Earth ChangesS


Attention

Elephant rams tourist car in South Africa

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© Daily NewsA hole in the driver side door caused by the elephant.
Two French tourists had a close encounter with an elephant bull at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve when it rammed into their car, leaving a gaping hole in the driver's door and buckling the dashboard.

The tourists were unharmed but in shock on Tuesday.

There was an unconfirmed report of a second car being pushed off the road in the reserve.

Jeff Asher-Wood, of EuroZulu Guided Tours and Safaris, posted on his Facebook page that an elephant bull in musth pushed a Toyota Corolla to the side of the road.

Wood said when he got there, the young French couple were still in the car, shaken but unhurt. He arranged another car for them and informed the park authorities of the incident.

Attention

Unusual animal behaviour: Whale with plastic bags caught in mouth swims up to fishing boat and seems to ask for help, Sydney, Australia

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Filmed: Ron Kovacs catches on camera the moment the group comes to the aid of the whale
Stunned fishermen take photos as friendly mammal nudges their boat until they free it of any litter

This is the amazing moment a troubled whale approached a fishing boat and asked its crew for help.

Fishermen were stunned as the giant mammal swam up to them, nudged their boat and appeared to show plastic bags caught in its mouth.

The group came to the assistance of the whale, pulling plastic bags and fishing rods from its mouth.


Michael Riggio, 17, decided to get a keepsake, taking selfie snaps while his friend Ivan Iskenderian, stretched out to help the animal.

"It was surreal, we couldn't believe our eyes," said Ivan.


Attention

4 dead humpback whales found off British Columbia coast in a week

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© FacebookFour dead humpback whales have been found off the B.C. coast over the last week, including this one found near Klemtu.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is investigating whether there's any link between four humpback whales found dead off B.C.'s central coast over the last week.

Marine mammal coordinator Paul Cottrell said necropsies were performed on two of the whales, but it could take weeks to determine the causes of death.

Though details are sparse, Cottrell said the number of recent discoveries is troubling.

"It's definitely a pulse and it's something we are concerned about,"
he said. "We're hoping we don't get any more."

One of the whales, a young female, was reported a few days ago near the community of Klemtu, north of Bella Bella. Someone from the local First Nation secured the whale to the shore, allowing Cottrell and a provincial veterinarian to perform a necropsy on Saturday.

Philip Charles, a guide with Spirit Bear Adventures, shared breathtaking photos of the animal online along with an emotional farewell.

Cloud Lightning

2 more people killed by lightning strikes in India

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Two people were killed due to lighting strike in separate incidents in Rajura tehsil on Tuesday. The first incident was reported from Kapangaon village. Vinod Wadhai, the victim, had taken shelter under the tree from the rains when a lightning struck it. He was killed on the spot. In the second incident, Chabutai Dhanorkar died in her farm.

Several areas of Chandrapur city too was waterlogged. There were reports of drain water entering in the residences in low lying areas of the city.

Comment: See also: Lightning strikes kill 4 woman within 24 hours in Maharashtra, India


Cloud Precipitation

Cars washed away by floodwater in Rossano, Italy after violent storms sweep across region

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Torrent: Cars are swept away by the flash floods
The authorities in Calabria, southern Italy, are declaring a state of emergency after the extreme weather left transport cut off and buildings evacuated

Violent storms have swept across Calabria, southern Italy, sparking powerful flash floods.

Mario Oliviero, governor of the region, is to call a state of emergency and ask for national assistance after the disaster.

The authorities are now trying to determine the extent of the damage, with the historic town of Rossano especially hard hit.

Torrents swept through the coastal tourist town, home to 40,000 people, bringing a chilling demonstration of nature at its most destructive.

Cars were swept away and piled in a heap in on the seafront and hundreds of holidaymakers had to be evacuated as floodwaters threatened a campsite.



Bizarro Earth

2nd giant Chinese sinkhole in 2 days swallows entire building

China sinkhole
© Media Sharing Video / YouTube
China has experienced one of its worst urban disasters of recent times. An entire building, together with the ground underneath, has collapsed and sunk into a massive hole underneath.

The incident has occurred in Guangdong province, in Dongguan. Evidence of the monster disaster first appeared on LiveLeak in the early hours of Thursday.


Cloud Precipitation

Cars dragged down street after severe flash flood hits Colorado Springs; 2 inches of rain in 45 minutes

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Dragged downstream: The floods were so strong that they uplifted parked cars and dragged the vehicles down the street
Dramatic video shows the awe-inspiring moment four parked cars were uplifted by a raging flash flood that overtook a residential street in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Severe thunderstorms in central Colorado caused nearly two inches of rain and hail to fall in just a 45-minute time span, Monday afternoon, and the sudden influx of water caused rivers to overflow and run off course.

One of these impromptu springs popped up in a neighborhood in Colorado Springs, where residents didn't even have enough time to move their cars by the time their block was overtaken by water.

In a video shared with Fox 31 Denver, a resident tapes the scene outside their home where several cars are uplifted and dragged down the street by the strong current.

A blue car even crashes into another larger SUV, no doubt causing serious damage to both vehicles.

Similar videos were taken in nearby Manitou Springs, where the flash floods led to the emergency evacuation of the Alpine Autism Center.

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Chaos: Above, chaos on a street in Colorado Springs as cars are pulled downstream in a flash flood


Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.4 - 180km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands

Gizo Quake_120815
© USGS
Time
  1. 2015-08-12 18:49:23 (UTC)
  2. Times in other timezones
Nearby Cities
  1. 180km (112mi) SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands
  2. 221km (137mi) W of Honiara, Solomon Islands
  3. 433km (269mi) SE of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
  4. 832km (517mi) E of Alotau, Papua New Guinea
  5. 833km (518mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New
Scientific Data

Bizarro Earth

Scientists may have solved mystery of gravity-defying rocks in California

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© Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Giant rocks have been balancing precariously in California for thousands of years, puzzling geologists and seemingly defying gravity. However, the stones may provide clues to the inner workings of the famous San Andreas Fault, according to a new study.

Despite being near active faults, the granite stones - appropriately called Precariously Balanced Rocks (PBRs) - never topple. It's a mystery that has managed to continuously stump scientists.

While there are more than 1,200 PBRs in California and western Nevada, researchers decided to zero in on a group in the San Bernadino Mountains a few years ago - simply because they seemed to defy the odds even more than others in the region.

Arrow Down

Huge landslide leaves 40 people trapped under more than a million tonnes of earth following torrential rain in China

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Forty people are believed to be missing following a massive landslide in Shaanxi province, central China
Forty people are believed to be missing following a landslide in central China.

Over a million tonnes of mud and rock inundated the living quarters of a mining company in Shaanxi province at 12.30am local time today, reported the People's Daily Online.

Four workers have been rescued and rushed to hospital for treatment.

Rescue workers and paramedics were rushed to the scene shortly after the landslide and local residents have been evacuated from the area.

The extensive search and rescue operation is still on-going, but efforts have been hampered by bad weather.

Earlier today, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an all-out rescue effort to find those who are still missing.