Volcanoes
Hundreds of villagers are being evacuated from a volcanic Vanuatu island as thick ash from minor eruptions blanket the island.
The threat level of Manaro volcano on Ambae island was raised from two to three on Saturday by the country's Meteorological and Geo-Hazards Department.
Vanuatu's Red Cross reports several villages have become uninhabitable and the organisation is providing humanitarian assistance.

Anak Krakatau has rumbled back to life in recent weeks, spitting flaming rocks and ash from its crater.
An Indonesian volcano known as the "child" of the legendary Krakatoa erupted on Thursday, spewing a plume of ash high into the sky as molten lava streamed down from its summit.
No one lives on Krakatau, which forms a small island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, but the peak is a popular tourist spot.
Indonesia's geological agency has not raised the alert level for the mountain. However, there is a one kilometre no-go zone around its summit.
According to county officials, a "basketball-sized" lava bomb punctured the roof of the boat, leaving a large hole.
U.S. Coast Guard crews initially responded around 6 a.m. to reports that several crew members and passengers were injured aboard the tour boat Hot Shot.
The boat returned to Wailoa Harbor in Hilo with the injured passengers around 7 a.m., county officials said.

A tiny new island of lava has formed on the northernmost part of the ocean entry. During this morning’s overflight, HVO’s field crew noticed the island was oozing lava similar to the lava oozing from the broad flow front along the coastline. By
A tiny new island of lava has formed on the northernmost part of the ocean entry. During this morning's overflight, HVO's field crew noticed the island was oozing lava similar to the lava oozing from the broad flow front along the coastline. By USGS
New lava island is forming in Hawaii
A tiny new island of lava has formed on the northernmost part of the ocean entry off Kapoho, scientists say, as Fissure 8 continues to be the primary erupting vent on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone.
Friday's crater explosion sparked a slow-moving flood of lava that destroyed hundreds of homes at Kapoho, on the Big Island. A once-scenic bay dotted with idyllic beach homes, parkland, and turquoise water used for swimming and scuba diving was quickly turned into a menacing, steaming dark pool. When the lava cooled, the sea peeled back to reveal a small island jutting out from the depths only a few meters from the mainland.
According to Hawaii News Now, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory estimated that the island is about 20 to 30 feet in diameter. The new island formed at the northernmost part of the ocean entry and is "oozing lava similar to the lava oozing from the broad flow front along the coastline."
Comment: See also: Hawaii: Is the cone of Kilauea's fissure 8 a new volcano?
- Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano is raining Olivine gemstones
- Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Rare winter weather warning in Hawaii after ice nucleation event on Big Island
- Mile-wide volcanic front, 230 ft lava geyser seen in stunning Hawaii aerial footage
- Hell on Earth! Hawaii volcano eruptions will affect marine and wildlife for decades
- Surfer in serious condition after possible shark bite off Honolulu, Hawaii

A tiny island is seen off the coast of Hawaii island. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s field crew noticed the new island on Friday.
During a Friday morning flight, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crew noticed the new island oozing lava and producing a steam plume along the coastline.
HVO believes the new island could be part of the fissure 8 lava flow, which continues to flow into the ocean. It could also be a submarine tumulus that's created when slow-moving lava pushes the earth's outermost crust above sea level.
A Japan Coast Guard aircraft observed brown smoke coming out of a crater on Nishinoshima around 12:24 p.m., according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The island emerged in an eruption in 2013 but volcanic activity has slowed since August last year, prompting the agency to lower the alert level it issued for areas near the crater.
Given that land surface temperatures have remained steady, the agency believes the latest eruption did not lead to the release of lava.
The inflation is ongoing and is reflected by increased seismicity and characteristic deformation pattern, Icelandic Department of Civil Protection said July 13, after a series of meeting with scientists from The Icelandic Meteorological Office, The University of Iceland and Iceland Geosurvey.
There are no signs of a decrease in the inflation rate or the seismicity and the state of unrest persists despite a decrease in geothermal activity since last December.
The source causing the inflation is most likely injection of new magma, scientists said. The volume change since the start of the unrest is of the order of magnitude of 10 million m3 (about 0.2 m3/sec) comparable to the intrusion activity in Eyjafjallajökull some years before the eruption in 2010.
Comment: The uptick in volcanic and seismic activity all around the world point to much greater changes occurring:
- 3rd earthquake in less than 14 days hits Surrey, UK - Same area as April's quakes
- Abnormal earthquake swarm continues on French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, locals suffering from anxiety and stress
- "Child of Krakatoa": Mount Anak Krakatau on alert following small eruption and increased thermal radiation levels
- 'Bizarre new normal': Kilauea eruptions no sign of slowing down
- Telica volcano in Nicaragua spews huge ash cloud and rocks
- New explosive eruption at Shinmoedake volcano, Japan
- Powerful M6.1 quake strikes Port Villa, Vanuatu - Location considered "unusual"
- Vancouver Island hit with over 150 tremors in 24 hour
- M4.4 earthquake shakes part of northern Oklahoma
- Kilaeua: Lava covers more than 9 miles of island, M5.4 quake reported
- Series of stronger eruptions at Stromboli volcano in Italy
- Volcano in the Galapagos Islands erupts after series of 9 earthquakes
- Powerful earthquake in Bárðarðarbunga, Iceland, one of Vatnajökull's monster volcanoes
- Sakurajima volcano erupts again in southwestern Japan
- Another major eruption at Mount Sinabung, Indonesia
- Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser has now erupted eight times in less than three months intriguing scientists

Remarkable images show dozens of tourists standing around to watch the spectacle in the western Indonesian province
The incredible pictures show the Kawah Ijen volcano in East Java, Indonesia shooting 16-foot-high bright blue beams into the sky in a remarkable display.
According to experts the blue glow isn't actually from the lava, which is a similar colour to most other volcanoes, but from the gas emitted from the mountain.










Comment: Along with volcanic activity there's an increase in landslides, fissures and sinkholes, and we're seeing a similar rise in events occurring throughout our solar system: