Earth ChangesS


Attention

Deer kills man during hunt, goring him with its antlers in Compiegne forest, France


The Local (France)
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 10:05 UTC
The hunter was gored to death by a stag
© AFP/Getty ImagesThe hunter was gored to death by a stag (file photo)
A 62-year-old man died while taking part in a hunt in the Paris area after being charged by a deer that fatally gored him with its antlers.

The incident occurred around 10am (0900 GMT) in the Compiegne forest, about 85 kilometres (53 miles) northeast of Paris.

The man was acting as a beater, who normally help corner the animal in a certain area, when he was struck.

He "was charged and pierced by a deer which stabbed him with his antlers," a police spokesman said. The hunter, who was not carrying a rifle, died of internal bleeding before emergency services could arrive. Police said this type of death was "uncommon".

Guy Harlé, the president of the local hunters federation said: "Normally the animal would flee, but this time he decided to charge. It came after him.
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Seismograph

Deep 6.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Papua, New Guinea


BNO News
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 17:44 UTC
Papua New Guinea earthquake
© google
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 struck the mainland of Papua New Guinea on Wednesday morning, seismologists and residents said, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties.

The earthquake, which struck at 7:26 a.m. local time on Wednesday, was centered about 67 kilometers (42 miles) southwest of Angoram, which is located in East Sepik Province in the country's northwest. It struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers), making it a relatively deep earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put the preliminary magnitude of Wednesday's earthquake at 6.5, down from an initial estimate of 6.6. It said the earthquake was likely felt across the region, possibly as far away as the Indonesian part of Papua.

Computer models from the USGS estimated that as many as 6.9 million people could have felt the earthquake, including 236,000 people who may have experienced "moderate" shaking. "There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage," the USGS said.

Because the earthquake struck on land, there is no threat of a tsunami.

Comment: See also: Pay attention to the Pacific Ring of Fire as major geo events trigger concern

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Tornado1

Tropical Storm Rina becomes the 17th Atlantic named storm of 2017 in a "well above average" season

Brian Donegan
Weather Channel
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 17:30 UTC
Tropical Storm Rina
© NOAATropical Storm Rina as seen by NOAA satellite late Tuesday afternoon
Tropical Storm Rina formed in the central Atlantic Ocean late Monday but will not threaten any land areas as it tracks into the northern Atlantic Ocean in the days ahead.

Rina is the 17th named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. This puts the 2017 season in a tie for ninth place for the most named storms on record in any Atlantic hurricane season since 1851.

The "R" storm has only been named in the Atlantic five other times since 1950, when formal hurricane names started being used. This occurred in 2012 (Rafael), 2011 (Rina - yep, same name), 2010 (Richard), 2005 (Rita) and 1995 (Roxanne).

Both Rita in 2005 and Roxanne in 1995 ended up being retired for the destruction they caused. Rina, the "R" name in this year's Atlantic tropical cyclone name list, is the replacement for Rita.

All five of the previous Atlantic "R" storms reached hurricane strength, according to meteorologist Bob Henson of wunderground.com. Rina is also the first "R" storm to form as late as November, Henson added.

Tropical Storm Rina is unlikely to become a hurricane as it enters the cooler waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean and merges with a cold front midweek, which will transition it into a post-tropical low-pressure system.

Comment: The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said 2017 so far has been "well above average" in terms of the number of storm activity, compared to the 1981-2010 average. Tropical Storm Rina is due to bring rain and wind to Ireland and UK later this week.

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Arrow Down

Sinkhole appears in the center of Amsterdam


Sott.net
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 21:45 UTC
zinkgat amsterdam
Sinkhole in Amsterdam on Nov 1st, 2017.
Sinkholes have started appearing in the Netherlands of late. While no official statistics are available, a dozen or more sinkholes have opened up in the country in the past few years, with one of the earliest being a small sinkhole in the city of Breda in April 2015.

Back in 2013, chances of sinkholes opening up in the Netherlands were described as "negligible" by Dutch geologist van Balen. Granted, van Balen referred specifically to the enormous sinkhole that appeared in Florida that swallowed a man, however, as it currently stands, there is no telling to what extent the Earth will 'open up' - even in this neck of the woods.

