Category Archives: Earth Stuff

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

Rare Snowstorms in Italy

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Italy slammed with snowstorm, dual snow systems forecast for the region

Published on February 1, 2012 – 5:30 pm PT
– By TWS Staff Reporter
– Edited by Staff Editor


“Italy is seeing some rare, but deadly freeze and snowfall conditions,” said Martin. “After this storm, expect another Friday and Saturday, with continued snowfall and arctic freeze conditions through at least the next week.”(TheWeatherSpace.com) – Italy was hit by a snowstorm on Wednesday and another one is on the way as Europe continues to freeze.

TheWeatherSpace.com Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin predicted Italy would see snow back at the beginning part of the week (article here). So far those predictions are coming true and he predicts yet another storm system.
So far the freezing temperatures across Europe have claimed the lives of 80 people. With another week left, the number would sure to climb as the arctic freeze grips the continent.

from:    http://www.theweatherspace.com/news/TWS-2112-italy-snow-storm-europe.html

 

And from Rome:

Rare Rome snowstorm closes Colosseum

Fri Feb 3, 2012 1:37pm GMT
Tourists protect themselves with umbrellas from the falling snow in front of Rome's ancient Colosseum February 3, 2012. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
1 of 1Full Size

ROME (Reuters) – Heavy snow fell in central Rome Friday, giving tourists a rare sight of whitened landmarks such as Saint Peter’s Square and the Trevi Fountain, while the Colosseum and the Roman Forum were closed due to the icy conditions.

In the heaviest snowfalls in the Italian capital since the 1980s, around 40 cm of snow had settled in the northern outskirts of the city by midday. It is forecast to intensify throughout the day and overnight, before easing off Saturday.

Mayor Gianni Alemanno instructed schools to remain open on Friday and Saturday but not to hold any lessons in order that children unable to attend did not fall behind. He said Friday only 5 percent of children had gone to school.

The unaccustomed snow caused traffic jams around the ancient city.

Heavy snow has fallen over much of Italy this week causing severe disruption to train and road transport, especially in the mountainous regions of Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria.

Wednesday passengers were stuck for seven hours in the countryside on a train that was to have gone from Bologna in the north to Taranto in the south after the electrical wires froze over.

(Reporting By Gavin Jones)

from:    http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE8120UD20120203

Blue Balls Falling from the Sky in England

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Mysterious Blue Balls Fall from Sky in England

Benjamin Radford, DiscoveryNews
Date: 01 February 2012 Time: 11:17 AM ET
Chemists plan to analyze the strange blue globules, which seem to have just appeared in a backyard in England.
Chemists plan to analyze the strange blue globules, which seem to have just appeared in a backyard in England.
CREDIT: Screengrab, BBC Video

A man in Dorset, England, recently found about two dozen mysterious clear blue gel balls in his backyard, setting off aninternational mystery. Steve Hornsby claimed that the globules, each about an inch in diameter, fell into his garden during a brief rainshower last week.

Though Hornsby didn’t actually see the balls drop during the shower, he believes they were not in his garden before the storm (since his wife didn’t mention seeing them). He found the odorless globules to be very slippery and difficult to pick up, requiring a spoon to collect them.

Speculation about the strange substance has run rampant; Hornsby thought they might have been created by air pollution that had somehow solidified. Some speculated they were fish eggs that had somehow been picked up and dropped during the storm by a passing flock of birds. Others thought they might be related to UFOs or extraterrestrials; at least one person wondered if angels might poop clear blue gel pellets.

Researchers from nearby Bournemouth University took the balls for study and have been able to rule out some of the more implausible explanations. The Guardian newspaper quoted a research assistant named Josie Pegg as saying that “Now that we have possession of a sample we can rule out some of the early guesses. Having examined the balls under a high-powered microscope, we can discount living material.”

So whatever they are, they’re not organic and therefore not eggs.

One clue as to the blue balls’ identity can be found in the precise location they were found: only in the Hornsbys’ garden. None were found on the roof, in other yards, or on nearby roads. Obviously if the strange stuff had fallen from the sky they would have been found on roofs and over a wider area.

The best guess so far: small clear colored balls of a hydrating gel called sodium polyacrylate,which are commonly used by florists to keep fresh cut flowers preserved and salable. The gel can absorb hundreds of times its weight in water, and slowly releases the moisture without rotting the flower stems.

