Category Archives: Earth Stuff

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

Krakatau, Indonesia Earthquakes

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Krakatau, Indonesia – volcanic earthquakes are creating unrest in coastal villages

Last update: October 6, 2011 at 10:51 pm by By 

 

Image courtesy Aris Yanto – exploredesa.com

Indonesia Volcanology Centre and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG)prohibits people to approach Krakatau volcano within a radius of 2 kilometer. Krakatau has been seismically overactive since Tuesday.
On September 30 PVMBG increased the alert status from 2 to 3 (on a scale from 0 to 4).

 

Although nothing uncommon happens visually at the moment (Krakatau has small explosive eruptions many times a day all year), the number of volcanic earthquakes is very high since Tuesday.

The PVMBG specialists who are guarding the volcano are saying however that a violent eruption generating a tsunami is highly unlikely at this alert level (krakatau is an island and a huge part of the volcano is below sea level). Many coastal villages in the Sunda strait are very scared that this volcano with a violent past will explode again. Scientists can  predict volcano eruptions fairly good today. GPS recordings which show an eventual deformation of parts of the volcano are giving a good hint in the potential danger.
The inhabitants of the coastal villages have been told by the scientists that they should calm down because a major eruption like the 1883 is highly unlikely at this moment.

to read more, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/06/krakatau-indonesia-volcanic-earthquakes-are-creating-ner/

Get Ready for the Draconid Meteor Shower

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Draconid Meteor Outburst

Oct. 4, 2011: On October 8th Earth is going to plow through a stream of dust from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, and the result could be an outburst of Draconid meteors.

“We’re predicting as many as 750 meteors per hour,” says Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “The timing of the shower favors observers in the Middle East, north Africa and parts of Europe.”

Draconids (comet, 200px)

Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner in Nov. 1998 photographed by astronomers at Kitt Peak. [more]

Every 6.6 years Comet Giacobini-Zinner swings through the inner solar system. With each visit, it lays down a narrow filament of dust, over time forming a network of filaments that Earth encounters every year in early October.

“Most years, we pass through gaps between filaments, maybe just grazing one or two as we go by,” says Cooke. “Occasionally, though, we hit one nearly head on–and the fireworks begin.”

2011 could be such a year. Forecasters at NASA and elsewhere agree that Earth is heading for three or more filaments on October 8th. Multiple encounters should produce a series of variable outbursts beginning around 1600 Universal Time (noon EDT) with the strongest activity between 1900 and 2100 UT (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT).

Forecasters aren’t sure how strong the display will be, mainly because the comet had a close encounter with Jupiter in the late 1880s. At that time, the giant planet’s gravitational pull altered the comet’s orbit and introduced some uncertainty into the location of filaments it has shed since then. Competing models place the filaments in slightly different spots; as a result, estimated meteor rates range from dozens to hundreds per hour.

Draconids (models, 558px)

Comet dust stream models suggest a succession of peaks in meteor rate between 1600 and 2100 UT on Oct. 9th. Click here for details. Credit: MSFC/Meteoroid Environment Office.

One respected forecaster, Paul Wiegert of the University of Western Ontario, says the meteor rate could go as high as 1000 per hour — the definition of a meteor storm. It wouldn’t be the first time. Close encounters with dusty filaments produced storms of more than 10,000 Draconids per hour in 1933 and 1946 and lesser outbursts in 1985, 1998, and 2005.

Meteors from Comet Giacobini-Zinner stream out of the northern constellation Draco–hence their name. Draconids are among the slowest of all meteors, hitting the atmosphere at a relatively leisurely 20 km/s. The slow pace of Draconid meteors minimizes their danger to satellites and spacecraft and makes them visually distinctive.

“A Draconid gliding leisurely across the sky is a beautiful sight,” says Cooke.

Unfortunately, many of this year’s Draconids will go unseen. Draconids are faint to begin with, and this year they have to complete with an almost-full Moon. Lunar glare will reduce the number of meteors visible from Europe, Africa and the Middle East by 2- to 10-fold. The situation is even worse in North America where the shower occurs in broad daylight—completely obliterating the display.

for more, go to:    http://science1.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/04oct_draconids/

Argentina 6.2 Earthquake

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Very strong shallow earthquake in Argentina – San Pedro mayor speaks of “impressive shaking”

Last update: October 6, 2011 at 2:20 pm by By 

Update : Interview from Cadena3 with the “intendente” of San Pedro de Jujuy Mr. Esteban Zamar. San Pedro de Jujuy is the second most populated city of the Jujuy province and is located approx. 60 km from the epicenter.
Click here for the interview (Spanish)
Most important in English : Mr. Zamar is continuously thanking God that despite the intense shaking only light damage has been inflicted in San Pedro. He is thanking God too that nobody got hurt.

