Darwin residents are bracing for wild weather on Christmas Day as a cyclone heads toward the Top End coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology has upgraded Darwin from a cyclone watch to a cyclone warning.
It is predicting a tropical low off the Top End coast will develop into a category one cyclone around 4:00am ACST, strengthening into a category two system by 10:00pm.
Gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour are expected to lash the Territory coastline including the Tiwi Islands.
Earth Changes
© Tomohiko Suzuki
Tomohiko Suzuki, in full protective gear, near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant on July 18.
Tomohiko Suzuki, in full protective gear, near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant on July 18.
"Absolutely no progress is being made" towards the final resolution of the crisis, Suzuki told reporters at a Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan news conference on Dec. 15. Suzuki, 55, worked for a Toshiba Corp. subsidiary as a general laborer there from July 13 to Aug. 22, documenting sloppy repair work, companies including plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) playing fast and loose with their workers' radiation doses, and a marked concern for appearances over the safety of employees or the public.
For example, the no-entry zones around the plant -- the 20-kilometer radius exclusion zone and the extension covering most of the village of Iitate and other municipalities -- have more to do with convenience that actual safety, Suzuki says.
"(Nuclear) technology experts I've spoken to say that there are people living in areas where no one should be. It's almost as though they're living inside a nuclear plant," says Suzuki. Based on this and his own radiation readings, he believes the 80-kilometer-radius evacuation advisory issued by the United States government after the meltdowns was "about right," adding that the government probably decided on the current no-go zones to avoid the immense task of evacuating larger cities like Iwaki and Fukushima.
Glistening in the setting afternoon sun of an Icelandic winter, the Crystal Cave of Svmnafellsjvkull (CORR) in Skaftafell national park, highlights nature's beauty.
Created by the awesome forces of the Vatnajvkull ice cap in the south of the volcanic island, the deep blue cave was formed by the glacier meeting the coastline.
The centuries old ice that has come from the slopes of 6,921 feet tall Vrffajvkull, Iceland's tallest active volcano, has compressed all air out of the ice adding to the texture and colour of the cave.
Accessible through a 22-foot entrance on the shoreline, the cave tapers to a tight squeeze at the end no more than four feet high.
'Blue ice like this deep blue occurs over hundreds of years and begins when simple snow falls onto ice or in this case a glacier,' said 35-year old photographer Orvar Thorgeirsson.
Created by the awesome forces of the Vatnajvkull ice cap in the south of the volcanic island, the deep blue cave was formed by the glacier meeting the coastline.
The centuries old ice that has come from the slopes of 6,921 feet tall Vrffajvkull, Iceland's tallest active volcano, has compressed all air out of the ice adding to the texture and colour of the cave.
© Orvar Thorgeirsson
Nature at its best: Created by the awesome forces of the Vatnajvkull ice cap in the south of the volcanic island, the deep blue cave was formed by the glacier meeting the coastline
Nature at its best: Created by the awesome forces of the Vatnajvkull ice cap in the south of the volcanic island, the deep blue cave was formed by the glacier meeting the coastline
'Blue ice like this deep blue occurs over hundreds of years and begins when simple snow falls onto ice or in this case a glacier,' said 35-year old photographer Orvar Thorgeirsson.
Christchurch is today facing a grim future after being hit by yet another violent earthquake, its third major tremor in 15 months - with scientists predicting many more to come.
Experts predict the quakes will continue to hit New Zealand's second city for the next four years as residents rapidly lose the will to stay with the cost of making good after each disaster spiralling upwards.
The latest quake was registered at 5.8 magnitude, and although no lives were lost fears are growing that Christchurch could soon become a 'ghost town'.
Experts predict the quakes will continue to hit New Zealand's second city for the next four years as residents rapidly lose the will to stay with the cost of making good after each disaster spiralling upwards.
© GNS
Devastation: A seismograph shows the effect of the Christchurch earthquake
Devastation: A seismograph shows the effect of the Christchurch earthquake
© SkyTruth
Envisat ASAR image analyzed by SkyTruth - data courtesy European Space Agency
Envisat ASAR image analyzed by SkyTruth - data courtesy European Space Agency
Royal Dutch Shell confirmed that the deepwater spill occurred on Tuesday during what the company called a "routine transfer" of crude from a floating storage device in the Bonga oil fields 75 miles offshore to a tanker; a leak in one of the transfer lines caused the spill.
The company said that at most about 40,000 barrels had been lost, which would be less than one percent of the oil thought to have spurted from the well beneath the Deepwater Horizon during the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico spill in 2010. The company also said that 50 percent of the oil had already evaporated into the air or been dispersed by wave action.
