Earth ChangesS

Attention

5.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Ilocos Sur, Philippines

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.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill soldier, fisherman in the Philippines

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.

Attention

Shiveluch volcano in Russia spews ashes over nearby village

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.

Dominoes

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

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.


Better Earth

Oklahoma reports surge in earthquakes during 2015

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.


Cloud Grey

Strange cloud formation scares residents in Santiago del Estero, Argentina

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.


Attention

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

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.

Recycle

More than just trash ... How chemicals that come with plastic pollution harm animals & you

Ocean trash
© amarulasail.com
It's no secret. We have severely polluted our oceans with plastic. Yes, we are all to blame. In fact, analysis of 17 global data sets by scientist show that all oceans, worldwide, are negatively impacted in some way by humans โ€” no ocean has been spared the hand of man. How did this happen? It all (mostly) started on land and from mismanaged garbage.

Other factors to consider (this is where the "mostly" fits in) are cargo lost at sea "The Great Shoe Spill of 1990" (yes, that happened) and the "Lego Spill of 1997" (yes, that also happened), and catastrophic events (e.g., tsunamis and hurricanes). All of these events are actors in delivering land-based items to the sea - but by and large, the blame falls on us all.

Our collective trash accumulation is problematic for marine ecosystems, especially when it comes to plastic. Scientists estimate that there are more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic are a float in our oceans worldwide. It's time to claim our independence from plastic and take responsibility for what enters our oceans.

Comment: More disturbing information about the abundance of trash in the world's oceans:


Snowflake

Daily snowfall record broken in Denver, Colorado

Snow near Loveland
© CBS4Snow near Loveland
The biggest winter storm to hit Denver so far this season has also broken a daily snowfall record for the city.

As of 5 p.m. the official measurement since midnight at Denver International Airport was 7.7โ€ณ.

That is both the biggest one day snowfall so far this season and a new record for December 15.

The previous daily record for Dec. 15 was 2.8โ€ณ set in 1897.
The snowfall record for Dec 15th in Denver is only 2.8" set in 1897. 3-6" expected along the I-25 Corridor. #COwx pic.twitter.com/cClpNx0RQX

โ€” NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) December 15, 2015

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 4, injures another 10 in Zambia

Lightning
Lightning has killed four people while 10 others are battling for their lives at Mwami Adventist Hospital in Vubwi in Eastern Province.

The incident happened on Tuesday around 10:00 hours in Mchenjeza area at a Catholic Out Station.

Vubwi District Commissioner, Enelesi Banda confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with ZNBC News.

Ms. Banda explained that the incident happened when the victims were carrying out some works at the out station.

She said survivors are out of danger and may be discharged by the end of the day.