February 10-16

February10-16

 

The theme this week is Reverberations.  The waves are beginning in earnest now, and they will continue throughout the year.  This may be the first time, however, in which you become aware of them.  You will not be able to ignore them after this week.

Overall Color for the Week:    Frosty White

This week starts out on a hush, energetically.  It is as though things are waiting for other things to happen, and no one or nothing wants to take the first step.  You will find for yourself that the beginning of the week seems to g quite slowly, yet you will have not real concept of just what is going on.  You can find yourself disoriented at times.  There will be incidents when you wonder how you got somewhere, how something got done, how you managed to get through that one.  This is all part of the confusion right now as energies shift and flow.  As the week progresses, you will find yourself with a sense of purpose, a new drive.  You are going forward to do things, to create, to get things done.  You have a sense of the greater whole and what it all means.  Take time this week to work with that creative urge.  There is a new light on, and while there are things that yet remain in the shadows, this is a good time for drawing/making/designing the basic foundation of what is to come.  You have been given many clues and ideas over the past six weeks and now it is time to begin to make something of them.  There is a new community spirit at work, and if you need assistance, be open to it, and it will be there.  The bouts of synchronicity will continue.  Remember, these are all messages to you from the larger Universal Consciousness of which you are part.  There are directional arrows hidden in these events, and they point towards a new serendipity that is coming towards you even as you are moving towards it.  Be aware also of the energies out there that are attempting to throw things off kilter.  They will not succeed, but they will be there.  This is a week for being strong in WHO you are, as always.  Know what your focus is and know that yes, you are on a mission.  That mission is for you and about you.

On the larger scale, shifts, changes, upsets, secrets, and secrets revealed.  This is all part of what is going on now.  And oh, the illusions and delusions that will be tossed out this week in the media.  There will be excuses, explanations, expletives, and exhaustion.  So just sit back and watch as the Earth twists and turns and sends new messages in various parts throughout.  In answer, there will be activity from the Sun.  Unexplained.  Inexplicable.  Therefore, unimportant.  Anomalies make the news these days only to be put down, glossed over, and explained away.  And so this week will be one of things said/not said, things seen/not seen, things happened /not happened, and it is up to you to use your discretion to see the pattern behind it all.  Actually, the pattern is becoming clearer, even as things on the surface seem more muddles, for the pattern holds the outline beneath it all.  SO politicians will show themselves for what they are.  The games they have been playing, but there are still so many who prefer the game to reality that the expose is not taken for what it is.  The Earth moves as its patterns and basic vibrations are shifting and intensifying, but there is no mention as storms and quakes happen, do they not.  And then there are the waves of those who have decided that they can no longer be part of what is going on, so they are checking out.  This is all beginning this week.  There are so many emotions in the air , causing new kinds of blackouts, emotional blackouts, physical blackouts, spiritual blackouts.  This cannot help but be an interesting, even crucial week.

Sunday, February 10:    Neon Pink

There can be a number of ups and downs today, and you might find yourself a bit unsettled.  Things are happening in front of you also that you are not seeing, mainly because you are just too bedazzled by other things in the way. This is an energy which calls for you t settle down, ground, and see with the eyes of your heart.  There are elements and hints in what people are saying in doing.  This includes not only people with whom you are in contact, but also people in the larger world.  There is a connection with everything, and you must accept that you are part of it all.  Today can make that a little clearer to you.

Monday, February 11:    Primary Blue

The current energy is good for having conversations that you maybe did not want to have.  There is an undertone of sadness, melancholy in the air that will be setting some people off their usual centers, and, as a result, they are more open to discussing things because they are somewhat distracted.  In this energy also some secrets or thoughts that have been kept quiet will leak out.  There are messages for you in this.  You have lingering questions about things in your past, and things said, slips of the tongue can bring a new perspective.  Interestingly, they will not deal directly with what you remembered having happened, but they will be like keys that can unlock the emotions of the times and allow them to be seen for what they were, what they are, and where they have a place (or not) in your life at this time.  This is a day of opening and closing doors.  Take advantage of this energy.  It is a rare one, but it can do so much in assisting you to move forward at this time.

