Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Rare Subsea Earthquakes Rattle Bermuda

The western Atlantic Ocean island of Bermuda, which was hit by its first earthquake in over a decade in April, has been rattled by two moderate quakes.

The earthquakes, both measuring 4.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale, struck at 10:18 PM and 10:36 PM local time on Monday.

Image
© Google EarthEpicentre of Monday night's earthquakes
The subsea quakes, the strongest to be recorded in the region in more than 20 years, were centred about 80 miles (130 km) south of Hamilton, the capital of the British overseas territory.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quakes (1st, 2nd) occurred at depths ranging between 10 and 14 kilometres.

Bizarro Earth

Indonesia: Anak Krakatau (Child Of Krakatoa) Erupts

Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia, erupted on Tuesday sending columns of ash and rock hurtling high into the air.

The rise in volcanic and earthquake activity prompted authorities to put in place a 2km exclusion zone for tourists and local fishermen.

The Indonesian Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Centre reported that an estimated 6,000-7,000 volcanic earthquakes were recorded daily during the weekend and on Monday. Daily earthquake totals usually do not exceed 100-200.

Seismologists are still attempting to determine the type and scale of the ongoing eruption.


Heart

Dead Dolphins Again Found on Coast of Java

dead dolphins, java
© Taman Nasional Ujungkulon

Following the discovery of 17 dead dolphins in Ujung Kulon, residents of Parangtritis and Depok Beach, Yogyakarta witness the same phenomenon. A number of dolphins were found dead and stranded.

"The officers discovered dead fish on the shore not far from the search and rescue (SAR) command post of Parangtritis," said Taufik M Faqi, Secretary of the SAR Parangtritis team, Bantul, Yogyakarta.

Taufik stated that as the dolphins were in terrible condition, the SAR officers buried them. "Last Sunday, around 9 a.m. we buried the dead dolphins," he said.

Bizarro Earth

Mysterious African Volcano Still Erupting

Nabro Volcano
© NASAFalse-color image of the Nabro Volcano taken by NASA's EO-1 satellite on September 28.
Satellite images suggest that a restive east African volcano is continuing to simmer - after erupting in more spectacular fashion earlier this summer - in an isolated region where eyewitness accounts are few and far between.

The Nabro Volcano, which lies near the border of Ethiopia and Eritrea, has been erupting since the middle of June. The new images indicate lava is flowing from the 7,280-foot (2,218-meter) peak, which is the tallest of several volcanoes in the region.

Heat from vents in Nabro's central crater is visible as a red glow in this color-enhanced image.

The area south of the crater is dark, blackened by a thick layer of ash that nearly covers the sparse vegetation that grows in this lonely region near the southern tip of the Red Sea.

Just months ago, Nabro rumbled to life for the first time in recorded history. The mountain spewed forth a thick plume of ash, disrupting air travel, and sent rivers of lava running down its sides.

The eruption killed seven people and affected thousands more, according to the Eritrean government.

Attention

Video Footage Emerges Of Deadly South Africa Tornado

The first video has emerged of one of two tornadoes that claimed the lives of two young children in South Africa on Sunday.


An 8-year-old child was killed and more than 160 people were injured when the twister tore through the township. Duduza will be declared a disaster area in the coming days, the local Mayor said on Monday.

Sun

Tuvalu Declares State Of Emergency As Island Dries Up

Tuvalu on world map
© TOBSTuvalu on world map
A New Zealand Defence Force C-130 arrived in Tuvalu Monday afternoon to deliver Red Cross supplies and personnel to address severe water shortages on the South Pacific Island.

Months of below average rainfall have resulted in severe water shortages on the island, which boasts a population of just under 10,500.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said Monday: "Tuvalu has declared a state of emergency relating to water shortages in the capital, Funafuti, and a number of outer islands.

Radar

Philippines: Earthquake Magnitude 5.0 - Mindanao

Image
Date-Time:
Sunday, October 02, 2011 at 09:19:25 UTC

Sunday, October 02, 2011 at 05:19:25 PM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
8.385°N, 126.723°E

Depth:
46.9 km (29.1 miles)

Region:
MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES

Distances:
43 km (26 miles) E of Hinatuan, Mindanao, Philippines

143 km (88 miles) ESE of Butuan, Mindanao, Philippines

864 km (536 miles) W of KOROR, Palau

929 km (577 miles) SE of MANILA, Philippines

Cloud Lightning

Canada: Hurricane Ophelia Wallops Southeastern Newfoundland

Image
© AFP/NOAAThis September 30, 2011 NOAA satellite image shows Hurricane Ophelia in the Atlantic Ocean.
Heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia has caused flooding on Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula and the evacuation of some homes on the island's south coast, where a state of emergency was declared and then lifted hours later.

Belleoram Mayor Steward May told CBC News that his home was one of five houses that was evacuated.

"Heavy flooding started around 7 a.m. A neighbour woke me up. I just got myself and the dog out of the house," said May.

"At my house there was a heavy flow of rocks and water that was halfway up my front door. The homes have been very badly damaged."

Ophelia, which was downgraded in the early morning Monday from a Category 1 hurricane, doused eastern Newfoundland with sustained precipitation and is forecast to bring large waves to coastal communities on the island.

Four houses in the south coast community of Belleoram were evacuated because of flooding, but police said roads in and out of the community are intact.

Bizarro Earth

US: Pennsylvania gas drilling waste pumped under Ohio

Image
© UnknownOhio
Akron - Millions of gallons of drilling waste have been injected underground in Ohio, leading some to worry about possible ties to earthquakes.

The drilling practice known as hydraulic fracturing uses chemically-laced water to free oil and gas from underground shale formations. Ohio has 181 wells to inject waste fluid underground.

The Akron Beacon Journal reported that nearly 50 percent of the drilling waste comes from Pennsylvania, which last year banned shipment of the liquid to state water treatment plants.

In contrast to Ohio, Pennsylvania only has eight injection wells, due to its underground geology.

In Pennsylvania, a drilling boom into the Marcellus shale is under way. Ohio drillers worry that the flood of waste fluid from Pennsylvania will crowd out space for Ohio waste as drilling into the potentially-lucrative Marcellus and Utica shale spreads, Tom Stewart, executive director of the 1,500-member Ohio Oil & Gas Association, told the newspaper.

Better Earth

Geologists Map Birth Of New Ocean

Image
© Unknown
A giant underground reservoir of molten rock has been discovered under the deserts of Ethiopia by British geologists, The (London) Sunday Times reported.

They targeted the Afar region in the Horn of Africa after a recent surge in volcanic activity and earthquakes plus the appearance of giant cracks in the rocky surface. Tectonic plates in the area are pulling apart and gradually creating a new ocean.

Now, the scientists have mapped the colossal underground lake of magma that lies up to 20 miles (32km) below the earth's surface.

"We estimate that there is 3,000 cubic kilometers of molten rock under Afar -- enough to cover all of London ... with around a kilometer of rock," said Kathy Whaler, professor of geophysics at Edinburgh University.

The reservoir is under such pressure that it has forced tongues of molten rock up towards the surface, producing eruptions and earthquakes.