Earth Changes

120 cold-stunned sea turtles found stranded on Cape Cod beaches

Reenat Sinay
The Boston Globe
Mon, 21 Dec 2015 16:41 UTC

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Massachusetts Audubon Society volunteers recovered about 120 "cold-stunned" sea turtles during the weekend after strong winds caused them to wash up on the shores of Cape Cod Bay.

The majority of the reptiles found on the beaches of Wellfleet, Truro, Eastham, and Brewster were Kemp's ridley sea turtles, a critically endangered species and the rarest type of sea turtle.

It was an unusually large late-season stranding for the turtles, who most often get stuck on Cape Cod shores around Thanksgiving as they try to make their way south to warmer waters for the winter.

Young sea turtles often feed in Cape Cod Bay during the summer but can get trapped in the "hook" of the Cape and become hypothermic as temperatures drop, according to Mass Audubon.

4.0 magnitude earthquake felt in Batangas, Philippines

Ellalyn De Vera
Manila Bulletin
Mon, 21 Dec 2015 16:22 UTC

A moderately strong earthquake measuring 4.0-magnitude on the Richter scale has jolted parts of Batangas and Laguna afternoon of December 21, 2015, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

The 4.0-magnitude earthquake was recorded at 12:42 p.m. and originated at 10 kilometers northeast of Tanauan City, Batangas.

It was felt at Intensity 4 or moderately strong in Tanauan City and Sto. Tomas in Batangas, and Los Baños in Laguna.

Phivolcs said an earthquake with this intensity is comparable to the "vibration of a passing heavy truck that is felt by people indoors and some people outdoors and may awaken light sleepers."

Intensity 3 was felt in Malvar, Batangas and San Pablo City in Laguna, which is relatively weak, "but some people may experience dizziness and nausea."

Sinkhole closes road, detours traffic in Arkansas

Region 8 News
Mon, 21 Dec 2015 14:34 UTC

Blytheville drivers are being detoured after a sinkhole was found early Sunday morning at the intersection of 21st and Henley Streets.

The road is blocked on 21st Street between Main and Chickasawba, according to a Facebook post form the Blytheville Police Department.

Comment: Sinkhole devours highway, disrupts traffic in Oregon

Second rare yellow bellied sea snake washes up on California beach in 2 months

Regina F. Graham and Evan Bleier
Daily Mail, UK
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 11:40 UTC

Deadly: A dead 27-inch-long male yellow bellied sea snake (above) was discovered last week during a coastal cleanup campaign by the Surfrider Foundation

For the second time in two months, a rare deadly sea snake has washed ashore at one of southern California's most popular beaches.

A dead 27-inch-long male yellow bellied sea snake was discovered last week during a coastal cleanup campaign by volunteers for the Surfrider Foundation in Huntington Beach, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In October, a two-foot-long yellow bellied sea snake was discovered slithering onto Silver Strand State Beach in Ventura County, but it died shortly after being taken to a US Fish and Wildlife Service office nearby.

The venomous sea serpent, known to scientists as Pelamis platura, was first spotted in 1972 during an El Niño in San Clemente.

Death toll increases to 45 in storm-hit Philippines

newsinfo.inquirer.net
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 10:52 UTC

© AFP/NOEL CELIS
Residents ride on a truck over floodwaters to evacuate to higher ground in Candaba, Pampanga, north of Manila on Dec 18, 2015.

The death toll from two storms which battered the Philippines rose to 45 Sunday as several towns remained under water and rain kept falling in northern regions, disaster monitoring officials said.

The rain was caused by a cold front, dragged into the country by Typhoon Nona (international name Melor) and Tropical Depression Onyok which hit the Philippines in succession last week.

Floods almost three meters deep covered some riverside areas north of the capital Manila as heavy rain kept falling, civil defense offices said.

"Our home has been flooded up to the waist. It has been flooded for over two days," said Mary Jane Bautista, 35, in the industrial town of Calumpit 50 kilometers north of the capital.

Her family and several others were forced to take refuge on nearby high ground — in front of a church where their only shelter is the awning over the entrance.

Shiveluch volcano erupts in Russia's Far East, spewing ash 5km high

TASS
Mon, 21 Dec 2015 07:02 UTC

Columns of ash were raised up to five kilometers above the sea level, scientists say

Lava descending from the Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Far East has raised columns of ash up to five kilometers above the sea level, scientists from the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) told TASS on Monday.

"The volcano continues erupting. Lava has descended today from the top of the Young Shiveluch. Columns of ash were raised up to five kilometers above the sea level," scientists said adding that there is no threat to settlements in the area.

