Earth ChangesS


Arrow Up

Seismologists say fracking-linked earthquakes likely to worsen

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© David McNew/Getty Images/AFP
Ongoing hydraulic fracking operations will only exacerbate seismic activity, leading to heightened earthquakes in areas where wastewater is injected deep underground, according to new research.

To unleash natural gas, hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - requires large volumes of water, sand, and chemicals to be pumped underground. Scientists attending the Seismological Society of America (SSA) annual meeting said Thursday that this storage of wastewater in wells deep below the earth's surface, in addition to fracking's other processes, is changing the stress on existing faults, which could mean more frequent and larger quakes in the future.

Researchers previously believed quakes that resulted from fracking could not exceed a magnitude of 5.0, though stronger seismic events were recorded in 2011 around two heavily drilled areas in Colorado and Oklahoma.

Comment: Fracking is also killing plants life and contaminating water. See:
US: Fracking wastewater devours all life in West Virginia forest
Fracking wastewater threatens to drown Ohio
US: Worries Over Water As Natural Gas Fracking Expands


Info

Dead whale found floating in Delaware River, Philadelphia

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© NBC 5 News
A dead whale is floating in a Philly river.

The U.S. Coast Guard has recently received reports about a whale in the Delaware River.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, N.J. told NBC10 that the whale - about 25 feet long -- was last seen in the water off South Philadelphia Tuesday morning.

The Coast Guard said the last sighting reported to them happened a few days ago.

It's unclear what type of whale it is and also what might have caused the whale to die. The Mammal Center however did say the mammal was possibly struck by a boat.

As of now there is no plan to pull the dead animal from the water.

Arrow Down

Detroit falls apart: Another giant sinkhole opens up in blighted city - fourth since January

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A sinkhole big enough to swallow a car appeared over the weekend in a street in the west side of Detroit
* Hole big enough to swallow a car appeared in Detroit street over weekend

* Neighbours said the sinkhole had been a problem for weeks

* It is at least the fourth sinkhole reported in the city since January

A giant sinkhole big enough to swallow a car has appeared in the middle of a Detroit road in the latest reported case of craters opening up in the city's streets.

The 10ft hole appeared over the weekend in a road in a busy neighbourhood on the west side of the city.

It is at least the fourth time a sinkhole has been reported to have appeared in Detroit since January.

Info

20-tonne southern right whale carcass beached near Cape Town, South Africa

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A whale carcass lies beached near Cape Town, South Africa
* Southern right whale washed up on Sunset Beach after apparently being hit by a ship

* It took 20 helpers and two diggers to haul the 20-tonne carcass onto a flatbed truck

* The three-hour clean-up job was shot by British photographer Dan Beecham

Children shrieked in disgust as removal men tore the tail off a whale carcass in a botched attempt to take it from the beach where it had washed up.

It took 20 helpers and two industrial diggers to haul the 20-tonne southern right whale on to a flatbed truck, before being driven to a landfill site.

The clean-up job was captured by British photographer Dan Beecham, 30, at Sunset Beach outside Cape Town, South Africa, against a backdrop of the city's distinctive Table Mountain.

Alarm Clock

Earthquake Magnitude 6.2 - 50km WSW of Alim, Philippines

Earthquake  Philippines
© USGS
Event Time
2014-05-15 10:16:41 UTC
2014-05-15 18:16:41 UTC+08:00 at epicenter

Location
9.376°N 122.068°E depth=14.0km (8.7mi)

Nearby Cities
50km (31mi) WSW of Alim, Philippines
52km (32mi) WSW of Asia, Philippines
55km (34mi) SW of Sipalay, Philippines
80km (50mi) W of Bayawan, Philippines
590km (367mi) SSE of Manila, Philippines

Scientific data

Target

Best of the Web: Signs of change: Extreme weather, seismic activity, and meteor fireballs in April and early May 2014

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The uptick in earthquake activity continues all along the Ring of Fire. At the center of these changes, the United States dealt with "historic flooding" which was labelled a "one-in-500-year event"!

So much more has taken place over the last month or so than this video shows. Deluges continue to hit heavily populated areas. Be prepared for large-scale disasters in your area. It has and it will continue to worsen, whether we like or not. Stay safe and thanks for watching!


Cloud Lightning

Bosnia, Serbia hit by worst flooding in 120 years

Serbia flooding
© REUTERS/Dado RuvicFirefighters evacuate people during floods in Zenica May 15, 2014. Several Bosnian cities have been affected by floods caused by heavy rains.
The heaviest rains and floods in the past 120 years hit Bosnia and Serbia this week, killing three people, cutting off electricity and leaving several towns and villages isolated.

The three casualties, one of them a firefighter on a rescue mission, drowned in Serbia. The country declared a state of emergency in 18 towns and cities, including the capital, Belgrade.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday he would declare an emergency for the whole country at 1100 GMT.

"This is the greatest flooding disaster ever. Not only in the past 100 years; this has never happened in Serbia's history," Vucic told a news conference. "More rain fell in one day than in four months."

Question

Mystery sea-grass circles in Croatia puzzle experts

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© Google MapsEmpty circles in seagrass, roughly 164 feet in diameter, near the Croatian island Dugi Otok. The Google Maps screenshot was not enhanced in any way.
You've heard about crop circles, but what about sea-grass circles? Aerial photos of the coastline of several islands in Croatia show regular circles of sand amidst a sea of Posidonia oceanica, a sea-grass endemic to the Mediterranean.

Biologist Mosor Prvan from the Sunce Association, a nonprofit environmental organization that first noticed the circles, doesn't have an explanation for the phenomenon. The circles are about 164 feet in diameter and are roughly at the same distance from the islands and from one another.

"We've first seen the circles in aerial photos in 2013 while working on a habitat mapping project at the islands of Unije, Susak and Srakane," Prvan told Mashable.

Alarm Clock

Another! Earthquake Magnitude 6.6 - 96km SSE of Ifalik, Micronesia

Earthquake 6.6 Micronesia
© USGS
Event Time
2014-05-15 08:16:34 UTC
2014-05-15 18:16:34 UTC+10:00 at epicenter

Location
6.509°N 144.899°E depth=10.0km (6.2mi)

Nearby Cities
96km (60mi) SSE of Ifalik, Micronesia
757km (470mi) W of Weno, Micronesia
767km (477mi) S of Mangilao Village, Guam
771km (479mi) S of Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Village, Guam
770km (478mi) S of Hagatna, Guam

Scientific data

Comment: An aftershock or foreshock for something bigger? Another earthquake magnitude 6.1 happened just two hours earlier, which probably set the ball rolling in that area.
USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.1 - 99km SSE of Ifalik, Micronesia


Solar Flares

Massive out of control wildfires force evacuation of 30,000 in California

Wildfires in California
© RIA Novosti
More than 20 structures, including several homes, burned to the ground and thousands of people were ordered to evacuate on Wednesday, as a wind-lashed wildfire roared out of control in the heart of a Southern California coastal community.

The fire, which erupted shortly before 11 a.m. in Carlsbad, some 25 miles north of San Diego, quickly became the most pressing battle for crews fighting flames across the region amid soaring temperatures and hot Santa Ana winds.

"The safety and security of the community is our top priority, and all available resources are being deployed," the city of Carlsbad said in a statement on its website that confirmed the destruction of at least two structures.

City officials told reporters at an afternoon news conference that more than 20 structures had been destroyed, at least three of them homes.


Comment: Wildfires have been in rapid increase the last few years and appearing seemingly at all times of year. Could there be an electrical dimension to it of cosmic origin?