Earth Changes
A quake measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale occurred about 20 kilometres south of Frankston around 6:20pm AEST.
A magnitude 3.0 tremor struck further south 14 seconds later.
Residents have reported hearing a loud noise and feeling the ground shake, but the State Emergency Service says it has not received any reports of damage.
International flights were diverted from Sydney, ferries on Sydney Harbour were suspended and commuter motorists warned to take care on roads as visibility was dramatically reduced. Health authorities urged people with asthma or breathing difficulties to stay indoors. The dust set off smoke alarms in some buildings in Sydney's central business district.
The teen's body was found in the Chattooga River on Tuesday morning.
In Dawson County, the sheriff said they are searching for the body of a missing college student who is believed drowned. The sheriff said a group of friends were playing in the water Monday night at the Gold Creek Golf Club in a small pond. A male did not come out of the water.
The Hall County dive team is responding to Dawson County to assist. Officials said they are classifying it as a recovery effort.

A Google Earth application reveals carbon dioxide in the lowest part of the atmosphere close to Earth's surface (green tracks) and carbon dioxide at higher altitudes that are immune from ground influences (red tracks).
Google Earth -- the digital globe on which computer users can fly around the planet and zoom in on key features -- is attracting attention in scientific communities and aiding public communication about carbon dioxide. Recently Google held a contest to present scientific results using KML, a data format used by Google Earth.
"I tried to think of a complex data set that would have public relevance," said Tyler Erickson, a geospatial researcher at the Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor.
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 08:53:05 UTC
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 02:53:05 PM at epicenter
Location:
27.351°N, 91.425°E
Depth:
10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Distances:
135 km (85 miles) NNW of Gauhati, Assam, India
180 km (110 miles) E of THIMPHU, Bhutan
610 km (380 miles) NNE of Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India
1410 km (870 miles) E of NEW DELHI, Delhi, India

When a whale dies, it sinks to the seafloor and becomes food for an entire ecosystem.
Dead whales constitute an unpredictable food source - it is impossible to know when and where a whale is going to die, and when it does, the food source does not last forever. Nevertheless, some marine species have specialised in feeding on whale cadavers.
Seismologist Dale Grant of the U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-5.1 quake struck just before 4 p.m. Saturday. It was centered about 25 miles southeast of Calexico, Calif., and 23 miles southeast of Mexicali, Mexico, at a depth of 6.2 miles.
Several aftershocks followed, the largest a magnitude-4.2 about two hours after the initial quake.
The USGS has received reports of people feeling the quake from 120 miles west of the epicenter in San Diego to 60 miles east in Yuma, Arizona.
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 23:10:01 UTC
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 11:10:01 PM at epicenter
Location:
10.671°N, 62.597°W
Depth:
80.7 km (50.1 miles)
Distances:
30 km (15 miles) WNW of Guiria, Venezuela
70 km (45 miles) E of Carupano, Venezuela
120 km (75 miles) W of PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad
475 km (295 miles) E of CARACAS, Venezuela
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 03:50:16 UTC
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 05:50:16 AM at epicenter
Location:
43.482°N, 13.410°E
Depth:
24 km (14.9 miles)
Distances:
20 km (10 miles) SSW of Ancona, Italy
90 km (55 miles) ESE of SAN MARINO
95 km (60 miles) ENE of Perugia, Italy
195 km (120 miles) NNE of ROME, Italy
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 08:54:16 UTC
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 04:54:16 PM at epicenter
Location:
32.835°N, 105.562°E
Depth:
10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region:
SICHUAN-GANSU BORDER REGION, CHINA
Distances:
50 km (30 miles) NNW of Guangyuan, Sichuan, China
140 km (85 miles) W of Hanzhong, Shaanxi, China
375 km (235 miles) NNW of Chongqing, Chongqing, China
1245 km (780 miles) SW of BEIJING, Beijing, China












Comment: The dust storm was particularly severe and affected all Australian states along the eastern seaboard due to a sudden southerly wind change.
The following video was taken at Broken Hill - watch the day turn into night in less than a minute.
Also see:
Australia: Worst Dust Storm on Record Blankets Sydney, Disrupts Transport