Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Ethiopian, American and European researchers have observed a fissure in a desert in the remote northeast that could be the "birth of a new ocean basin," scientists said Friday.
Researchers from Britain, France, Italy and the U.S. have been observing the 60-kilometer (37-mile) long fissure since it split open in September in the Afar desert and estimate it will take a million years to fully form into an ocean, said Dereje Ayalew, who leads the team of 18 scientists studying the phenomenon.
The fissure, now four meters (13 feet) wide, formed in just three weeks after a Sept. 14 earthquake in a barren region called Boina, some 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) north east of the capital, Addis Ababa, said Dereje.
Earth Changes
Ambae Island, Vanuatu - An erupting volcano on this remote South Pacific island burst into spectacular life Thursday shooting steam and toxic gases 9,845 feet into the sky.
Huge columns of dense white steam and muddy ash spewed above Ambae Island to reach the greatest height seen since the Mt. Manaro volcano began erupting Nov. 27.
Huge columns of dense white steam and muddy ash spewed above Ambae Island to reach the greatest height seen since the Mt. Manaro volcano began erupting Nov. 27.
The people of the Arctic filed a landmark human rights complaint against the United States, blaming the world's No. 1 carbon polluter for stoking the global warming that is destroying their habitat.
The Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), representing native people in the vast, sparsely-populated region girdling the Earth's far north, said they had petitioned an inter-American panel to seek relief for Canadian and US Inuit.
The Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), representing native people in the vast, sparsely-populated region girdling the Earth's far north, said they had petitioned an inter-American panel to seek relief for Canadian and US Inuit.
Canada's prime minister has urged the US to "listen to its conscience" and take further steps to reduce emissions linked to global warming.
Paul Martin was speaking at the UN climate change conference in Montreal, where talks on long-term strategies are reaching a critical stage.
It is not only the United States which has come under fire.
A British government minister has accused Saudi Arabia of using "outrageous" tactics to block progress.
Paul Martin was speaking at the UN climate change conference in Montreal, where talks on long-term strategies are reaching a critical stage.
It is not only the United States which has come under fire.
A British government minister has accused Saudi Arabia of using "outrageous" tactics to block progress.
Comment: Let's think for a minute. Who are the Saudis good buddies with? It's right there on the tip of my tongue (and typing with my tongue isn't easy).
The Bush Crime family! The US oil lobby!
Coincidence? We think not.
This year's hurricane season shattered records for frequency and ferocity. And it's going to get worse, some scientists say. But others aren't so sure.
It was the year of the hurricane. It was also the year when scientists said that global warming can increase the intensity of hurricanes. But it was not the year when everyone could agree that hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in August, was at least in part the result of global warming brought on by emissions of man-made greenhouse gases.
It was the year of the hurricane. It was also the year when scientists said that global warming can increase the intensity of hurricanes. But it was not the year when everyone could agree that hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in August, was at least in part the result of global warming brought on by emissions of man-made greenhouse gases.
DENVER - Bitterly cold air poured southward across the nation's midsection Wednesday, dropping temperatures to record lows from Montana to Illinois.
The mercury dived to a record 45 below at West Yellowstone, Mont., the frequently cold spot at the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the National Weather Service said. The old record for Dec. 7 was 39 below, set in 1927.
The mercury dived to a record 45 below at West Yellowstone, Mont., the frequently cold spot at the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the National Weather Service said. The old record for Dec. 7 was 39 below, set in 1927.
LONDON - The United States and Caribbean, which are still trying to rebuild from this year's devastating storms, should brace themselves for another busy hurricane season in 2006, a leading windstorm forecaster has warned.
MIAMI - Epsilon clung to hurricane strength for a third straight day in the open Atlantic on Wednesday, but forecasters predicted the storm would weaken.
The 26th named storm of the record-breaking hurricane season poses no threat to land.
The 26th named storm of the record-breaking hurricane season poses no threat to land.
SAN FRANCISCO - Scientists studying the San Andreas fault in California will soon be able to monitor seismic activity from deep inside the Earth's crust so they can identify patterns that might foreshadow a major quake, scientists said on Tuesday.
Researchers from the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) may have spotted a new mammalian species in the dense central forests of Borneo island, the organisation said.
The carnivorous animal, slightly larger than a domestic cat with dark red fur and a long bushy tail, was caught by a camera trap at night twice in 2003, the WWF said in a press release.
The carnivorous animal, slightly larger than a domestic cat with dark red fur and a long bushy tail, was caught by a camera trap at night twice in 2003, the WWF said in a press release.
Comment: Note that the Scientists say that it will take millions of years', but that may not be the case at all. We would like to point out that the Western Pacific Rim has been quite active over the past few years, while the Eastern side of the "Ring of Fire" has been unnaturally quiet. There have also been rather frequent "outgassing" events over the past few years. All of this suggests that something is going on in our planet's interior... and all bets are off.