On November 1st, a large sinkhole appeared on a cycling path in the Marnixstraat, which lies in the center of Amsterdam. Luckily, no one was hurt. Parts of the cycling path as well as the sidewalk sunk. Trams and buses had to take a different route, while parts of the roads were closed off to fix the hole, (see image above and below).
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Cloud Precipitation

Death toll increases to 12 as monsoon rain tops 450 mm (18 inches) in Chennai, India

Kristina Pydynowski
Accuweather
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 19:21 UTC
A boy pushes another in a bathtub in a waterlogged street in Chennai, India, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.
© APA boy pushes another in a bathtub in a waterlogged street in Chennai, India, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Incessant rainfall caused waterlogging and traffic jams in several parts of the southern Indian city on Friday.
Heavy monsoonal rain in India has amounted to more than 450 mm (18 inches) in Chennai and claimed 12 lives since the beginning of last week.

With the northeast monsoon in full swing, drenching rain and thunderstorms have caused flooding throughout much of southeast India.

Residents in low-lying areas trudged through floodwaters that ranged from knee- to waist-deep heights. Officials were forced to keep schools closed for several days last week, according to FirstPost.

Karaikal has also been inundated with more than 450 mm (18 inches) of rain since last Monday.

The death toll from incidents related to flooding and heavy rain in Tamil Nadu has risen to 12, according to the Associated Press.

Flooding, lightning strikes and collapsed walls have been responsible for the deaths.


Comment: To keep up to date on flooding events across the globe, check out our dedicated pages to this topic here.

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Wolf

Harrowing footage shows boy being viciously attacked by two dogs as his screaming gran tries to rescue him in Leiyang, China

Toby Meyjes
Mirror (UK)
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 18:11 UTC
According to reports the boy was badly injured in the attack
© AsiaWireAccording to reports the boy was badly injured in the attack
Sickening footage shows a young boy being violently attacked by two dogs as his screaming grandmother tries to rescue him.

Video of the distressing attack shows the child sobbing in pain as the German shepherd and Rottweiler pull at his legs, while his gran clutches his body to prevent him being dragged down the street.

According to the man who shot the video, dozens of passers did nothing to intervene as the two large dogs pushed the child to the ground and began biting his legs and backside.

After recording the footage for evidence, he is then said to have kicked the animals eventually causing them to loosen their grip and run away.


Comment: Another recent horrific canine attack occurred in Spain where an 82-year-old woman lost both legs and her scalp after she was attacked by two bulldogs:
An 82-year-old woman viciously attacked by two dogs as she walked home from church is fighting for life after having both legs amputated.

The emergency services say the woman's legs were 'shredded to the bone' as she was savaged by a pair of bulldog-type mixes.

One of her feet was virtually bitten off and both legs have been amputated below the knees.

It is understood her scalp was also ripped off and had to be sewn back on after the attack in Spain.

During the attack, the animals dragged her 30 metres before a member of her family and another man came to her rescue.

At one stage, the victim had tried to get over a wall to escape the attack but was dragged back down.

Spanish newspapers say her daughter fought the dogs off with an umbrella.

Despite her horrific injuries, the seriously injured woman was still conscious and told her daughter to get back into her car for her own safety.

The horrific incident happened in the small Spanish village of Covelo in Pontevedra, Galicia.

he woman has been identified as María Dolores AB who had just attended mass at the local church.

She was attacked yesterday evening and suffered multiple bites.

Emergency medics treated her at the scene before she was rushed to hospital in Vigo.

Doctors have described her condition as 'very serious' and her chances of survival are 'minimal'.


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Bizarro Earth

British Antarctic Survey to abandon research station for second time following another ice shelf fracture dubbed the 'Halloween Crack'

Sarah Knapton
The Telegraph
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 18:23 UTC
halloween crack halley ice base
© ESAA satellite image from the European Space Agency showing the Halloween crack
The future of the British Antarctic Survey at the south pole is in doubt after scientists were forced to abandon their research station for the second time after cracks lengthened in the ice sheet.