Update : People in the quake area have reported that the shaking lasted for about 10 seconds.

Update : The earthquake was also felt in Asuncion, Paraguay

Update : What astonishes us more and more at Earthquake-Report.com is that NO-ONE talks about the villages at a few km from the epicenter but ONLY about the provincial capitals (big cities of course). Most of the attention should go the the people living in a radius of 20 km from the epicenter location, even more when such a shallow earthquake occurs.

Update : So far no traces of serious damage or injuries. Signs of broken windows in San Salvador de Jujuy.
Mobile networks were out of business for several minutes in Salta.

Update : The information in the local press can be called “minimal”. Even the San Salvador de Jujuy local press (closest to the epicenter) has only a couple of paragraphs citing the seismic data as the main content.

Update : People living in San Pedro have reported a MMI VI shaking (strong shaking). San Pedro is approx. 60 km from the epicenter. San Pedro has a population of 58,430 people!)

Update : Based on our CATDAT data from November 19, 1973 and the current data, earthquake-report.com expects a similar kind of damage and NO casualties.

Update : James Daniell’s CATDAT reports : In November 19, 1973, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake produced damage in the town’s eastern provinces of Salta and Jujuy, especially in Santa Clara. No casualties. The estimated peak intensity reached VII degrees on the Modified Mercalli scale and had a magnitude Mb = 5.9 degrees on the Richter scale.
Besides this earthquake there have been many nearby earthquakes without major damage

to read more, and for the link to the interview, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/06/very-dangerous-and-very-strong-shallow-earthquake-in-argentina/

Historic Evidence of Collapse of Canary Islands Volcano

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Scientific paper reveals massive historic Tenerife volcano flank collapse

Last update: October 6, 2011 at 10:57 am by By 

Written by Dave Petley
Dave Petley is the Wilson Professor of Hazard and Risk in the Department of Geography at Durham University in the United Kingdom. His blog provides a commentary on landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.

This post provides a brief review of a new paper that describes a newly discovered catastrophic landslide deposit in Tenerife.
One of the most intriguing but poorly understood landslide types is that of thevolcanic flank collapse.  In a volcanic flank collapse, the side of a volcano fails, usually catastrophically, generating a landslide.  These slides can be really big – tens or even hundreds of cubic kilometers – and they can travel huge distances along the sea floor.  Such failures grabbed attention a few years ago due to the potential (overstated, in my opinion) for generating a catastrophic tsunami.

However, we understand such phenomena  really poorly.  There are a number of reasons for this, principally that:
a. They occur rarely (globally about one in every 25 years on average), so actually recording one is a challenge
b. the remains tend to lie in a very dispersed state on the floor of the deep ocean.  Fieldwork at 4 km water depth remains difficult, even if you are really good at holding your breath.

However, it is one particular aspect of these landslides that remains elusive, but is crucially important.  This is the trigger of the collapse event (i.e. of the landslide itself).  Numerous mechanisms have been proposed, including sea level change, climate change, hydrothermal pressure, intrusion of volcanic material, and various others.  It has proven very difficult to ascertain the importance of each of these.  This is an important question if we are to reliably estimate the hazard associated with future potential collapses.

In a paper published in Geology this month, Harris et al. 2011 report a very interesting find on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. This is the remains of an ancient collapse event on the south-eastern part of Cañadas volcano.  The landslide deposit, which is up to 50 metres thick, has been mapped across a large area – 90 square kilometres – and this is just the onshore component of the mass, which may extend another 50 km offshore.  The deposit consists of a classic debris avalanche material, with large (typically up to 12 m long axis), shattered blocks in a highly disrupted, unsorted matrix.  This is typical of a highly energetic, very large collapse event. Intriguingly, in the upper part of the deposit some fluviolacustrine (water/lake) sediments are found in the remains of hollows, indicating that in the aftermath of the landslide shallow lakes formed on the surface, presumably as a result of blockages created by the landslide.  Associated with the landslide deposit are the remains of pyroclastic flows.

to read more, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/06/scientific-paper-reveals-massive-historic-tenerife-volcano-flank-collapse/

