Earth Changes

Magnitude 4 earthquake hits off Queensland coast, Australia

Brisbane Times
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 18:28 UTC

More aftershocks are on the cards in the wake of the latest earthquake to strike off Queensland's Fraser Coast.

A magnitude 4 quake was recorded at 6.45am on Friday, about 120 kilometres east of Fraser Island at a depth of 10km.

It was felt by people as far south as Brisbane but no damage was reported.

Geoscience Australia say the tremor is the 13th aftershock in the area following a 5.4 magnitude quake in late July.

Seismologist Marco Maldoni says plate activity could be ongoing but is not unusual.

"You get a large one but they tend to die off ... that's usually the pattern, so we assume it is part of that," he said.

Massive section of Swiss mountain breaks off and destroys forest below

Jake Polden
Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 17:40 UTC

2,000 cubic metres of solid rock that fell caused an avalanche on the mountain of Mel de la Niva

This is the incredible moment a huge piece of rock broke free from the side of a mountain and plummeted 1,000 feet in Switzerland.

The incredible footage was captured by a geologist who just happened to be filming when the rock fall occurred on a mountain in the Swiss Alps.

According to local reports the 2,000 cubic metres of solid rock that fell caused an avalanche on the mountain of Mel de la Niva, near Evolene.

Geologists studying the mountain had noted geological activity prior to the incident and the site had been under surveillance since 2013, reported Le Nouvelliste.

Major movements were detected last week and the hamlet of Arbey and a road below the mountain had been evacuated and shut the day before.

Signs and Portents: Missouri family finds a two-headed snake

abc13.com
Thu, 24 Sep 2015 13:30 UTC

A two-headed snake

At first glance, you might do a double take. That's because it's a double snake...sort of, anyway. A Missouri family found a two-headed snake, and kept it as a pet, reports television station WDAF.

The Simpson family recently moved out to the country so their kids could experience nature. But they probably didn't expect to find what was slithering near their new home.

"I hadn't seen one before," said Azure Simpson, whose 3-year-old daughter found the rare snake. "But it was so tiny I guess it didn't really take me back too much."

Simpson decided to let her kids keep the snake for now. And while her kids are loving it, the family really did the snake a favor. Researchers say two-headed snakes usually don't last long in the wild.

Heavy rain and hail hits West Texas; floats away travel trailers, mobile home from RV park

Newser
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 12:48 UTC

Central El Paso resident Serina Hernandez trudges through deep hail on Edsel Connecticut. which fell during a storm Wednesday afternoon, October 21, 2015, in El Paso, Texas.

Heavy rain in West Texas on Thursday led to flooding that floated several travel trailers and a double-wide mobile home away from an RV park.

Upton County Sheriff Dan Brown said nobody was in the trailers during the flooding in Rankin, 60 miles south of Odessa. The occupants safely evacuated.

A hailstorm with the same slow-moving system blanketed parts of El Paso on Wednesday. The rain is expected to increase in intensity Friday and Saturday as Hurricane Patricia in the eastern Pacific Ocean makes landfall Friday near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and moves north toward Texas.

Odessa Emergency Management said crews there on Thursday conducted about 30 swift-water rescues from stranded vehicles and flooded structures. Forecasters say 3.7 inches of rain soaked Odessa, flooding more than a dozen homes. Midland recorded at least 2.2 inches of rain. Up to 3 inches of rain was reported in the cattle country west of Fort Worth.

Flash floods in Athens kill at least one: Cars swept away following heavy rain

ekathimerini.com
Thu, 22 Oct 2015 12:07 UTC

Flood damage in Athens

Emergency rescue workers and firefighters were searching parts of northern and western Athens on Thursday night after flash floods in the capital left at least one person dead.

The rescue teams were looking for others who may have been swept away or drowned following fierce rain in the capital. Some 560 people were to remain on duty overnight.

During the day, the fire service received more than 800 calls to help pump water out of basements as a result of the flooding.

A 41-year-old man lost his life in Acharnes, northern Athens, after his car became trapped. Passers-by were able to remove the man and his 71-year-old mother from the vehicle but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Birds from the Arctic arrive early at Point Calimere, India

L. Renganathan
The Hindu
Fri, 09 Oct 2015 11:06 UTC

Northern Shoveler

With the beginning of migratory season, thousands of birds, mostly from the Arctic region, have started arriving at the Point Calimere birds sanctuary here. Though the season is yet to peak, ornithologists fear there might be a significant drop in numbers and variety this year as even the common migratory wader species are scarce now. They attribute the phenomenon partially to climate change.

