The South Island has rocked and wobbled to more than 20 earthquakes in the past month, but scientists say such a sudden increase in activity is normal.
Since September 30, 22 earthquakes and aftershocks have shaken communities across the South Island.
Earth Changes
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| Traffic grinds to a halt southbound on the Pacific Motorway as a result of flooding at Loganholme. |
Mini-tornadoes and hail could hit South-East Queensland later today when a severe storm cell strikes the region. Flash flooding, heavy rainfall, wind and large hailstones are expected to hit an area west of Brisbane over the next several hours.
Tropical Storm Noel strengthened on Sunday as it crept over the Caribbean and threatened to lash impoverished Haiti with potentially deadly rains, U.S. forecasters said.
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It has been christened Ming and it's officially the oldest animal to have ever lived.
A British scientific team discovered the 405-year-old clam, named after the Chinese dynasty and not the former Liberal Democrat leader, at the bottom of the ocean, and hope its longevity will reveal the secrets of ageing.
A British scientific team discovered the 405-year-old clam, named after the Chinese dynasty and not the former Liberal Democrat leader, at the bottom of the ocean, and hope its longevity will reveal the secrets of ageing.
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| The oldest creature ever |
MANADO (Antara): Ash spewed from Mount Soputan on the northern tip of Sulawesi island has covered villages on the volcano's western slopes, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate Thursday morning.
"A number of villages in Southeast Minahasa district on which ash has fallen have been put on a state of red alert," a spokesman for the district administration, Ronny Suwarno, said.
Ronny said the government would evacuate more residents living on the volcano's western slopes if the ash continued to spread in a westerly direction.
"A number of villages in Southeast Minahasa district on which ash has fallen have been put on a state of red alert," a spokesman for the district administration, Ronny Suwarno, said.
Ronny said the government would evacuate more residents living on the volcano's western slopes if the ash continued to spread in a westerly direction.
SERANG, Banten (Antara): Mount Krakatau volcanic activity has increased over the past three days, prompting authorities to raise its status.
The volcano had produced 20 tremors and released 80-meter to 200-meter-long white-grey smoke plumes every hour from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26, Sigin, a monitoring officer , said Friday.
The volcano had produced 20 tremors and released 80-meter to 200-meter-long white-grey smoke plumes every hour from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26, Sigin, a monitoring officer , said Friday.
The 16th tropical depression of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season formed south of Haiti, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Saturday.
The depression could become Tropical Storm Noel if its sustained winds reach 39 miles per hour (63 km per hour).
The depression could become Tropical Storm Noel if its sustained winds reach 39 miles per hour (63 km per hour).
Health officials on Saturday warned of extremely hazardous air quality in the wake of this week's wildfires that devoured swaths of Southern California territory and spewed massive amounts of smoke into the atmosphere.
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| Trail of destruction ... the tornado blew the walls out of St Matthew's Anglican Church. |
A freak tornado with winds up to 150 kmh that tore through a northern NSW village was one of the rarest weather events to happen in a populated area of Australia.
The nine scattered fires that have caused seven confirmed deaths in Southern California continued to burn Saturday, with more than 20,000 homes still in danger, officials said.
Lighter winds and higher humidity enabled firefighters to go on the attack, but many fingers of the fire remain unpredictable. It will take more than a week to put the fires out and probably longer to stamp out flare-ups, officials said.
Fire crews at the Santiago Canyon fire in Orange County made a stand on an old ridge-top truck trail to prevent the fire from burning several homes and heading into Riverside County.
Lighter winds and higher humidity enabled firefighters to go on the attack, but many fingers of the fire remain unpredictable. It will take more than a week to put the fires out and probably longer to stamp out flare-ups, officials said.
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Fire crews at the Santiago Canyon fire in Orange County made a stand on an old ridge-top truck trail to prevent the fire from burning several homes and heading into Riverside County.
