Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

US: 4.7-magnitude earthquake hits central Arkansas

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© USGS
A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Arkansas just after 11 p.m. Sunday (12 a.m. ET Monday), the United States Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake's epicenter was 37 miles from Little Rock, Arkansas, USGS said. CNN affiliate KARK received calls from a number of viewers who reported feeling the impact of the quake and seeing items on their walls shake.

From USGS:

Date-Time:
Monday, February 28, 2011 at 05:00:50 UTC

Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 11:00:50 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
35.265°N, 92.344°W

Depth:
3.8 km (2.4 miles)

Region:
ARKANSAS

Distances:
6 km (4 miles) NE (46°) from Greenbrier, AR

7 km (4 miles) S (187°) from Guy, AR

9 km (6 miles) SE (128°) from Twin Groves, AR

22 km (14 miles) NNE (27°) from Conway, AR

59 km (37 miles) N (359°) from Little Rock, AR

418 km (260 miles) SSW (207°) from St. Louis, MO

Arrow Up

Mud volcano in Indonesia to erupt until 2037

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A mud volcano in Indonesia is expected to continue erupting over the next 26 years according to international reports.

"Lusi," a mud volcano in Sidoarjo of East Java, Indonesia, first erupted on May 29, 2006. The 40 Olympic-sized pools of mud the volcano spewed a day during its peak buried homes and land in a 7-square kilometer radius, displacing over 13,000 families.

Based on the flow of mud, which has now slowed to 4 pools a day, researchers estimate that Lusi will continue to erupt until 2037.

"Our estimate is that it will take 26 years for the eruption to drop to a manageable level and for Lusi to turn into a slow bubbling volcano," Richard Davies, professor of Earth sciences at Durham University in England, said.

Radar

Philippines: 13 lahar-related 'quakes' rock Mount Bulusan area

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At least 13 volcanic quakes were recorded around restive Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon in the last 24 hours, state volcanologists said Monday morning.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quakes were "lahar-related" - a day after lahar flows affected water supply in parts of Sorsogon.

"Bulusan Volcano's seismic network recorded 13 lahar-related seismic signals during the past 24 hours. Steaming activity was not observed due to thick clouds covering the active vents and summit crater. Continuous heavy rain over Bulusan Volcano yesterday saturated loosely deposited ash and rock fragments and generated small lahar flows to roll down the slopes of the volcano then flowed along river channels," Phivolcs said on its website.

It said channel-confined lahar flows were observed along Cogon and Monbon river channels.

Other than that, it said no other significant volcanic activity was observed since the last ash explosion on Feb. 21.

Arrow Up

International Science Mission Investigates New Zealand's Submarine Volcanoes

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© UnknownHunga Tonga is located about 30km from Falcon Island. Volcano lies about 65 miles above a very seismic zone. Many underwater volcano have been erupted here first ever volcano erupted here was in 1912 This volcano was erupted on march 18, 2009 caused due to the melting of two tectonic plates using excessive amount of heat and pressure resulting in the big eruption. Volcano extends from New Zealand to north-east to Fiji.
A New Zealand-led group of international scientists will spend the next three weeks on NIWA's research vessel Tangaroa, using a free-diving robotic vehicle to investigate mineral deposits and hydrothermal activity at five major submarine volcanoes in the Kermadec Arc, northeast of the Bay of Plenty.

The voyage is the first project in an international programme involving GNS Science, NIWA, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in the United States, to explore the mineral potential of the volcanoes and their unique biodiversity.

Studies from surface ships and in submersibles during the past decade have shown some of the volcanoes in the Kermadec Arc host extensive metallic mineral deposits and one of the aims of this 25-day voyage is to clarify the type and size of these deposits.

Many of the volcanoes have highly active hydrothermal vent systems, which are home to unique biological communities of animals which thrive in the very hot and chemically-rich environments.

The five submarine volcanoes to be investigated on the voyage are Clark, Rumble II West, Healy, Brothers, and Rumble III. The nearest volcano to New Zealand is Clark, which is 150km northeast of White Island.

Arrow Up

Pakistan: New island forms off Balochistan coast


Hingol, Balochistan - A soft muddy island appeared a few kilometers offshore in Hingol on the Makran coast, Balochistan on November 16, 2010. The Director General, Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) dispatched a team of earth scientists to investigate the sudden appearance of this white mud dome, about three kilometres offshore near the Kund Malir beach.