Tuesday, February 12:    Surprise Pink

So many things that you were concerned about are finding their own resolution.  This will bring a feeling of calm to day. Along with that should come a sense of knowing that what is not yours is, in fact, not yours and will take care of itself, regardless of how that might happen.  It is for you to be aware of, conscious of, centered in, grounded in, honoring, and appreciating yourself.  The task for you is to be WHO you are.  The message of the day is that you are taken care of and that if you allow yourself to be one with the flow of the energies of Universal Consciousness, things will fall into place as they should.  Take time today to breathe in this knowledge.

Wednesday, January 13:    Soft Golden Amber

Three is some magic in the air today.  It is gentle and does not prod, therefore if you wish to encounter it, you need to be open.  It is like a gentle wind, wafting by.  This is a time to be open to the mystery, the magic, and know that if that is your intent, the negative stuff cannot get  through.  So many think the bad stuff is so strong, but in fact, it only has the power you give to it.  Today, take heart, deep, true heart in the beauty, the power, the magic and it will all come back to you.  Let things go today.  Stay away from confrontation.  It really is not worth it, and who is it for anyhow?  SO allow yourself to be with the day’s laid back-ness.  It is all good.

Thursday, February 14:   Lavender Mist

Valentine’s Day:  Things will be falling out and falling down today so be cautious in what you do, where you go, what you say, and with whom you are in contact.  Kind of ominous for Valentine’s Day, however when people are focused on one thing, it is often easier for other things to invade the scene.  This is a day for keeping yourself alert to what is gong on around you.  Those peripheral images may have important messages for you, so pay attention.  There are a number of conflicting energies at work today, however you do not need to be beset by any of them if you will take time to ground and connect.  Then focus on what it is that you are intending for the day, and you will find that many things that can became clearer.

Lightning Strikes the Vatican — Literally

Act of God? Lightning Strikes St. Peter’s Dome

Lightning strikes St. Peter’s Basilica on Feb. 11, 2013, a few hours after Pope Benedict XVI said he was resigning.
Youtube video still

Monday’s (Feb. 11) surprising announcement by Pope Benedict XVI that he was resigning from the papacy struck some observers like a bolt out of the blue.

And a few hours later, an actual bolt of lightning struck St. Peter’s Basilica, the centerpiece of the Vatican and one of the holiest sites in Christendom, NBC News reported.

Was the lightning strike, coming just hours after Pope Benedict’s announcement, evidence of God’s wrath, or some ominous sign from above? Perhaps, but it was more likely the natural result of a rainstorm that was passing over Rome at the time.

Lightning often strikes religious symbols, because they are usually placed high in the sky and are, in many cases, the highest thing around. Coupled with the fact that they’re often made of metal, lightning striking religious statuary or other icons seems quite normal.

Brazil’s 130-foot “Christ the Redeemer” statue atop Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain, for example, has been struck by lightning several times since it was completed in 1931.

Secular objects are also often struck by lightning. Airplanes are struck by lightning frequently, and the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and other tall buildings have all been hit.

St. Peter’s Basilica is the tallest dome in the world at 448 feet (137 meters) from the floor to the cross that was added to the very top by Pope Clement VIII in the 16th century. A lightning rod points skyward from the top of that cross — it’s likely that this is what was struck by lightning Monday.

from:    http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/lightning-strikes-st-peter-s-after-pope-resigns-130213.htm

hmmm.  Perhaps just too synchronistic to be chance!

 

Pope’s Resignation—Doomsday Herald?

Resigning Pope Brings Doomsday Prophecy

Feb 13, 2013 12:12 PM ET // by Rossella Lorenzi

Is the world only a Pope away from the End? Yes, if you believe a chilling 12th-century prophecy.

Attributed to St. Malachy, an Irish archbishop canonized in 1190, the Prophecy of the Popes would date to 1139. The document predicted that there would be only 112 more popes before the Last Judgment — and Benedict XVI is 111.

The list of popes originated from a vision Malachy said he received from God when he was in Rome, reporting on his diocese to Pope Innocent II.

The story goes that St. Malachy gave the apocalyptic list to Innocent II and that the document remained unknown in the Vatican Archives some 440 years after Malachy’s death in 1148. It was rediscovered and published by Benedictine Arnold de Wyon in 1590.

The prophecy consists of brief, cryptic phrases in Latin about each Pope. It ends with the 112th pope, named “Petrus Romanus” or “Peter the Roman.”

According to the premonition, Peter the Roman would “feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the City of the Seven Hills shall be utterly destroyed, and the awful Judge will judge the people.”

Often highly enigmatic, several prophetical announcements in the document appear to have come true.

For example, Malachy prophesied the first pope on his list would be “from a castle on the Tiber.” Celestine II, elected in 1143, was born in Toscany on the shores of the Tiber River.

Malachy predicted another pope would be “elevated from a hermit.” Nicholas IV, pope from 1288 to 1292, had been a hermit in the monastery of Pouilles.

The 45th pope in the prophecy is described as coming “from the hell of Pregnani”. Indeed, Pope Urban VI (1378-1389) was born Domenico Prignano and came from a village near Naples called Inferno (hell).

Most scholars consider the document a 16th-century elaborate hoax. Until 1590, when the prophecy was published, the mottoes were easily derived from the pope’s family, baptismal names, native places or coats of arms.

After 1590 the epithets become much more vague. According to the Catholic Pages, “the inclusion of anti-popes would also appear to militate against the authenticity of the prophecies.”

Yet, uncanny similarities also appear when reading the mottoes associated to modern-day popes.

For example, the 109th pope is described as “of the half of the moon.” John Paul I, elected pope in 1978, “lasted about a month, from half a moon to the next half,” the Catholic Pages noted.

As for his successor, the late Pope John Paul II, Malachy described him in Latin as “de labore solis,” meaning “of the eclipse of the sun, or from the labor of the sun.”

“John Paul II (1978-2005) was born on May 18, 1920 during a solar eclipse… His Funeral occurred on April 8, 2005 when there was a solar eclipse visible in the Americas,” the Catholic Pages wrote.

Finally, “Glory of the Olives” is the motto for Benedict XVI, the 111th pope in the list. A branch of the monastic order founded by St. Benedict is called the Olivetans.

As for the doomsday pope, one would think we are quite safe: according to church tradition, no pope can take the name Peter II.

However, one of the favorites to succeed Benedict XVI is Ghanaian Cardinal Turkson. His first name is Peter.

from:    http://news.discovery.com/history/resigning-pope-brings-doomsday-prophecy-130213.htm

Neale Donald Walsch on Creation

For you fans of Neale Donald Walsch, here is a recent article:

You Do Not Create Alone

Neale Donald Walsch
a message from Neale Donald Walsch
Saturday, 15 September, 2012  (posted 12 February, 2013)

My dear friends…

Last week in this space I said that a message that for many years spiritual teachers have been sharing—that “you are creating your own reality”—can be a dangerous teaching if it is not fully explained. I also said that there are two things you must know about the “you create your own reality” teaching:

(1) First, it must be explained (as we have done several times here now) that you are not “creating” anything, but merely noticing or remembering its existence, then, by focusing on it, calling it forth as a “manifestation” from the Field of Infinite Possibilities that is the Always Now/Always Here of things. What you are creating is your Interior Reality of these manifestations. It is in this sense that the statement “You are creating your own Reality” is true.

(2) Second, you must understand that even what we call the act of “creating” the Exterior Events of our lives is not something that anyone is doing alone. No Exterior Event in Physicality is created by any single individual. Such a thing is impossible.

I went into depth on Point #1 last week. Today, let’ s move forward with this discussion.

Point Number 2:

Okay, so once more, for good measure: Everything in your exterior world is being “co-created.” That is, it is being manifested (or seen, noticed, and remembered) not only by you, but by the lot of us; by everyone.

This is true because There Is Only One Of Us. Or, as Conversations with God says, “All things are One Thing. There is Only One Thing, and all things are part of The One Thing There Is.”

It is this “One Thing” that is doing everything. Nothing that is occurring can occur without the participation and the concurrence of The One Thing. By definition, such an event would be impossible.

Life…exactly as it is happening here and everywhere in the Universe…is the expression of The One Thing That Is. In my vocabulary, The One Thing That Is called “God.” Everything that you, as an individual, appear to be doing is actually being done co-jointly, with the participation and the collaboration and the collusion of The One Thing.

I like this little metaphor: Imagine that you are your little finger. Now when you move, who is doing the moving? Is it you, as a finger, or is it your body, as that of which you, a finger, are a part?

