Category Archives: Earth Stuff

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

Japan Strong Aftershock

Posted on by

Very strong coastal earthquake / aftershock near Ofunato, Japan

Last update: July 25, 2011 at 5:58 am by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell

Earthquake overview : At 1.34 PM (13:34), a very strong aftershock has shaken the Ofunato coastal area. Theearthquake had a magnitude of 6.4 following USGS.  The Ofunato coast was severely damaged during the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Intensity map courtesy JMA Japan – Orange: 5+ Yellow: 5-

FINAL UPDATE 25/07 05:49 UTC :
There has been 2 buildings damaged in Tono, in the Iwate Prefecture.
6 non-dwelling buildings have also been partially damaged.
In addition, one educational facility was damaged and also a cleaning facility.
No damage to nuclear facilities has occurred.
The damage denotes CATDAT ORANGE.

07:15 UTC : JMA has revised its earthquake parameters to a magnitude of 6.4 @ a depth of 47 km.

to read more, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/07/25/very-strong-coastal-earthquake-near-ofunato-japan/

Jellyfish force shutdowns of Nuclear Plants

Posted on by

Jellyfish Invasions Force Shutdowns at 3 Separate Nuclear Plants

Natalie Wolchover, Life’s Little Mysteries Staff Writer
Date: 07 July 2011 Time: 01:25 PM ET
-IMAGEALT-
In the Gulf of Mexico’s densest jelly swarms, there are more jellyfish than there is water. More than 100 jellies may jam each cubic meter of water.
CREDIT: Dauphin Island Sea Lab

 

A nuclear power plant on the coast of Israel was forced to shut down this week when its seawater cooling system became clogged with jellyfish. A similar incident temporarily disabled two nuclear reactors at the Torness power station on the Scottish coast last week. A week before, a reactor in Shimane, Japan was crippled by yet another jellyfish infiltration.

Amid speculation that warm waters and ocean acidification — both driven by climate change — are boosting jellyfish populations, are these three incidents signs of a growing trend?

“The several [power plant incidents] that happened recently aren’t enough to indicate a global pattern. They certainly could be coincidental,” said Monty Graham, a jellyfish biologist and senior marine scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab off the Gulf Coast of Alabama.

to read more, go to:    http://www.livescience.com/14945-jellyfish-invasions-force-shutdowns-3-separate-nuclear-plants.html

Alaska Volcano Preparing to Erupt

Posted on by

Alaska volcano shows signs of impending eruption

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska | Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:54am EDT

(Reuters) – Recent satellite images of a remote Alaska volcano along a flight route for major airlines show it may be poised for its first big eruption in 10 years, scientists said.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory has issued an eruption advisory for the 5,676 foot-tall (1,730 meters) Cleveland Volcano, located on the uninhabited island of Chuginadak in the Aleutian chain about 940 miles (1,500 km) southwest of Anchorage.

The advisory was based on “thermal anomalies” detected by satellite, the observatory said on Thursday. Those measurements indicate the volcano could erupt at any moment, spewing ash clouds up to 20,000 feet (3.7 miles/6 km) above sea level with little further warning, the observatory said.

to read more, go to:    http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/22/uk-usa-volcano-alaska-idUSLNE76L03220110722