Earth Changes
Glaciers will all but disappear from the Alps by 2050, scientists warned Monday, basing their outlook on mounting evidence of slow but steady melting of the continental ice sheets.
Norwegian seismological institute NORSAR said the quake took place at 2:45 p.m. (1345 GMT) near Aalesund on the country's western coast, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Oslo, the capital.
The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0, was centered in the town of Tutak, in Agri province, which borders Iran, the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory said. It struck at 9:38 a.m. (0738 GMT).
Akpinar said earlier the quake had knocked down a number of homes in the villages of Yukarikosk and Cobanova, but later said the quake caused damage to homes in at least seven villages, mostly demolishing barns and annexes of some of the houses. Two women were injured by falling debris at Yukarikosk but were not in serious condition, Akpinar said.
Heavy snow hit parts of Nebraska on Saturday, limiting visibility and creating hazardous driving conditions.
A car slid across the median on Interstate 80 near Kearney in central Nebraska and was struck by a tractor-trailer, killing the car's 28-year-old driver and her two children, ages 5 and 3, police said.
On U.S. 281 south of St. Paul, a 76-year-old man was killed when the car he was in crossed the center line and was struck by a pickup. The man's 59-year old wife was seriously injured.
In western Kansas, a couple and their 20-month-old daughter died when their car drove off U.S. 50 and collided with two others cars, authorities said. The couple's 6-year-old daughter was critically injured, they said.
In Oklahoma, a 5-year-old boy died after being thrown from a sport utility vehicle that veered off a snow-covered highway and rolled.
The quake was large enough to cause a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement, but no tsunami warning was immediately issued.
The epicenter of the major quake was about 80 miles from the city of Ternate, in north eastern Indonesia, it said. It had a depth of more than six miles below the ocean floor.
The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1, was centered in Agri province, bordering Armenia, about 530 miles east of Ankara, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A foul smell reminiscent of an over-capacity sewage treatment plant on a rainy day wafted over Brooklyn Heights early this week, prompting residents to wonder if every toilet in the neighborhood had spontaneously combusted.
The truth was much more down to earth.
Over the past two weeks 200 ducks have been found dead in the treatment plant's chlorine contact basin and wastewater officials have summoned the help of the Colorado Division of Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help figure out what's happening.
Winter storm warnings covered much of New Mexico and parts of Texas and Oklahoma, with a half-foot to more than a foot of snow and sleet expected. In Texas, 90 National Guard members were activated.
Comment: Believe this one and I've got some great ocean-front property in Arizona to sell...