Ah, you might say, it is your brain! Your brain sends a signal to your finger, via the pathway of your nerves, and your finger responds to the impulse; it plays out, in action, your brain’s prior thought. The time lapse between Thought and Action may be infinitesimal, but there is a time lapse. The thought comes first. Then comes the passage of the neural impulse through the network of nerves that serves your body. Then comes the movement of your finger.

So, your whole body is involved in the moving of your little finger. You couldn’t so much as lift a finger without your Body and your Mind.

Well, my friend, you and I are part of The Body Of God. We are like tiny little cells…like sub molecular particles…in The Body of God. Now if we are not careful, when we do something we’ll think we are doing it all by ourselves. Of course, such a thing is impossible. Our action is merely a manifestation of the Will of God.

We can do nothing—nothing—against God’s Will. The arrogance of imagining that we can is the greatest folly of the Human Mind.

We see, then, that all manifestations of our exterior reality—what we might call the physical world around us—are collaborative. They are the products of the joint creation of every human being, at some level or another, and of God.

I have come to understand that the amount of energy expended by any Individuation of the Divine on any physical manifestation is directly proportional to the degree to which that Individuation is impacted or affected by the manifestation Itself.

In other words, the more a person is impacted by a manifestation, the larger was that person’s collaborative role in co-creating it.

Thus, a person in Hong Kong likely had less to do, energetically, with the traffic jam in which you find yourself in Los Angeles than, say, another person in Los Angeles—to say nothing of the person seven cars ahead of you whose vehicle breakdown caused the traffic jam in the first place.

On the other hand, if the person in Hong Kong was anxiously waiting in her Executive Conference Room for a Skype call from you to exchange timed-to-the-minute details of a business transaction that her company and yours were on the verge of completing, and if she needed this information instantly in order for this deal to go through, and if she needed this deal to go through in order for her to get a long-sought-after promotion…AND…if she feels unworthy of receiving the promotion and being invited to join the company’s top brass, her Energy of Unworthiness might very well have played a role in causing the man seven cars ahead of you to have his car break down, thus snagging you in a traffic jam that makes it impossible for you to get to your Skype call and send that vitally needed data to China.

Thus do the dominoes in life fall. Thus is it true that at some level every living entity co-jointly creates every manifestation of physical life. Or as some contemporary physicists have put it, if a butterfly flaps its wings in Singapore, the current of the wind is affected in San Francisco.

Why bother going into this so deeply here, over and over again in this narrative? Because it is as I said last week: The idea that “you are creating your own reality” can be dangerous if not fully explained.

People who have been told this and have taken it to heart, without deeply understanding the teaching, could easily find themselves depressed, wondering why they would have “created” certain things for themselves or others. Their own molestation at age seven, for instance. Or their grandmother’s death in an auto accident. Or the end of their marriage. Or, on a larger scale, a revolt in Libya, an earthquake in Japan, or a global financial meltdown.

Why do I keep creating these things!?, they may ask themselves in frustration, taking full responsibility for all exterior manifestations. They may even make themselves so “wrong” for what is occurring or has occurred in their life—or in the life of the planet—that they develop deep self-doubt, self- blaming, or even self-loathing. Then, eventually, life-loathing.

So it is very, very important for spiritual teachers to emphasize the now-little-known details of what is meant by “you create your own reality.” It is imperative that everyone be told that all manifestations of our exterior reality—what we might call the physical world around us, as well as our own personal physical experiences—are collaborative, and we thus have only a proportionate degree of personal control over the Collective Consciousness that produced them. These are the products of the joint creation of every human being, and more broadly, they are the expressions of Life, and thus, of God.

Let me make this more clear with a rhetorical question: If God did not want something to happen, could it happen? No. Nothing happens outside the Will of God. Therefore if a thing is happening, you can be sure that it is happening because it is God’s will for it to happen. The question is not whether it is God’s Will…but why?

Why would it be God’s Will for hurricanes and tornadoes to occur? Why would it be God’s Will for anger and violence and pestilence and suffering and struggle and starvation to be part of the human condition? How could any of this be God’s Will?

I will respond to that question in the form of my answer in this week’s Mailbox inquiry. See the story below…

 

 

Hugs and love,

Neale

Why am I creating this?

