Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Large earthquake hits Iceland volcano site


Ice News
Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:26 UTC
Volcano
© IceNewsEarthquakes-Myrdalsjokull
An earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter Scale shook the area of the erupting volcano next to the Eyjafjallajokull ice cap in South Iceland this afternoon.

The earthquake is the strongest to hit the area since seismic activity began to build at the volcano at the beginning of March.

Steinunn Jakobsdottir, an Icelandic Meteorological Office geologist told Morgunblaðið newspaper that only very few of the regular quakes in the area since the beginning of last month have measured above 3 on the Richter Scale. Jakobsdottir added that it is not yet known if this afternoon's quake is an important development or if it should be considered as a large but normal earth movement. The quake has not had any immediate effect on the erupting volcano - neither has it had an immediate impact on the nearby dormant Katla volcano.
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Bizarro Earth

Mexico: At Quake's Epicenter, Water Gurgled From Ground

Elliott Spagat
Associated Press
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:13 UTC
Guadalupe Victoria -- After the ground shook violently, small cracks formed on the rich soil and cement floors. They quickly became big cracks, spouting groundwater.

That's how the Briseno family watched all seven of their homes sink to ruin on a single block, forcing them to sleep in their cars indefinitely.

The family has one of the more dramatic tales of loss from the epicenter of Easter Sunday's 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Mexico that has left many afraid to go inside, whether at home or at work.

"The earth just opened up, like a pencil goes across a sheet of paper, like a stripe goes across the floor," said Diona Garcia Briseno, the oldest of five siblings, who lost a home that she shared with her husband and their two children, 18 and 10.

Garcia Briseno, 38, saw the ground crack and cough up water as she waited out the quake outside her home. After the shaking, she went inside to find that her cement floor was gurgling muddy water from underground. It lasted about six hours.

"It didn't come out with lots of force, but it was constant," she said.
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Newspaper

Strong quake kills 2 in Mexico, rattles US states

Elliot Spagat
Associated Press
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:01 UTC
Mexico quake
© Associated Press/Guillermo AriasMen stand next to cracks on a street in Mexicali, Mexico, early Monday, April 5, 2010, after a powerful earthquake struck. The quake shook buildings in Mexico, California and Arizona
Aftershocks rattled the southwest Mexico-U.S. border on Monday morning in the aftermath of a major earthquake that killed two people, blacked out cities and forced the evacuation of hospitals and nursing homes.

Sunday's 7.2-magnitude quake, centered just south of the U.S. border near Mexicali, was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit region in decades, shaking at least 20 million people.
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Blackbox

'Oriental yeti' discovered in China


Telegraph UK
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:26 UTC
Image
© Photo: CENThis bizarre creature dubbed the oriental yeti has baffled scientists after emerging from ancient woodlands in remote central China.
A creature dubbed the 'oriental yeti' is being examined by scientists after emerging from ancient woodlands in remote central China.

The hairless beast was trapped by hunters in Sichuan province after locals reported spotting what they thought was a bear.

Hunter Lu Chin explained: "It looks a bit like a bear but it doesn't have any fur and it has a tail like a kangaroo."
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Meteor

Best of the Web: Cosmic Climate Change: Space Shuttle Discovery - STS 131 leaves spectacular dragon trails in the sky


Spaceweather.com
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:31 UTC
Space shuttle Discovery left Earth this morning at 6:21 am EDT in a spectacular dawn launch from Cape Canaveral. The combination of sunrise colors and the comet-like appearance of the departing shuttle astonished onlookers. "It was an awesome sight," says Michael Fertic, who sends this picture from Spring Hill, Florida:
Image
© Michael FerticThe sky is changing; more evidence that our upper atmosphere is loaded with comet dust

The show continued even after the shuttle was out of sight. Tiny ice crystals in Discovery's lingering exhaust caught the rays of the rising sun and formed an artificial noctilucent cloud of startling brightness. Even veteran observers were impressed. "It was the most incredible launch I have ever seen," says long-time shuttle watcher and part-time NASA medic Dr. Mark Staples of Shands Hospital. "Definitely, it was one of the most spectacular!" agreed Jim Burchfield of nearby St. Cloud, Florida. And Terry Allshouse of Leesburg, Florida, ranked it as "the best of the ten I have witnessed." More images of the launch from photographers:

Comment: Remember this?

Image
© Rex FeaturesStrange spiral: Residents in northern Norway were left stunned after the lightshow, which almost looked computer-generated, appeared in the skies above them
The Russian ICBM launch failed, forcing the rocket into a spin as it burned through the atmosphere.

The meteor that turned night into day in Utah, Idaho and Nevada last November left a "noctilucent", or night-shining trail suspended in the space-dust laden sky, which high altitude winds later twisted into this spaghetti formation:

meteor's aftermath
© SLTrib/ Les AshwoodA photo believed to be depicting the meteor's aftermath, taken at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, from Clive, in western Tooele County, looking east toward Salt Lake City.