The island is 90 metres high with a span of approximately three kilometers.

Before the upsurge of sludge, local fishermen reported high tides near the coast and several boats were trapped due to the emergence of this mud volcano from nowhere. Another island of similar nature was also reported to have appeared 12 years ago. That island disappeared into the sea after four months. It is inferred that this mud dome which is given the name of Khizr, will also disappear with passage of time when methane and other gases are released from this structure.

The pictures taken by GSP earth scientists during their field investigations shows the eruption of white hot muddy sludge on top of the island. The ejected material is a sludge of fine solids, hydrate-bearing sediments suspended in acidic water and hydrocarbon fluids.

Cloud Lightning

Arkansas: Lighting strikes the Capitol Building

arkansas lightning
Lightning struck the state Capital building twice as the storm passed over Little Rock.


Bizarro Earth

Ascension Island: High Numbers of Dead Fish Washing Up Onto The Beaches

Ascension Island
© Iyobi / Wikipedia
Over the last few weeks we have been recording high numbers of dead fish washing up onto the beaches around the Island.

The same thing happened, at the same time of year, in 2008. A report was published recently, called 'Reef fish mass mortality event in an isolated island off Brazil, with notes on recent similar events at Ascension, St Helena and Maldives' by Hudson Pinheiro, Joao Gasparini and Jean-Christophe Joyeux. The report states that 'it is possible that blooms of toxic algae, under certain conditions, caused cascading intoxication along the trophic web. Toxic algae occur in other Atlantic oceanic islands and there are reports of algal blooms occurring in remote areas that suffer low human impact. A second hypothesis is that seasonal upwelling events of anoxic or hypoxic waters may be involved (the low oxygen content would be due to the re-suspension of sediment and organic matter deposited at geological scales) often heavily loaded with hydrogen sulphide. Oxygen-poor waters of the Benguela upwelling have been reported to affect the southeastern Atlantic continental shelf and these waters, in years of strong Benguela upwelling, can even reach the Mid-Atlantic Ridge island of St Helena.' The full report is available to download from our website.

We are currently consulting with contacts in the UK and Falklands. I have sent them as much information as I have, including species affected, numbers, symptoms and photographs. They will be able to offer advice on the best course of action. I have also been in touch with one of the authors of 2010 report, this was his response:

Snowman

Canada: Snowfall Hits British Columbia South Coast

Vancouver Snow
© Darryl Dyck/Canadian PressA couple walk on freshly fallen snow in downtown Vancouver on Saturday.
Several centimetres of snow hit Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley on Saturday night, leaving roads packed with snow and ice.

As much as eight centimetres fell in some areas, and Environment Canada said another five centimetres could fall by Monday morning at higher elevations.

However, rain was in the forecast for much of the region Sunday, and officials expected a lot of the snow would be washed away by evening.

By Sunday morning, most major arteries were cleared, but motorists were advised to drive cautiously since many back roads and side streets had not been plowed.

X

UK: Twelve swans on Marine Lake die from mystery illness

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© UnknownAt least 12 swans have died and another 30 have been left critically ill
Twelve swans have died from a mystery infection at a lake in Merseyside.

The RSPCA has rescued another 30 critically ill swans from Marine Lake in Southport over the past couple of weeks.

They have been taken to the Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre near Nantwich, in Cheshire.

RSPCA animal welfare officer Derek Hampson said the illnesses might have been caused by bacteria in the lake but further tests were being carried out.

"We are very concerned," Mr Hampson said.

Cloud Lightning

Lahore, Pakistan gets rare hailstorm

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© Dawn.comVehicles pass thought at a street during fresh snowfall in Lahore on Saturday, February 26, 2011.
The storm struck the city at 4.45pm, concentrating its intensity downtown and in areas around Gulberg. Hailstones the size of small strawberries soon carpeted streets and rooftops.

People watched the freak turn of weather with a pleasant surprise. At some places some people panicked and started giving "azans".

A traffic gridlock followed the hailstorm, making driving a misery on roads awash with a hail of stones.

But on the other hand, motorists were seen relishing the happening instead of fuming over the traffic jam and the young made the most of the opportunity by playing with hailstones. Mobile phones were taken out to take stills and make movies of the falling hailstones.

Reports from different parts of the city indicated the storm was partial as many localities like Faisal Town merely received a light shower.