Category Archives: Earth Stuff

News of Earth Changes, climate shifts, weather anomalies, volcanoes, etc

Van-Ercis, Turkey Aftershock

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Earthquake Van – Ercis, Turkey – 604 Dead, Large Aftershock 5.6 hits Van

Last update: November 8, 2011 at 10:37 pm by By 

Spending the night outside with some blankets and a campfire mainly because of the fear for aftershocks

Update 08/11 – 21:30 UTC A large aftershock has hit Van Province.
It has been given a magnitude 5.5 from KOERI at 4.3 km depth. (very close to Van)
A body wave magnitude 5.6 has been given from USGS at 9 km depth. (32km from Van).
This aftershock has been 14+ days after the mainshock of Mw7.2 and brings the total aftershocks in the M5-6 range up to 8.
This has a large chance of demolishing or further damaging existing homes. It is also potentially unsafe for those in moderately damaged buildings.
At last count:-
The current number of houses collapsed and damaged are as follows according to TRCS:- Collapsed – 2900 (in the order of 19000-26000 people)
Severely Damaged – 25,750 (Uninhabitable) (in the order of 190000-265000 people)
Moderately Damaged/Slightly Damaged – 40,800.
Undamaged – 33,422.

Update 07/11 – 04:43 UTC With the end of detailed analysis work from the CEDIM Forensic Earthquake Analysis Group in conjunction with us, we will now continue updating this page.
The current death toll is at 604, with 3 bodies having been found.
The injury toll was in the order of 4152.
The number of homeless as calculated through the CEDIM methodology for the current building losses is around 241,000 (up from around 183,000).

Currently 4,448 search and rescue, 1814 medical personnel, 20 search dogs, 668 construction equipment and vehicles including 179 ambulances, 146 generators, 79 projectors, 151 portable toilets, 53,949 tents (including 18,850 from overseas aid), 54 collective shelter tent, 109 general purpose tents, 60 prefabricated houses, 2,310 Mevlana houses, 283,551 blankets (including 93,980 from overseas aid), 1,386 quilts, 37 mobile kitchens, 3,051 kitchen sets, 8,701 catalytic stoves (684 from international aid), 5,792 sleeping bags, and 1 mobile kitchen are present.

The current number of houses collapsed and damaged are as follows according to TRCS:- Collapsed – 2779 (in the order of 18000-25000 people)
Severely Damaged – 21,674 (Uninhabitable) (in the order of 150000-225000 people)
Moderately Damaged/Slightly Damaged – 34,924.
Undamaged – 28,630.

for updates and more, go to: http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/23/very-strong-dangerous-earthquake-in-eastern-turkey/

 

 

 

Rwanda Volcano Eruption

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Rwanda Nyamulagira Volcano eruption in DR Congo

Last update: November 8, 2011 at 12:54 am by By 

Nyamulagira volcano, Democratic Republic of Congo – image courtesy Gorilla.cd – Virunga National Park

A spectacular fire show started last night when Nyamulagira volcano (also known as Nyamuragira) began an eruption that happens about every two years. The eruption could be seen clearly from the Virunga park headquarters – probably the best view you could ask for. It appears that the eruption isnot happening on the volcano itself, but on the side and lower to the ground. We’ll fill you in on details once we have them.

This is NOT the volcano that tourists hike to see the lava lake, but a far more active volcano just to the north. Most of the lava flows north into an area where no one lives, so it shouldn’t bring harm to people or wildlife as the flow is moving slowly.

Eruptions like this one can go on for days, weeks, or even months, so we’ll update you on the status.
(text courtesy gorilla – Virunga National Park)
Volcano information

Africa’s most active volcano, Nyamuragira is a massive high-potassium basaltic shield volcano that rises about 25 km north of Lake Kivu, NW of Nyiragongo volcano. Nyamuragira, also known as Nyamulagira, has avolume of 500 cu km, and extensive lava flows from the volcano blanket 1500 sq km of the western branch of the East African Rift. The broad low-angle shield volcano contrasts dramatically with its steep-sided neighbor Nyiragongo.

to read more, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/11/08/rwanda-nyamulagira-volcano-eruption-in-dr-congo/

5.8 Nicaragua Earthquake

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Very strong but deep earthquake below lake Nicaragua

Last update: November 7, 2011 at 11:54 pm by By 

Earthquake overview :  At 4:35 PM on November 7, 2011 a very strong earthquake was generated below Lake Nicaragua. Due to the depth of 183 km, the shaking will have been weakened a lot.

