Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

Worst snowstorm in 50 years cuts power to nearly 500,000 homes in northern Iran

Heavy snow in northern Iran has left around 480,000 homes without power and some towns and villages cut off.

An official in Mazandaran province, on the Caspian Sea, said the winter storms were the worst in 50 years, with two metres of snow falling in some areas since the weekend.
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© AFPRoads have been made impassable in some areas north of Tehran

Bullseye

New earthquake hits Greek island of Kefalonia

Kephalonia earthquake
© Associated PressYachts are seen knocked off their stands at a damaged dock after an earthquake in Lixouri on the island of Kefalonia, western Greece on Monday, Feb. 3, 2014
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude between 5.7 and 6.1 hit the western Greek island of Kefalonia before dawn Monday, sending frightened residents into the streets just over a week after a similar quake damaged hundreds of buildings, reviving memories of a disaster in the 1950s.

Authorities said about 16 people had been slightly hurt, mainly by falling objects, while roads, homes and shops were damaged and some areas suffered power and water supply cuts. Islanders also had to contend with intense bad weather, with strong rain and low temperatures.

Bizarro Earth

Ecuador volcano blows sky-high

Ecuador Volcano
© IGEPNTungurahua volcano erupts on Feb. 1, 2014.
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano exploded into life this weekend, blasting three times in an hour on Saturday (Feb. 1) and spewing ash 5 miles (8 kilometers) into the air. The ash caused total darkness in the nearby sector of Chacauco, Ecuador's Instituto Geofisico (IG-EPN) reported. The ash is streaming to the south and southwest.

Pyroclastic flows - superheated, flowing plumes of ash, gas and lava - raced more than 5 miles (8 km) down Tungurahua's slopes and crossed at least one road, the IG-EPN said. However, thanks to an early warning provided by seismic tremors beneath the volcano that started Jan. 30, nearby residents were evacuated and a state of emergency declared in the provinces of Tungurahua and Chimborazo, according to local news reports. This is the biggest eruption at Tungurahua since late October 2013.

Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.1 - Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia

Indon Quake_030214
© USGS
Event Time
2014-02-03 22:36:41 UTC
2014-02-04 07:36:41 UTC+09:00 at epicenter

Location
7.164°S 128.100°E depth=18.1km (11.3mi)

Nearby Cities
318km (198mi) ENE of Dili, East Timor
383km (238mi) S of Ambon, Indonesia
413km (257mi) ENE of Atambua, Indonesia
433km (269mi) SSW of Amahai, Indonesia

Technical Details

Cloud Precipitation

Nevada farmers turn to prayer as drought grips western U.S. states

Religious leaders and farmers held multi-faith prayer service in Reno to ask the divine for help easing drought conditions.

drought
© Rich Pedroncelli/APFolsom Lake, California, where a boat ramp is now several hundred yards away from the waters' edge.
Religious leaders of multiple faiths and farmers in Nevada and Utah turned to prayer this weekend for help easing severe drought conditions gripping the west.

The plea to above comes weeks after the federal government declared parts of 11 parched western and central states natural disaster areas.

Faith leaders asked for divine intervention during a special multi-faith service Saturday at a Mormon church in the Reno, Nevada suburb of Sparks. And on Sunday, the Utah Farm Bureau Federation asked the public to join in prayer and fasting for snow and rain for livestock and crops as part of its Harvesting Faith event.

"We can't go to the legislature to ask for help, (so) we decided to go to the guy upstairs," Ron Gibson, a dairy farmer in Weber County, Utah, told the Deseret News. "One thing you learn as a farmer is most of the things that happen in your life are totally out of your control."

Rajan Zed, who organized the Nevada service, said Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha'i and other faith leaders who participated are confident it'll bring positive results.

Arrow Down

70 homes at risk from multiple sinkholes in Kaski, Nepal

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Victims of sinkholes that appeared at Thulibeshi Phant in Armala of Kaski have pleaded for help from fellow Nepali citizens at home and abroad.

Saying that the Rs 1.5 million allocated by the Home Ministry as immediate relief was too meagre, the victims have sought help from Nepalis, Armala Disaster-induced Concern and Construction Committee Secretary Ram Prasad Parajuli said.

Parajuli said both the government fund and other help received from individuals would be deposited in the committee's account and used. Parajuli further said that individuals and organisations willing to assist could deposit the amount at Nepal Bank Limited account number 091000079908 maintained in Bagar Branch, Pokhara.

Comment: 45 sinkholes open up in Kaski, Nepal - 50 families displaced so far


Arrow Up

Alert level raised on Kelut volcano (East Java, Indonesia)

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The alert level of the volcano was raised today from 1 ("normal") to 2 ("Waspada", "watch") on a scale of 1-4. During the second half of 2014, a strong increase in seismic activity and a 5.5 deg temperature increase of the crater lake water had been detected.
The number of shallow volcanic earthquakes rose from averages of 1-2 per day to approx 10 per day during 20-31 Jan and climbed to more than 100 events since the start of February alone.

Evil Rays

Hyde Park, Chicago residents puzzled by mysterious noises, vibrations

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© DNAinfo/Sam CholkeAnn Marie Miles is one of many residents reporting strange noises and vibrations in buildings across the east end of Hyde Park since winter started.
Residents in Hyde Park have reported a strange trembling in the neighborhood that started as the weather grew colder.

"The sound was quite variable, at times somewhat like a locomotive, at times somewhat like your giant fan, at times like something grinding away," said Caroline Herzenberg, who lives at 1700 E. 56th St.

Others said they experience it more as a vibration or a change in air pressure.

"It's not as sharp as a change in pressure in an airplane, but it's similar," said Ann Marie Miles, who lives at 5490 S. Shore Drive, adding that she only experiences it when she is in her apartment in the afternoon.

Others have reported a vibration that shakes their windows or a low-level hum.

All said the phenomenon lasts less than five minutes and happens even if the obvious causes like trains or trucks are not present. Those who have reported experiencing the trembling all live within three blocks of the Metra tracks from 58th to 55th streets. Most report the source of the phenomenon appearing to come from deep underground.

Windsock

Clovis, New Mexico buried in 8 feet of tumbleweed, blocking streets and trapping some in their homes

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A windstorm last Sunday brought literally tons of tumbleweed through the town of Clovis, New Mexico. As the storm subsided and the tumbleweed came to rest, the city was covered with the roaming foliage, with many of the piles well over 8 feet high.

Pathways have been dug out for cars and the huge piles keeping some residents stuck in their houses have been removed. But crews are still putting in 10-hour days clearing the rest and expect to continue for weeks.


Cloud Lightning

Florida Panhandle slammed by winter storms, causing Sea turtle, pelican deaths

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© REUTERS/Hugh GentryMore than 130 sea turtles were rescued during threatening winter storm conditions hitting the Florida Panhandle, according to wildlife experts
Endangered and threatened sea turtles are reeling after winter storms ravaged the Florida Panhandle, causing more than a dozen deaths, The Miami Herald reports.

Over 130 sea turtles were rescued Thursday and Friday, as freezing rain and low tides posed serious threats to local wildlife, FWC wildlife biologist Alley Foley said. Marine mammals including dolphins and manatees can not warm themselves during these adverse conditions, with sea turtles suffering from hypothermia-like conditions.

"When it comes to wildlife, it seems the turtles had the most trouble," Foley said.

Many turtles found were green sea turtles. They will be taken to the Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach and are expected to be released sometime this week after treatment.

The weather, which covered much of the Florida Panhandle with ice and snow and dropped water temperatures to as low as 37 degrees, was also an issue for rescue workers attempting to get to the struggling animals.