Earth ChangesS

Attention

7-year-old boy killed by dog in Robeson County, North Carolina

Map of Robeson County, NC
One child was killed and his brother was injured after a Sunday dog attack in Robeson County.

Family members told WRAL News that 7-year-old Talen West and 8-year-old Jaylen West were playing in the woods near a home at 2484 Odum Road in Lumberton late Sunday morning when they encountered a neighbor's pit bull.

The dog attacked both children. Emergency crews were called at about 11:20 a.m. and they found Talen West unresponsive upon arrival. The brothers were taken to Southeastern Medical Center, where Talen West died.

Authorities said he had severe puncture wounds on his body.

Jaylen West was treated for leg injuries and released.

Attention

5th dead sperm whale found on beach in UK: 17th for the North Sea region this month

Dead sperm whale
© Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesA member of the public poses alongside one of three sperm whales found on a beach near Skegness.
A fifth dead whale has been found washed up on the east coast of England, several miles from where four whales were found over the weekend.

The whale, thought to be from the same pod as those found at the weekend, was discovered stranded on the beach in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, five miles south of Skegness.

A member of the public spotted the beached whale on Monday afternoon further down the coast from where three dead sperm whales washed up in the early hours of Sunday. The three whales were from the same pod as one that died on Hunstanton beach in Norfolk.

Experts are investigating whether they are linked to 12 sperm whales that have washed up on the Dutch island of Texel and the German islands of Wangerooge and Helgoland since 11 January.


Bizarro Earth

6.1 Magnitude earthquake strikes Mediterranean between Spain and Morocco

Morocco Earthquake
© Morocco World News
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, 100 miles south-east of Malaga, Spain.

At 4:22am, the earthquake struck 38.5 miles north east of the Moroccan city of Al Hociema at a depth of 20 miles according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

This quake was followed by a 5.1 magnitude tremor 12 minutes later.

In an initial assessment, the USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage'.

In 2004 a 6.3 earthquake hit near Al Hoceima killing 631 people, CNN reports.

This latest earthquake comes a day after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Alaska where four homes were destroyed by a gas explosion.


Comment: More video coverage from RT:




Attention

Signs and Portents: Baby girl born with only half a head and bulbous eyes in India

A baby girl has been born in India without a head
The baby, born at Sai Nursing Home clinic, did not have a fully developed head and died shortly after birth
A baby girl has been born in India without a head that has left her with shockingly protruding eyes.

Savita Rani, 32, from Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, gave birth to her 'miracle baby' on Tuesday after a natural birth.

But soon after the birth she became the talk of the town due to her shocking features. A large number of people started to even gather outside the at Sai Nursing Home clinic in the hope of seeing the 'miracle child'.

Two days later, however, the baby girl tragically died of heart failure.

Dr Kusum Lata, 30, a gynaecologist at Sai Nursing Home, said: 'These complications occur due to incorrect and irregular eating habits of the mother during pregnancy.

Radar

Update: 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Alaska, thousands left without power

alaska quake
© usgs.gov
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Alaska early Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake's epicenter hit near Cook Inlet, 162 miles southwest of Anchorage. It was about 50 miles deep.

Joshua Veldstra, a professional photographer who lives in Homer, said the earthquake lasted about 30 seconds.

"When it hit, it was just soft at first, and it just kept getting bigger," Veldstra said. "It was one of those moments where you didn't' know if it was going to get worse or if it was going to calm down."

Anchorage police tweeted that there were no reports of major damage or injury following the earthquake.

The USGS reported that there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage, but the agency's "Did You Feel It?" map [opposite] shows strong shaking could be felt near Anchorage.

The National Weather Service said there was no tsunami threat from the quake because of how deep it struck.

Two smaller earthquakes -- a 4.0 and a 3.2 -- struck within 30 minutes after the first one.


Comment: This was a strong one, even for Alaska. There were about 30 aftershocks, with the strongest measuring about 4.3, and thousands of people have been left without power.

