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Volcanic activity intensifies at Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra

Apriadi Gunawan
The Jakarta Post
Thu, 28 May 2015 10:29 UTC
eruption mount sinabung
© @endrolewa / twitter
Pyroclastic flow at Sinabung yesterday at 18:20
Monitoring officials have warned residents to remain alert as Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra continues with intense volcanic activity. A local chief reported that ongoing eruptions had taken a mental toll on residents, with two people being sent to mental institutions.

The volcano erupted twice early on Wednesday, at 1:21 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., and sent hot clouds southward.

The Sinabung observation station recorded at least 87 tectonic quakes and lava flow from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Observation station staff member Deri Alhidayat said the volcanic intensity over the past few days had shown a significant increase, evident from the tectonic quakes occurring thus far.

"Tectonic shock waves have been detected almost every day. As many as 20 tectonic and volcanic quakes have taken place today alone," said Deri on Wednesday.

He added the eruptions were expected to continue for a long time. He urged residents living around the mountain to raise their awareness until the government issued an official announcement on the volcano's status.
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Black Cat

50-yr-old woman killed by leopard in Junnar, India


nyoooz.com
Thu, 28 May 2015 14:51 UTC
Leopard

Leopard
Fear gripped the residents of Pimpalgaon Joga village in Junnar taluka after a 50-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard here around 10.30pm on Tuesday. "Sakhubai Nana Hile stays near the forest area.

The leopard must have dragged her into the forest when she came out of her house to relieve herself around 10:30pm," said V A Dhokte, deputy conservator of forests of Junnar. Dhokte said the attack was a matter of grave concern as the village has not witnessed any leopard attack in the past 20 years. "Pimpalgaon Joga is not too far from Dhingore and Khamundi villages which have seen leopard attacks on children, but the terrain is slightly different.

There aren't that many sugarcane fields, but there is a forest area in this village," he added. "The last attack reported in the village was in 1995. Since then, there may have been odd incidents when livestock may have been attacked, but none involving a human," Dhokte said.
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Bizarro Earth

Telica volcano in Nicaragua begins new phase of explosive activity


Volcano Discovery
Thu, 28 May 2015 06:52 UTC
telica volcano nicaragua
After a week of calm, a new phase of explosive activity occurred yesterday at the volcano, beginning with a moderately large explosion at 12:02 local time. An ash plume rose approx. 3 km above the summit.

Several smaller explosions and phases of calm ash venting followed this event. Ash falls were noted in up to 15 km distance to the SW, in areas of the villages Posolega and Quezalguaque.

So far it is unclear whether the explosions are the result of phreatic or hydrothermal activity, i.e. caused by pressurized fluids in the shallow hydrothermal system, or whether they are result of new magma reaching the surface.
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Black Cat

Vicious cat leaves residents scared to go outside in Holloway, UK

Rory Brigstock-Barron
Islington Gazette
Fri, 29 May 2015 14:24 UTC
Image

Lisa Lovelock with neighbours Charlie Moir and Shirley Moir who have been terrorised by a massive, vicious ginger cat for the last two years
Pet left woman needing stitches in one of several attacks, neighbour claims

An "aggressive" cat has been terrorising residents and pets living in an Islington street for two years, neighbours have claimed.

The police, the RSPCA and a local councillor have all been called in to try and rectify the situation - but "ginger" as the animal is known in Shearling Way, Upper Holloway, is still leaving a group of neighbours in fear of using their gardens.

Residents on the Southern Housing estate have complained to the association several times, but despite being told the cat will be re-homed, only to find the vicious feline lurking in their garden ready to pounce just days later.

Lisa Lovelock, 42, called the police when her sister was attacked by the cat two weeks ago.

"It's been going on for two years, it attacks anything and everything," she said.

"It attacked a young child last month, it comes in your home and it attacks - we can't let our kids or our cats out, we can't have our windows and doors open.
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Attention

6.8 magnitude earthquake strikes offshore Alaska -USGS


Sputnik
Fri, 29 May 2015 10:26 UTC
earthquake off Alaska

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake has struck the coast of Alaska, the US Geological Survey said Friday.

The quake's epicenter was situated 63 miles of the island of Chirikov located to the west of Nome on Alaska's mainland.


No tsunami warnings have been issued and there are so far no reports of damage from the earthquake.

Comment: In the last week, Alaska has also experienced more chaotic weather with record heat in some parts, and 'epic' flooding in others.

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Bizarro Earth

Red Sea parts for 2 new islands

Becky Oskin
Live Science
Thu, 28 May 2015 13:44 UTC
Sholan Island
© Jónsson et al., Nature Communications
A 2011 satellite photo of the eruption that created Sholan Island.
Two volcanic islands recently born in the Red Sea have yielded stunning images, providing scientists with new insights about a little-known rift in Earth's crust.

Both islands emerged in the Zubair Archipelago, a small chain of volcanic islands, owned by Yemen, that rise from the Red Sea between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The first of the new islands, now called Sholan Island, appeared in December 2011. The second island, called Jadid, surfaced in September 2013.