© USGS
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 12:02:06 UTC
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 05:02:06 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location:
28.933°N, 68.332°E
Depth:
34 km (21.1 miles)
Region:
PAKISTAN
Distances:
72 km (44 miles) N of Jacobabad, Pakistan
146 km (90 miles) NNW of Sukkur, Pakistan
170 km (105 miles) E of Kalat, Pakistan
698 km (433 miles) SW of ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
Christchurch - A series of strong earthquakes struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Friday, rattling buildings, sending goods tumbling from shelves and prompting terrified holiday shoppers to flee into the streets. There was no tsunami alert issued and the city appeared to have been spared major damage.
Initial reports said one person was injured at a city mall and was taken to a hospital, and four people had to be rescued after being trapped by a rock fall. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or widespread damage in the city, which is still recovering from a devastating February earthquake that killed 182 people and destroyed much of the downtown area.
The first 5.8-magnitude quake struck Friday afternoon, 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of Christchurch and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Minutes later, a 5.3-magnitude aftershock hit. About an hour after that, the city was shaken by another 5.8-magnitude temblor, the U.S.G.S. said, though New Zealand's geological agency GNS Science recorded that aftershock as a magnitude-6.0. Both aftershocks were less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) deep.
Updated: USGS aftershock data here
Initial reports said one person was injured at a city mall and was taken to a hospital, and four people had to be rescued after being trapped by a rock fall. But there were no immediate reports of serious injuries or widespread damage in the city, which is still recovering from a devastating February earthquake that killed 182 people and destroyed much of the downtown area.
© Stringer/New Zealand/Reuters
Dust rises from rocks falling from a cliff in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner moments after the earthquake struck.
Dust rises from rocks falling from a cliff in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner moments after the earthquake struck.
Updated: USGS aftershock data here
A creepy cloud formation was reportedly photographed today hovering over England and users on the social news Web site Reddit began spreading the picture.
User "chriswalkerb," from Yorkshire, England, posted the photograph and asked other Redditors: "Creepy cloud hovering over england can anyone explain?" In return, he receieved 712 comments and counting. However, no one had an exact answer.
"As an air mass blows across a mountain range at perpendicular angle to the range, it creates a standing wave, much like a river running over an underwater rock have standing waves. As the air rises, the temperature decreases and the moisture saturates the air to create the standing lenticular cloud. It gets it shape as a cigar, because air descends rapidly on the other side when it loses temperature again (loss of thermal energy in the formation of droplets). So it re-enforces the strength of the wave, making it exponentially stronger rather than weaker (like in a river). Thus you can often see lenticular clouds in formation, up to tens of miles downwind of the mountain range," replied one verbose user.
© Photo: Twitter / @slycon
What is this creepy cloud hovering over England? This sky formation was reportedly photographed on Thursday, Dec. 22.
What is this creepy cloud hovering over England? This sky formation was reportedly photographed on Thursday, Dec. 22.
"As an air mass blows across a mountain range at perpendicular angle to the range, it creates a standing wave, much like a river running over an underwater rock have standing waves. As the air rises, the temperature decreases and the moisture saturates the air to create the standing lenticular cloud. It gets it shape as a cigar, because air descends rapidly on the other side when it loses temperature again (loss of thermal energy in the formation of droplets). So it re-enforces the strength of the wave, making it exponentially stronger rather than weaker (like in a river). Thus you can often see lenticular clouds in formation, up to tens of miles downwind of the mountain range," replied one verbose user.
A fresh eruption at one of the volcanic islands off Yemen's Red Sea coast began on Dec. 19.
Fishermen report the eruption occurred near Saba, one of the Al-Zubair archipelago's small islands, located about 35 miles west of Yemen's port of As-Salif.
Lava was said to be spewing 65 to 100 feet into the air. The fishermen said they had never seen an eruption in that area before.
Fishermen report the eruption occurred near Saba, one of the Al-Zubair archipelago's small islands, located about 35 miles west of Yemen's port of As-Salif.
© NASA - MODIS Rapid Response System
© New Mexico Search And Rescue
Rescuers on Wednesday pulled a Texas family from an SUV that had been buried in a snowdrift on a rural New Mexico highway for nearly two days. State police said rescuers had to dig through 4 feet of ice and snow to free the Higgins family, whose red GMC Yukon got stuck on U.S. 56 near Springer when a blizzard moved through the area Monday.
Rescuers on Wednesday pulled a Texas family from an SUV that had been buried in a snowdrift on a rural New Mexico highway for nearly two days. State police said rescuers had to dig through 4 feet of ice and snow to free the Higgins family, whose red GMC Yukon got stuck on U.S. 56 near Springer when a blizzard moved through the area Monday.
State police said rescuers had to dig through 4 feet of ice and snow to free the Higgins family, whose red GMC Yukon got stuck on U.S. 56 near Springer when a blizzard moved through the area Monday.
Rescuers found David and Yvonne Higgins and their 5-year-old daughter Hannah clinging to each other and lethargic early Wednesday morning. The family is recovering at Miners Colfax Medical Center in Raton.
David Higgins told The Associated Press he and his wife both have pneumonia but his daughter is fine. He said he was glad to be able to talk about his ordeal because he had feared that he and his family might not be found.
