Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Sinkhole opens up in California back yard (UPDATE)

california sinkhole
© Terry Pierson/Press EnterpriseThere is a hole in the backyard of Tasha Jenkins home more than 20 feet deep where her lawn use to be in Riverside. She was trying to put a ladder into the hole to see how deep it was when it fell in.
A hole estimated to be four feet wide and 30-40 feet deep opened in the backyard of a Riverside home Wednesday morning, March 23, leaving the people who live there scratching their heads.

Tasha Jenkins, 23, said she and her boyfriend discovered the hole at their Pennsylvania Avenue home after he began to drain their above ground backyard pool. Water began falling down the hole. Jenkins' boyfriend then came inside and grabbed her as she was doing dishes and had her come outside.

"He said, 'come here' but his face was so in shock. ... I was scared something had happened to the kids," she said. "But when I came outside, he said, 'what do you hear, what does it sound like?' It sounded like a waterfall."
The sound was the above ground pool's water flowing into the deep hole where there had once been grass and dirt.

Attention

Mount Nyiragongo in Congo showing signs of imminent eruption

Mount Nyiragongo's lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history
Mount Nyiragongo's lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history
Rwanda Red Cross has warned of a possible Nyiragongo volcano eruption in the near future, the country's daily The New Times has reported.

Nyiragongo is one of the eight volcanic mountains in the Virunga Massif. The volcano is located near the town of Goma in eastern DR Congo, close to the Rwandan border.

Press reports from Kigali, indicate that local researchers have reported that that since February 28, 2016 Nyiragongo volcano increased signs of imminent eruption.

The New Times quoted, Dr Dyrckx Dushime, the head of Red Cross in Rubavu District, saying that the active volcano has recently released magma from one hole to another of two kilometers that form smoke on the top of it.

Info

Japanese 'scientific' expedition kills 333 whales, including 200 pregnant females

Crew of a whaling ship check a whaling gun or harpoon before departure at Ayukawa port in Ishinomaki City on April 26, 2014
© Getty ImagesCrew of a whaling ship check a whaling gun or harpoon before departure at Ayukawa port in Ishinomaki City on April 26, 2014
Japan's latest 'scientific' whaling expedition has ended with more than 300 animals slaughtered.

In total, 333 minke whales - including 200 pregnant females - were killed, Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research confirmed.

Despite international criticism of the country's whaling activities, Japan sent four ships to the Antarctic region for 115 days on December 1.

In 2014, the UN ruled that the activity in the Southern Ocean, south east of Australia and New Zealand, was a front for commercial hunts.

But the practice has resumed, with Mr Kindleysides urging the Australian government to take action.

Darren Kindleysides, director of the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said the 2014/15 summer was the first time in 70 years Japan stopped its whaling activities.

Cloud Precipitation

Freak hail stones the size of golf balls pound Dallas, Texas

Large hailstones
© LaRue Johnson
Freak storm Hail stones the size of golf balls fall in Dallas


Attention

Dead gray whale found at Torrey Pines State Beach, California

A gray whale washed ashore at Torey Pines State Beach Thursday morning.
© Darren SmithA gray whale washed ashore at Torey Pines State Beach Thursday morning.
A 28-foot dead gray whale likely hit by a ship washed ashore at Torrey Pines State Beach on Thursday morning, officials said.

The female appears to have been about 2 years old based on her length, said Kerri Danil, a biologist at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in San Diego. Gray whales grow to about 45 feet long.

A stranding response team found propeller marks on the dead animal, but it was unknown whether she was hit by a vessel before or after she died, Danil said, adding that tests would try to determine that.

The carcass was discovered somewhere between the parking lot along Torrey Pines Road and the beach trail, said Darren Smith, California State Parks environmental scientist and supervisor. He did not know who found the whale or what time.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill 3 in Tanzania

lightning
Three people died in separate incidents yesterday after being struck by lightning in Sumbawanga and Bukoba districts.

In Sumbawanga, lightning struck and burnt to ashes, a Standard Four pupil, Maria Pangani (14) from Swaila Primary School in Mkwamba Ward, Nkasi Distrct, Rukwa Region on Tuesday evening.

The deceased was studying through the Memkwa programme at the school.

In Bukoba two children from the same family died on the spot when they were struck by lightning in Kumubuga village, Murusagamba ward, in Ngara District.

Rukwa Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr Jacob Mwaruanda, confirmed that the incident occurred on March 22, this year, at around 5:00 pm at Swaila Village in Nkasi District in the region.

