Earth ChangesS


Attention

Man dies after a crocodile attack in Cancun, Mexico


The Yucatan Times
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 17:39 UTC
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Crocodile
The victim Marco Antonio Sanchez, was allegedly intoxicated when he entered the water.

A 31-year old tourist, native of the state of Tlaxcala in central Mexico, died last Saturday drowned after being dragged by a 7 feet long crocodile in the Bojorquez Lagoon near Cancun hotel zone.

Eyewitnesses declared that the now deceased Marco Antonio Sánchez Fernández went swimming after heavily drinking. A few meters away from the sidewalk that is relatively close to the shore, bathers spotted a crocodile measuring over two meters (7 feet).

After the animal perceived movement, it entered the water. Realizing this, many people who were at the scene and police elements patrolling the area, warned the unnoticed swimmers to come out, but only one of them listened and when the other tried to react, the crocodile pulled him to deeper waters.

Comment: See also: More unusual animal behaviour: Crocodile attack earns Florida swimmers dubious distinction

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Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rainfall brings flooding to parts of North Texas

Lauren Zakalik
wfaa.com
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 17:08 UTC
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© Photo: WFAACar under water in Fort Worth
A Flash Flood Warning has expired for Collin County and parts of Denton and Grayson Counties after one to two inches of rain fell over Tarrant and Denton Counties earlier Monday.

Meteorologists expected scattered showers and thunderstorms to hit North Texas overnight. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued for counties in the southern portion of the WFAA viewing area through 11 p.m. Monday, but it was later canceled.

For Celia de la Cruz, these April showers are bringing massive headaches.

"It just comes this way and heads that way; it's just horrible," she said.

De la Cruz was talking about the gushing, rushing water that turned her quiet Fort Worth street into raging rapids on Monday. Her neighbor shot incredible video of the water rushing through backyards and funneling onto Carleton Avenue near Interstate 30 and Hulen Street.

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Attention

Very rare Omura's whale washes up on beach in Western Australia

Sarah Dean
Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 14 Apr 2015 16:04 UTC
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An Omura's whale was discovered on a remote Exmouth beach in WA (pictured). It left authorities confused as they struggled to identify the rare species
A species of whale that was feared to be extinct has been found washed up on a West Australian beach, giving scientists an opportunity to learn more about the mammal.

The Omura's whale was discovered on a remote Exmouth beach, at the tip of the state's North West Cape, after Tropical Cyclone Olwyn tore through the area last month.

It is the first sighting of the species in WA and only the second in Australia.

Identifying the 5.68m juvenile female was at first difficult for Department of Parks and Wildlife staff, who eventually confirmed it was an Omura's whale with DNA profiling.

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Snowflake

8 inches of snow falls in Mexico in Spring

Robert Felix
iceagenow.info
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 14:15 UTC
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Snow cover in Mexico
What happened to spring?

A snowstorm struck the high Sierra Tarahumara of Chihuahua, causing the closure of some roads leading to the town of San Rafael, in las Barrancas el Cobre (the Copper Canyon).

The operating director of the State Civil Protection Unit, Virgilio Cepeda, said heavy snowfall began at 8:00 pm on Sunday in the municipalities of Bocoyna, Guerrero, Urique, Madera, San Rafael and Ocampo. Cepeda advised tourists returning from vacation to take precautions.

In these municipalities the snow reached a height of 10-20 cm (4 to 8 inches).

Snow also fell, not as intense, in at least 10 other municipalities, including Matachí, Temósachi, Cuauhtémoc and Carichi.

Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for these links
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Attention

Huge die-off of jellyfish-like creatures pile up at Rockaway Beach, Oregon

Grant McOmie
kgw.com
Sun, 12 Apr 2015 14:01 UTC
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© Don BestA massive die-off at Rockaway Beach.
Thousands of jellyfish-like creatures were seen piled up on Rockaway Beach Sunday morning in what appeared to be a massive die-off.

The animals are called Velella velella. They're like a cousin to the jellyfish.

They are commonly called "purple sailors," "little sail," and "by the wind sailors."

The die-offs occur each spring along beaches from Oregon to California.

Velella velella typically live in the open ocean, but when warm water and storms draw them near shore, the wind blows them onto beaches, where they die in piles.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says Velella velella do sting their prey while in the water, but they are harmless to humans.

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© Don BestThe creatures are like a cousin to the jellyfish.
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Arrow Down

Sinkhole opens up on interstate, delays traffic in Virginia


WHSV
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 13:56 UTC
Sinkhole
© UnknownSinkhole closes portion of Interstate 81
A sinkhole is causing traffic delays on Interstate 81 northbound at mile marker 284 in Shenandoah County. The left travel lane is closed.

This location is between exit 283 at Route 42 in Woodstock and exit 291 at Route 651 in the Toms Brook area.