The ash cloud is drifting to the east and south-east, with the plume covering the area of around 15 kilometers.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry's department in the Kamchatka region said that no ash falls were reported in the area.

An orange alert was issued over the eruption of the Shiveluch which can spew ash up to 10 kilometers above the sea level at any moment. Airlines that fly near the Shiveluch are recommended to change their routes. There are over 150 volcanos on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East, and up to 30 of them are active.

The Shiveluch is located some 450 kilometers (280 miles) to the north-east of the Kamchatka Peninsula's largest city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchhatsky with the population of over 181,600 people. However, nearest residential areas are located within the distance of 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Shiveluch, which had been regularly spewing out ash since 1980s.

Chilling footage shows Shenzhen landslide demolish multi-level building in seconds; 91 now missing in disaster

RT
Mon, 21 Dec 2015 02:14 UTC

A horrifying video of a landslide swallowing up the city of Shenzhen in southern China shows entire buildings being gobbled up in seconds. Meanwhile, the number of people missing has jumped to 91, China Central Television (CCTV) reports.

The disaster occurred in the Hengtaiyu industrial park in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Sunday morning, destroying a total of 22 buildings and causing a gas pipeline explosion.

Shocking video footage from CCTV shows an entire multi-level building collapse in under five-seconds. At first, people are in disbelief, but are then seen running away from the landslide seeking safety.

Comment: See also: 22 missing after landslide in industrial park in Shenzhen China

Amazing pillars of light captured in Russia

Strange Sounds
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 21:15 UTC

If you have ever been privy to the phenomenon of light pillars, then you know it is truly an amazing sight. They appear when the weather is extremely cold and form vertical columns of light beaming directly towards the sky. Here a compilation of pillars of light for December 2015.

They sometimes look like multiple fireballs heading to the sky:

They are created when light from the sun, moon, streetlamps, or any terrestrial source, reflects on the surface of a flat piece of ice crystal as shown in the diagram below:

When the light source is close to the ground, the light pillar appears above the floating crystals.

6.0-magnitude earthquake rattles Indonesia's Borneo

Channel News Asia
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 04:05 UTC

A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia early on Monday (Dec 21), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but no immediate damage or casualties were reported.

The quake, which was relatively shallow, struck the northeastern corner of Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of Borneo island, 34 kilometres north of the coastal city of Tarakan, according to the USGS. The agency reported the quake hitting at a depth of 22 kilometres.

Indonesia's tsunami warning centre said there was no potential for the quake to trigger a tsunami. There were also no immediate reports of damage.

The archipelago nation sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity in the region.

Last month, a 6.1-magnitude undersea earthquake struck eastern Indonesia that was felt in Saumlaki and prompted some residents to run outside, though the tremor had no tsunami potential, disaster officials said.

Earlier in November, two powerful quakes struck Sumatra - an initial 6.1-magnitude undersea tremor followed hours later by a strong 6.4-magnitude quake.

Forest fires rage over northern Spain despite winter rain

Ana Vicario and Sarah White
NewsDaily
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 20:07 UTC

© Reuters/Eloy Alonso
An emergency services helicopter flies over a burnt out area devastated by a forest fire in La Caridad, northern Spain, December 20, 2015.

Dozens of forest fires raged across northern Spain on Sunday after strong winds hindered efforts to keep them from spreading, forcing some homes to be evacuated in the worst-affected Asturias region.

More than 100 fires were still burning on Sunday morning in Asturias alone despite rain overnight in some areas, emergency services said.

Television pictures showed several rural houses destroyed by fire but officials said there had been no reports of casualties or damage to villages or towns. Some residents were told to leave their houses as a precaution.

Spain is prone to wildfires in summer, especially in the more arid southern regions and along its Mediterranean coastline. But such incidents are unusual in winter, especially in rainier northern regions including Asturias.

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Earth Changes

120 cold-stunned sea turtles found stranded on Cape Cod beaches

4.0 magnitude earthquake felt in Batangas, Philippines

Sinkhole closes road, detours traffic in Arkansas

Second rare yellow bellied sea snake washes up on California beach in 2 months

Death toll increases to 45 in storm-hit Philippines

Shiveluch volcano erupts in Russia's Far East, spewing ash 5km high

Chilling footage shows Shenzhen landslide demolish multi-level building in seconds; 91 now missing in disaster

Amazing pillars of light captured in Russia

6.0-magnitude earthquake rattles Indonesia's Borneo

Forest fires rage over northern Spain despite winter rain

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