Dear Neale…Some terrible things have happened and are happening on the earth—and some not very nice things have happened in my life. My question is this: Why am I creating this? If I am the creator of my own reality, producing the events of my own life, why am I doing this? This is important to me, so thanks for answering. Michael in North Carolina.

Neale Responds: Dear New Friend…The first thing I want to say to you, Michael, is that you did not create the Exterior Events of your life all by yourself. Everything that is happening in our Exterior Experience is a co-creation, put together by the lot of us. That is, by everyone.

This is true because There Is Only One Of Us. Or, as Conversations with God says, “All things are One Thing. There is Only One Thing, and all things are part of The One Thing There Is.”

We see, then, that all manifestations of our exterior reality—what we might call the physical world around us, as well as our own personal physical experiences—are collaborative. They are the products of the joint creation of every human being, at some level. More broadly, they are the expressions of Life, and thus, of God.

Now, Michael, yours is a fair question, a profound question, and an urgent question if we are to believe in a loving, caring, compassionate God; if we are to believe in a God That Makes Sense.

The answer to that question cannot be put into one paragraph, but let me try to bring it to you as succinctly as possible. God wants nothing for Itself, or for any of the Parts of Itself (that means you and me), that is not for the benefit of any Part, or of the Whole. We can assume, therefore, as a matter of faith, that whatever is occurring is offering benefit.

Very often in Life it is not easy, or even possible, for us to see what the benefit is, because it is always for the benefit of the Totality of You—the three-part being that we call Body, Mind, and Soul—and that sometimes can look like something that does not benefit one or two of those parts.

In such a situation those parts of you are being used as devices…almost as shock absorbers are used on a car to allow the whole vehicle to get where it’s going smoothly and easily, even though the road it is traveling is rough. So, something that does not look like it is so good for the Body, for instance, could very well be good for the Totality of You; for the Whole Being that you are is on a journey, and sometimes the road is rough.

These three aspects of your Holy Being are tools; nothing more than pieces of equipment used by the Totality of You to move you into the experiencing of an aspect or aspects of your Divinity. These aspects could include Wisdom, Clarity, Compassion, Understanding, Mastery, Wholeness, Perfection, Patience, Generosity, Creativity, Caring, Forgiveness, and Love—to name but a tiny few of the countless characteristics of Divinity.

If the Totality of You wished to experience, shall we say, that aspect of Divinity called Divine Patience, it would have to call to itself people, places, or conditions that might not seem so perfect to the Body or the Mind, but that would be understood by the Soul to be absolutely perfect for the Totality of You to express that Aspect of Divinity that It wishes to express—thus to define itself as that.

Remember, Conversations with God says, “every act is an act of self- definition.” All we are doing here is defining ourselves. We are deciding who we are, announcing that to ourselves and others, and then demonstrating that.

This is all that Buddha did. This is all that Moses did. This is all that Jesus did. This is all that Muhammad did. This is all that Mother Theresa did, all that Joan of Arc did, all that any person who has self-realized (and thus changed the world) has ever done. This is what Paramahansa Yogananda did, and then he went on to create the Self Realization Fellowship.

This is what I am doing and this is what you are doing. The path is not always easy for the Body and the Mind. There are sometimes shocks to absorb. Especially on what author M. Scott Peck described as The Road Less Traveled. And yours is that road, Michael.

The answer to your question, Michael, is no, you did not “create this” all by yourself. Yours is a co-creation, with God, with Life, and with all others in Life. Including me. I co-created this with you, so that I would have you to answer this question for, in order that many, many others may benefit from the knowing of this.

Your life, Michael, will be shown to you to be a gift to others when you see it from the vantage point of our Soul, which knows all, which understands all, and which blesses all—even that which the Body and the Mind do not enjoy or fathom.

This is what your Soul now wishes you to hear, to fully comprehend, and to gently embrace. For the embracing of your Soul’s wisdom and its vision will allow you to create a new Reality around what is now occurring in your life, whether or not the Exterior Events of your life change in any way.

To learn more about how to use your Mind and your Soul co-jointly to create a new Interior Reality about the Exterior Events in your life, I encourage you to read When Everything Changes, Change Everything and the latest book sharing the CWG messages, The Only Thing That Matters. The first book will tell you, quite specifically, how to use the Mechanics of the Mind to access the System of the Soul, thus to harness at last the creative power of the Totality of You. The second will make it very clear to you how you can focus the rest of your life in a way that brings you peace and joy.