Why might they be in the Hornsbys’ garden? Perhaps they were spilled, unnoticed, by someone who was cutting flowers and putting them in water-and-gel-filled vases. Perhaps a neighborhoodkid or pranking tosser got ahold of the blue balls and threw them over Mr. Hornsby’s fence for a bit of sport.

However they got there, the identity of the mysterious balls should soon have an answer, as a chemical analysis is being performed to finally solve the mystery.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/18242-mysterious-blue-balls-fall-sky-england.html

Indonesia Earthquake near Bengkulu

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Ml5.9 earthquake hits Indonesia close to Bengkulu – damaged houses

Last update: February 1, 2012 at 10:47 am by By 

 

Earthquake Shakemap (Courtesy: BMKG, Indonesia)

Earthquake overview :

BMKG is reporting a moderate depth earthquake of magnitude 5.9 (29km deep according to BMKG, 69km deep according to USGS) near Bengkulu in Indonesia.

UPDATE:  A number of damaged buildings occurred including the buildings of the Regional Investment Coordinating Board (BKPMD) Bengkulu province and the building Indonesia Journalists Association (PWI) Bengkulu.

Walls of two other buildings were cracked. The earthquake also made a collapsed the roofs of a number of houses. “The roof of my house collapsed due to earthquake. There are also some sections of the wall which cracked,” said Sido Mulyo Village residents, the city of Bengkulu.

UPDATE: The shock of the earthquake was strong enough to make most of the citizens of the cities of Bengkulu and Mukomuko jump and run out of the house to save themselves. It has caused much panic. In the city of Bengkulu, picture frames and paintings have fallen. A citizen of Mukomuko reported that the earthquake shaking was felt strongly and was of short duration.

UPDATE: There is currently no damage data coming out of Indonesia but it has been felt in Bengkulu. The hypocenter was offshore.

UPDATE: There is currently a large difference between hypocenters from various agencies. The Indonesian data gives the most chance of damage in Bengkulu.

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 5.6Mb (USGS), 5.3Mw (GEOFON), 5.9Ml (BMKG)
UTC Time : Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 07:14:27 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 14:14:27 UTC
Depth (hypocenter) : 69km (USGS), 71km (GEOFON), 29km (BMKG)
Geo-location(s) : 30 km KOTA-BENGKULU, 34 km KEPAHIANG-BENGKULU , 42 km SELUMA-BENGKULU , 34 km BENGKULU-BENGKULU , 588 km BaratLaut JAKARTA-INDONESIA

for updates and more information, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/01/ml5-9-earthquake-hits-indonesia-close-to-bengkulu/

Alaska Volcano Alert Level Upped

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Cleveland Volcano alerts upgraded on renewed activity (again)

Alaska Dispatch | Jan 31, 2012

According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the aviation color color code and the alert level of Cleveland Volcano was upgraded on Tuesday to “Orange” and “Watch” to reflect new satellite data indicating increased activity.

The east central Aleutian Chain volcano, which sits 45 miles west of the community of Nikolski, has spent much of the past year teasing that it would erupt, and its status has alternated between “Yellow/Advisory” and the more serious “Orange/Watch” four times since July 2011.

The AVO reports that the lava dome that had developed at Cleveland last year was mostly removed by a brief explosive episode at the end of December. But new satellite images indicate that a fresh lava dome,approximately 130 feet in diameter, has formed in the summit crater.

There have been no explosions or ash emissions detected during the current lava eruption, but the AVO notes that it remains possible for intermittent, sudden explosions of blocks and ash to occur at any time, and ash clouds exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level may develop.

Because Cleveland is not covered by real-time seismic sensors, such explosions and their associated ash clouds may go undetected in satellite imagery for hours.

Read the latest from the AVO’s Cleveland status page, here, and read the bulletin announcing the new status upgrade from the U.S. Geological Survey, here.

from:    http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/cleveland-volcano-alerts-upgraded-renewed-activity-again

Tritum Particles Released near Chicago

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1/30/2012 — Nuclear plant vents RADIOACTIVE steam onto DOWNTOWN CHICAGO

Posted on January 31, 2012

Watch the video update here:

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ALERT!

