Earth Changes

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

Charnamrit Sachdeva
Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 23 Jan 2016 20:13 UTC

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.

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

Joshua Berlinger
CNN
Sun, 24 Jan 2016 12:16 UTC

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.

RT Ch2KTUU: A closer look at the #AKquake damage to K-Beach Road. Zach Moore & Myles Thomas photos. ... pic.twitter.com/bCSO4g77re
— Update: Earthquakes (@Earthquake_rt) January 24, 2016

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]:

That #AKquake was a doozy @UpperDeckKenai See you tomorrow for the game . Open at 11:00 a.m. pic.twitter.com/H0GB3DBcQS
— LDPeterkin (@LauraPeterkin) January 24, 2016

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

Chloe Farand
The Independent, UK
Sun, 24 Jan 2016 15:38 UTC

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

— 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

Apocalyptic storm cell engulfs skies near Toowoomba, Australia

Strange Sounds
Sun, 24 Jan 2016 15:36 UTC

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.

Whale calf washes up on Marbella beach, Spain

surinenglish.com
Fri, 22 Jan 2016 15:11 UTC

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

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.

Huge waves flood coastal Viña del Mar, Chile

Strange Sounds
Sun, 24 Jan 2016 14:54 UTC

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.

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

The Japan Times
Sun, 24 Jan 2016 13:26 UTC

Otaru 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.

Mysterious earth crack nearly a kilometer in length terrifies residents of Aponte, Colombia

Strange Sounds
Wed, 20 Jan 2016 07:24 UTC

What started with a small fissure in early 2015 is today a giant mysterious earth crack nearly a kilometer in length that crosses the village of Aponte, Colombia. The crack has caused enormous damage to roads and houses in the village of Aponte in Nariño. At least 210 families are affected by this geological anomaly.

The gigantic crack is growing and devastating Aponte, Colombia, but nobody knows its origin.

The unexplained crack in the ground is 1,200 meters long and 50 centimeters wide. At some points its depth reaches up to four meters.

The enormous crack has caused large damage to roads in Nariño. Only in Aponte 170 houses are cracked and have to be evacuated.

At least 210 families are currently affected by the growing fissure.

Comment: Another sign of earth 'opening up'? See also:

28 inches of snow, floods, emergency in New York: Deadly snowstorm 'Jonas' hits US East Coast

RT
Sat, 23 Jan 2016 17:46 UTC

© Alex Wong / Getty Images / AFP
A bulldozer clears snow on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol January 23, 2016 in Washington, DC.

A huge snowstorm has struck the US East Coast, causing heavy floods and paralyzing cities with a record amount of snow. Governors of ten states have declared a state of emergency, with New York being among the latest. At least 19 storm-related deaths have been reported.

Snowstorm 'Jonas' caused six meter waves, as well as hurricane-force winds with speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour in the town of Rehobeth Beach, Delaware. Town beaches have overflowed. Water in Lewes - another Delaware city - rose to its second-highest record level, beating that witnessed during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Comment: Less than a month ago the eastern states of the US were experiencing record warmth - indeed it was warmer on Christmas Day in Boston and New York City than it was on July 4th! For more information on these extreme weather events and much more, check out our monthly Earth Changes Summary:

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - December 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs