of the same magnitude in 2014 and 109 in 2013, the trend is clear: earthquakes are on the rise.

While Oklahoma's spike in earthquakes has been heavily publicized, Jeremy Boak, director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey, said it's less widely known that the state has been taking steps toward combating the pattern of induced seismicity.

Oklahoma earthquakes: 2013 through 2015
© CartoDB / Oklahoma Geological SurveyOklahoma earthquakes: 2013 through 2015

Comment: Putting "some" restriction? Again this Boak person sounds like he's doing damage control on behalf of unspecified interests in the oil and gas industry.

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Cloud Grey

Strange cloud formation scares residents in Santiago del Estero, Argentina

Kara O'Neill
Daily Mirror, UK
Tue, 15 Dec 2015 19:12 UTC
Strange cloud
© YouTube / elliberal.com.arRolling: It is thought the clouds disappeared within minutes
A strange cloud formation has left residents in Argentina terrified after it rolled over a city - then suddenly disappeared minutes later.

The video has been uploaded to YouTube by Diario El Liberal and has had more than 3,000 views since December Sunday.

One journalist, who witnessed the bizarre weather phenomenon , told local media: "It was a matter of two or three minutes from when it formed in the sky to when it disappeared.

"We believe that this may have occurred when there was a sudden drop in temperature over Santiago del Estero.

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Attention

Intense, more frequent explosions, new lava flows at Guatemala's Fuego volcano

Elena Ugrin
The Watchers
Wed, 16 Dec 2015 18:46 UTC
Fuego volcano eruption
© Maximo Nivel via TwitterFuego volcano eruption, December 15, 2015.
Another phase of strong, increased activity was observed at the Fuego volcano, Guatemala on December 14, 2015, Volcano Discovery reported. Frequent, intense explosions and ash plumes accompanied with loud shock waves marked the 13th paroxysmal episode of the 2015 volcano activity.

Two new lava flows were observed at the Fuego volcano, accompanying intense and frequent explosions on the evening of December 14 (local time). Between 4 and 6 explosions per hour were reported with ash plumes, followed by loud shock waves, rising up to 1 km (3 280.8 feet) above the volcano summit. New lava flows were 800 m (2 624.7 feet) long and have started to head towards the Santa Teresa on west flank, and Trinidad on south flank drainages.

The reported event is the 13th paroxysmal episode of this year, and should the activity of the volcano increase further, dangerous pyroclastic flows could take place over the coming hours or days. Residents have been advised to avoid the river beds and valleys at the feet of the mountain at all times.

INSIVUMEH reported that on November 29, 2015 activity at Fuego increased significantly, characterized by large and strong explosions, ash plumes, and lava flows. Ash plumes rose as high as 2.2 km (7 217.8 feet) above the crater and drifted 40 km (24.9 miles) W and SW. Lava fountains rose 500 m (1 640.4 feet) above the crater, feeding four lava flows that traveled 3-4 km (1.9-2.5 miles) down the Ceniza, Trinidad, Las Lajas, and Santa Teresa drainages.
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