Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Lots of damage in Western Cuba due to rain storm - 260,000 left without electricity

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The Forecasting Center of the Meteorological Institute reported that from early Saturday morning showers, rains and thunderstorms will occur, which may become heavy and intense in some localities in the West.

Intense rainfall on Friday afternoon and evening caused unusually large hailstorms, downed trees, fences, public boards, flash floods and downed power lines.

The National Electricity Union (UNE, in Spanish) reported that more than 260,000 users in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Matanzas and Havana are without electricity service, particularly in four Havana municipalities where more than 120,000 homes are affected.

The UNE announced that crews of linemen and electricians from the center of the island, particularly from the provinces of Ciego de Avila and Villa Clara, are heading in solidarity to western areas to help their local colleagues repair the damage.


Black Cat

Mountain lion attack leaves man dead and injures his brother in Northern California

A cougar
© DreamstimeA cougar
One man died and another was injured in a mountain lion attack in a remote area in Northern California on Saturday, according to authorities.

An 18-year-old man called authorities around 1:13 p.m. to report that he and his 21-year-old brother were attacked by a mountain lion while antler shed hunting in the Georgetown area, according to an El Dorado County Sheriff's Office news release.

The caller was separated from his brother during the attack and suffered "traumatic injuries" to his face, according to the release. Deputies and paramedics administered aid and took him to a hospital for further treatment.

After deputies searched for the missing brother, they found him on the ground next to the crouched mountain lion around 1:46 p.m., the release said.


Cloud Lightning

Rescuers race to find trapped people as Brazil storms kill at least 20

Rescuers carry a girl, who had been trapped for hours under the rubble of her house that was destroyed by heavy rains in Petropolis, Brazil, on March 23, 2024
© Pablo Porciúncula /AFPRescuers carry a girl, who had been trapped for hours under the rubble of her house that was destroyed by heavy rains in Petropolis, Brazil, on March 23, 2024
With more rain predicted Sunday, the deluge pounded the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo, where authorities described a chaotic situation due to flooding.

The death toll rose there from four to 12 on Sunday as rescuers advanced.

The most affected municipality is Mimoso do Sul, a town of almost 25,000 inhabitants located in the south of Espirito Santo, where at least 10 people died in floods, though officials fear the toll may yet rise.

State Governor Renato Casagrande described the situation as "chaotic," saying that so far it has not been possible to assess the damage in some of the more isolated areas, with fears the toll could yet rise.


Attention

Huge 'Harbringer of Doom' oarfish washed up on beach in Sinaloa, Mexico on March 17

Oarfish found on the coast of Mazatlán, Sinaloa
Oarfish found on the coast of Mazatlán, Sinaloa
A deep-sea oarfish - believed to be a 'harbinger of natural disasters' - has washed up on a beach in front of stunned holidaymakers.

Spotted by tourists in Mexico, the marine animal looked like it was barely moving in the shallow water. As it arrived on the shoreline, curious onlookers crowded around the strange fish.

Moments later, the oarfish was then seen stretched out on the sand after apparently dying in front of the holidaymakers.

The deep-water fish was spotted on Stone Island in Sinaloa State, Mexico, on March 17. However, it is not known if the group called the authorities to remove the beast's large carcass.


Seismograph

6.9 magnitude earthquake jolts Papua New Guinea - at least three people killed (UPDATE)

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An earthquake of 6.9 magnitude struck a remote part of northern Papua New Guinea in early hours of Sunday (local time), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The depth of the earthquake was measured at 35 km and the epicentre was 32 km east-north-east of the small settlement of Ambunti.

No casualties have been reported so far. Further details are awaited.

Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on top of the seismic "Ring of Fire" -- an arc of intense tectonic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

A strong earthquake of 7.0 magnitude killed at least seven people in April last year. (ANI)

Comment: Update March 25

Laprensalatina.com reports:
At least three people have died and almost 100 houses collapsed in a magnitude-6.9 earthquake that shook an area in northern Papua New Guinea that was already flooded by recent torrential rain, according to local media on Monday.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which monitors seismic activity around the world, the earthquake occurred on Sunday at 06:22 local time (20:22 GMT Saturday) at a depth of 40 kilometers, about 38 kilometers northeast of the town of Ambunti in the province of East Sepik.

The earthquake caused homes to collapse into flooded rivers and claimed the lives of a woman and her daughter in the village of Jikinumbu, and another child in Sotmeri, both in East Sepik, the Papuan newspaper Post Courier reported on Monday.

It also said the earthquake caused the collapse of some 93 homes, as well as bridges and infrastructure essential in this country rich in resources, but with difficult terrain and with almost 40 percent percent of its 10.5 million population living in poverty.

Defense Minister Billy Joseph said in a statement Sunday night that he was waiting for provincial reports on the impact of the earthquake to decide how best to respond.