Lake Nicaragua – panoramio image courtesy McLaver

update : As expected by earthquake-report.com, no damage or injuries have been reported so far by the Dirección General de Bomberos y de la Cruz Roja Nicaragüense

Update : The Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales, Ineter, is reporting a magnitude of 5.8 at a depth of 164 km.

Update : The earthquake was felt as strong by people of Rivas, Moyogalpa, Altagracia and the Island of  Ometepe

Update : Cities with a MMI IV shaking ( K= 1000 people)
Belen 5k, Potosi 5k, Moyogalpa 4k, Buenos Aires    2k, Rivas 30k, San Jorge 7k, Masaya 130k, Tipitapa 127k,Managua 973k

Update : USGS has calculated with their models that nearly 3 million people will have experienced a light MMI IV shaking and 6.4 million people a weak MMI III shaking

Update : Tsunamis cannot be generated in this kind of earthquakes

Update : The depth of the hypocenter will have a weakening effect on the shaking. We expect no more than a weak to light shaking in a vast area of hundreds of km

Update : The earthquake was also felt in the neighboring countries

to read more and for updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/11/07/very-strong-but-deep-earthquake-below-lake-nicaragua/

5.7 Earthquake in Afghanistan

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Strong Afghanistan earthquake felt in all neighboring countries

Last update: November 7, 2011 at 1:37 pm by By 

Landscape in the epicenter area – Panoramio Image courtesy Romin Fararoon

Update : To simplify what happened, the depth can also be seen as the distance away from the location above it. Therefore deep earthquakes are felt the same way in many many locations as the waves will reach the surface with a similar strength over tens of km’s.

Update : Data as seen by other seismological agencies than USGS :
GFZ : M 5.5 @ 199 km
EMSC :   M 5.4 @ 221 km
Good signs that certainly NO damage will have been inflicted

Update : This earthquake was felt in such a wide area because of the combination of magnitude and depth

Update : nearly 7 million people will have felt a weak shaking

Update : a max. weak shaking has been felt in a very wide area

What initiated this article
Felt it Reports arrive from Pakistan
Preliminary data (not confirmed yet) are mentioning a 5.7 magnitude earthquake at very unsure depth
Light shaking is reported from Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Also from Afghanistan , Uzbekistan
Hopefully a deep earthquake ! Magnitude will be around 5.8
We are receiving a lot of I Have Felt It forms at the moment
Luckily, USGS reports a (preliminary) 5.8 earthquake at a (preliminary) depth of 219 km , which makes this earthquake harmless !

to read more, and for updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/11/07/strong-but-probably-harmless-afghanistan-earthquake/

Small Farmers on the Chopping Block

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How the Supercommittee Could Kill New Farmers Markets

—By Tom Philpott

| Wed Nov. 2, 2011 2:00 AM PDT
Farmers marketFarmers markets are just one of the sustainable ag programs now on the chopping block. NatalieMaynor/Flickr

Remember the farm bill, that monstrously complex, twice-a-decade omnibus legislation that shapes US agriculture and hunger policy? You know, the one that Michael Pollan andother sustainable foodies wrote so much about four years ago? Well, it’s back, earlier than expected (the last one doesn’t expire until 2012). And it has found itself caught in the crosshairs of DC budget hysteria—in a way that will likely reinforce the worst, most agribiz-friendly elements of US ag policy and defund the best parts, including programs that help farmers transition to organic and help communities start new farmers markets.

What gives?

In a story two weeks ago, Politico‘s David Rogers laid out what’s going on. The House and Senate ag committees have created a joint panel of four who are working furiously to do in a matter of days what usually takes more than a year: craft national food and farm policy for the next half-decade. They want to get it done in time to submit it to the budget-slashing “supercommittee,” whose work is scheduled to be done by Nov. 23.

The ag panel seeks to cut farm bill spending by $23 billion over the next 10 years, Rogers reported. The panel hasn’t submitted its proposal to the supercommittee yet—it’s expected to do so early this week—but Rogers wrote that broad outlines have emerged:

Nothing is set in stone, but the leadership anticipates that $14 billion to $15 billion would be cut from commodity supports—or roughly 24 percent from the baseline now projected by the Congressional Budget Office. At the same time, conservation programs would face a $6.5 billion reduction, or a 10 percent cut, and nutrition programs like food stamps would be asked to come up with $4 billion to $5 billion in savings, a less than 1 percent cut.