Headed by the Greater Flamingos, the flock of birds, including numerous near-threatened species, is flying into the internationally recognised 'Important Bird Area', while some of them use the sanctuary as a stopover before proceeding elsewhere.

Birds migrate when the weather in their breeding areas turns colder and beyond freezing point and food becomes scarce.

This migratory season some species have arrived early this season. Ducks, which normally arrive by October-end, are already here three weeks in advance. Northern Shoveller, a long-distance migratory duck species, which breed in the Arctic region, has come in several hundreds. Many species that are globally near-threatened, are now seen in significant numbers.

Hurricane Patricia becomes strongest hurricane ever recorded

Weather.com
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 09:40 UTC

Mexico's Pacific coast is in the crosshairs of Hurricane Patricia, which became the most powerful tropical cyclone ever measured in the Western Hemisphere on Friday morning as its maximum sustained winds reached an unprecedented 200 mph (320 kph).

The hurricane is forecast to make landfall in the Mexican state of Jalisco Friday evening as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane capable of causing widespread destruction. Residents and authorities in Mexico are rushing to prepare for what will likely be the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall on that country's Pacific coastline.

Comment: Track Hurricane Patricia with Weather.com's New Interactive Storm Tracker

5.3 magnitude earthquake jolts parts of Punjab, Pakistan

ARY News
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 06:08 UTC

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook Punjab province on Friday. The epicenter was located at 11lm north of the town of Dajal.

According to the US Geological Survey, an earthquake with magnitude 5.3 occurred near Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan at 00:27:42.40 UTC on Oct 23, 2015.

The tremors were felt in Multan, Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan, Jampur, Khairpur Tamiwali Tehsil, Ahmadpur whereas Rajanpur, Mailsi, Burewala, Rangpur and Jehanian were also shook by the quake, according to reports received from these areas.

Frightened people ran outside their houses and started reciting the Kalima. The epicenter of the earthquake was located at Monroe in D.G.Khan whereas its depth was recorded at 10 feet. According to rescue sources, no loss of life was recorded.

After the earthquake was over, people took to Twitter and started narrating their experiences. With #Earthquake trending at the top in Pakistan, here are some of the tweets:-

Strange animal behavior: Deer breaks through window of college dorm

Sputnik
Fri, 23 Oct 2015 01:42 UTC

We all know some sort of craziness happens in college dorms, but who would expect a deer to crash through a residence hall window? Augustana College staff didn't see it coming, but this is exactly what surveillance camera captured on October 19.

Comment: See also:

Migrating birds arrive early at nature reserve in Lincolnshire, UK - so are we in for an extra cold winter?

Caroline Wilson
Lincolnshire Echo
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:27 UTC

The Redwing bird has been spotted early at RSPB Frampton Marsh nature reserve.

Species of migratory birds have arrived at a Lincolnshire nature reserve earlier than expected this year.

But is this a sign that we are in for an extra cold and long winter?

Chris Andrews, the visitor services officer at RSPB Frampton Marsh, said that the site had seen several species of migratory birds arriving earlier than expected.

He said: "We are seeing some migratory birds arriving earlier than usual - such as the Wigeon duck which comes from Scandanavia and the Baltics.

"They would be just starting to dribble in by now but we've got a couple of thousand here already.

"We've got birds like the Redwing and the Fieldfare that have turned up early as well and we've also seen the Whooper swan too."

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Earth Changes

Magnitude 4 earthquake hits off Queensland coast, Australia

Massive section of Swiss mountain breaks off and destroys forest below

Signs and Portents: Missouri family finds a two-headed snake

Heavy rain and hail hits West Texas; floats away travel trailers, mobile home from RV park

Flash floods in Athens kill at least one: Cars swept away following heavy rain

Birds from the Arctic arrive early at Point Calimere, India

Hurricane Patricia becomes strongest hurricane ever recorded

5.3 magnitude earthquake jolts parts of Punjab, Pakistan

Strange animal behavior: Deer breaks through window of college dorm

Migrating birds arrive early at nature reserve in Lincolnshire, UK - so are we in for an extra cold winter?

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