Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Large Crack Opens in the Earth in Southern Peru

Puno Crack
© El ComercioThe mysterious crack measures 100 meters wide and three kilometers long.
The sudden appearance early in the morning of an enormous crack, measuring 100 meters wide and three kilometers long, caused confusion among residents of the Huacullani district in the Chucuito province, department of Puno.

The exact cause of the crack in the earth still unknown. Peru's geophysical institute ruled out the occurrence of an earthquake in the region, but what is clear is that the ground opened up and large blocks of earth can be observed scattered throughout the area.

The event, recorded Wednesday morning, caused the collapse of one house located in the rural community of Llorohoco. Four people managed to escape, but the youngest in the family, five-year-old Jean Carlos Vilcanqui Acero, is missing.

Bizarro Earth

Hawaii Earthquake Jolts Honolulu: Signs of Geological Change in Hawaii?

Hawaii Quake
© The Extinction Protocol
Honolulu - A small earthquake hit Hawaii on Thursday, with a jolt felt across Honolulu.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 3.6 temblor struck at 2:12 p.m., about 12 miles deep in the Kaiwi Channel, between the islands of Oahu and Molokai.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. No tsunami was generated.

The quake that lasted for several seconds shook homes and people throughout Oahu, from high-rise buildings in downtown Honolulu to the tourist district of Waikiki. People about 160 miles away on Maui reported feeling the quake, the USGS said.

Katrina Woodcock felt it while sitting at her desk on the 7th floor of a downtown Honolulu office building. The shaking lasted for about five seconds or so, and only one other person in her office noticed the earthquake, she said.

"I felt like it was shaking, and I was like, 'What is that, is our building falling?" she said.

Earthquakes are common in Hawaii with events occurring almost daily. Most are small and centered around the Big Island, where most of the state's seismic and volcanic activity takes place.

Igloo

US: Record Low Temperatures Follow Snow in San Francisco

Snow fell overnight in the highest spots of San Francisco, the Twin Peaks neighborhood, where elevations are about 900 feet above sea level, said AccuWeather.com meteorologists.

The snowfall coated the ground briefly, but quickly melted. No snow was observed in downtown San Francisco and AccuWeather.com meteorologist Dave Samuhel said the dusting would not count toward official records that show the last measurable snowfall in the area 35 years ago.

Trained spotters also reported snow in the San Joaquin Valley of California, according to the National Weather Service.

A storm system moving inland now could bring snow to areas of about 500 feet above sea level in Santa Barbara and outside Los Angeles flakes could hit the upper reaches of the San Fernando Valley and even the Hollywood Hills, said Samuhel.

Bizarro Earth

Volcano Eruptions Cause Prices to Rise

Karymsky volcano
© n/aThe Kamchatka Peninsula's Karymsky volcano rumbles away
Violent eruptions along Russia's volcano belt are affecting global weather patterns and prices to boot.

If you want to know where the especially harsh winter weather came from, look no further than Russia - and prepare to pay more for your flour and coal this year.

Volcanoes on the country's eastern seaboard of Kamchatka have been unusually active for the last six months. The dust they threw up diverted winds in the Arctic, pushing cold air over Europe and North America and causing the unusually cold winter, say scientists.

This string of volcanoes, 29 of which are active, could cause more problems this year, depressing harvests around the globe just as food prices soar, and culminating in a second freezing winter.

The eruptions have come at the worst possible time. The Pacific Ocean has already been cooled by the "La Niña" ocean/atmosphere phenomenon, which is particularly severe this year. At the same time the Atlantic Ocean is warmer than usual.

Bizarro Earth

Two Quakes Wiggle Yellowstone

Aerial of Excelsior Geyser Crater
© Jim Peaco/NPSAerial of Excelsior Geyser Crater & Grand Prismatic Spring
Two earthquakes of the same magnitude - 2.2 on the Richter scale - struck Yellowstone Park this week.

The first was at 9:34 pm Thursday, February 24, 48 miles east of Island Park. The next was at 5:04 am Friday, February 25, 32 miles east-northeast of Island Park.