On the surface, given the austerity fever plaguing Washington, this distribution of cuts might seem to make sense: The commodity programs take a big cut, conservation takes a smaller one, and anti-hunger take a relatively minuscule one.

But in reality, the commodity cuts won’t change the incentives that push farmers to plant millions of acres of farmland with just a handful of crops: corn, soy, cotton, and wheat. That’s because the plan appears to be to replace the current system of direct payments—which pay commodity farmers $5 billion a year based on their acreage historically devoted to subsidy crops—with one based on government-funded revenue insurance that holds farmers’ incomes steady when prices drop.

Like the old system, the new insurance scheme would apply only to farmers who grow those subsidized commodity crops. The new setup would be cheaper than direct payments—projected to cost $3.5 billion per year versus $5 billion—but it continues to ensure that corn and soy will continue to blanket millions of acres: agribusiness as usual, in other words. Indeed, the National Corn Growers Association—the agribiz-linked voice of the nation’s industrial-scale corn farms—has vigorously endorsed the switch.

While the commodity cuts won’t affect the industrial-agriculture juggernaut, the cuts to conservation programs could have real ecological impact. And paring back food stamps at a time when a record 45 million Americans rely on them seems unconscionable.

Moreover, a whole slew of small farm bill programs designed to help farmers transition to organic, communities roll out new farmers markets, AND new farmers with start-up costs, could see draconian cuts. These programs, the result of years of lobbying work from groups like the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Community Food Security Coalition,have been grouped together by USDA deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan under the banner ofKnow Your Farmer, Know Your Food. Ferd Hoefner, policy director at NSAC and a veteran of farm bill fights dating to the ’70s, told me that such programs could lose as much as half of their funding under the current process.

All of that aside, the most egregious thing about the backroom farm bill being slapped together is that it completely shuts out grassroots participation in crafting national food and farm policy. The public farm bill fervor that rose up in 2007-08 has slammed up against a brick wall enclosing secret congressional hearings.

Now, it’s true the supercommittee’s efforts to cobble together a debt deal could fail. If that happens, what becomes of the backroom farm bill now being put together? I put that question to Hoefner. “Anyone’s guess,” he said. But the deal being made now will likely be the “starting point” for negotiations going forward, he added. And that, I think, is bad news for those of us who would like to see significant food policy reform.

Tom Philpott is the food and ag blogger for Mother Jones

from:    http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/11/farm-bill-supercommittee


Southern Plains Severe Weather Alert

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Severe weather, including Tornadoes likely on Monday for the South U.S. Plains

Published on November 5, 2011 9:40 am PT
– By TWS Senior Meteorologist
– Edited by Staff Editor


(TheWeatherSpace.com) – A storm system will move out of Southern California through Arizona on Sunday. This system will move eastward and impact Northwest Texas to Western Oklahoma in the form of supercells with a tornado setup developing. 


We usually want to wait for these things to get a bit closer for details to run the numbers for the Tornado Risk Model and this seems about the right time to get a ‘general’ idea of the setup

An upper level jet streak will be moving through the New Mexico and Western Texas border on Monday evening. This will provide the needed upper level divergence across the Eastern Texas Panhandle, down to Childress.

This upper level divergence, strong instability, good dewpoint/temp value, low level shear, and even convergence at the surface will make for a severe weather setup, including tornadoes on Monday evening.

This zone will be narrowed down and TheWeatherSpace.com does issue Tornado Watches on this site for viewers that are interested. Those watches appear on the top right of all articles and the main page when issued and one might be needed on Monday should trends continue.

The main threat will be hail, but the Tornado Model numbers indicate a yellow/red value which is good enough for EF1 to EF2 type tornadoes on the south end of the storm system, over and around Childress, Texas.

from:    http://www.theweatherspace.com/news/TWS-110511_severe-weather-plains-tornadoes-texas-oklahoma.html

Oklahoma Quake Aftershocks

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Oklahoma rattled by 5.6 earthquake

Homes damaged and roads buckled by series of shocks including the biggest on record in US state

Oklahoma has been shaken by a series of earthquakes

Oklahoma has been shaken by a series of earthquakes, culminating in a 5.6 magnitude quake that is the state’s biggest on record. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

Earthquakes of up to 5.6 magnitude have shaken Oklahoma, damaging buildings and roads and sending a handful of people to hospital.

The first quake was recorded on Saturday morning at a magnitude of 4.7. The second came on Saturday night and is the largest recorded in Oklahoma, topping a tremor of 5.5 magnitude in 1952, according to the US Geological Survey.

