Sydney - A severe tropical cyclone battered a major oil and mining region of Western Australia overnight but missed the area's main population centers and was weakening as it tracked over land, officials said on Friday.
There were no immediate reports of major damage from Cyclone Glenda, which hit the northwestern Pilbara region Thursday afternoon as a category four storm packing winds of up to 250 kilometers (150 miles) per hour.
Data from nine research stations were used in the studyWinter air temperatures over Antarctica have risen by more than 2C in the last 30 years, a new study shows.
Research published in the US journal Science says the warming is seen across the whole of the continent and much of the Southern Ocean.
The study questions the reliability of current climate models that fail to simulate the temperature rise.
In addition, the scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) say the cause of the warming is not clear.
It could be linked to increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere or natural variations in Antarctica's climate system.
Scientists are keen to understand the change in temperatures over the continent as the region holds enough water in its ice to raise sea levels by 60 metres.
TEHRAN - At least 66 people were killed when a powerful earthquake struck western Iran, destroying whole villages and sending frightened residents fleeing from their homes, according to the latest toll.
The age of mystery material found in southern Alberta, which could belong to an extraterrestrial object, coincides with the great ice age die-off
ScentaWed, 29 Mar 2006 12:00 UTC
The explosive formation of Argentina's Vilama Calera volcano seemed to have matched Yellowstone's historic continent-blanketing blast millions of years ago.
Vilama Calera may be another unappreciated 'supervolcano' (like Yellowstone) hidden in a mega-volcano nursery, dubbed the Eduardo Avaroa Caldera Complex in the tri-section of Argentine, Bolivia and Chile.
Geologist Miguel M. Soler of the National University of Jujuy in San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina, said: "Vilama Caldera formed during a single event that emitted approximately 2000 cubic kilometres (almost 500 cubic miles) of pyroclastic material."
A city-sized iceberg has broken off an island near Antarctica.
The iceberg is about 8 miles wide and 15 miles long. It broke free of the Fimbul Ice Shelf, a large glacial ice sheet along the northwestern section of Queen Maud Land, in the eastern Weddell Sea near Antarctica.
PETROLIA, Calif. - An earthquake with a preliminary-magnitude of 4.6 struck just off the Humboldt County coast Saturday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake, which struck at 5:56 p.m., occurred on the Mendocino fault and was centered about 6 miles southwest of Petrolia and 180 miles north of San Francisco, the USGS said.
The temblor struck an extremely rural part of the state and was felt as far as the town of Blue Lake, about 50 miles north of the epicenter.
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Department said that no injuries or property damage were immediately reported.
It could hit 2 million near Bay area with magnitude 6.7, more
New cracks appear in Elke DeMuynck's ceiling every few weeks, zigzagging across her living room. Month after month, year after year, she patches, paints and waits.
"It definitely lets you know your house is constantly shifting," DeMuynck said. So do the gate outside that swings uselessly 21/2 inches from its latch, the bulges in the street and the geology students who make pilgrimages to her cul-de-sac.
SUVA, Fiji - A strong earthquake shook Fiji early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning.
The magnitude-6 quake was centered 270 miles west-northwest of the Fiji capital, Suva, USGS said.
TEHRAN - An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 and a series of aftershocks struck the southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan on Saturday, causing minor damage, officials said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
