FORT DE FRANCE - A strong earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude, according to the US Geological Survey, struck near the French Caribbean island of Martinique Thursday.
The quake caused at least two injuries and led to the collapse of a pair of buildings, officials said.
It struck at a depth of 143 kilometres (90 miles) and was centered 41 kilometres (25 miles) north-northwest of Martinique's capital Fort-de-France, the USGS said, updating its earlier estimate of 7.3 magnitude.
Earth Changes
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - State and federal officials said Monday they were investigating the death of thousands of game fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta after a federal agency drained the water around a protected island during a levee repair.
Eight people died and two others are missing after Typhoon Mitag slammed into the Philippines, local media said on Monday.
All the dead were from the central region of Bicol, where the typhoon flooded about 1,000 hectares of rice fields, destroying roads and houses. Over 290,000 people were evacuated from the storm-hit region.
All the dead were from the central region of Bicol, where the typhoon flooded about 1,000 hectares of rice fields, destroying roads and houses. Over 290,000 people were evacuated from the storm-hit region.
At least three people have been killed and 45 injured in an earthquake in eastern Indonesia, the head of the republic's emergencies center said on Monday.
"Early Monday morning the Sumbawa island was hit by a series of quakes, the most powerful of them, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale occurred at 2.53 local time (19.53 GMT)," Rustam Pakaya said, adding that the earthquake had killed three people and damaged hundreds of buildings.
"Early Monday morning the Sumbawa island was hit by a series of quakes, the most powerful of them, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale occurred at 2.53 local time (19.53 GMT)," Rustam Pakaya said, adding that the earthquake had killed three people and damaged hundreds of buildings.
Speedy diagnosis of the temper and vital signs of the oceans matters increasingly to the well being of humanity, says a distinguished partnership of international scientists urging support to complete a world marine monitoring system within 10 years. The Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) says warming seas, over-fishing and pollution are among profound concerns that must be better measured to help society respond in a well-informed, timely and cost-effective way.
"A system for ocean observing and forecasting that covers the world's oceans and their major uses can reduce growing risks, protect human interests and monitor the health of our precious oceans," says Dr. Tony Haymet, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, USA, and Chair of POGO's Executive Committee.
"The world community resolved to construct a comprehensive, integrated ocean observing system two decades ago. The good news is we have demonstrated that a global ocean observing system can be built, deployed and operated with available technologies. Now we must move from experiment and proof-of-concept to routine use. We have progressed less than halfway to our initial goals. Let's complete the task before we are struck by more tsunamis or comparable calamities."
"A system for ocean observing and forecasting that covers the world's oceans and their major uses can reduce growing risks, protect human interests and monitor the health of our precious oceans," says Dr. Tony Haymet, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, USA, and Chair of POGO's Executive Committee.
"The world community resolved to construct a comprehensive, integrated ocean observing system two decades ago. The good news is we have demonstrated that a global ocean observing system can be built, deployed and operated with available technologies. Now we must move from experiment and proof-of-concept to routine use. We have progressed less than halfway to our initial goals. Let's complete the task before we are struck by more tsunamis or comparable calamities."
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| "Oceans cover a majority of our planet - 71% - yet are vastly under-sampled," says Dr. Tony Haymet. "We have an urgent need and new technological marvels available today to complete a system by which marine scientists could authoritatively diagnose and anticipate changing global ocean conditions - something akin to the system that enables meteorologists to predict weather." |
The Laptev Sea shelf underneath Russia's Arctic waters holds an estimated 9.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent and 32.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in undiscovered resources, the U.S. Geological Survey said Friday.
The USGS is currently reassessing its estimation of the petroleum resource base in the Arctic circle based on new data, region by region.
Based on USGS's last assessment in 2000, the entire Arctic region was previously thought to contain almost 25% of the world's undiscovered oil and natural gas, but harsh conditions have thus far prevented mass development.
Of the 9.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent estimated, the USGS believes 3.07 billion barrels could be crude.
The USGS is currently reassessing its estimation of the petroleum resource base in the Arctic circle based on new data, region by region.
Based on USGS's last assessment in 2000, the entire Arctic region was previously thought to contain almost 25% of the world's undiscovered oil and natural gas, but harsh conditions have thus far prevented mass development.
Of the 9.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent estimated, the USGS believes 3.07 billion barrels could be crude.
An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck shortly after midnight Monday (local time) off the Indonesian coast, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake, initially reported as magnitude 6.7, occurred at 12:02 a.m. (11:02 a.m. Sunday EST). It hit 25 miles west-northwest of Raba on Sumbawa island and 810 miles east of Jakarta.
The quake, initially reported as magnitude 6.7, occurred at 12:02 a.m. (11:02 a.m. Sunday EST). It hit 25 miles west-northwest of Raba on Sumbawa island and 810 miles east of Jakarta.
The number of weather-related disasters has quadrupled in the past 20 years and more should be done to prepare for them, according to Oxfam.
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| Severe flooding ravaged Mexico this month |
A Siberian tiger in a zoo in northeast China was killed and eaten by four tigers it had lived with for five years over the weekend.
The desperate tigers, which are supposed to be under the highest level of state protection in China, turned on the 12-year-old, 330-pound tiger and tore off its left leg on Saturday afternoon at the privately-owned Shenyang Glacier Zoo in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.
The desperate tigers, which are supposed to be under the highest level of state protection in China, turned on the 12-year-old, 330-pound tiger and tore off its left leg on Saturday afternoon at the privately-owned Shenyang Glacier Zoo in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.
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| A Siberian tiger is killed on Nov. 18 by three fellow tigers in the Glacier Zoo in Shenyang, Liaoning Province due to severe lack of food this winter. |
Earthquake hits Israel for third time this week: The Geophysical Institute of Israel (GII) reported Saturday that a 4.1 magnitude earthquake was felt throughout the country. No injuries or damage were reported.
According to reports, the earthquake hit around 00:19 am, originating in Israel's plains area.
According to reports, the earthquake hit around 00:19 am, originating in Israel's plains area.
Comment: There has been a lot of seismic activity lately. This is just another big one in an area that don't commonly have such big ones.