Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Volcano erupts in northern Ethiopia, two missing


AFP
Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:02 UTC
A volcano in north-east Ethiopia's Afar region erupted over the weekend, leaving two people missing and forcing hundreds to flee, state-run media reports.

The Ethiopia News Agency (ENA) said the volcano spewed lava on Sunday, forcing mainly salt-mining Afar nomads living around the mountain's range to escape.

©USGS
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Mag 3.2 earthquake rocks San Francisco

Marisa Lagos
SFGate.com
Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:50 UTC
That rumbling you felt a little after midnight today was an earthquake - but a small one.

The magnitude 3.2 quake in the Oakland Hills was felt up to Richmond and out to Walnut Creek, with some of the strongest shaking experienced just east of Oakland, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Read More...
Life Preserver

Australia: Ocean 'supergyre' link to climate regulator


CSIRO
Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:58 UTC
Australian scientists have identified the missing deep ocean pathway - or 'supergyre' - linking the three Southern Hemisphere ocean basins in research that will help them explain more accurately how the ocean governs global climate.

The new research confirms the current sweeping out of the Tasman Sea past Tasmania and towards the South Atlantic is a previously undetected component of the world climate system's engine-room - the thermohaline circulation or 'global conveyor belt'.

Wealth from Oceans Flagship scientist Ken Ridgway says the current, called the Tasman Outflow, occurs at an average depth of 800-1,000 metres and may play an important role in the response of the conveyor belt to climate change.
Read More...
Stop

Whale found dead on French beach


AFP
Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:04 UTC
A 19-metre (62-foot) whale was found dead on abeach in northwest France on Wednesday, police said.

"It was a fin whale that died recently," said Jean-Yves Le Clech, a marineexpert from the nearby town of Brest. "When there are storms, the currents caneasily push the bodies onto the coast."
Read More...
Attention

North Korea floods kill more than 220


BBC
Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:06 UTC
More than 220 people have been killed and 80 are still missing after severe flooding in North Korea, according to Red Cross officials in the country.

The province of Kangwon suffered the highest toll, with 181 confirmed deaths, the International Federation of the Red Cross's Terje Lysholm said.
Read More...
Bell

Strong quake hits Solomon Islands


AFP
Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:43 UTC
HONIARA - A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake in the Solomon Islands on Thursday caused panic in the capital but there were no reports of casualties or significant damage.

The quake struck at a depth of just 1.8 kilometres (1.1 miles) below the sea and 73 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of Honiara, the capital of the Pacific island nation, the US Geological Service said on its website.

©AFP
Read More...
Bell

Update! At Least 337 Die in Strong Peru Quake

MONTE HAYES and MAURICIO MUNOZ
AP
Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:38 UTC
The death toll from a powerful earthquake rose to at least 337 Thursday, a day after the magnitude-7.9 temblor shook Peru's coast, toppled buildings and shattered roads, officials said.

More than 827 people were reported injured and the Red Cross said the toll was expected to rise.

©AP Photo/Karel Navarro
A family is seen camping in a park to spend the night after an earthquake hit the area in Lima Wednesday Aug. 15, 2007. A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Peru's coast near the capital on Wednesday, toppling buildings, setting off landslides and killing at least 17 people when a church collapsed in a southern city.
Read More...
Arrow Up

Six die in Japan record heat wave


The Press Association
Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:01 UTC
Japan sizzled through its hottest day on record, as a heat wave claimed at least six lives across the country and spurred fears of an electricity shortage.

The mercury hit 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.62 degrees Fahrenheit) in the western city of Tajimi, breaking a previous national record of 40.8 degrees Celsius set in 1933, according to the Meteorological Agency.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Powerful Earthquake Strikes Peru, over 70 dead

Leslie Jospehs
Associated Press
Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:52 UTC
LIMA, Peru - A powerful earthquake shook Peru's coast near the capital on Wednesday, toppling some houses in Lima and causing alarmed residents to flee into the street for safety. A tsunami warning was issued for South America's Pacific coast based on the strength of the quake.

©Reuters
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Tropical Storm Erin Heads for Texas

Lynn Brezosky
AP
Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:22 UTC
Tropical Storm Erin formed Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico and headed toward Texas, threatening to bring downpours to a state that already has had one of its rainiest summers on record.

Gov. Rick Perry ordered emergency vehicles and personnel, including National Guard troops, to the Harlingen and Corpus Christi areas.

©NOAA
NOAA satellite imagery shows Tropical Storm Erin intensifying Wednesday morning in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Because storms have saturated much of our state this summer, many communities in this storm's projected path are at high risk of dangerous flash flooding," Perry said in a statement.
Read More...