Severe Weather on the Way

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10/5/2011– Tornaodes in Texas & Snow out west = severe coming to midwest / east coast soon

Posted on October 5, 2011 by sincedutch

 

As the low pressure system moves in from the west / northwest .. it is pulling cold air to the south.. also.. the southern arm of the system is pulling warm air up from the south.. mixing in North Texas.. producing tornadoes / tornadic cells.

here is the video:

to see the video and for more, go to:   http://sincedutch.wordpress.com/

New Minister of Antiquities in Egypt

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New antiquities head, new plan, protestors satisfied
The newly appointed secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities says he will meet protestors’ demands, promises reform
Nevine El-Aref , Sunday 2 Oct 2011
Today, in his first day in office, newly appointed Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Mostafa Amine met with protestors camped in front of the SCA’s Abassiya building for four days.

Amine told Ahram Online that he told protestors that he agreed with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to immediately resolve their problems and to appoint all temporary staff who have spent more than three years working at SCA.

As a first step, he asserted, 4065 temporary employees will be immediately appointed to be followed by more appointments until the almost 12,000 temporary employees are all made permanent. The protestors were convinced and promised to end their protest.

But what about fresh graduates?

Amine responded that for the time being it is impossible to hire new graduates as “We have to appoint the temporary staff first, as they have priority.” “They are among the SCA’s staff and its office echelon,” Amine pointed out, asserting, “I have to first fix the conditions of the SCA’s temporary staff and then see about outsiders.”

Amine said the delay in appointing the temporary staff is not the fault of the SCA’s last secretary general, but rather is the fault of the previous government. Even the 4065 temporary employees that former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass had approved appointing were not appointed due to government reluctance amid fears that other ministries would ask for the appointment of their temporary staff.

Amine also met top SCA officials and listened to their complaints. He informed them of the details of his meeting with Sharaf in an attempt to open a new page with them and other SCA staff. “I am the son of the SCA and all the staff are my colleagues,” Amine said.

Asked about the fate of Egypt’s ancient monuments under his tenure, given his specialty in Islamic and Coptic monuments, Amine assured that his training would not be an obstacle to caring for ancient Egyptian monuments. “My duty is to preserve Egypt’s antiquities, whether Islamic, Coptic, Jewish and Pharaonic,” Amine confirmed.

Amine told Ahram Online that he wants some time to reorganise the SCA and its administrative and archaeological works, but he promises to complete the SCA’s mega projects such as the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) overlooking the Giza Plateau, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC), as well as removing all encroachment at Al-Muizz Street and at Sphinxes Avenue in Luxor in order to reopen it soon.

Amine said that his first decisions as SCA secretary general were to appoint former secretary general Mohamed Abdel Fatah as the head of the NMEC Supreme Committee, and Adel Abdel Satar to head the Islamic and Coptic Antiquities Department. Amine was formerly head of that department.

for more, go to:    http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/9/40/23109/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/New-antiquities-head,-new-plan,-protestors-satisfi.aspx

 

10/04 Severe Weather — AZ

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Arizona Dust storm causes pileups on Tuesday due to Severe Thunderstorms

Published on October 5, 2011 11:30 am PT
– By TWS Weather Reporter
– Signed by SEO Officer



(TheWeatherSpace.com) – Phoenix has seen its fair share of dust storms and thunderstorms this season, far more than most. However, on Tuesday one of those storms created a major pile-up, killing one and injuring many on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson.

TWS Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin warned people in Arizona that severe thunderstorms would hit and a severe thunderstorm watch was needed for the area. There was no severe thunderstorm watch issued for Phoenix residents.

fr/http://www.theweatherspace.com/news/TWS-100511_phoenix-arizona-storms.html

Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread

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‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests spread to D.C., Boston, L.A. and Chicago

View Photo Gallery —  The movement is seeking to gather 20,000 people to set up beds, kitchens and peaceful barricades in order to occupy Wall Street for a few months as Boston protests support their effort to end corporate greed.

Tuesday, October 4, 12:55 PM

The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protest movement that began last month has begun to take root nationally, with sympathy rallies planned in other major cities across the U.S.. As Colum Lynch reported :

New York’s budding anti-capitalism protest movement began last month with a vague sense of grievance over the widening gap between the rich and poor in America.

But in three weeks, it has provided fuel for a broader national anti-corporate message, drawing inspiration from the Arab Spring but struggling to define its goals beyond a general feeling that power needs to be restored to ordinary people.

