Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

What's Going On in The Gulf of Aden?

USGS is reporting a very unusual swarm of significant earthquakes starting early this morning in the sea between Africa and the Arabian peninsula, right off the coast of Yemen, and in one of the world's most important and busiest shipping lanes.

Yemeni Earthquakes
© Planet SaveEarthquakes near Yemen.
But, earthquake swarms happen, even in places that are not normally known for seismic activity. What's unusual about this particular group of earthquakes?

In this case, it seems that the vast majority of the quakes are happening at almost exactly a depth of 10 kilometers; over 20 earthquakes have occurred at that depth since the swarm began. I'm no statistician, but that seems like a pretty exceptionally unlikely scenario, especially when the region was entirely quiet in terms of seismic activity as of yesterday. It would definitely be interesting to see what real geologists make of it.

Bizarro Earth

Widespread flooding hits much of rural Italy

Heavy rains are continuing to fall across Italy causing some of the worst flooding in decades.

Hardest hit yesterday was the southern province of Salerno where hundreds had to be evacuated from their homes after several rivers burst their banks.

Half a million people are reported to be without drinking water.

Since Monday numerous regions have been struggling to cope as businesses suffer, transport links are disrupted and schools are closed.

Much of the country's farms are suffering, with crops and livestock lost.

Bizarro Earth

Belgium Floods Kill 2

flood
© Yves Logghe/Associated PressA man cycles through a flooded street in Geraardsbergen, Belgium, on Sunday.
Belgian authorities called in the army Sunday to assist with emergency evacuations after severe flooding killed two people in the southwestern region of Beaumont, near the French border.

A 72-year-old woman drowned overnight after her husband lost control of their vehicle, Lt. Fabrice Pierart of the local firefighters told Belgian broadcaster RTL. A second victim, who was on his way home, was found just metres away, Pierart said.

"This is a catastrophe for our region," the mayor of Beaumont, Charles Dupuis, told RTL.

Officials described the flooding as the worst in 50 years. The national weather service said that in two days Belgium absorbed as much rainfall as it normally gets in a month.

Rivers and creeks overflowed in the western and central parts of the country, causing basements and streets to flood in scores of towns and cities. Rail traffic was seriously interrupted on Sunday morning, but returned slowly to normal in the afternoon.

Local authorities called in the army and civil protection units to reinforce firefighters who had been working overnight. The situation appeared particularly serious in the Brabant region, just outside Brussels.

Snowman

US: Upper Midwest digs out after heavy snow

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© Kyndell Harkness/Associated PressA pedestrian makes her way over piles of snow Saturday near the IDS Center in Minneapolis.
Minneapolis -- Parts of the Upper Midwest dug out from a heavy snowfall Saturday that caused more than 400 traffic accidents in Minnesota, and wintry conditions also were being blamed for a collision in northern Wisconsin that killed two people.

Nearly a foot of snow had fallen in parts of the Twin Cities area by Saturday evening, downing trees and causing sporadic power outages.

The storm that began late Friday night was blamed for a collision Saturday morning that killed both drivers and left a passenger hospitalized. The sheriff's department in Wisconsin's Bayfield County said the storm produced "rapidly deteriorating road conditions" that likely contributed to the crash.

Kevin Kraujalis of the National Weather Service's Duluth office estimated that Bayfield County had a couple of inches of snow on the ground when the collision occurred. The meteorologist said the county had about 5 inches as of 6 p.m. Saturday.

The Minnesota State Patrol responded to 401 crashes as of 4 p.m, with 45 of them involving minor injuries, Patrol Capt. Matt Langer said. There were no other immediate reports of fatalities or major injuries.

Newspaper

Russia: Polar Bear Shot by Sniper in Moscow Zoo

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© AP Photo
Moscow zoo's most popular polar bear is recovering after being shot several times.

The 20-year-old bear named Wrangle, whom the zoo acquired as a cub off the Arctic Ocean's Wrangle Island in 1991, came under attack from a small-calibre gun at the end of October, the zoo said in a statement.

The father of two cubs, Wrangle usually stays out of sight in an enclosure but can be seen from a high-rise apartment building opposite the zoo.

"We are deeply outraged by the behaviour of people who committed this despicable act," the zoo said.

