Earth ChangesS


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Eyewitnesses Watched as China Earthquake Ripped Ground

The devastating earthquake that hit the heart of China in 2008 caught the region unguarded, and left tens of thousands of people dead.

Because the destruction was so widespread, many people witnessed the ground rip apart, which along with other observations and studies, is helping geologists piece together exactly what happened - and how to prevent future catastrophes.

The area of Wenchuan, China, was crippled by the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck on May 12, 2008. The temblor killed more than 70,000 people, injured about 374,000, and left approximately 18,000 missing and presumed dead, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). More than 45.5 million people across 10 provinces were affected by the quake. Four million people lost their homes. Several cities were almost completely destroyed.

Before the 2008 quake, the region was downgraded to a low seismic risk, so the massive temblor caught many scientists by surprise, which isn't uncommon even in areas known to have frequent earthquakes.

Attention

Five Rare Sumatran Elephants Found Dead in Indonesia

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© Agence France-Presse
Five endangered Sumatran elephants have been found dead in Indonesia, and conservationists said Sunday that they suspect farmers poisoned the animals to stop them from damaging crops.

The elephants - four females and one male all under the age of 5 - were found dead late Friday in Riau province on Sumatra island, said Edi Susanto, a government conservationist.

Susanto suspects that owners of nearby palm oil plantations used cyanide to poison the animals, which are known for damaging crops. He said an investigation is under way and samples from the dead elephants have been sent for analysis.

"We have told the district heads in Riau province to ban farmers from tending crops in the woods where the elephants search for food," Susanto said.

Only 3,000 Sumatran elephants are believed to remain in the wild, a number that dwindles each year with poaching and killing by farmers angry over crop losses.

Igloo

The Ice-Age Cometh! Coldest November Night on Record in Parts of UK

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© North News & Pictures Ltd.A shepherd looking for his flock wades through deep snow on Commondale Moor in North Yorkshire as freezing temperatures grip Britain
Temperatures plummeted to the coldest on record for November in parts of the UK overnight.

Northern Ireland reached a new low of -8.6C (17F) at Aldergrove, in Belfast, and in Wales, a record minimum of -18C was recorded at Llysdinam.

Heavy snow is still falling in much of Scotland and north-east England, bringing travel disruption, and is set to last until Tuesday.

Forecasters says Siberian winds from Monday will make it feel even colder.

Met Office severe weather warnings for heavy snow and widespread ice remain in place for eastern Scotland, and north east England, down to Yorkshire and Humber.

Although there will be some sunshine in many parts of the UK, including East Anglia and North Wales later on Sunday, Northumberland, Durham, Nottingham and the Chilterns are set to get further snow showers.

Sun

Israel's warm and dry winter: Lack of winter rains even worse than predicted

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© Mekorot
November set to be worst ever for Kinneret, forecasters predict dry spell to continue into December; cabinet to discuss emergency water plan.

With no significant rainfall thus far, the dire predictions about this winter have become a reality, the Water Authority said on Thursday.

With November nearing its end, Lake Kinneret will likely receive the least water since records started being kept in 1927.

No rain, the lack of humidity, and warm temperatures have increased the evaporation of the lake such that it is losing about half a centimeter a day. It is already a meter below the bottom red line. The lake is expected to break the record set in 2001 for least amount of drinking water available in the month of November.

Cloud Lightning

South Africa: Seven killed in lightning strike in KwaZulu-Natal

lightning
© Unknown
The KwaZulu-Natal disaster management unit was on Saturday providing support to the families of seven people who died -- including a two-year-old girl -- when a marquee was struck by lightning.

"We are visiting the seven families and offering them support. Tomorrow [Sunday] we will go visit the hospitals," said Mthokozisi Duza, the head of the province's disaster management unit.

Sixty-seven people were also injured. Fourteen of were receiving treatment in local hospitals.

He said details about the incident were sketchy and an inquest docket had been opened.

Parents and children had gathered for a Christmas party on Friday afternoon at the Inkosiyethu crèche when the lightning struck.

Umbrella

Rains in Venezuela Cause 3 Deaths in Caracas, 2 in Miranda State

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© Unknown
Caracas - The ceaseless rains that have fallen for several weeks in Venezuela caused three deaths in Caracas on Friday and two earlier in Miranda state, while authorities in the northwestern state of Falcon were forced to declare a state of emergency.