The renowned Halley VI ice base, from which the hole in the ozone layer was first detected, has already been relocated 14 miles across the Brunt Ice Shelf because of an encroaching fissure in the ice.

But another fracture in the floating ice shelf - dubbed the Halloween Crack - has been steadily growing to the north of the base since last year.

Crews were evacuated earlier this year, and today the BAS announced that, for safety reasons it will be closing its research station - Halley VIa - for the Antarctic winter, which runs between March and November.

Comment: British Antarctic Survey abandons polar base as Brunt Ice shelf crack grows larger

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Question

Dozens of blood-soaked starlings found scattered along road in Bad Wildungen, Germany

Mark Hodge
The Sun (UK)
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 12:15 UTC
The bloodied birds were found mysteriously scattered along a road in central Germany
© Central European NewsThe bloodied birds were found mysteriously scattered along a road in central Germany
Eerie pictures show a flock of 46 dead birds scattered along a stretch of road in a quiet German town.

The bizarre discovery of the bloodied starlings left residents of the picturesque Bad Wildungen in central Germany stumped.

Local media soon jumped on the strange story which included some of the birds squashed flat by traffic.

Initially no witnesses came forward and rumours started to swirl that the mysterious winged beasts had fallen suddenly out of the sky.

A local resident uploaded the viral images to social media which have been shared thousands of times.

The man wrote: "Very mysterious, how could that have happened? Does anyone have any idea?"

Comment: There have been a sizeable number of similar incidents in recent years, here's just a small sample of such reports:- Starlings fall to the ground along motorway near Vienna, Austria

Dozens of dead and dying starlings found on road in Wichita, Kansas

Flock of dead starlings falls out of sky in Bolton, England after 'loud bang' heard overhead

Double deja vu on December 31st? Up to 300 starlings litter roadway and fields in Seymour, Tennessee

Scientists baffled by over 100 dead starlings in Missouri

Grisly Mystery After Scores of Starlings Fall Out of the Sky and Lie Dying...in a SINGLE Front Garden

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Attention

Animal Services removes 30 dead ducks and one dead heron from Woodbine Beach, Toronto

Tamar Harris
Toronto Star
Mon, 06 Nov 2017 11:33 UTC
A dead waterfowl is pictured at Woodbine Beach on Nov. 5, 2017.
© Joanne IngrassiaA dead waterfowl is pictured at Woodbine Beach on Nov. 5, 2017. It was one of the approximately 30 deceased ducks discovered on the shoreline Sunday.
The death of 30 ducks and one heron at Woodbine Beach Sunday morning has the City of Toronto warning dog owners to keep their pets leashed in the area until the cause of death is determined.

Toronto Animal Services removed the deceased wildlife and is working on determining the cause of death. Tests will take about two weeks to complete, the City said in a news release.

"All dog owners should ensure that dogs are leashed in Woodbine Park, including in the off-leash area, until the cause of death has been determined," the City said. "Dog owners are encouraged to contact their veterinarian if their dog was in the park on Sunday and is experiencing signs of illness."

Joanne Ingrassia, a volunteer with the Toronto Wildlife Centre, spent Sunday at Woodbine Beach, searching for surviving ducks to rescue.

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Attention

Popocatepetl Volcano drops ash on central Mexico towns

Victoria Ritter
Gears of Biz
Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:47 UTC
Popocatepetl Volcano
Popocatepetl Volcano
Central Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano scattered ash on two nearby towns on Saturday, following a series of minor eruptions.

The National Disaster Prevention Center (Cenapred), which monitors volcanic activity, said some 200 "low-intensity exhalations and three explosions" had taken place starting early Friday and ending early Saturday.

The last eruption, at 6:08 a.m., led to "a slight drop of ash" in the towns of Yecapixtla and Zacualpan, both in central Morelos state.

Located just 60 km south of the capital Mexico City, Popo, as the volcano is commonly known, has been off limits to mountain climbers since the long dormant volcano became active again in 1994.

Its last major eruption was in 1947.


Source: Xinhua

Comment: For more on volcano activity and research visit our dedicated topic pages here.

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