"Perhaps the 'sniper' feels proud about what he did. But where is the heroism in shooting at a defenceless animal from a safe location?"

The bear now faced the threat of infection.

Attention

Mount Merapi death toll hits 240

Mount Merapi volcano
© Raditya Djati/ReutersThis aerial view taken on Tuesday shows the Mount Merapi volcano erupting in Indonesia's central Java province.
Rescuers pulled more bodies from a village smothered a week ago by searing gases from Indonesia's most volatile volcano as more people succumbed to their burns, raising the death toll Saturday to 240.

Mount Merapi shot out more hot clouds Friday evening, though no new deaths were reported from those flows, which slid as far as 10 kilometres from the crater. The mountain has continuously spewed ash - and occasionally torrents of rock, gas and lava in dramatic eruptions - since it roared to life Oct. 26 after years of dormancy.

The volcano is the most active in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 235 million people that is prone to seismic activity because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped string of faults that lines the Pacific Ocean.

Arrow Down

5.6 earthquake hits Dominican Republic

A preliminary 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Dominican Republic early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake struck 155 kilometers (95 miles) southeast of the nation's capital, Santo Domingo, at about 12:35 a.m. Saturday (11:35 p.m. Friday ET).

Life Preserver

Ireland Battered by New Storms

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© Irish IndependentA fallen tree comes down next to a school just before closing time in Claregalway, Co Galway
Heavy rain and winds of 140kmh cause havoc nationwide

Stormy conditions rolled right across the country again yesterday afternoon and last night, as strong winds and heavy rain spread in from the Atlantic.

With a severe weather alert issued well in advance by Met Eireann, most areas had done as much as they could in preparation, but winds of 120kmh and heavy rain uprooted trees and caused localised flooding in a number of locations.

The west of the country got the worst of the storm, as the Atlantic coast from Kerry to Donegal was battered by huge swells and gusts of up to 140kmh yesterday afternoon. The coastguard said a record swell of 11.5 metres was recorded in the sea off Valentia.

On dryer land, uprooted trees and fallen telephone lines proved to be a significant concern for motorists, with gardai and the emergency services called out to various locations to deal with traffic disruptions in Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Limerick, Westmeath, Louth and Dublin.

Bizarro Earth

Philippine Volcano Spews Ash

Mount Bulusan
© Agence France-PresseMount Bulusan spews ash and emits black smoke in Casiguran town, Sorsogon.
Manila - An explosion of ash and smoke from the rumbling Bulusan volcano in the central Philippines has jolted residents awake but scientists say an eruption is not imminent.

One of the country's 23 active volcanoes, Bulusan came back to life last weekend after emitting lava three years ago.

The state institute of volcanology says its analysis of the ashfall, which has blanketed about six municipalities, showed it contains no magma and there is no danger of eruption.

The latest blast early Friday shot up ash and steam some 500m above the 1,560m summit.

Authorities have distributed face masks, opened up evacuation centers and warned aircraft to avoid flying near the volcano.

Cloud Lightning

Woman Passenger Killed After Being Impaled by Branch as 100mph Winds Sweep Britain

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© Yorkshire News/Media ServicesWinds of up to 100mph struck the country leading to the woman's death in Wakefield, West Yorkshire
A woman has been killed after being impaled by a branch when a tree crashed into a car as high winds battered Britain, police said today.

The woman was a passenger in a Vauxhall Zafira travelling through Wakefield last night when the tree smashed into the road, causing the freak accident.

She was taken to Pinderfield's Hospital a short distance away but died soon afterwards. The male driver of the vehicle was also hurt but his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

West Yorkshire police said a number of homes in the area were evacuated overnight and part of the road - the A642 - is likely to remain closed until this afternoon.

Three fire crews were called to the scene last night to free the casualties. A fire service spokesman described the woman as having been 'impaled'.

Neighbour Christine Wright said: 'It is a freak accident. I heard a loud thud about nine-ish, but there was so much noise with the wind I didn't think much of it, initially.

'Something made me look out of my window and I saw two police officers in yellow jackets. I then heard the ambulance sirens. It's so worrying, there are lots of tall, old trees around here. Someone needs to look at them.'

The incident happened as high winds and heavy rain battered many parts of the UK.