I send you love,

Neale

from:    http://spiritlibrary.com/neale-donald-walsch/you-do-not-create-alone

 

Metal Object on Mars?

Well, NASA scientists say no way!  Do your research.

Metal On Mars? Shiny Object Seen By Curiosity Rover Explained By NASA Scientists (PHOTOS)

Posted: 02/12/2013

Mars Metal

By: Mike Wall
Published: 02/12/2013 02:13 PM EST on SPACE.com

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has photographed a shiny, metallic-looking object that bears a passing resemblance to a door handle or a hood ornament.

The Curiosity rover has not stumbled onto evidence of an ancient civilization that took the family van to Olympus Mons for vacation, however. The object is simply a rock that the wind has sculpted into an interesting shape, scientists said.

mars metal

NASA’s original image, with the object at top-center.
“The shiny surface suggests that this rock has a fine grain and is relatively hard,” Curiosity scientists wrote Monday (Feb. 11) in an explainer blurb accompanying the image, which was taken on Jan. 30. “Hard, fine-grained rocks can be polished by the wind to form very smooth surfaces.”

Similar “ventifacted” (wind-eroded) rocks can be found here on Earth, notably on the dry, gusty plains of Antarctica, they added.

The newfound rock is not the first shiny object Curiosity has photographed on the Red Planet.

In October, the car-size rover paused its first soil-scooping activities to investigate a bright sliver lying on the ground nearby. Scientists think the scrap is a piece of plastic debris that shook loose during the robot’s dramatic sky-crane landing on the night of Aug. 5.

Later in October, Curiosity spotted bright flecks in one of the holes it dug out while scooping. That material appears to be some sort of native Martian mineral, as does the so-called “Mars flower,” which garnered a lot of attention after Curiosity photographed it in December.

While such finds may be be interesting to laypeople and researchers alike, Curiosity has bigger fish to fry. The rover’s main task is to determine whether its landing site — a huge crater called Gale — could ever have supported microbial life.

Curiosity carries 10 different scientific instruments and 17 cameras to aid in this quest, along with other tools such as a rock-boring drill. Curiosity used this drill to collect samples for the first time over the weekend, boring 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) into a Red Planet rock in a move that had never been done before on another planet.

from:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/mars-metal-shiny-object-nasa-curiosity-rover_n_2671432.html

Colombia Earthquake Activity

Earthquake Swarm at Machín in Colombia

The forested dacite domes of Cerro Machín, nested within an older caldera. Pyroclastic flow deposits from Machín have been traced upwards of 40 kilometers from their source at the volcano. Image: INGEOMINAS, taken November 16, 2011.

I like to keep close tabs on the volcanoes in Colombia — with half of my family living in the country, it seems only appropriate. Some of my first volcanic memories are of seeing firsthand some of the lahar deposits at Nevado del Ruiz from the 1985 eruption. Now, at that time, only two Colombian volcanoes really made any noise: Galeras in the south near Pasto and the aforementioned Ruiz in central Colombia. Nowadays, thanks to increased monitoring on Colombian volcanoes by INGEOMINAS, we know a lot more about the restless nature of the volcanoes of the South American country. Five volcanoes are now on elevated alert status, meaning that they show some level of activity that could lead to an eruption: Ruiz, Galeras, Cumbal, Sotará, Huila and Machín.

Over the past week, Cerro Machín, a dacite dome complex to the  to the south Ruiz near Ibagué, has been feeling some increased seismicity. The INGEOMINAS special bulletin details a M2.9 earthquake that occurred at a depth of ~4.7 km beneath the volcano that was felt by local residents. This was part of a swarm that produced over 210 earthquakes in a few hours on February 10 — all within 2 and 5 km depth, but all very small. Now, before you need to get too nervous about this activity, INGEOMINAS rightly points out that these swarms have occurred before at Machin and that sensitive new seismometers are likely to notice this type of activity that might not have been noticed in the past. Not a lot to see, but in the small chance that Machín does get more active, the Observatorio Manizales has a webcam pointed at the volcano. Machín’s last known eruption was over 800 years ago.

