An earthquake centered near Mexico's Pacific coast has caused buildings to sway in the capital. There are no initial reports of damage or injury.
Mexico's National Seismological Service gives an initial estimate of the quake's energy at magnitude 5.3.
Earth Changes
Urgent action is needed to limit damages to marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries, due to increasing ocean acidity, according to 155 of the world's scientific experts who will release the Monaco Declaration this Friday.
The Declaration is based on results from the Second International Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World, held at the Oceanography Museum in Monaco last October and organised by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The ocean absorbs a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from human activities. Observations from the last 25 years show increasing acidity in surface seawater, following trends in increasing atmospheric CO2.
The Declaration is based on results from the Second International Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World, held at the Oceanography Museum in Monaco last October and organised by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The ocean absorbs a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from human activities. Observations from the last 25 years show increasing acidity in surface seawater, following trends in increasing atmospheric CO2.
An earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale hit Mindanao this afternoon, but no casualty or damage was reported.
The quake was recorded at 12:05 p.m. local time, and the epicenter was 45 km north of Hinatuan, Mindanao at a depth of 103.8 km, reported the United States Geological Service.
The quake was recorded at 12:05 p.m. local time, and the epicenter was 45 km north of Hinatuan, Mindanao at a depth of 103.8 km, reported the United States Geological Service.
A few small earthquakes, centered about 4 miles southeast of the active Pu'u'O'o Crater, shook residents on the east side of Hawaii Island early Friday evening.
A minor 3.4 event occurred at 7:12 PM (HST) and another earthquake registered a 3.5 a few minutes later at 7:17 PM.
A minor 3.4 event occurred at 7:12 PM (HST) and another earthquake registered a 3.5 a few minutes later at 7:17 PM.
Australia's second-largest city Melbourne ground to a halt on Saturday, crippled by a once-in-a-century heatwave that has claimed almost 30 lives and razed at least 17 homes.
Wildfires raged through the southeastern state of Victoria, where authorities said flames had come dangerously close to major electricity transmission lines which supplied power to Melbourne on Saturday.
More than 500 000 homes and businesses in Melbourne were left without power on Friday night after an electrical substation exploded in the heat, bringing the city to a standstill. Temperatures in Victoria topped 43°C for a record-breaking third consecutive day on Friday, when 10 homes and a timber plantation were destroyed in a 6 500 hectare blaze.
Wildfires raged through the southeastern state of Victoria, where authorities said flames had come dangerously close to major electricity transmission lines which supplied power to Melbourne on Saturday.
More than 500 000 homes and businesses in Melbourne were left without power on Friday night after an electrical substation exploded in the heat, bringing the city to a standstill. Temperatures in Victoria topped 43°C for a record-breaking third consecutive day on Friday, when 10 homes and a timber plantation were destroyed in a 6 500 hectare blaze.
WELLINGTON -- An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale struck New Zealand North Island's Bay of Plenty region on Friday morning, causing no casualties or damages, GNS Science said.
© Stefano Piraino and Maria Pia Miglietta
Turritopsis dohrnii, a potentially "immortal" jellyfish species that can age backward, is silently invading the world's oceans.
Turritopsis dohrnii, a potentially "immortal" jellyfish species that can age backward, is silently invading the world's oceans.
Like the Brad Pitt movie character, the immortal jellyfish transforms from an adult back into a baby, but with an added bonus: Unlike Benjamin Button, the jellyfish can do it over and over again - though apparently only as an emergency measure.
About as wide as a human pinky nail when fully grown, the immortal jellyfish (scientific name: Turritopsis dohrnii) was discovered in the Mediterranean Sea in 1883. But its unique ability was not discovered until the 1990s.
Carney - A small earthquake has been recorded near Carney in northwest Lincoln County.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck at 6:57 p.m. Thursday with a preliminary magnitude of 2.4.
A magnitude 2.5 to 3 quake is generally the smallest that is felt by people.
The epicenter was about five miles east of Carney and about six miles northwest of Chandler.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck at 6:57 p.m. Thursday with a preliminary magnitude of 2.4.
A magnitude 2.5 to 3 quake is generally the smallest that is felt by people.
The epicenter was about five miles east of Carney and about six miles northwest of Chandler.
Cape Town - Cool-headed Witsand residents have accepted their toothy marine neighbour with some pride and are not about to be scared away from their beloved Breede River by any shark, big or small, they say.
Witsand hit the headlines this week when a four-metre female Zambezi shark, heavily pregnant with at least four pups, was caught 5,5km upriver from the fishing village.
Locals said they were more amazed than frightened at the appearance of the shark, estimated to weigh about 650kg.
Witsand hit the headlines this week when a four-metre female Zambezi shark, heavily pregnant with at least four pups, was caught 5,5km upriver from the fishing village.
Locals said they were more amazed than frightened at the appearance of the shark, estimated to weigh about 650kg.
The temperatures were in the single digits, but not low enough to keep the gawkers away. A celebrity was in town, behind the East Bay Grille, a visitor not seen in these parts in decades, if not longer.
But these weren't paparazzi, and this wasn't a Hollywood star. Rather, they were avid birdwatchers - about 20 in all - braving the frigid air as they scanned the bay and the edges of the breakwater with binoculars and spotting scopes.
But these weren't paparazzi, and this wasn't a Hollywood star. Rather, they were avid birdwatchers - about 20 in all - braving the frigid air as they scanned the bay and the edges of the breakwater with binoculars and spotting scopes.
© Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger
An ivory gull, a native of the Arctic, has been attracting bird watchers from across New England to Plymouth Harbor.
An ivory gull, a native of the Arctic, has been attracting bird watchers from across New England to Plymouth Harbor.