Now similar protests are springing up in Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago, and organizers in Washington plan a march at Freedom Plaza on Thursday to “denounce the systems and institutions that support endless war and unrestrained corporate greed.”

On Monday morning, the scene at the heart of the self-styled Occupy Wall Street movement — Zuccotti Park, two blocks north of Wall Street — had the feeling of a street fair, with women in brightly colored wigs playing with hula hoops.

A collection of protesters wearing white face paint with streaks resembling blood at their lips conducted a “zombie parade” down Broadway to underscore what they see as the ghoulish nature of capitalism.

Despite having no single leader and no organized agenda, the protesters insist they are on the verge of translating their broad expression of grievance into a durable national cause. “The criticism has focused on the lack of cohesion in our message and demands,” said Arthur Kohl-Riggs, 23, a political activist from Madison, Wis. But what the critics don’t understand, he said, is “the value of forming a direct democratic movement” that is not controlled by political elites.

 

The protests gained more institutional support when a national transit union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, pledged its support Tuesday. As Michael Bolden explained:

The “Occupy Wall Street” movement has been winning support from many quarters, but the latest comes from the world of transportation.

On Tuesday, the Amalgamated Transit Union, with more than 190,000 members in the United States and Canada, pledged its support.

to read more, find the links, and check out the photos, go to:    http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/occupy-wall-street-protests-spread-to-dc-boston-la-and-chicago/2011/10/04/gIQA9IOOLL_story.html

 

Romanian Earthquake

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Deep moderate Vrancea earthquake worries Romania

Last update: October 4, 2011 at 2:27 pm by By 

Also written by Szombath Balazs
Earthquake overview : At 05:40 on October 4 a Vrancea deep earthquake measuring 4.7 magnitude made the Romanian people nervous. The epicenter was located in a wilderness area near Plostina. Biggest cities in the area are Focsani and Brasov. The earthquake was also well Felt in the capital Bucharest.

 

Seismic Hazard map courtesy USGS

 

Update 14:12 UTC : Some Romanian press is predicting another magnitude 6 earthquake later this year. Earthquake-Report.com condemns such predictions as NOBODY IN THE WORLD can with a great certainty predict earthquakes. Science is making progress but we are far from a better than a lottery prediction. DO NOT BELIEVE earthquake predictions but BE PREPARED to survive them if it happens.  Your telephone will NOT ring to announce an earthquake.
Au inceput sa apara stiri care prevestesc un cutremur mai puternic anul acesta in Romania. Cele mai multe dintre ele fac referire la un cutremur de cel putin 6 grade magnitudine. Earthquake-Report.com condamna astfel de predictii din simplul motiv ca NIMENI IN LUMEA ASTA nu poate sa spuna cand sau unde va lovi un cutremur. Stiinta face pasi in aceasta privinta dar suntem departe de Loterii stiintifice. NU CREDETI in aceste predictii dar FITI PREGATITI pentru cutremure pentru a trece cu bine prin ele!

UPDATE 13:20 UTC:  Cutremurul s-a produs s-a produs in jurul orei 5:40, la o adancime de 134 km. Epicentrul a fost aproape de Focsani, la o distanta de 52 km de oras. A fost simtit si in capitala, Bucuresti. Sepcific zonei Vrancea cutremurele de mare adancime sunt simtite pe o arie larga. Zona Gura Teghii a fost activa in aceasta perioada prin seisme produse la adancimi mai mari de 130 km. Magnitudinea a fost diferita in statiile seismice deoarece propagarea este neuniforma. Acceleratia din Bucuresti a fost mai mare fata de inregistrarile din Vrancea. Seismul este important pentru ca s-a produs in zona de neliniaritate a energiei. Multumim I.R.S.A. (Institutul Roman de Seismologie Aplicata) pentru informatii.

UPDATE 9:24 UTC: The site of NIEP (National Institute for Earth Physics) gives a magnitude of 4.8 at 134 km depth. The site was down for a while due to high traffic.

Today’s earthquake’s hypocenter was at 128.4 km at a normal expected depth for Romanian Vrancea earthquakes. Contrary to most other earthquake locations in Europe, Romania has a specific deep faulting zone.

The epicenter was located right in the highest seismic hazard area (see map at right (dark red). This area has the biggest peak ground acceleration in Romania.

to read more, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/10/04/deep-moderate-vrancea-earthquake-worries-romanians/