In Prague, Oklahoma, where the first quake was centred, city manager Jim Greff said part of the town library’s ceiling collapsed and a chimney fell through the roof of a home. There were no serious injuries.

The quake buckled highway 62 in three places west of Prague and sent a boulder “about the size of an SUV” tumbling onto a rural road in south-east Lincoln County, said Aaron Bennett, dispatch supervisor for the county’s emergency management division.

The quake was felt more than 300 miles away in Kansas City, where it rattled windows and shook houses for half a minute.

The second quake was a shallow 3.1 miles (5 km) deep and centered four miles east of Sparks, east of Oklahoma City.

JL Gilbert, owner of the Sparks Vineyard and Winery, about four miles from the epicentre of the second quake, said it lasted “a good 30 seconds”.

“It was a pretty good jolt. We’re not used to this. We’re used to being sucked up into the wind,” he said, referring to Oklahoma’s reputation as a tornado alley.

Earthquakes of a 4.0 magnitude east of the Rocky Mountains can typically be felt from up to 60 miles away, according to the USGS. A 5.5 magnitude quake can be felt up to 300 miles from its epicentre.

One of Gilbert’s employees went to the hospital after tripping and hitting his head on a doorway while scrambling to get out of his home, Gilbert said.

from:    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/06/earthquakes-oklahoma-biggest-ever?newsfeed=true

El Hierro Update

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El Hierro Volcano (Canary Islands) : Red alert – an impressive new stain forms in front of the coast

Last update: November 5, 2011 at 1:58 pm by By 

Data update 05/11 – 13:04 UTC :
Harmonic tremor remains very strong, while there were some slightly weaker periods during the night (see graph below).
– we have no data update from the Las Calmas sea at the moment. Only the picture below, which reveals a growing grey stain. The grey stain is believed to contain a lot of eruptive material.
– The webcam soap goes on, it takes 25 siestas before somebody @ El Pinar decides to do something (Joke is running the marathon to get something done).
Focal depths are still at a safe 17 to 21 km. But … what is safe, if a fissure eruption is going on only at a depth of 150 meter or less (as Raymond says) in front of the southern coast.

The eruptive grey and greenish stain during Saturday morning (right bottom corner, one of the oceanographic ships) – image copyright and courtesy Delmi Alvarez and Carias7.es

Update 05/11 – 12:13 UTC :
Our friends at IGN have a hard time too, as their servers are almost strangled by the many people visiting their lists and graphs. We have to thank IGN for their outstanding open source  information. Specialist followers always want more, but we never had the  feeling that information was kept away or hided from us.
The same goes to the government of the Canary Islands, the local administration and the UME, IGN, CSIC and other people guarding the safety of the islanders. They have an extremely hard time in communicating a very complicated information without a 100% guarantee (please bear in mind we talk about a volcano)

Update 05/11 – 12:13 UTC :
The coastal village / town of La Restinga is almost strangled by the current events. The village, mainly dependent on small fisherman and diving companies, is going through his hardest time since his existence. As all trade did came to a standstill since the early evacuation days, people have hardly something to eat! Aid has been promised, but the political and administrative hassle takes too long.

Update 05/11 – 11:28 UTC :
Pevolca will meet this morning at 12:00 UTC to discuss the present situation.  We expect that Pevolca is re-considering the (partly) closure of the Los Roquillas tunnel due to the frequent and strong earthquakes. The landslides and rockfall yesterday evening at Las Puntas (greater Frontera area) and the mandatory evacuation of 11 houses are indications in that direction.

Update 05/11 – 11:15 UTC :
3 rather strong earthquake respectively 3.0, 3.5 and 3.9 have struck the El Golfo area to the North West of Frontera. The focal depths were in between 20 and 21 km (as most of the others before).
The big difference with prior periods is that we now are having AND continuing strong earthquakes AND also INCREASED STRONG harmonic tremor. The rescaled IGN graph (yesterday evening) is almost saturated again.All this means very strong volcanic action below El Hierro.

Harmonic tremor from midnight UTC (05/11) until 11:00 UTC – image courtesy IGN

Update 05/11 – 08:44 UTC :
After last nights powerful 4.4 earthquake and even more after the shallower 3.6 earthquake with epicenter in the Puerto Naos area (south of the Island and almost below the Jacuzzis), the population of El Hierro is struggling in between the “Remain Calm” message of Pevolca and what they feel and see and smell themselves.

