Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

20 killed as torrential rains, flash floods hit Pakistan

Pakistan flood
© DVIDSHUB/Public DomainSwat Valley Bridge ruined by flood water in 2010.
Torrential rains accompanied by flashfloods have killed at least 20 people over the last two days in northwestern and southwestern Pakistan, officials and local media reported on Saturday.

Most of the fatalities have been reported from the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) and the southwestern Balochistan provinces, where heavy rainfall and flashflooding have isolated entire villages, damaged roads and caused homes to collapse.

At least eight miners were killed and many others were trapped when a coalmine collapsed in northwest Pakistan on Saturday. The coalmine caved in due to heavy rain in Lower Orakzai Agency in country's tribal belt.

The current death toll includes at least eight children, according to local health officials.

Local television channels showed gushing rainwater inundating homes — with residents taking refuge on rooftops — in Quetta, Zhob, Taank, Pishin, Loralai, Chaman, Chagai, Mastung and other districts.

Accompanied by thunder and hailstorms, heavy rainfall caused several homes to collapse in the Mastung, Khyber Agency, Chagai and Zhob districts, killing 12 people and injuring scores of others.


Bizarro Earth

Several hundred dead crows found along Michigan railroad

Dead Crows
© Trace Christenson/The EnquirerMary Lutzke stopped to see for herself after hearing reports of dead crows in Springfield
Springfield - Officials were trying to determine why several hundred crows are dead along a section of railroad tracks.

The crows were reported Tuesday near Helmer Road in Springfield. Most were on the east side of the roadway, stretching at least 200 yards. Some people estimated as many as 300 of the birds were dead. Mary Lutzke and her daughter, Kristin Jordan, stopped to see the dead birds and had questions about how and why they all died.

"I love crows," Lutzke said. "Their sound brings me back to my childhood. They are smart and intelligent."

Springfield City Manager Nathan Henne also stopped along the tracks after receiving calls about the bird kill. Henne said he would contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about the birds.

Question

The mystery of 'fairy circles' may soon be unveiled

fairy circles
© Wikipedia
Scientists may have found a solution to one of biology's most intricate puzzles, the 'fairy circles' of Namibia.

Fairy circles' are circular patches of barren land surrounded by grass, and were previously only encountered in the arid wastes of the Namib Desert in Namibia.

However, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal by a team of scientists reveals that a similar phenomenon exists in the Australian outback, thousands of miles away from Southern Africa.

Boat

Deweyville, Texas to break 130-year flood record due to overflowing river; town completely cut off

Sabine river flooding Hwy 63 bridge
© Texas Game WardenThe Highway 63 bridge at the Sabine River is overtaken by flooding in Newton County, Texas.
The Sabine River at Deweyville, Texas, broke the unofficial highest river level set over 130 years ago and is headed for an even higher crest, completely isolating the small Newton County town of about 1,200. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Deweyville after a week of heavy rain pushed the Sabine River over historic flood levels Monday evening.

More than 400 Newton County homes have been flooded by the swollen Sabine, and officials told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that they fear all of Deweyville's homes will be flooded. Newton is among nearly 20 Texas counties under a state of disaster declaration, according to the Associated Press.

"No residents of the town have ever seen a flood in Deweyville like what's occurring," said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.

Upwards of 18 inches of rain fell in the Sabine River Basin from a weather system that lingered over the area for five days. By Tuesday evening, the river is expected to rise near 35 feet and is projected to break the old record by nearly three feet.

The Coast Guard has advised boaters to stay off a 25-mile stretch of the rain-swollen river amid flood and safety concerns. A Coast Guard statement Sunday afternoon said all mariners should avoid the Sabine River between Orange and Bon Wier until Friday due to extreme flood currents linked to last week's rainstorms.
Sabine river
© Blake Holland
Sabine River
© Blake HollandSabine River

Music

Loud metallic scraping noises heard in Drogheda, Ireland

Strange Sound
© beautiful-sound.mpacula.com
Reports have come into us today of some very strange and eerie noises coming out of Drogheda late last night.

The noises were called "UFOs and Aliens" - but no one knows for sure what they were. Some are claiming it was a lorry that crashed, but the noises were reportedly happening for up to two hours.

Listen below and tell us what you think:


Comment: New Sott Report: Strange Noises in the Sky: Trumpets of the Apocalypse?