Right now, the most active volcano in Colombia is still Nevado del Ruiz. The volcano is still experiencing elevated seismicity, along with a ~950 meter steam plume that occasionally has minor ash as well — which can be seen via webcam, weather permitting.

from:    http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/02/earthquake-swarm-at-machin-in-colombia/#more-148364

Exploding Solar Filament

Check out the video —   Beautiful!

FILAMENT ERUPTION: Solar activity is low, but not zero. During the early hours of Feb. 13th, a magnetic filament erupted near the sun’s SW limb. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the blast (click to set the scene in motion):

The extreme UV movie shows the filament flinging itself into space followed by the formation of a “canyon of fire” marking the channel formerly occupied by the filament. The glowing walls of the canyon are formed in a process closely related to that of arcade loops, which appear after many solar flares.

As erupting magnetic filaments often do, this one launched a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. NASA’s STEREO-A spacecraft spotted the expanding cloud, which does not appear to be heading for Earth or any other planet.

fr/spaceweather.com

Close Encounter with Asteroid 2/15

Record Setting Asteroid Flyby

Jan. 28, 2013:  Talk about a close shave. On Feb. 15th an asteroid about half the size of a football field will fly past Earth only 17,200 miles above our planet’s surface. There’s no danger of a collision, but the space rock, designated 2012 DA14, has NASA’s attention.

“This is a record-setting close approach,” says Don Yeomans of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program at JPL. “Since regular sky surveys began in the 1990s, we’ve never seen an object this big get so close to Earth.”

2012 DA (splash)

A new ScienceCast video previews the close flyby of asteroid 2012 DA14. Play it

Earth’s neighborhood is littered with asteroids of all shapes and sizes, ranging from fragments smaller than beach balls to mountainous rocks many kilometers wide. Many of these objects hail from the asteroid belt, while others may be corpses of long-dead, burnt out comets. NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program helps find and keep track of them, especially the ones that come close to our planet.

2012 DA14 is a fairly typical near-Earth asteroid. It measures some 50 meters wide, neither very large nor very small, and is probably made of stone, as opposed to metal or ice.  Yeomans estimates that an asteroid like 2012 DA14 flies past Earth, on average, every 40 years, yet actually strikes our planet only every 1200 years or so.

The impact of a 50-meter asteroid is not cataclysmic–unless you happen to be underneath it. Yeomans points out that a similar-sized object formed the mile wide Meteor Crater in Arizona when it struck about 50,000 years ago. “That asteroid was made of iron,” he says, “which made it an especially potent impactor.” Also, in 1908, something about the size of 2012 DA14 exploded in the atmosphere above Siberia, leveling hundreds of square miles of forest. Researchers are still studying the “Tunguska Event” for clues to the impacting object.

“2012 DA14 will definitely not hit Earth,” emphasizes Yeomans. “The orbit of the asteroid is known well enough to rule out an impact.”

2012 DA (flyby, 200px)

A schematic diagram of the Feb 15th flyby. More

Even so, it will come interestingly close. NASA radars will be monitoring the space rock as it approaches Earth closer than many man-made satellites. Yeomans says the asteroid will thread the gap between low-Earth orbit, where the ISS and many Earth observation satellites are located, and the higher belt of geosynchronous satellites, which provide weather data and telecommunications.

“The odds of an impact with a satellite are extremely remote,” he says. Almost nothing orbits where DA14 will pass the Earth.

NASA’s Goldstone radar in the Mojave Desert is scheduled to ping 2012 DA14 almost every day from Feb. 16th through 20th. The echoes will not only pinpoint the orbit of the asteroid, allowing researchers to better predict future encounters, but also reveal physical characteristics such as size, spin, and reflectivity. A key outcome of the observing campaign will be a 3D radar map showing the space rock from all sides.

During the hours around closest approach, the asteroid will brighten until it resembles a star of 8th magnitude. Theoretically, that’s an easy target for backyard telescopes. The problem, points out Yeomans, is speed. “The asteroid will be racing across the sky, moving almost a full degree (or twice the width of a full Moon) every minute. That’s going to be hard to track.” Only the most experienced amateur astronomers are likely to succeed.