If you were outside today in Downtown Chicago — Any time after about 1030am CST — 1/30/2012 — chances are , you may have been exposed to NUCLEAR RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT from the steam that was vented by the  Byron Illinois / Exelon Nuclear power plant.

More specifically, aerosolized particulates of Tritium were in the clouds of steam released—- those clouds then blew down into Chicago area proper.  As to whether people inhaled these particles — only time will tell now.

(links below):

Here is the full story:

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/300465/3/Illinois-nuclear-reactor-loses-power-venting-steam-

Here is a screenshot of the current prevailing winds:

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Overlay the two maps above and you’ll see that ANYTHING vented from that Nuclear plant DID INDEED blow into Chicago proper.

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More about Tritium here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tritium&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Tritium (play/ˈtrɪtiəm/ or /ˈtrɪʃiəm/; symbol T or 3
H, also known as hydrogen-3) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Thenucleus of tritium (sometimes called a triton) contains one proton and twoneutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium (by far the most abundant hydrogen isotope) contains one proton and no neutrons. Naturally occurring tritium is extremely rare on Earth, where trace amounts are formed by the interaction of the atmosphere with cosmic rays. The name of this isotope is formed from the Greek word “tritos” meaning “third.”

Health risks

Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen, which allows it to readily bind tohydroxyl radicals, forming tritiated water (HTO), and to carbon atoms. Since tritium is a low energy beta emitter, it is not dangerous externally (its beta particles are unable to penetrate the skin), but it is a radiation hazard when inhaled, ingested via food or water, or absorbed through the skin.[14][15][16][17] HTO has a short biological half-life in the human body of 7 to 14 days, which both reduces the total effects of single-incident ingestion and precludes long-term bioaccumulation of HTO from the environment[16].

Tritium has leaked from 48 of 65 nuclear sites in the United States, detected in groundwater at levels exceeding the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards by up to 375 times.      

 

for more, go to:    http://sincedutch.wordpress.com/

 

Ica, Peru Strong Earthquake

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Very strong dangerous earthquake near Ica, Peru

Last update: January 30, 2012 at 2:43 pm by By 

The centre of Ica – damage is expected to be found as day breaks. (Wiki Commons, Oliver Etchebarne)

Shaking map : max : MMI VI – courtesy USGS

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 6.3
UTC Time : Monday, January 30, 2012 at 05:11:00 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Monday, January 30, 2012 at 12:11:00 AM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 39 km
Geo-location(s) :
23 km (14 miles) SE (134°) from Ica, Peru
97 km (60 miles) SSE (147°) from Chincha Alta, Peru

Update 14:40UTC:  Indeci still maintains the figures of 98 injured,  3 people homeless, 10 people in affected houses, 1 destroyed house and 2 damaged, however other reports give much higher damaged buildings estimates.

An intensity of V was seen in Ica, meaning lower damage to be expected. The hypocenter was updated to Ml6.3, but the depth was 54km.  (The epicenter was 47km SW of Ica).

Update 13:40UTC:  The reports from earlier have been confirmed that the cathedral in Ica had several blocks of the roof which fell down, luckily not killing anyone.

Update 12:40UTC: Around 100 people have been injured, however most are not seriously injured with only 12 of these severely injured.

Update 12:00UTC: The statistics remain the same as at 11.00 UTC – 96 people injured, at least 10 houses destroyed, power and water outages.

Update 11:00UTC:
There have been 96 people injured as a result, according to the preliminary damage information provided by Civil Defence authorities. Many houses have been damaged as a result of the earthquake and a number of homeless are expected. At least 10 houses have been deemed uninhabitable.

Some sections of Ica are still without power and water. The wall of the third floor of a house located at the same intersection of the Piura and Chincha avenues near Ica collapsed and crashed into the center of the house after the earthquake in the morning. It did not have any cross bracing.

For persons injured by the earthquake in Ica, the General Office of National Defense, Ministry of Health informed the Emergency Operations Center National INDECI that they have been evacuated to hospitals and health centers for immediate care.

Staff of the National Police of Peru are currently in all the provinces of the Ica region, while the Civil Defense Office of the provincial and district municipalities are conducting an assessment and monitoring test in coordination with the Regional Directorate of INDECI in Ica.

