Earth Changes

Animals including this dog have been frozen solid after temperatures dropped to minus 56C in Kazakhstan
Videos show both a hare and a dog frozen to death amid bitter conditions sweeping across the vast Central Asian nation.
The hare was trapped while climbing through a fence before dying in the arctic conditions and its body had to be pulled free by locals.
The dog appears to have become stuck while walking through a snow-covered field.
Benjamin Trachtenberg recorded a video that shows lines of skiers standing still as the snow devil sweeps through the group. Trachtenberg told Storyful that the snow devil lasted for close to 30 seconds and did not injure the large group.
Certified broadcast meteorologist Tyler Jankoski said on his Twitter post that the weather event can be called a snow devil or a "snownado". According to the World Meteorological Organization, snow devil is "a very rare phenomenon."
Credit: Benjamin Trachtenberg via Storyful
The quake measured magnitude 7.0 and was located 95.8 kilometers (60 miles) below the sea and about 210 kilometers (130 miles) southeast of Pondaguitan in Davao Occidental province, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
In Davao city, President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown, some residents ran out of their houses as the ground shook and power cables and business signs swayed, but there were no reports of damage or injuries. Duterte was in the presidential palace complex in Manila.
Comment: Also very pertinent:
- Earth's rotation is slowing - and scientists say it 'could' cause major earthquakes (uhm, it already is)
- Volcanoes are erupting all over the place right now. Scientists have figured out why: A minute slowdown in the planet's rotation
- USGS seismic data points to 2,000% increase in major earthquakes since 1900
As of 20 January, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that more than 1,000 people have been directly affected in Madagascar and more than 50 houses were destroyed, as Tropical Storm Eloise passed through Antalaha, Maroantsetra, Vavatenina and Toamasina districts. Quoting local sources, OCHA said 1 person was killed in the storm.
The storm flooded 134 houses and destroyed 56, while nearly 100 schools were impacted, including 87 that were damaged and 11 destroyed, OCHA added.
The weather in Dubrovnik over the past few days has been extremely cold with even snow falling on the city as temperatures dropped into the minuses. This latest weather phenomenon certainly catches the eye.
In fact, such waterspouts, tornadoes that form over water, aren't that rare in Dubrovnik but this one today was particularly impressive.

Personnel from Spain’s Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME) helping to clear streets in Madrid following Storm Filomena.
The precise details of the subsidies and support have not yet been decided, and each region needs to be assessed individually. The authorities in Madrid and in Castilla-La Mancha had been pushing for disaster zone classification.
The news came as the Madrid regional government also warned that rain predicted from Wednesday could bring flooding and further chaos to the capital. 'The rains predicted by AEMET [the state weather agency], although moderate, are likely to cause floods when all the ice begins to melt,' the regional government said.
Comment: Other reports of extreme weather in the past few weeks:
- Storm Christoph causes chaos as it brings widespread flooding to parts of UK
- Huge New Year's snowfalls at ski resorts in Japan - one gets over 7 feet in 3 days
- Spain records lowest temperature ever at -34C
- Huge landslide hits residential area after large amounts of precipitation in southern Norway, 10 hurt, 26 unaccounted for
The deceased has been identified as Gaytrie Chanderpaul, of Andrew Lane, D'Abadie.
Loop News was told that at about 6:45pm on Tuesday, Chanderpaul was about to give her rottweiler a treat, when the dog suddenly attacked her. She was mauled by the animal.
The victim's 32-year-old daughter, on hearing the commotion, rushed to her mother's aid.
Chanderpaul was taken to the Arima Health Facility, however, she succumbed to her injuries about an hour later.
Cpl Metivier is continuing enquiries.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) assistant director of operations Hafisham Mohd Noor said in the incident at about 6.50 pm, there was a 10m-deep fissure over 50,000 sq m of land near Jalan PKPS in Kampung Bestari Jaya near here.
"The JBPM received an emergency call at about 6.51 pm and seven firemen were rushed to the scene.
"Based on preliminary information, Selangor JBPM was told that there was a victim buried in the sediment, however after doing a headcount of workers at two nearby premises, none of the victims were found missing or buried," he said in a statement here yesterday.
Comment: Three years ago: Animals are frozen solid as temperatures drop to -56 Celsius in Kazakhstan