A contractor will arrive at the site tonight and will begin excavating the hole. Once the excavation begins, the size of the hole and stability of the surrounding ground will be evaluated. The sinkhole will be back-filled. Once the sinkhole is repaired the road will be repaved at the repair site and then opened to traffic.

Comment: For a sample of the many sinkholes opening up around the world, check out:
  • Sinkhole opens up in New Castle, Pennsylvania
  • Sinkholes continue to plague Mississippi town
  • Sinkhole opens beneath garbage truck in East Hampton, New York


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Arrow Down

Sinkholes close traffic in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann
Lehigh Valley Live
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 13:52 UTC
SInkhole
© Pamela Sroka-Holzmann / LehighValleyLive.comA large sinkhole opened up April 11, 2015 on Johnston Drive in Bethlehem.
Public works, water and sewer crews plan to spend most of this week repairing a significant sinkhole on Johnston Drive between Center and Linden streets in Bethlehem.

Mike Alkhal, city public works director, said a teenager noticed the sinkhole in the westbound lane Saturday and called 911. Neighbors say the teenager directed traffic around the sinkhole.

The sinkhole is in front of a vacant home for sale in the 400 block of Johnston Drive. The home has a smaller sinkhole in front of its front steps. Another small sinkhole is on a neighboring property owned by Nancy Sigley. The entire perimeter of all three sinkholes is blocked off with yellow tape.

Comment: See also:
  • Sinkhole opens up in Longview, Texas - closes streets
  • Door to Hell: Blazing sinkhole opens in Chinese village
  • Colorado: Sinkhole closes county road


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Attention

Attack by monkey claims woman's life in India


The Times of India
Sat, 11 Apr 2015 17:58 UTC
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Too much monkey business?
Shops at Loi Bazaar remained shut on Saturday over local administration's failure to curb monkey menace as a 50-year-old woman fell from the roof of a three-storey building after being allegedly attacked by a monkey the previous night.

Police said Anjani Devi had gone to the terrace of her Govind Bagh house on Friday to see if there was water in the overhead tank when a few monkeys pounced on her. The woman, in her attempt to defend herself, toppled from the roof. Family members and neighbours took her to the hospital but was declared dead a day later.

Infuriated over the death of the woman, shopkeepers of Loi Bazar downed their shutters on Saturday to mark their protest. Ashok Varshney, city president of the Vyapar Mandal, said their agitation would continue till the administration initiates a monkey-catching drive.

Comment: See also:

Troop of monkeys sends man to his death in India

Young woman killed by a mob of monkeys in India

British tourist victim of 'worst-ever' attack by Gibraltar monkey

Monkey attack terror: Tears testicle off baby, eats it

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Blue Planet

Los Angeles rattles with 3.5 earthquake, 2.5 foreshock

Matt Hamilton
Los Angeles Times
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 05:57 UTC
LA faults
© www.lamag.comThe Inglewood-Newport fault is a heavy red line that starts to the left of the word Los "Angeles" in the center of the map.
A magnitude 3.5 earthquake was reported Sunday night about a half mile from View-Park Windsor Hills in South Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 9:17 p.m. Pacific Time and occurred at a depth of 6 miles, according to the USGS.

Although tremors were felt across large swaths of Southern California, the epicenter was located near the Baldwin Hills oil fields and the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, about eight miles west of downtown Los Angeles. The proximity to the oil fields left some to speculate on social media that the earthquake owed to heavy drilling in the area.

But Dr. Lucy Jones, a USGS seismologist, wrote on Twitter that the quake occurred near the Newport-Inglewood fault and at a depth "way below the oil fields." "The focal mechanism matches the Newport Inglewood fault which was producing [earthquakes] long before we were pumping oil," Jones wrote.

The epicenter was about 2,000 feet from that of a magnitude 2.5 earthquake which was reported at 4:35 p.m. The smaller quake was a foreshock that typically precedes larger seismic activity, Jones said. A 1.3 magnitude afterschock occurred at 10:37 p.m.

Comment: Sounds like this quake was a pressure release and fortunately didn't cause casualties or damage. Los Angeles has many geologic faults, any one or more could be triggered at any time.

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Attention

Pygmy sperm whale and calf die after beaching on Neptune Beach, Florida


Florida Times-Union
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 16:58 UTC
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© Atlantic Beach Police/Florida Wildlife Conservation CommissionPygmy sperm whale calf
A mother Kogia whale and her calf died Sunday after beaching themselves on Neptune Beach, according to a biologist at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Allison Perna, a marine mammal biologist, said a person on Neptune Beach spotted the two whales about 7:50 a.m. and alerted the commission. The person reported seeing sharks in the water, but witness accounts of the mother being beaten hasn't been confirmed.

Two biologists with the commission and a team from the Jacksonville Zoo marine mammal response team attempted to rescue the beached whales, but were unsuccessful.

Biologists will now do a necropsy on the animals for clues as to what caused the beaching.

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