Those who do might experience a tiny chill when they look at their images. That really was a close shave.

from:    http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/28jan_2012da/

Nevada/California Border Earthquake

Exceptionally strong shallow earthquake along the border of Nevada and California

Last update: February 13, 2013 at 9:12 am by By Ashish Khanal

Update 09:12 UTC : Earthquakes and (expected) shaking intensities are not an exact science as you can see by comparing both images below. The population exposure is the theoretical map of the intensities as expected by USGS. Mammoth Lakes and Bishop are just falling in the MMI II radius (very weak shaking), which should have been hardly felt in these towns. But … people have felt this earthquake in a far wider radius (map just below this paragraph). Such maps are mainly an indication on what to expect in general. Do not blame USGS to be erroneous, because seismology (including intensities) is a very complicated matter. Earthquake waves are propagated through many layers in the earth and each layer can have a different propagation structure. We can assure you, USGS does great work in getting as close as possible to the reality and their work and accuracy are improving year after year.

Screen Shot 2013-02-13 at 10.03.14

Update 08:47 UTC : Since the mainshock we have counted 8 M3+ aftershocks. Aftershocks are normal and some faulting areas are very sensitive to aftershocks like this one.
– 28000 people will have experienced this as a weak earthquake. These are theoretical intensity values. As one can see below in our I Have Felt It reports, this earthquake was perceived by people at a far greater distance than the USGS did expect.

Exceptionally strong earthquake in a luckily sparsely populated area.
The maximum shaking intensity as calculated by the USGS was a weak to very weak shaking (MMI II or III).
The area has however a number of cattle barns in a radius of 10 to 20 miles from the epicenter and it cannot be excluded that these may have been damaged.
The epicenter area has NO volcanic past but influencing the seismic pattern of the nearby Mammoth Mountain volcanic field cannot be excluded.

Nevada shaking map February 12 2013

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 5.1

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-02-12 16:10:13

GMT/UTC Time : 2013-02-13 00:10:13

Depth (Hypocenter)  : 12.4 km

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2013/02/13/moderate-earthquake-nevada-on-february-13-2013/

North Korean Nuclear Test

North Korean nuclear test detected by agencies all over the world

Last update: February 12, 2013 at 5:04 pm by By

pdate : The focal mechanisms for a Nuclear Test are completely different than in case of an earthquake. The following webpages are showing a number of slides explaining what the difference is and how seismologists can recognize the pattern. Click here for these slides or click on the image below

Comparison seismogram in between Nuclear test and an earthquake

Update : We are very surprised that USGS has received some IHFI reports from within North Korea. They may have been reporting it without knowing that it was a nuclear test.

Update : A nuclear test (first described as earthquake) of very shallow depth has hit North Korea near to many different towns however up in the mountains. The magnitude of between 4.9 and 5.1 has been seen with depths ranging from 1km (USGS) to 10km from GEOFON. It is likely this is the 3rd nuclear test however, the Inchon, Korea seismogram is currently not visible online.
We will wait for more information but South Korea has possibly determined (there is always a lot of back chatter) that it is an artificial quake after looking at the seismograms.

Update : This is most likely artificial it is likely that there will be no damage in the neighbouring towns.
This was between 6 and 7 kilotons.

Screen Shot 2013-02-12 at 09.52.03

Anjik-kol (16km), Chik-tong (5km), Komunjik (16km) are the closest towns.
4 km (34 miles) N of Kimchaek, North Korea (pop 179,000)
80 km (50 miles) SW of Chongjin, North Korea (pop 582,000)
182 km (113 miles) SSW of Yanji, Jilin, China
380 km (236 miles) NE of PYONGYANG, North Korea

Update : Historically many earthquakes have hit North Korea causing damage, but no significant ones in the last few years. However, this is the 3rd nuclear test in the last few years.

Depending on the magnitude of the earthquake, and whether the Lg coda waves have been detected, it could be that this is a nuclear test and not an earthquake as such. Nuclear tests are usually around M4.5-5.0 depending on the amount of explosives used. Lg coda waves are one of the ways to tell if in fact this is a tectonic earthquake or a non-natural event. – THIS HAS NOW BEEN ESTABLISHED ACCORDING TO VARIOUS SOURCES (1 hr after)

North Korea nuclear test February 12 2013

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : M5.0

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2013-02-12 11:57:53

GMT/UTC Time : 2013-02-12 02:57:53

Depth (Hypocenter)  : 1.5 km

from:    http://earthquake-report.com/2013/02/12/moderate-earthquake-north-korea-on-february-12-2013/