According to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory's January report, there were 57 earthquakes in the park in January this year. The largest was a magnitude 2.4 event on January 25 at 9:51 pm, about 6 miles north northwest of West Yellowstone. No earthquake swarms were noted in January 2011.

Analysis of the Yellowstone GPS data shows that the period of accelerated Yellowstone caldera uplift, beginning in 2004, has stopped. Some GPS stations exhibit little change and others reflect slight subsidence, according to the report.

Bell

US: Yellowstone volcano may soon erupt

The volcano located near Yellowstone National Park in northwestern Wyoming, USA, is showing signs of record activity and could make two-thirds of the country uninhabitable if it erupts. Geophysical reports commented that the volcano has increased its activity at a record pace since 2004. It's floor has been inflating at a rate of three inches per year in the last three years, the fastest rate since records began in 1923.

The magma is now about 10 kilometers deep, so there is no need to worry about it now. But if it comes up to the level of two or three kilometers from the surface, then we have reason for concern, says Robert Smith, professor geophysics at the University of Utah. The volcano is believed to have had two major eruptions 2 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago and 642,000 years ago, respectively, which were supposedly more powerful than the spectacular 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens in Washington state.

Camera

Amazing Images! Icy swirls around a patient volcano

Just east of Russia and north of Japan lies a long series of island volcanoes called the Kuril chain. Over 50 volcanoes form this archipelago, which stretches for well over 1300 km (800 miles) in the western Pacific ocean. At the southern end is the bizarrely-shaped rectangle of Ostrov Shikotan, and in the winter icy waters swirl and flow around the snow-covered terrain:

Image
© Unknown
Breathtaking, isn't it? There are two extinct volcanoes on the island (it's still seismically active though) and, amazingly, two settlements as well. Of course, this picture, taken in February from NASA's Earth Observing-1 satellite, paints a very white and chilly picture. Satellite imagery in warmer times shows it to be much greener. There is some dispute over who owns the island; it's part of Russia but the Japanese claim it as well.

I suspect in the very long run, it doesn't matter. The Earth owns this parcel of land. The geology indicates it's been battered by eons of tsunamis and earthquakes. Humans may thrust out their chests and thump them, but the vast and mighty forces of a entire planet have squatting rights here, I think.

Snowman

US: Rare Snow for San Francisco and Los Angeles This Weekend

Image
Extremely rare opportunities for snow will continue for San Francisco and Sacramento into tonight, then even down into some valleys around Los Angeles Saturday.

The last time it snowed in downtown San Francisco was 1976.

As AccuWeather.com Western Expert Ken Clark has been stressing, this storm is a "big deal" for California.

Major disruptions to travel through passes, including all those leading into and out of the L.A. Basin, are expected with this unusually cold storm. The snow will be coming just before the Oscars kick off Sunday.

Travel-snarling snow will not be limited to just California, with parts of Arizona, Nevada and states farther east set to get blasted this weekend as well. Snow could even fall at the Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Marana, Ariz., this weekend.

More details on how the storm will impact these southwestern states are provided in this news story.

Attention

Philippine scientists warn of more volcano explosions

Image
Mount Bulusan
Philippine scientists on Tuesday warned of more explosions from a restive volcano that has been spewing ash for two days after nearly three months of inactivity.

More than 100,000 people were affected by Monday's two ash explosions at Mount Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon province, 250 kilometers southeast of Manila.

At least 2,000 were forced to flee their homes in three towns at the foot of Mount Bulusan, according to civil defense authorities.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it had recorded 16 volcanic earthquakes since the ash explosions started Monday.

Umbrella

South America: State of emergency declared after floods affect 10,000 families

Cochabamba, Bolivia - Authorities in Peru and Bolivia declared a state of emergency on Tuesday due to massive flooding affecting both Andean countries.

In Bolivia, three people died and almost 7,000 were left homeless by the strong rains hitting the country for the past weeks.

One of the victims died in Cochabamba and the other two in Tarija.

Six of the nine Bolivian administrative regions have been affected and the Bolivian government has released a special 20 (m) million US dollar aid package for the victims.