You may not have noticed, but our planet is becoming increasingly unstable. According to Volcano Discovery, 40 volcanoes around the globe are erupting right now, and only 6 of them are not along the Ring of Fire. If that sounds like a very high number to you, that is because it is a very high number. As I have written about previously, there were a total of 3,542 volcanic eruptions during the entire 20th century. When you divide that number by 100, that gives you an average of about 35 volcanic eruptions per year. So the number of volcanoes that are erupting right now is well above the 20th century's average for an entire calendar year.And of course we are witnessing a tremendous amount of earthquake activity as well. Nepal was just hit by the worst earthquake that it had seen in 80 years, and scientists are telling us that the Himalayas actually dropped by an astounding 3 feet as a result of that one earthquake. How much more does our planet have to shake before people start paying attention?
Of course the things that we have been seeing lately are part of a much larger long-term trend. Seismic activity appears to have been getting stronger over the past few decades, and now things really seem to be accelerating. The following is how one news source recently summarized what we have been witnessing...
If you've been out and about enjoying this beautiful spring day in Ocean County and happened to look up, you may have noticed the distinct rings around the sun. So what are they? We wanted to find out!
While it's nice and warm here on the ground at the Jersey Shore, the upper atmosphere is pretty cold. Cold enough for there to be ice crystals up there.
On a day like today, the conditions are just right to refract the Sun's rays through the ice crystals, causing the halo effect. It's called a 22° halo, from the fact that the ring appears to be, "...within a radius of approximately 22° around the Sun".
It's actually pretty common, but on days like today, it's more obvious than others.
This beautiful Sun Halo was spotted over Wirral today by regular weather contributor Kirsty Bakstad.
The sun halo was spotted as the region enjoyed a second day of sunny weather as Merseyside recorded a top temperature of 15.1C.
Although yesterday was hotter on Merseyside, today was officially the hottest day of the year for the UK, as Porthmadog in Wales enjoyed temperatures of 20.3C.
However, the recent warm weather will be short lived, as Arctic air will bring back the chillier weather in time for the weekend.
Sun Halos are caused when light interacts with ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.
The crystals bend direct sunlight, dispersing the light into colours and projecting it elsewhere into the sky, at a usual 22 degree angle a halo can be seen around the sun.
At least 15 labourers were killed when a massive landslide triggered by incessant rains hit a labour camp in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday.
The incident occurred at 3am when 17 labourers engaged in construction works were inside the camp at a place 4km away from Tawang town, additional deputy commissioner (headquarters) Lod Gambo said.
"So far nine bodies have been extricated from the debris," Gambo said, adding incessant rain for the past couple of days had triggered landslides in several places of the border district.
Gambo said rescue operation was on and two JCBs have been pressed into service to clear the debris.
A sinkhole appeared near a roadwork site Thursday evening in Pacific Heights, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
A 17-foot by 22-foot area of Sacramento Street collapsed between Lyon and Baker streets around 5 p.m. Road crews were already nearby, filling in an indentation in the street, when the collapse occurred. No injuries were reported.
The incident appears to have been caused by a sewer main break at the same location, although the cause of the break is not yet known. Water and sewer service has not been affected, however.
Crews have secured the scene, and Sacramento Street is closed between Lyon and Baker. Muni lines have not been affected. Repairs, which will begin Friday morning, are expected to take two to three days to complete.
A 'dust devil' whirlwind has terrified a bunch of schoolkids in China, when it ripped through a sports event. One of the students got thrown into the air and injured.
Three little twisters tore through a sports field at Yuanquan Primary School, in northern Gansu province. The whole thing got captured on video.
Kids can be heard screaming in terror, as the twisters rip through the place, and objects are thrown in the air.
The children are trying to lie on the ground to avoid being hurt by the terrifying whirlwind.
"We brought the short and thin children together to lie on the ground," one of the school's teachers, Fang Fang, told CCTV.
A boy is hurled into the sky, as shown in a picture taken by one of the witnesses of the "dust devil" madness.
Over 10,000 people remain displaced by flooding currently affecting all 19 departments of Uruguay.
At least 10 people have died as a result of severe weather in the country in the last 10 days. Five people died after a tornado hit the town of Dolores. A further five victims have drowned in floods.
Yet more heavy rainfall over the last 2 days is likely to prevent people from returning to their homes for the next few days. However, emergency authorities in Uruguay say the situation is under control and victims are being provided with food and health care.
According to the latest reports from Uruguay emergency authorities ( Sistema Nacional de Emergencias - SINAE), 10,097 people remain displaced by the flooding that has affected the country since 15 April 2016.
SINAE say that roads and highways have been blocked in over 30 locations.
Vietnam said on Thursday it was investigating whether pollution is to blame for a spate of mysterious mass fish deaths along the country's central coast after huge amounts of marine life washed ashore in recent days.
Tonnes of fish, including rare species which live far offshore and in the deep, have been discovered on beaches along the country's central coastal provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Hue.
"We have never seen anything like it," aquaculture official Nhu Van Can told AFP on Thursday.
The strange situation first came to light when farmed fish in the area began dying in great numbers, he said, with locals later discovering huge numbers of dead fish on beaches.
Local fishermen told state-run media that they are burying hundreds of kilograms of fish everyday.
In Panama, 10 dolphins were found dead on a beach this Wednesday after a group of approximately 50 were stranded on the shore.
Residents of Cambutal village, in the province of Los Santos, alerted authorities about the presence of the dolphins stranded on the shore of the Ostional Beach.
Twenty-five dolphins were returned to the sea in stable condition, while others are receiving treatment by environmental authorities, representatives of the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama, and the environment ministry.
The species were identified as bottlenose dolphins, the most common in the region.
Comment: See also this earlier report: Severe weather leaves 7 dead and over 3,000 displaced in Uruguay