"We have serious adverse weather conditions; and all emergency services in our country should be on high alert," said the minister, warning of the dangers at sea and the possibility of landslides occurring in an area already devastated by torrential rains.

It is estimated that some 24 people have died in recent weeks due to flooding and landslides in several mountainous and coastal areas of Papua New Guinea, where overflowing rivers have displaced thousands of people and damaged crops and orchards, and contaminated water sources.

Papua New Guinea sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activity that is shaken each year by about 7,000 earthquakes, most of them moderate.



Attention

Two killed, one injured in sloth bear attack in Andhra Pradesh, India

Sloth bear
Sloth bear
Two men were mauled to death by a sloth bear in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, March 23. The Uddanam region of Srikakulam, which includes the Vajrapukotturu mandal where the attack took place, has witnessed several bear attacks in the last few years.

The two victims have been identified as farmers Lokanadham and Laishetti Kumar. The condition of another woman farmer, Kumari, is critical. Kumari has been shifted to Palasa Hospital for treatment.

The death prompted residents in Uddanam to stage a protest against the YSR Congress party (YSRCP) led state government. They've asked for bear cubs in the area to be shifted and transported to a zoo.

Cloud Precipitation

Strong storm leaves floods and severe material damage in Bogotá, Colombia

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On March 21, 2024, Bogotá, Colombia experienced a strong storm that caused floods and severe damage. Many homes and a school in the USME region were affected by the strong winds that tore off their roofs. Heavy rainfall also caused chaos in the city, affecting several areas and causing emergencies in different residential areas. Bosa, Kennedy and La Cumbre neighborhoods are among the areas worst affected by the storms. These situations are all part of the first rainy season that the national territory faces under normal conditions.


Cloud Precipitation

Downpour floods the streets of Cizre, Türkiye

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The rains that were effective throughout Şırnak paralyzed life in Cizre district. Due to the rain that increased in the evening hours, the streets and avenues were filled with water and the manholes overflowed. While some houses and workplaces on the ground floor were flooded, those trapped in the houses were evacuated with the help of fire crews and surrounding people.

Pedestrians and drivers had a difficult time in the streets and streets where water accumulated. Municipal teams started cleaning work on the roads. It was learned that approximately 60 houses and vehicles in the district's Cudi, Sur, Nur, Caferi Sadık, Vatan, Yafes and Dağ neighborhoods were damaged due to accumulated water.


Volcano

Mount Semeru in Indonesia erupts thrice within three hours

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Mount Semeru, located on the border of the districts of Lumajang and Malang in East Java, erupted three times on Saturday within a period of three hours.

The first eruption occurred at 5:44 local time followed by a second eruption at 7:28 local time and the third eruption at 8:07 local time, Mount Semeru Observation Post officer Ghufron Alwi noted in a written report received on Saturday.

"On March 23, 2024, Mount Semeru erupted at 5:44 local time, with the height of the eruption column observed to be around 600 meters above the peak (4,276 meters above sea level)," Alwi revealed.

The volcanic ash column was seen to be white to gray in color, with thick intensity towards the north. The eruption was recorded on a seismograph, with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of 112 seconds, he added.

The second eruption occurred at 7:28 local time, with the height of the eruption column followed by volcanic ash observed at around 700 meters above the peak (4,376 m above sea level).


Info

2,000 earthquakes in a day off Canada coast suggest the ocean floor is ripping apart, scientists say

Record earthquake activity off the coast of Vancouver Island hints at the birth of new oceanic crust.
Victoria Harbor on Vancouver Island
© Paul Biris via Getty ImagesVictoria Harbor on Vancouver Island, Canada sits near the Juan de Fuca Ridge, where researchers recently measured nearly 2,000 earthquakes in a single day.

Almost 2,000 earthquakes rocked a spot off the coast of Canada in a single day earlier this month, which could be a sign that new oceanic crust is about to be birthed via a deep sea magmatic rupture.

The quakes aren't any threat to people. They're relatively small and centered on a spot called the Endeavour site, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) off the coast of Vancouver Island. This spot hosts a number of hydrothermal vents and sits on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, where the ocean floor is spreading apart. This area is separate from the subduction zone — a region where one tectonic plate is sinking into the mantle underneath another plate — closer to the coast that can create large, destructive earthquakes, said Zoe Krauss, a doctoral candidate in marine geophysics in the University of Washington.

"Mid-ocean ridges aren't actually capable of producing that large of earthquakes, not too far above a magnitude five," Krauss told Live Science. "This is not going to trigger 'the big one' on the subduction zone."

The quakes are interesting scientifically because they can reveal details about how the ocean floor pulls apart and new crust forms, Krauss said. At the Endeavour site, the Pacific plate and the Juan de Fuca plate are pulling apart. This stretching creates long, linear fault lines and thins the crust, enabling magma to rise up. When the magma reaches the surface, it cools and hardens, becoming new ocean crust.