Earth ChangesS


Attention

Rare whale species washes up dead in Playa Matina, Costa Rica

Lindsay Fendt
The Tico Times
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 13:12 UTC
Image
© Noticias RepretelScreenshot of the rare beaked whale, which was approximately 5 meters in length.
A beaked whale was found dead on the shores of Playa Matina on Tuesday, Noticias Repretel reported. The sighting is only the fourth beaked whale body ever found in Costa Rica, and the first on the Caribbean side.

According to Noticias Repretel's report, the body showed no signs of human inflicted damage, and residents believe the whale got disoriented and drowned in deep water.

Not much is known about beaked whales due to their tendency to stay deep under the water. Though they must surface to breath every hour or so, beaked whales are known to dive to average depths of 300 meters (1,000 feet).
Read More...
Snowflake Cold

Storm engulfs US east coast as havoc persists in South


BBC News
Thu, 13 Feb 2014 10:03 UTC
Capitol Hill
© Getty Images

A huge snow storm is blanketing the densely populated US North-east, after wreaking havoc in the South.

Across the typically mild South, more than half a million homes and businesses lack power, and thousands of flights have been cancelled.

The weather system has affected people in about 22 states from Texas to Maine and caused a dozen deaths.

The storm dumped more than 12in (30cm) of snow in the Washington DC region, before descending on New York.

Snow-covered streets were deserted during the morning commute in the nation's capital, where the federal government shut down its offices.

Ten to 20 inches of snow could fall from north-eastern Pennsylvania to New England on Thursday, said the National Weather Service.

Nearly 5,000 flights were cancelled by Thursday morning, according to airline-tracking website FlightAware.com.
Read More...
Road Cone

Eight vintage Corvettes swallowed by 40-foot sinkhole inside National Corvette Museum

Adrianne Jeffries
The Verge
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 06:10 UTC
Image
© National Corvette MuseumThe sinkhole is reportedly about 40 feet wide and at least 25 feet deep.
A sinkhole reportedly opened up inside the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY at around 5:44AM local time, swallowing eight vintage Corvettes that were on display. The sinkhole is reportedly about 40 feet wide and at least 25 feet deep. No one has been hurt.

The Bowling Green fire department was on the scene right away and geologists from Western Kentucky University have been called to investigate. Much of the western Kentucky region is underlain by karst, limestone that has been eroded to produce springs, sinking streams, caves, and sinkholes.

The sinkhole occurred in the museum's Sky Dome, a yellow cone-shaped dome 140 feet in diameter with a nearly 100-foot high glass ceiling. Cars in this area are rotated, as they are in the rest of the museum. No one is being allowed into the Sky Dome, but the rest of the museum initially remained open before reportedly closing later in the morning so an engineer could assess damages.

Read More...
Arrow Down

Sinkholes opening up all over the world: Here's a tiny sample (VIDEO)


Daily Mirror, UK
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 14:22 UTC
Image
These unsuspecting victims were caught on camera as they narrowly cheated death as the ground dramatically gave way beneath them

One minute, you're going about your daily business and the next, you're being sucked into a killer sinkhole.

These unsuspecting victims were caught on camera as they narrowly cheated death as the ground dramatically gave way beneath them.



Three cars were sent crashing into an enormous sinkhole in Chicago last November when the road gave way .

Miraculously only one driver suffered minor injuries during the jaw-dropping incident, as the vehicles were dragged into the monstrous hole.



A teenager talking on her mobile phone had to be rescued by firefighters after she plunged 20 feet into a sinkhole.

Read More...
Windsock

80,000 homes without power after 100 mph storms hit north and west Wales


bbc.co.uk
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 14:02 UTC
Image
Gusts up to 80mph battered west and north west Wales
Some 80,000 homes are without power as winds of over 100 mph batter the coast forcing the closure of roads, rail lines and schools.

Wales has been offered military help following Wednesday's storms.

Secretary of State David Jones spoke to First Minister Carwyn Jones after the UK government's emergency Cobra meeting and offered the Army's help.