Before dawn Friday a mudslide in a poor neighborhood near the capital's downtown area buried three children ages 11, 8 and 2, while leaving four people injured.

The bodies of the three young victims were recovered by firefighters, while the injured - two adults and two minors - were hospitalized.

On Thursday the downpours in Miranda state in the northern part of the country left two people dead and more than 1,000 families affected, the regional director of Civil Protection, Victor Lira, said.

The official said that the swollen Cupira River in the eastern part of the state swept away and drowned one person, while another was buried in a mudslide.

Streets were flooded in the Barlovento region of Miranda state, where "631 homes are flooded more than a meter (3 feet) deep in water," Lira said.

Bizarro Earth

1,000 Herdsmen Trapped in Inner Mongolia's Snowstorm

One of the heaviest snowstorms in 30 years has led to at least 1,000 herdsmen being trapped in the interior of China's Inner Mongolia region, a media report said Saturday.

The snowstorm hit Xing'an prefecture, 1,500 km northeast of Inner Mongolia capital Hohhot, last week. Snow piled up to 30 cm in most parts of the region and a metre in some areas, the China Daily reported.

The snow was 40 days earlier than its usual arrival time and was the heaviest in 30 years, officials said. At least 700 livestock are believed to have perished in the storm.

The winds have so far hampered efforts to start a rescue operation in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which has been cut off since a major snowstorm a week ago.

The lives of the herdsmen were not threatened as they have enough stocks of food and no casualties have been reported, said Qiu Feng, a government official.

Snowman

Snow Hits France Early

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© Daniel FinnanParis's Luxembourg gardens, winter 2009
France has been hit by unusually early snow with the first snowfall of the winter hitting the east of the country on Thursday and Paris Friday afternoon. The cold snap will see temperatures plummet and is likely to last at least a week, according to Michel Daloz of Météo France.

As in much of the rest of Europe, relatively heavy snow has hit lowlying areas three weeks earlier than usual. The cold is likely to move south at the weekend.

Temperatures will drop below zero overnight in some areas, with 0°C to 5°C during the day.

Although 2009's winter saw the heaviest snowfall for 30 years, it did not start in low-lying areas until December.

Snow has not arrived this early since 2005, when winter was also colder than last year. Any part of the country could be disrupted by the harsh weather this year, meteorologists warn.

Paris on Monday announced its plan to tackle the effects of cold this winter.

Bizarro Earth

UK on Snow Alert as Mercury Plunges

Snow Storm
© UKPACars struggle to climb the hill on Penrhiwfer Road, Tonyrefail, Wales.
Severe weather warnings for almost all of the UK are in place, with heavy snow, widespread icy roads and bitter temperatures forecast.

Some 10ins (25cm) of snow is expected to fall over higher ground, while parts of the Midlands and London will not escape a dusting. Overnight temperatures across the UK plunged well below zero again, after a day when much of the country was badly disrupted by the earliest widespread snow for 17 years.

The Met Office said London and the South East, the South West, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and the north east of England face widespread icy roads. The North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands and the South West were also braced for heavy snow and Wales and Northern Ireland can expect icy roads while Scotland is in line for more heavy snow and drifts thanks to a biting wind.

Forecasters said the cold snap is set to tighten its grip, blanketing swathes of the country in white by the middle of next week.

Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It's definitely staying cold and going into next week, we could see a lot more snow. There is a low pressure system across the country and if it moves the way it is looking to at the moment, it's going to be very windy, very snowy and really bitter."

Temperatures will barely rise above freezing on Saturday, with the South West set to be the warmest at around 3C.

Phoenix

Indonesia's Mount Bromo Volcano Spews Ash into Sky

Mount Bromo
© Ben Tubby/FlickrMount Bromo
Jakarta -- Officials say one of Indonesia's dozens of volcanos has shot ash into the air in a minor eruption that caused no injuries.

Earlier this week the government raised the alert level at Mount Bromo to its highest level, telling villagers and tourists to stay off the rumbling slopes.

Government volcanologist Agus Budiono says the mountain, a popular tourist attraction, spewed ash more than 1,600 feet (500 meters) in the air Friday.

Mount Bromo typically erupts about once a year but unlike nearby Mount Merapi rarely spits debris and hot gas far from its crater. However, two people were killed in a 2004 eruption.