Earth ChangesS


Better Earth

Melting Glacier Reveals Ancient Tree Stumps

LiveScience Staff
LiveScience
Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:15 UTC
Melting glaciers in Western Canada are revealing tree stumps up to 7,000 years old where the region's rivers of ice have retreated to a historic minimum, a geologist said today.

©Johannes Koch
Overlord Glacier: 7,000 years old. Glacier in background. Stump in foreground at arrow.

Johannes Koch of The College of Wooster in Ohio found the fresh-looking, intact tree stumps beside retreating glaciers in Garibaldi Provincial Park, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Radiocarbon dating of the wood from the stumps revealed the wood was far from fresh - some of it dated back to within a few thousand years of the end of the last ice age.

"The stumps were in very good condition, sometimes with bark preserved," said Koch, who conducted the work as part of his doctoral thesis at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. Koch will present his results on Oct. 31 at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Denver.
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Question

Experts link earthquakes to volcanic activity

Yuli Tri Suwarni
jakartapost.com
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:09 UTC
Experts say the tectonic quakes that recently struck Java and Sumatra might be responsible for triggering increased activities at several volcanoes on both islands.

A seismologist from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Nanang T. Puspito, said the tectonic quakes that occurred along the West Sumatra and southern Java coasts over the past week have likely increased activity in a number of volcanoes.

Nanang said plate movements below the earth's mantle could increase the pressure of the upper magma pocket of a volcano and trigger an eruption followed by volcanic quakes.
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Bizarro Earth

Powerful Earthquake Hits South Pacific Island


Associated Press
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:04 UTC
A powerful earthquake struck near the Marianas Islands in the South Pacific, Japan's weather agency said Wednesday, adding that there was no threat of a tsunami.

The Meteorological Agency initially said the quake's magnitude was 7.5 but later revised it to 7.0 after analyzing the data. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude was 7.2.
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USA

Moderate earthquake of 5.6 rattles Bay Area

Ron Harris
Associated Press
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:19 UTC
SAN JOSE - A magnitude-5.6 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Tuesday night, rattling homes and nerves, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.

The moderate temblor struck shortly after 8 p.m., about 9 miles northeast of San Jose, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents reported feeling the quake as far east as Sacramento and as far north as Sonoma.
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Bizarro Earth

Flood wreaks havoc in Nellore district, India


The Hindu
Tue, 30 Oct 2007 04:27 UTC


©n/a
Villagers in a boat trying to rescue passengers waiting for help on the top of a private bus in Pandluru stream on Monday.

Eleven persons were killed, several tanks breached, hundreds of houses either collapsed or suffered extensive damage, while road and rail networks were damaged as widespread rain disrupted normal life across the district on Monday.
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Cloud Lightning

Update: Tropical Storm Noel Kills at Least 20


Associated Press
Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:20 UTC
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Tropical Storm Noel brought heavy rain and flooding to the Dominican Republic on Monday and officials said at least 20 people had died.

At least 20 other people were reported missing from the storm, which lashed Hispaniola, the island the country shares with Haiti, said Ramon Franco of the Dominican emergency services agency.
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Bizarro Earth

New Zealand: Cluster of quakes 'normal' - Or is it?

Paul Gorman
The Press
Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:46 UTC
The South Island has rocked and wobbled to more than 20 earthquakes in the past month, but scientists say such a sudden increase in activity is normal.

Since September 30, 22 earthquakes and aftershocks have shaken communities across the South Island.
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Cloud Lightning

Mini-tornadoes to hit South-East Queensland, Australia

Georgia Waters
Brisbane Times
Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:53 UTC


©n/a
Traffic grinds to a halt southbound on the Pacific Motorway as a result of flooding at Loganholme.

Mini-tornadoes and hail could hit South-East Queensland later today when a severe storm cell strikes the region. Flash flooding, heavy rainfall, wind and large hailstones are expected to hit an area west of Brisbane over the next several hours.
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Cloud Lightning

Tropical Storm Noel strengthens, threatens Haiti

Michael Christie
Reuters
Sun, 28 Oct 2007 23:08 UTC
Tropical Storm Noel strengthened on Sunday as it crept over the Caribbean and threatened to lash impoverished Haiti with potentially deadly rains, U.S. forecasters said.

©TSR
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Ark

Clam, 405, is oldest animal ever

Richard Alleyne
Telegraph
Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:41 UTC
It has been christened Ming and it's officially the oldest animal to have ever lived.

A British scientific team discovered the 405-year-old clam, named after the Chinese dynasty and not the former Liberal Democrat leader, at the bottom of the ocean, and hope its longevity will reveal the secrets of ageing.

©n/a
The oldest creature ever
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