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Fri, 29 Oct 2021
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Pu'u O'o volcano, Hawaii unleashes its largest volume of lava for 500 years

Kilauea volcano lava flow
© hvo.wr.usgs.gov
Eruptions at one of the most volatile shield volcanoes on the island of Hawaii has lead to cascading new lava flows from a large opening in the earth's crust.

The molten rock is spewing from a vent known as the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone - part of the Kilauea volcano which has been continuously active for more than 30 years.

According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the Puʻu ʻŌʻō fire fountain has now unleashed its largest volume of lava in the past 500 years.


Comment: Volcanic and seismic activity appears to be increasing all over the world. See also:

Shake, rattle and roll: Earthquakes continue worldwide; 40 volcanoes erupting right now


Fire

Huge chemical plant explosion in India; at least 3 killed and 150 injured

chemical explosion in Dombivli, India
© YouTube/Mithil Kalose (screen capture)
At least three people have been killed and about 150 injured following a huge blast at a chemical plant in India, local media report. The explosion was so strong it reportedly shattered glass in a 3km radius.

The incident took place at a plant belonging to the Acharya chemical company in the town of Dombivli (Dombivali), Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The explosion was reportedly in a boiler inside the plant.

The area has been cordoned off by police and the injured have been transported to local hospitals, Indian Daily News & Analysis reported.

Dombivli (Dombivali), with a population over 1.2 million people, is about 50 km from Mumbai.


Comment: Chemical plants continue to explode all over the place! Last month there were huge blasts at chemical facilities in China and Mexico.


Arrow Up

Rare 4.1 earthquake and aftershock rattles Duchesne, Utah

Duschesne earthquake map
© University of Utah Seismic Station, St. George News
Location of Wednesday's earthquake
A 4.1 earthquake hit at 7:01 a.m. Wednesday morning 8.4 miles northeast of Hanna. The area is 25 miles north and west of Duchesne and 55 miles north and east of Provo.

A second, smaller earthquake measuring 3.0 struck the same area at 7:24 a.m.

Earthquakes are rare in the Uintah Mountains east of the Intermountain seismic belt, according to the U.S. Geological Service, and earthquakes recorded in the area are generally small.

Ground shaking was not expected to be strong.

Comment: Historical data shows that since 1962, only seven earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater have occurred within 16 miles of the Wednesday earthquake epicenter.


Attention

New lava flows on Pu'u O'o volcano, Hawaii

 Puʻu ʻŌʻō volcano
© USGS
Puʻu ʻŌʻō volcano
Scientists have posted the first images of the new lava breakouts that began erupting this morning from the flanks of Puʻu ʻŌʻō.

The lava flows are situated close to the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone. The two different flows broke out at around 6:50 a.m., in concert with sharp deflationary tilt on the East Rift on Kilauea volcano.

The larger of the two breakouts, shown in the USGS photo above, originated on the northeast flank of the cone, at the site of the vent for the ongoing June 27th lava flow. Scientists say this breakout point fed a vigorous channelized flow that extended about 0.6 miles. This lava flow had not extended beyond the existing Puʻu ʻŌʻō flow field as of 8:30 a.m., the time the photos were taken.

A wider view of the larger breakout traveling down the north flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō, towards the northwest.
© USGS
A wider view of the larger breakout traveling down the north flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō, towards the northwest.

Snowflake Cold

Unusual snowstorms and blizzards in China - three weeks before summer

Snowstorm blocked highway traffic in Northern Xinjiang
© YouTube/CCTV+ (screen capture)
Snowstorm blocked highway traffic in Northern Xinjiang May 2016
China received unusual blizzards and snowstorms across four provinces over the last two weeks just weeks before summer. This occurred in the USA during the same time. Unusual is an understatement when a desert area gets a blizzard when it should be average temperatures of 30C/89F.


Comment: Snowfall records smashed across US as northern hemisphere struggles into 'summer'


Tornado1

Severe thunderstorms wreaks havoc across U.S. Plains; tornadoes, flash flooding

Dodge City tornado
© AccuWeather/Reed Timmer
Severe thunderstorms hit portions of the Plains on Tuesday, May 24, 2016, producing about 26 tornadoes in five different states. More than 12 touched down in Kansas and several more in Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. This round of severe weather will continue through the rest of the week.

In Kansas, a powerful thunderstorm passed near Dodge City producing multiple tornadoes at the same time. A large tornado formed near the city just after 18:00 (local time) and tracked west of the city center destroying a home in Ensign. Highway 50, between Dodge City and Cimarron, was briefly shut down due to damage. According to The Associated Press, two people were critically injured. ABC reported six homes were damaged.

A large tornado was also spotted near Scott City, but this one did not produce any major damage.

Wind gusts reached ~90 - 100 km/h (55 - 60 mph) in Hoisington damaging roofs and knocking down power lines, Weather.com reported. Heavy rains caused major flash flooding in Great Bend with 15 to 30 cm (6 - 12 inches) of water reported on several roads.


Bug

Wasps deployed to fight the killer of 38 million ash trees

The emerald ash borer is a threat to trees in the US and Europe.
© Alamy
The emerald ash borer is a threat to trees in the US and Europe.
Millions of tiny wasps that are natural parasites for the emerald ash borer have been released into wooded areas in 24 states of the US to try and peg back the tree-killing insect's advances.

The US Department of Agriculture has researched and approved for release four species of parasitic wasps that naturally target the larval and egg stages of the ash borer, which has killed an estimated 38m ash trees in urban and residential areas. The estimated cost of treating, removing and replacing the lost trees is $25bn, according to a report written by USDA and US Forest Service entomologists.

On average, federal and state resource managers spend more than $29m per year to manage ash borer populations.

Arrow Down

Car swallowed by sinkhole in Barnaul, Russia

It needed 15 people to get it back out
© CEN
It needed 15 people to get it back out
This incredible footage reveals what greeted a 24-year-old woman when responded to her car alarm going off in the street.

Elena Silina had parked her Toyota IST outside a hotel where she worked in its beauty parlour.

But when she heard her car alarm she rushed outside and was shocked by the sight that greeted her.

As the footage shows, her car was almost swallowed whole by the massive sinkhole which had opened up in the road.

Ms Silina said: "When I looked down, I saw my car sinking into the road!"

She called the emergency services who needed 15 people and a crane to lift the car out of the sinkhole.


Arrow Down

Landslide kills over a dozen at jade mine in Myanmar

The site of a landslide at a jade mine in Kachin State, Myanmar, where as many as 100 people were feared missing.
© European Pressphoto Agency
The site of a landslide at a jade mine in Kachin State, Myanmar, where as many as 100 people were feared missing.
At least 13 people have been killed by a landslide in Myanmar's northern jade-mining region that left dozens missing, an official has said.

Two piles of mining debris collapsed late on Monday after two days of rain, Myo Thet Aung, deputy head of Hpakant township administration office in Kachin State, said on Tuesday.

"We recovered 11 bodies last night and two more this morning," he said, adding that the death toll was expected to rise.

"Witnesses said there were about 100 workers when the accident occurred," he told DPA news agency. "Many are still buried."


Myanmar Times reported that the search had been temporary called off due to heavy rain.


Bizarro Earth

200-meter-long sinkhole swallows dozens of cars in Florence, Italy

Sinkhole in Florence
A giant sinkhole opened up in the very center of Florence, Italy, swallowing dozens of cars parked near the iconic Ponte Vecchio bridge. Firefighters claim that the sinkhole appeared after an old underground pipe broke. No injuries were reported, but two buildings in the surrounding area were evacuated.