Los Roquillos tunnel closed until the early morning hours
The Director of the Civil Protection Plan for Volcanic Risk (PEVOLCA) has decided this evening to close thetunnel access road until 7.30 am as a preventive measure due to the 4.4 earthquake which took place at 20:36 hours. The possibility that a larger quake could occur according to the National Geographic Institute (IGN) required the notification to the public. The opening of the tunnel in the morning will be done with surveillance and security measures in place.
– The families living in 11 houses in Las Puntas have been evacuated out of fear of damaging landslides

Update 05/11 – 00:37 UTC :
New 3.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at 00:16 UTC in the Puerto Naos area. The depth  : 11 km. The quake was felt by islanders.

Data Update 04/11 – 18:53 UTC :

– Very strong harmonic tremor continues to feed the current eruptive vents
– The harmonic graph below is saturated from 13:00 UTC on = strong eruptive period
– 1 strong 3.8 magnitude earthquake at 13:41 UTC – location : El Golfo bay (approx. 4 km out of the coast – depth : 21 km
– 26 earthquakes since midnight UTC (less because of the eruptive period) – 2 earthquakes in between 1.5 and 2, 8 in between 2 and 2.5
– 2 earthquakes were felt by the islanders

harmonic tremor graph saturated since 13:00 UTC – image courtesy IGN Spain

Interesting photos:

 

Image courtesy Presidencia del Gobierno de Canarias – Click on the picture to see all the other pictures taken today

Strong November 4 turbulent waters – image courtesy government Canary Islands and IGN

to read more, get updates, see the videos, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/25/el-hierro-canary-islands-spain-volcanic-risk-alert-increased-to-yellow/

 

Oklahoma Earthquake

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Magnitude 4.7 Prague earthquake hits the greater Oklahoma / Tulsa area + many aftershocks

Last update: November 5, 2011 at 2:41 pm by By 

Earthquake overview : At 02:12 in the night, the people of the greater Oklahoma City / Tulsa / Prague area have been woken up by a moderate but well felt earthquake.  Chances on major damage are almost excluded.

Oklahoma City earthquake November 5 2011 – image courtesy USGS

Update 14:35 UTC : We have added a big load of new I Have Felt It reports.

Update 14:30 UTC : At 08:42 a new 3.4 magnitude aftershock struck exactly the same area.

Update 14:04 UTC : NewsOn6 Oklahomawrites that minor property damage has been reported but no injuries

Update 14:00 UTC : 5 aftershocks occurred since the mainshock, 3 of them greater than a magnitude 3 and well felt by most people.

Update 10:35 UTC : Many people in the epicenter area are reporting fallen objects, mostly objects hanging on walls and standing on cupboards.

Update 10:29 UTC : More aftershocks can be expected later in the night and after daylight, even the coming days. The will rarely reach Magnitude 4 although a stronger earthquake can never be excluded. Stronger aftershocks than mainshocks occur extremely seldom.

Update 09:55 UTC : An earthquake-report.com reader writes :  I happen to be in Bartlesville, OK – approximately 50 miles north of Tulsa and I too experienced the earthquake.  I was in the midst of checking email when a sort of noise seemed to creep up around me.  Odd description, I know, but that’s honestly the best way I can articulate the event as I encountered it.  I might have mistaken it for the wind except that it seemed to be coming from all around.  It wasn’t until some smaller objects on my dresser began to shimmy and chatter that I felt fairly certain that it was, in fact, an earthquake.  Well, that and the expression on Leo, the cat’s face that begged to say, “WTF?!” Good night and safe keeping to all…
A lot more testimonies below

Update 09:46 UTC : We are constantly adding I Have Felt It reports which we are still receiving at the moment.

Update 09:45 UTC : The largest earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma occurred on April 9, 1952 and had a magnitude of 5.5. The second largest was a 5.0 on October 22, 1882.

Update 09:21 UTC : The earthquake epicenter is very close to the Prague Arlington Cemetery. 

Update 09:18 UTC :  Local TV stations and the fire and police departments were  flooded by phone calls from people who reported feeling the quake.

Update 09:15 UTC :  So far 3 aftershocks have been registered. The first had a magnitude of 3.4 and the second and third  2.7

Update 09:12 UTC :  Some reports indicate that the earthquake has been felt as far as Kansas and North Texas.   

to read more, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/11/05/magnitude-4-7-earthquake-hits-the-greater-oklahoma-city-area/