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Bizarro Earth

US: California/Mexico Border Still Shaking - Latest is 5.1 Magnitude Earthquake


Del Mar Times
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:31 UTC
Aftershocks from Easter's magnitude-7.2 earthquake in Baja California were felt in San Diego County today.

As of 4:15 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said five earthquakes stronger than magnitude-5.0 and dozens of smaller temblors have been recorded since yesterday's main event, which was struck about 3:40 p.m. and was centered 37 miles south-southeast of Mexicali. As of this morning reports indicate at least two people had been killed and about 100 injured.

On Sunday, reports indicated minor damage around San Diego County included jammed exit doors, water leaks, cracked walls and broken windows, authorities said.

A Julian resident got a lump on the head when something was shaken off a shelf in a store, and person was hurt when he fell while running out of his Chula Vista home.

Pat Abbott, a professor emeritus of geology at San Diego State University, said San Diegans should brace themselves for perceptible aftershocks for at least 72 hours after the initial quake.

Comment: Hundreds of aftershocks have occurred in less than 24 hours. See a complete list from USGS here.

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Bizarro Earth

US: Police patrol quake-damaged California border town

Julie Watson
Associated Press
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:25 UTC
Image
© AP Photo/Jorge RiveraThis photo provided by Jorge Rivera aka 'cimarron98' via Twitter shows structural damage to the Escomex business school building after an earthquake in Mexicali, Mexico, Sunday, April 4, 2010. The 7.2-magnitude quake struck at 3:40 p.m. in Baja California, Mexico, about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Calexico - Inspectors found a landscape of smashed windows and caved-in roofs in this struggling border city's historic downtown on Monday after a deadly Easter earthquake in nearby Mexico.

The 7.2-magnitude temblor struck just south of the U.S. border near Mexicali, killing two people and destroying dozens of businesses and homes there and severely injuring another in the neighboring California town of El Centro.

In Calexico, the hardest-hit U.S. city, the quake damaged nearly 80 percent of the city's historic downtown area, authorities said. Three tanks holding the city's water supply were damaged, City Manager Victor Carrillo said.

City officials asked residents to limit water use to essential bathing, cooking and washing.

The quake was the latest blow to a region struggling with the state's highest unemployment rate, said Hildy Carrillo, executive director of the Calexico Chamber of Commerce.
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Info

NOAA SEC Space Weather Advisory Bulletin #10- 1: Strong Geomagnetic Storm in Progress


Space Enviroment Center (NOAA)
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:30 UTC
Solar Flare
© SOHO/NASA/ESA
Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
Boulder, Colorado, USA

SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY BULLETIN #10- 1
2010 April 05 at 12:13 p.m. MST (2010 April 05 1213 UTC)

**** STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN PROGRESS ****

A geomagnetic storm began at 05:55 AM EST Monday, April 5, 2010. Space weather storm levels reached Strong (G3) levels on the Geomagnetic Storms Space Weather Scale. The source of the storming is an Earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejection associated with a weak solar flare that occurred in Active Region 1059 on April 3 at 05:54 AM EST. This is expected to be an isolated storm that should subside quickly. Other than the flare and CME erupting on April 3, this active region has not produced any significant activity. Systems that can be affected include electric power systems, spacecraft operations, high-frequency communications, GPS, and other navigation systems.

Data used to provide space weather services are contributed by NOAA, USAF, NASA, NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment Services and other observatories, universities, and institutions. More information is available at SWPC's Web site
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Bizarro Earth

Mozambique: Earthquake in Angoche Injures 59


AllAfrica
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:46 UTC
Maputo - An earthquake of a magnitude and epicentre not yet determined hit the district of Angoche, in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula on Friday, injuring 59 people.

According to the independent television station STV, besides the injured people, the quake also damaged several buildings, including the local registry office.

Angoche mayor Americo Adamugy, cited by Radio Mozambique, said the earthquake had caused no fatalities.

This earthquake comes a few days after a small tremor hit Chimoio, the capital of the central province of Manica, and some surrounding districts.

Recorded at about 14:00 hours on 30 March, the Manica quake lasted 30 seconds, and was of a magnitude of four on the Richter scale. It did no significant damage, but shook some buildings and caused panic among local residents.
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Bizarro Earth

Small earthquakes occurring on Alaska volcano


Associated Press
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:39 UTC
Anchorage - A volcano near Anchorage could be waking up.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says a series of small earthquakes began occurring early Monday near the summit of Mount Redoubt, about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Scientists do not know if the earthquakes will result in the volcano becoming explosive, but they say there is a heightened possibility. Last year, the volcano was very active for months, at times producing huge ash plumes and sending mud flows down its flanks.

Rick Wessels, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, says the Mount Redoubt earthquakes are not connected to Sunday's 7.2-magnitude quake in Mexico just south of the U.S. border because the distances are too great.
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