Attention

Earthquake swarm hits Morocco's northern region

Earthquake in Morocco
© Moroccan TimesIn the last couple of days, the north region of Morocco, including the southern one of Spain, witnessed recurrent earthquakes.

Comment: Another magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit the area today, 63km NNE of Al Hoceima, Morocco.
5.6 earthquake in Morocco
© Google Maps

A sequences of earthquakes stroke this afternoon the northern region of Morocco, with their respective magnitudes averaging from magnitude 3 to 5.2.

The quake's epicenter was 51kms North East of Al Hoceima, Morocco.

The first strike was registered at 15:17:11.80 local time.

At the time of writing, no damage was reported.

In the last couple of days, the north region of Morocco, including the southern one of Spain, witnessed recurrent earthquakes.

As a matter of fact, just two days ago, in the wee hours of the morning, a magnitude 4.4 tumbler hit the same region.

Bizarro Earth

Storms battering Europe's Atlantic coastline were the most energetic in 70 years, causing extensive erosion along coasts

Waves chesil beach dorset
© Richard BroomeExtreme waves impacting on Chesil Beach in Dorset, UK, were taken on Feb. 5, 2014.
The repeated storms which battered Europe's Atlantic coastline during the winter of 2013/14 were the most energetic in almost seven decades, new research has shown.

And they were part of a growing trend in stormy conditions which scientists say has the potential to dramatically change the equilibrium state of beaches along the western side of the continent, leading to permanent changes in beach gradient, coastal alignment and nearshore bar position.

In a study accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, researchers compared modelled and measured data from sites across Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Portugal, Spain and Morocco, and showed the extreme weather conditions were the most energetic since at least 1948.

It showed that along exposed open-coast sites in the UK and France, there had been extensive beach and dune erosion due to offshore sediment transport with sediment losses of up to 200 m3 for every 1m strip of beach. At some of the other sites, the balance between the different alongshore sediment transport contributions was disrupted, causing changes in the coastal alignment, referred to as beach rotation.

Question

Mysterious metallic sound recorded in Bern, Switzerland

strange sounds
This strange sound was recorded in Bern on March 4, 2016.

The metallic noise started at around 1:30 am and lasted to around 4:00 am. What was it please?


This weird noise sounds metallic, as if people were blowing leaves away... But that's impossible in the middle of the night.

It's neither a car nor a motorcycle passing by ... They would have then a great problem!


The loud noise is coming from all over. Maybe are they repairing something on the street in the area.

But if it was the case, they would also have had to advise the residents... I suppose!

Attention

Giant sperm whale found dead on East Bali beach

Dead sperm whale in Bali
© Instagram @widia_pranataA sperm whale was found washed up in Klungkung, Bali on March 14, 2016.

A beached whale, reportedly measuring 16.2 meters in length, was found in Klungkung, East Bali early on Monday morning.

Local fishermen Negah Sunarta, 37, and Nengah Darpa, 35, found the whale at Batu Tumpeng Beach, Gelgel Village when they were catching lobster.

"We usually look for lobsters on this beach. We were shocked with the whale. After we approached, it turned out to be dead," Sunarta said, as quoted in a report by Praise Sukiswanti, published by Sindo News.

The whale caused quite the commotion as hundreds of curious people apparently gathered around it to gawk and take pictures.

Unfortunately, as you can see from some of these photos posted to social media, the dead whale was not allowed to rest in peace right away as people saw a photo op and jumped right on.

Attention

Dolphins, whales found dead on Queensland beach

dead whale on Queensland beach

A female whale, her calf and a dolphin have been found dead on Sunshine Coast beaches in Queensland.

The pygmy sperm whale calf and dolphin became stranded at Peregian Beach, while the mother whale was found about 2km north near Noosa on Sunday, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection says.

Samples have been taken from the animals and a local council is arranging for the carcasses to be removed.

Photos of the animals were posted to the Peregian Beach Village Facebook page on Sunday.

"Sadly 3 sea mammals have washed up dead on the early morning high tide," the post read.

"The Coolum Coast Care team are on the scene with Humpback Whale research scientist Dr. Michael Noad, who just happened to be coming down to check the surf."

The post said it wasn't known how the mammals died, but it appeared the whales had been bitten by sharks.

AAP 2016