Reports from the scene of incident had it that disaster struck when the deceased's mother threatened to punish her daughter after discovering that she was secretly possessing a Techno smartphone.

It was further alleged that the deceased's mother grilled her daughter seeking to know where she got that expensive phone. However, her daughter refused to reveal the person who had given her the device.

Narrating the incident, the Swaila Village Chairman, Mr Juvernary Mmanzi, said that on that material evening the deceased's mother demanded an explanation from her daughter who had given her the smart phone.

According to the deceased's mother, she was baffled and greatly shocked after discovering that her daughter was in possession of a smartphone. She declared that she (the mother) could not afford to purchase it.

"The perturbed mother grilled her daughter who refused to disclose where she got the phone. It was at that juncture the the mother threatened to accuse her to the village local government.

Snowflake

Snowfall record shattered as blizzard paralyzes Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne snowstorm
© Blaine McCartney/Wyoming Tribune Eagle
A powerful late-season snowstorm had dumped more than a foot of snow on Cheyenne through 11 a.m. today, with strong winds causing widespread highway shutdowns and the closure of businesses and government offices.

According to the local National Weather Service office, snow began falling on Cheyenne around 1 a.m. today, and conditions rapidly deteriorated between 2 and 3 a.m. as snow began accumulating and wind picked up speed.

By 6 a.m., seven inches of snow had already fallen on the Capital City, and winds had reached sustained speeds of 30 mph or more, with gusts of up to 50 mph.

What had been a winter storm warning in effect for the region was upgraded to a blizzard warning at 4 a.m. as a result of the strong winds combined with snowfall. A blizzard warning takes effect anytime visibility is reduced to one-quarter mile or less for three consecutive hours and is accompanied by gusts of 35 mph or more.

The blizzard warning remains in effect through 6 p.m. today.


Eagle

23 bald eagles killed by Americans so far this year

This eagle was one of five found dead or dying in Delaware this month, after apparently being poisoned.
© Delaware Department of Conservation and Natural ResourcesThis eagle was one of five found dead or dying in Delaware this month, after apparently being poisoned.
Americans have killed at least 23 bald eagles since Jan. 1, 2016.

I discovered that stunning number while working on a story about the dietary habits of eagles in coastal Alabama. (They like turtles! Watch for the story next week.) Doing some research online, stories about dead eagles just kept popping up.

Someone shot one in Kentucky around New Year's Day. Two more were shot with a high-powered rifle along the shores of a lake in Idaho. Another was killed in Missouri, again with a rifle. And someone killed one early this month near Rome, Georgia.

Then comes the most distressing story. Thirteen eagles have been found dead or dying in Maryland within the last month. Authorities are still unsure what sort of poison was used to kill them, but they have ruled out natural causes. Meanwhile, five more eagles were found dead in Delaware in March.

Question

Multiple reports of loud boom in Buncombe County, North Carolina

MAP of booms
© WLOS staffMap showing where booms where heard
Multiple people reported hearing a loud boom early Wednesday morning in the northern area of Buncombe County.
Facebook posts
© Facebook
News 13 received messages from people hearing the noise in Woodfin, Weaverville, Alexander, Leicester and Reynolds. We contacted Buncombe County EOC, the sheriff's office and Weaverville police. All said they had received multiple calls as well, but no cause has been found. An officer with the Weaverville Police Department said because authorities could not find a cause, it suggests the sound was from some sort of seismic activity.

The U.S. Geological Survey has not reported any earthquakes on its website at this time.

Snowflake

Major spring snow storm threatens Great Lakes region to Quebec

spring snow map great lakes
Heavy snow and ice from an early spring storm will threaten to cause travel problems and power outages from parts of Wisconsin and Michigan to a large part of Quebec prior to the end of the week. The same storm producing blizzard conditions over parts of Colorado and Wyoming on Wednesday will spread a swath of snow and ice across the Great Lakes region, St. Lawrence Valley and areas farther north in Canada.

Road conditions will vary from wet to slushy during the day. However, lower road surface temperatures at night will cause paved surfaces to range from slushy to icy and snowcovered. A band of 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) of snow will extend from Alpena, Michigan, to Sudbury, Ontario. In some cases, the snow will fall at the rate of 1-2 inches (3-6 cm) per hour.

Airline passengers and motorists should anticipate significant delays with possible road closures and flight cancellations. Disruptions to daily activities are possible. The snow and ice will weigh down tree limbs. Enough of a breeze can occur during the storm to cause the tree limbs to shift and break, perhaps leading to sporadic power outages.