A red "take action" weather warning was issued by the Met Office as exceptionally strong winds hit.

The west and north west coast have been worst hit, and a gust of 108 mph has been recorded at Aberdaron, according to the Met Office.

Scottish Power says 45,000 homes are without power in mid and north Wales, while Western Distribution has 35,000 homes affected in south and west Wales.

Phil Davies, network services manager for Western Power Distribution, said: "We've got staff out there. We were prepared for it.
Read More...
Ice Cube

U.S. Bone-chilling winter blast wipes out power to 300,000 in southern states

Alastair Jamieson and Daniel Arkin
nbcnews.com
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 12:06 UTC
Image
Deep freeze
An army of emergency crews were gearing up for battle Wednesday with a vicious ice storm in Georgia that had already cut off power for tens of thousands of people across a long arm of the Southeast and left the streets of Atlanta looking like a sci-fi wasteland.

Nearly 300,000 customers across Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and the Carolinas were without power early Wednesday. But Georgia was bearing the brunt of the wicked weather, with more than 200,000 customers in the dark Wednesday after frozen tree limbs slashed power lines, while emergency planners urged drivers across the state to stay off "deceptively dangerous" roads.

Metro Atlanta was a veritable ghost town as an eerie calm settled over desolate streets slick with ice. The highways were deserted as freezing rain and ferocious wind gusts kept drivers at home. At local retailers, shoppers scrambled to stock up on supplies before the brunt of the storm came crashing down.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Hurricane-force winds leave over a quarter of a million customers without power In Ireland


news.sky.com
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 11:39 UTC
Image
A crushed van in Limerick
Hurricane-force winds have left more than a quarter of a million customers without power in Ireland.

It is the biggest power outage in the country for more than 15 years, with more than 2,000 separate faults across the network.

Among the worst affected areas are Cork, Kerry and Clare.

The worst of the storm battering the country is expected to pass by 7pm, but not before bringing winds which could reach 100mph (160kph).
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

UK is on permanent red alert this winter: 170kph winds, 1.6 million homes without power and widespread damage from worst flooding in centuries

Adam Withnall
The Independent, UK
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 10:12 UTC
Image
People living on Britain's west coast have been advised to take action and stay indoors after the Met Office issued a red alert for 100mph winds set to batter the country.

Forecasters said a storm front was on its way that would bring heavy rain, powerful winds, blizzards and snow across the UK today, but the red severe weather warning - the highest level possible - is a rare occurrence.

It means that there is a high likelihood of power outages, fallen trees and significant damage to property across north Wales and north-west England.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.9 - 268km ESE of Hotan, China


US Geological Survey
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 10:03 UTC
Hotan Quake_120214
© USGS
Event Time
2014-02-12 09:19:48 UTC
2014-02-12 17:19:48 UTC+08:00 at epicenter

Location
35.922°N 82.549°E depth=10.0km (6.2mi)

Nearby Cities
268km (167mi) ESE of Hotan, China
493km (306mi) ENE of Leh, India
522km (324mi) SSE of Aral, China
546km (339mi) ESE of Shache, China
902km (560mi) ENE of Islamabad, Pakistan

Technical Details
Read More...
Attention

Warning as sharks flock to Blue Whale carcass at Cape Bridgewater, Victoria, Australia

Peter Collins
The Standard ( Australia)
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 09:24 UTC
Image
Increased numbers of sharks have been drawn to Cape Bridgewater by a recently beached blue whale, prompting warnings for swimmers, surfers and sightseers.

Flesh and liquid from the sub-adult whale measuring about 20 metres has washed into the ocean, leaving a trail which has drawn sharks from afar.

One family which ventured to the secluded rocky beach in a rubber dinghy to view the carcass reportedly saw a shark leap out of the water to kill a seal.

"If these people had fallen into the water it could have been very life-threatening for them," said Mandy Watson, Warrnambool-based senior regional biodiversity officer with the Department of Environment and Primary Industries.
Read More...