For its part, Ica regional authorities made ​​an assessment visit in the districts of Ocucaje and Santiago in order to determine damage assessment and needs analysis.

INDECI boss, General Alfredo Espinoza Murgueytio, has travelled in the last hours to the city of Ica, to coordinate with the Regional Government authorities and assess the damage caused by the earthquake.

It should be noted that the quake was also felt in the regions of Lima, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Junin and Arequipa.

Update 10:00UTC:  In addition, many sectors of the city of Ica are still without electric service and several homes were badly damaged. Even a few structures that withstood the 2007 earthquake, now collapsed such as the cornice of St. Joseph Church and the old houses near Ica. We at earthquake-report.com believe that there will be significant losses discovered as day breaks. The number of injured is 70 and no deaths have been reported as yet. Power outages however are making information distribution difficult at the moment.

for more information and updates, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2012/01/30/very-strong-shallow-dangerous-earthquake-near-ica-peru/

Gregg Braden on Changes

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Here is an interview with Gregg Braden concerning the changes that are happening at this time, including prophecies,  ancient texts, magnetics, Schumann Resonance, the Great Shift of the Ages, etc., etc. etc.

Check it out here:

Something Big is About to Happen Gregg Braden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GicOsOY6oO8&feature=player_embedded

 

New Zealand Earthquake and MORE

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1/28/2012 — 6.2 magnitude earthquake in New Zealand — MASSIVE amount of 5.0M quakes this past week

Posted on January 28, 2012

watch the video update here:

 

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January 28, 2012 — North of New Zealand a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0007swv.php

Magnitude 6.2 – KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND

 

from:    http://sincedutch.wordpress.com/

El Hierro Update

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–

El Hierro Volcano : Yellow-Red alert – at least 300 SLS in 2 hours time

Last update: January 28, 2012 at 3:01 pm by By 

Update 28/01 – 14:59 UTC
– Julio del Castillo Vivero Time lapse from the volcano activity from 07:20 until 13:00 today, including the Salvamar Adhara lava balloon fishing.

Update 28/01 – 12:36 UTC
– Joke was very busy taking pictures this morning. This is a selection from the many she has taken. These images are so big that a simple cutout can give the detail as can be seen below. Click on one of the 2 images to see the full series.

Update 28/01 – 11:32 UTC
– A lot of SLS this morning
– NO earthquakes since midnight UTC
– Harmonic tremor had a hard time surviving at 02:00 but picked up at 07:01 and remains minimally active until now.
– Salvamar Adhara is out fishing lava balloons. Some stones seem to be really big today. Look at the size of the black stones in the water in relation to the size of the Salvamar Adhara.
– Joke just reported that in 2 hours time (from 08:00 until 10:00) she has seen more than 300 SLS. She also pointed out that the lava baloons are surfacing further to Tenerife (to the left) than ever before. We think this is normal as it was described in the lava balloon document we have published a few weeks ago. Some SLS are only starting to float during the rolling down process from the vent to the base of the volcano. The reason was not explained, but it might be the breaking apart during the rolling process of a  heavier part enabling gas inside to start the floating process.

Salvamar Adhara and smoking Lava stones – fishing stones close to the action – Image captured by ER reader Penny

Update 27/01 – 13:59 UTC
– 12 earthquakes today, even more than in the beginning of January.
– as so many among you reported, a few strong smoking spectacular lava balloons today.
– Harmonic tremor strated to be more active again from 14:27, so any link with the sudden strong LB episode is hard to find.
– Joke and some friends made some great shots of what was going on today. Click here to see them in our Picaweb
– A lot of you must have seen the Salvamar Adhara out in the sea. Joke waited for them when they arrived in the port and has some pictures of the (meager) catch. One Lava Balloon and 2 jellyfish!
– Another regular contributor to Earthquake-Report.com is Julio del Castillo Vivero. Julio is recording a lot during the day and starts to look at his recordings if he reads some emotional comments. Here are Julios images captured during the 16:00 action
– I do apolize for not being able to instantly report on events as i am on a holiday with limited time at the PC. Sometimes i am on new developments and sometimes i try to catch up a little later.