The Red Sea is an enormous crack in the Earth's crust called a rift, where the African and Arabian tectonic plates are tearing apart at about 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) per year. At a rift, the crust stretches apart slowly over centuries, like a piece of taffy candy, but it also sometimes suddenly splits when the strain becomes too great. For instance, in 2005, in nearby Afar, Ethiopia, giant fissures and fiery lava flows appeared in the rift zone after a series of earthquakes.

The new volcanic activity that formed these islands in the Red Sea could herald a rifting episode akin to that seen in Afar, said study co-author Sigurjón Jónsson, a geophysicist at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
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Fire

​Volcanic eruption at Kuchinoerabu-jima, Japan triggers highest alert, evacuation advisory


RT
Fri, 29 May 2015 02:07 UTC
A sudden volcano eruption on the small southern Japanese island of Kuchinoerabu-jima has forced authorities to raise the alert to the highest level and advise evacuation of the immediate area.

Although there were no reports of injuries or damage, the authorities are considering evacuation of some 150 residents of the small island, NHK national television reports.

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Cloud Grey

Noctilucent clouds seen over Scotland


Spaceweather.com
Thu, 28 May 2015 01:19 UTC
Image
© M. J. S. Ferrier
Barassie Beach in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Comment: An important ingredient for the formation of these clouds is meteor dust from space...


The fine-structured blue clouds floating above the dark, ordinary storm clouds are the NLCs. "It was hard to tell the full extent of the display due to a storm system passing through," says Ferrier. "But the noctilucent clouds were definitely there." Jimmy Fraser of Alness, Scotland, also photographed the display. "It was a great start for the NLC season here in northern Scotland," says Fraser.

NLCs are Earth's highest clouds. Seeded by meteoroids, they float at the edge of space more than 80 km above the planet's surface. The clouds are very cold and filled with tiny ice crystals. When sunbeams hit those crystals, they glow electric-blue.

Noctilucent clouds first appeared in the 19th century after the eruption of super-volcano Krakatoa. At the time, people thought NLCs were caused by the eruption, but long after Krakatoa's ash settled, the clouds remained. In recent years, NLCs have intensified and spread with sightings as far south as Utah and Colorado. This could be a sign of increasing greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere.


Comment: Or a sign of something else entirely.

SOTT Exclusive: NASA blowing meteor smoke as noctilucent clouds intensify


Observing tips:

Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset when the Sun has dipped 6o to 16o below the horizon. If you see luminous blue-white tendrils spreading across the sky, you may have spotted a noctilucent cloud.

Comment:



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Question

Natural oil leak? Beaches closed along southern California coast as globs of tar wash ashore from unknown source

Christopher Weber
Phys.org
Thu, 28 May 2015 00:00 UTC
oil globs los angeles coast
© AP Photo/Nick Ut
A cleanup crew collects balls of tar that washed ashore in Manhattan Beach, Calif. on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Popular beaches along nearly 7 miles of Los Angeles-area coastline are off-limits to surfing and swimming after balls of tar washed ashore. The beaches along south Santa Monica Bay appeared virtually free of oil Thursday morning after an overnight cleanup, but officials aren't sure if more tar will show up.
Popular beaches along nearly 7 miles of Los Angeles-area coastline were off-limits to surfing and swimming Thursday as scientists looked for the source of globs of tar that washed ashore.

The sand and surf on south Santa Monica Bay appeared virtually free of oil after an overnight cleanup, but officials weren't sure if more tar would show up. They planned to assess during low tide at midday.

U.S. Coast Guard and state officials said samples of tar and water would be analyzed to identify where it originated, but it could take days to get the results. Nothing has been ruled out, including last week's coastal oil spill that created a 10-square-mile slick about 100 miles to the northwest off the Santa Barbara County coast.

There is also a refinery and offshore oil tanker terminal nearby, but the Coast Guard did not find a sheen from a spill after the tar started to accumulate Wednesday.

No problems with wildlife have been reported, said Sau Garcia of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Comment: We wonder if the increase in global seismic activity isn't causing oil to leak from underwater ruptures alongside the methane?

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Bizarro Earth

Tornado strikes natural gas drilling rig in Texas panhandle

Eric M. Johnson
Reuters
Thu, 28 May 2015 01:07 UTC
tornado canadian tx
© kfor.com
The Canadian, Texas tornado just before it struck an oil rig in Texas.
At least three people were injured on Wednesday when a tornado hit a natural gas drilling rig in northern Texas, the Hemphill County sheriff and a hospital official said.

One victim sustained minor injuries, the second had non-life-threatening injuries to the face, and the third suffered "an impalement to the abdomen," Hemphill County Sheriff James Pearson said in a statement.

Two of the more seriously injured were transported to a hospital in Amarillo and one was treated at Hemphill County Hospital in Canadian, Hemphill Hospital Chief Executive Christy Francis said.

The patient who remained at Hemphill County Hospital was in stable condition, Francis said.

The drilling rig is near Canadian, a town of nearly 3,000 residents that is about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Amarillo in the Texas panhandle.

Pearson said highways were closed due to debris from downed trees and flooding.

There was no word on the rig's operations but Pearson said there was "extensive damage to the doghouses," the general-purpose rooms adjacent to the rig floor.
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