Videos from the event [warning: strong language]:






Attention

3 more sperm whales wash up along the North Sea coast at Skegness beach, UK

dEAD SPERM WHALES
Two of the dead sperm whales
Whales are thought to be part of same pod as another discovered on the Norfolk coast on Friday

Three dead sperm whales have been discovered washed up on the Lincolnshire coast.

One of the whales was found dead on Skegness beach at about 6.30am on Sunday morning, while the two others were discovered a few miles south at about 8.30pm on Saturday evening.

Coastguard rescue teams from Sekegness and Chapel St Leonards were called to cordon off the area and members of the public are being advised not to come close to the dead animals.
We are dealing with 3 #Whales washed ashore on Skegness beach.People are asked not to go near to them.We will remove once we have permission

โ€” EastLindseyDC (@EastLindseyDC) January 24, 2016

Comment: The other recent reports from the North Sea region: Rescuers fail to save stranded sperm whale on beach in Hunstanton, UK

Update: 2 more sperm whales found dead on Dutch beach

5 sperm whales die on Texel beach, Netherlands

Unusual stranding of 2 giant sperm whales on same beach at Wangerooge, Germany


Cloud Lightning

Apocalyptic storm cell engulfs skies near Toowoomba, Australia

Toowoomba was in the firing line of severe thunderstorms on January 23, 2016. Here some amazing pictures of an apocalyptical storm cell swallowing the sunset sky of 'The Garden City' and its surroundings.

All pictures found on the Higgins Storm Chasing Facebook page.
Toowoomba storm clouds
Toowoomba storm clouds
Toowooba storm cell

Attention

Whale calf washes up on Marbella beach, Spain

The whale calf is the latest in a succession of dead or sick marine animals washed up on Marbella beaches

Dead whale calf found on beach at La Cabane
Dead whale calf found on beach at La Cabane
Passersby on the beach at Los Monteros on Tuesday came across a dead whale calf on the shore. The two-metre long sea mammal showed no sign of injury leading experts to believe it was suffering from some kind of disease. The calf was removed from the beach and incinerated after an autopsy had been carried out.

The whale calf is the latest in a succession of dead or sick marine animals washed up on Marbella beaches. A few weeks ago, a dead giant turtle appeared in El Alicate.

Umbrella

Huge waves flood coastal Viรฑa del Mar, Chile

Giant waves, Chile
Waves of more than 5 meters are currently crashing on the coast of Chile, particularly hitting the city of Vina del Mar.

Due to the full moon, swells will intensify on Sunday January 24, 2016.

Watch these insane pictures and video of the giant waves flooding Vina del Mar.


Giant wave, Chile
Flood Chile

Snowflake Cold

2 killed, 100 injured as cold air mass hits Japan with record-breaking heavy snowfall and low temperatures

Otaru under snow on the island of Hokkaido, Japan
© Peter Enyeart / FlickrOtaru under snow on the island of Hokkaido, Japan
Two people died and more than 100 were injured Sunday as a cold air mass gripped Japan, with record-breaking heavy snowfall in western and central areas of the country.

With a bitterly cold air mass in place above the Japanese archipelago, heavy snow fell and strong winds blew in Sea of Japan coastal areas from the central to southwestern regions on Sunday, disrupting air and land traffic.

The first snowfall in almost 115 years was recorded on Amami-Oshima island, a subtropical island located some 380 km (235 miles) southwest of the city of Kagoshima, while temperatures fell to record lows in western and southern Japan.

In usually warm Naha in subtropical Okinawa Prefecture, temperatures plummeted to 8.9 degrees Sunday morning, far below January's average low. The temperature in the town of Kunigami, in the north of the main island, it dropped to a record-low 4.2 degrees Celsius at 6 p.m.

The Meteorological Agency called for vigilance against strong winds and high waves across much of the country as well as heavy snow and snowstorms in the Hokuriku region and in western Japan through Monday.

Comment: Earlier last week heavy snowfall caused transport chaos in Japan injuring 250 people.