Lava Balloon surfacing with a lot of smoke – image captured by Julio del Castillo Vivero

Update 27/01 – 13:59 UTC
The first set of pictures made by Joke this morning. Click here

Update 27/01 – 13:00 UTC
Dr. Elena González Cárdenas, has written an article showing fault lines, different vents and building up a theory as what probably is happening at the seafloor.  What wonders us most is all these new pictures which are shown in this document, pictures which are probably only circulating in a narrow scientific circle. This document reveals much more from what is going on, than weeks of Pevolca communication. Congratulations to Dr. Cardenas and Avcan (the people who have probably asked Dr. Cardenas to write the document).  Click here to read the Spanish document and use Google translate to pick up most of the content. We are sure that people following this eruption a long time will perfectly understand the scenario as written by Dr. Cardenas. Thanks to a number of ER readers + Joke who attracted our attention to this document.

Image courtesy AVCAN and Guardia Civil helicopteres / Involcan

Update 27/01 – 12:22 UTC
– 4 more earthquakes stressing the pressure of the magma beneath the island and creating a new phase of the eruption. Will the current vent remain the only vent, and if not, where will the magma try to find his way up.
27/01/2012    06:57    15    0.7    4     W FRONTERA.IHI
27/01/2012    07:39    9    0.4    4     SW EL PINAR.IHI
27/01/2012    07:55    15    0.5    4     W FRONTERA.IHI
27/01/2012    09:18    12    0.9    4     W EL PINAR.IHI
– The 04:24 earthquake as mentioned by ER reader Ann-Kristin has probably a tectonic origin (based on the graph and as the form is totally different from volcanic earthquakes). It can be triggered though through deformation of the island.
– As for deformation (lateral deformation), no big changes. Values are a little higher yesterday. We are very curious if the many earthquakes from today will not chnage this pattern, as it did in early January.
– The jacuzzi and stain are still surviving. No surprise as a minimal HT is still present on the graph.

Update 27/01 – 07:09 UTC
– 5 earthquakes since midnight
27/01/2012    01:02            12        0.9    SW EL PINAR.IHI
27/01/2012    02:13        13        0.9    SW EL PINAR.IHI
27/01/2012    04:24        13        2.0    W EL PINAR.IHI
27/01/2012    06:27           11        0.4    EL PINAR.IHI
27/01/2012    06:27        11        0.4    W EL PINAR.IHI
– continuing minor harmonic tremor

 

for more information and updates, go to this well researched and articulate site:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/25/el-hierro-canary-islands-spain-volcanic-risk-alert-increased-to-yellow/

Crete, Greece earthquakes

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2nd M5+ earthquake in 2 days near Crete, Greece

Last update: January 27, 2012 at 11:02 pm by By 

Chania (Khania) – where the shaking was strongest (Courtesy: Lappländer, Wiki Commons)

Earthquake overview : For the 2nd time in 2 days, a moderate earthquake has hit off the northern coast of Greece near Heraklion. The town of Khania recorded an intensity of V, and in some places in Heraklion it was felt as strongly.

The first earthquake had an intensity V in Iraklion and had a magnitude 5.2 striking early yesterday morning (Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 06:24:59 AM LT). Today’s earthquake had about the same magnitude.

Civil protection officials said no damage to buildings was reported, but two people were slightly injured trying to flee their homes on the island of Crete.

Last year, the Crete earthquake of M6.2 in January 2011 had minor car damage in Iraklion and minor non-structural house damage caused less than the criteria needed to be classified as a “CATDAT Damaging Earthquake”.

These two earthquakes have not been damaging, however the second becomes a CATDAT Orange quakeand will be included in the 2012 Annual Review of Earthquakes. If further information comes to fruition, we will let you know.

Magnitude : Mw5.4 (EMSC)

UTC Time : 27th January, 2012 01:33:23.0 UTC
Local time at epicenter : 27th January, 2012 03:33:23.0 UTC
Depth (Hypocenter) : 5km
Geo-location(s) : 79 km NW Iráklion (pop 137,154 ; local time 03:33:23.8 2012-01-27)
80 km NW Néa alikarnassós (pop 11,886 ; local time 03:33:23.8 2012-01-27)
49 km SW Emboríon (pop 1,946 ; local time 03:33:23.8 2012-01-27)

for more information and updates, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2012/01/27/2nd-m5-earthquake-in-2-days-near-crete-greece/