Tag Archives: earth changes

The Science of Tsunamis

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The Science Behind a Tsunami

by NANCY ATKINSON on MARCH 12, 2011

Model projections of wave heights from the Japan quake on Friday. Image from NOAA. Click image for higher resolution.

The massive magnitude 8.9 earthquake that struck off the east coast Japan’s main island on March 11, 2011 set in motion a fierce tsunami that may have claimed thousands of lives, and sent tsunami warnings all across the Pacific basin, thousands of kilometers away from the quake’s epicenter. How do earthquakes trigger such enormous tsunami events, and how can scientists predict where these massive waves might travel? Universe Today talked with Anne Sheehan, who is a professor of geological sciences at University of Colorado at Boulder, and is also affiliated with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, as well as getting input from David Admiraal, an associate professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Universe Today: How does an earthquake trigger a tsunami?

to read the rest of the article go to:

http://www.universetoday.com/84004/the-science-behind-a-tsunami/

 

The Moon did not cause the Japan Quake

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Just to be Clear: The Moon Did Not Cause the Earthquake in Japan

by NANCY ATKINSON on MARCH 11, 2011

This illustration, based on Galileo spacecraft images, shows the approximate difference in apparent size between a full moon at perigee (the closest point in the lunar orbit, pictured at left) and a full moon at apogee, the farthest point in the lunar orbit. Credit: NASA

Check out the full article at

http://www.universetoday.com/83996/just-to-be-clear-the-moon-did-not-cause-the-earthquake-in-jap

Anyhow here is how it starts:

We’re getting a lot of visitors to our site today, many searching for information about earthquakes, tsunamis, and the ‘SuperMoon’ phenomenon. Just to be clear, the Moon did not cause the earthquake in Japan. Several scientists have posted articles online today clarifying the topic, and all of them, in no uncertain terms, agree that the the upcoming perigee of the Moon — where it is closer than usual in its orbit to Earth — had nothing to do with the earthquake and ensuing tsunami. Tammy discussed this yesterday, but as we often do, we’ll also point you in the direction of an article by astronomer Phil Plait about this topic, and another by Ben Goldacre, who completely debunks an article that appeared in the Daily Mail about the possibility of a connection between the two events.

In addition, Dr. Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, has provided some answers to questions about the ‘supermoon’ phenomenon, below:

 

Japan Earthquake Shifted Earth’s Axis

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According to one USGS scientist, the recent earthquake off the northeastern coast of Japan has moved the large island’s coast by 8 feet and shifted the Earth’s axis of rotation by almost four inches (10 cm).

Other reports are stating while only about 1500 deaths have been officially acknowledged as of 36 hours after the quake the final death toll will likely be in the tens of thousands.

Source (CNN World News)

Update:  The USGS has released an earthquake dataset and browser-enabled Google Earth explorer plugin to view earthquake data in real-time.  Click here view. Interesting to see the plate movement arrows.  Looks like the Pacific plate is explanding!

X-Class Solar Flare 3/09

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X-FLARE: March 9th ended with a powerful solar flare. Earth-orbiting satellites detected an X1.5-class explosion from behemoth sunspot 1166 around 2323 UT. A movie from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a bright flash of UV radiation plus some material being hurled away from the blast site:


Movie formats: 4 MB gif, 1.2 MB iPad, 0.3 MB iPhone

A first look at coronagraph images from NASA’s STEREO-B spacecraft suggests that the explosion did propel a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth. This conclusion is preliminary, however, so check back later for updates.

After four years without any X-flares, the sun has produced two of the powerful blasts in less than one month: Feb. 15th and March 9th. This continues the recent trend of increasing solar activity, and shows that Solar Cycle 24 is heating up. NOAA forecasters estimate a 5% chance of more X-flares during the next 24 hours.

fr/spaceweather.com

 

New Volcanic Activity-Japan & Iceland

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Another Japanese Volcano Erupts
And another volcano has erupted in Japan.
Minami-dake crater at Sakurajima, a volcano on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, erupted Tuesday, following volcanic explosions at Mt. Kirishima in the same region.
The volcano spewed plumes of smoke and ash up to 2,000 meters into the air.
Local authorities temporarily banned citizens from driving near the area due to the sheer amount of ash raining down from the volcano.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency says it will maintain a level 3 alert for Sakurajima that bans access to the mountain.
The agency notes, however, that it cannot confirm that this eruption was linked to a series of recent eruptions on the island.
FEB 08, 2011   Reporter : wone0102@arirangtv.com
And fr/http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/news/international-news/121878-iceland-on-volcano-alert-with-threat-of-fresh-eruption.html
Iceland on Volcanic Alert with New Threat of Fresh Eruption
Geologists on Iceland are warning of the increased risk of a fresh volcanic eruption after measuring an increased swarm of earthquakes around the island’s second largest volcano.
Páll Einarsson, a professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland, says the area around Bárdarbunga is showing signs of increased activity, which provides “good reason to worry”.
He told the country’s national TV broadcaster Rúv a shortage of seismometer measuring devices is making it more difficult to determine the scale and likely outcome of the current shifts.
But he said there was “every reason to worry” as the sustained earthquake tremors to the north east of the remote volcano range are the strongest recorded in recent times and there was “no doubt” the lava was rising.
check out link above to read more

February Earth Changes Forecast

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February 2011 will host super storms, major quakes, severe and bitter cold weather,ice storms, hyper solar actvity, tsunamis, floods, perilous cyclones erupting volcanoes explosions, strong deluge of water, , land and mudslides, extreme weather around the world per floods, tornadoes weird weather with records being broken.
February starts out with a shocking New Moon in Aquarius on Feb. 2nd @ 6:31 PM PST or 9:31 PM EST opens a door to huge storms in the North and South
All in synch with solar flares
Then on February 18th @ 12:36 AM PS T or 3:36 AM EST a Full Moon in Leo at 29 degrees that will be unforgettable
these events add to massive seismic shifts and extreme weather around the world
FEBRUARY UPDATES – Quake, Volcano and Weather News for February 2011:
to read more go to:
http://www.aquasoul.com/index2.html
Astrological Updates – Earth changes for a Planet in Swift Transformation”

Volcanic Activity-Japan & Washington

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Hundreds evacuate as Japan volcano erupts

(AFP) – 5 hours ago

TOKYO — Hundreds of people living near a Japanese volcano that has been spewing columns of smoke and ash thousands of metres into the air were forced to evacuate their homes Monday, a local official said.

More than 600 residents of the town of Takaharu in Miyazaki prefecture, on the eastern outskirts of the erupting Mount Shinmoedake, were sheltering in school gyms and community halls, an official said.

Municipal authorities had issued an evacuation advisory for 1,158 residents in high-risk districts near the 1,421-metre (4,689-foot) volcano earlier Monday.

The mountain in the Kirishima range in southwestern Japan has been belching smoke and ash into the air since late Wednesday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The agency has widened the area that it fears could be hit by a torrent of high-temperature gas and ash from two kilometres (1.24 miles) to three kilometres from the peak.

It added that the dome of lava inside the volcano’s crater, which grows as pressure increases from below, was now five times larger than it had been on Friday.

For the complete article, go to:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gX3bk3avuId__3e6Af9y39X2DXGg?docId=CNG.c844ee3821075f96953de8636c1c359a.211

And in Washington:

Swarm of Quakes detected on Mt. St. Helens

by KGW Staff

Posted on January 31, 2011 at 9:10 AM

Updated today at 9:10 AM