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Commentary: "Weather Weapons and Earthquake Bombs: World Leaders Condemn Britain and America’s Secret Arsenal" [02/03/12] "After the Haiti earthquake in 2010, which the US used as yet another excuse to militarise the tortured country’s aid relief, Hugo Chavez bravely quoted a Russian Northern Fleet document suggesting that America’s huge array of electromagnetic and acoustic weapons (which have been stranding poor dolphins and whales for decades) were used to trigger the earthquake. The Western media had a good chuckle at Chavez, keeping silent about the fact that official sources reveal the existence of such weapons, some of which have been around since the 1930s. [...]"  

MSM: "Concerns Grow Over Volcanic Eruptions In The U.S." [02/03/12] "Scientists have known for decades that hidden under those impressive vistas at sites such as Death Valley and Yellowstone National Park are magma pools that under the right conditions can trigger explosive eruptions. Now, new research is changing scientists' understanding of the timing of those eruptions, and prompting them to call for greater monitoring of sites to help save lives when the next big volcano explodes. Two recent papers highlight the shift. One looked at a Death Valley volcano thought to be 10,000 years old and found it last erupted just 800 years ago, and is still an eruption danger. The other found that large caldera volcanoes, such as the one under Crater Lake in Oregon, can recharge in a matter of decades, rather than the thousands of years previously thought. "The understanding of the timing of eruptions and the timing of the building up to eruptions is changing," says Margaret Mangan, the scientist in charge of volcano monitoring in California for the U.S. Geological Survey. "These two papers are very nice examples of good scientific work." One thing that's coming to light is that eruptions are often clustered, with "long stretches of inactivity punctuated by periods of activity that can go on for years," Mangan says. [...]"  

MSM: "7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Region Of Vanuatu" [02/03/12] "An earthquake measuring 7.1 struck in the Pacific Ocean off Vanuatu on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but residents said there were no reports of damage. The quake, which hit at 1334 GMT, was at a shallow 6.3 miles (10 km) depth, the USGS said, and was centered 122 km (76 miles) west of Port-Vila, the capital of Vanuatu or about 1,800 km (1,120 miles) east of the Australian coast. A police official in Port Vila, reached by telephone, said the quake was felt strongly, but there had been no reports of damage. “We felt a big effect, but no we haven’t heard of any damage,” he said. Based on historical data, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, there was no threat of a widespread destructive tsunami. [...]"  

Commentary: "HEPA Air Filters in California Recorded Radiation Levels 538% Above Normal" [02/03/12] [9:41] "A test of a HEPA air filter stationed in California recorded radiation levels at 351% and 538% above normal background levels. The tests, conducted by the Enviroreporter, show levels much higher than normal background levels that are most likely coming from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It is clear that, despite a large scale misinformation campaign conducted by various governments and sock puppets throughout the internet, an increase in radiation HAS been seen in the United States after the Japan Fukushima nuclear disaster. [...]" 

Overview: "Seismic Destabilization Of The South Pole: Update for January to February 2, 2012" [02/02/12] (Map Image)

MSM: "Small Tremor Rattles Faults Around New Madrid Region" [02/01/12]   "Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey confirm a small earthquake rattled an area of Southern Illinois early this morning. A magnitude-2.2 tremor was recorded at the St. Louis University Earthquake Research Center at 5:10 a.m. No damage was reported. Researchers said the quake’s epicenter was about four miles east of Troy, Ill., or around 25 miles east of St. Louis. The quake originated from an estimated depth of 1.8 miles. The quake was believed to have related to a series of faults associated with the New Madrid Fault Zone. The last major earthquake recorded in Southern Illinois was a 5.2 tremor recorded on April 18, 2008 and was centered near Bellmont, Ill. A 2.7 tremor was noted on September 13, 2011 east of Cisne, Ill.  [...]" Related: See "U.S. To Begin Large-Scale Emergency Preparedness Drills For New Madrid Fault Region" [01/29/12] below.

MSM: "Alert Level Raised At Alaska’s Cleveland Volcano – Explosions Expected With Lava Dome" [02/01/12] "The warning level for a remote Alaska volcano has been raised after a new lava dome began forming, indicating the mountain could explode and send up an ash cloud that could threaten aircraft. The Alaska Volcano Observatory on Tuesday elevated the alert status for Cleveland Volcano. Officials say the new lava dome was spotted in the summit crater. The observatory says as of Monday, the dome was about 130 feet in diameter. There have been no eruptions since Dec. 25 and Dec. 29, which destroyed the earlier lava dome built up over the fall. Cleveland is a 5,675-foot peak on an uninhabited island 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. Authorities say sudden eruptions could occur at any time, and ash clouds 20,000 feet above sea level are possible.  [...]" 

MSM: "6.3 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Coast Of Peru" [01/31/12] "A earthquake of 6.3 magnitude rattled the coast of Peru early on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake occurred shortly after midnight local time (1 a.m. ET) and was centered about 9 miles southeast of the city of Ica and about 170 miles south-southeast of Lima. Witnesses said the quake shook buildings in coastal Lima, Peru’s capital. Although there were no reported injuries or damage, local radio said residents near the epicenter were alarmed and ran outside their homes when they felt the quake. Power was out in nearby Pisco, the radio said. “We felt a terrible earthquake that’s really scared us,” Ica resident Blanca Cabanilla told the local radio. “It was similar to what happened to us in 2007.” An 8.0 quake in 2007 killed more than 500 people in Ica and wrecked thousands of homes [...]"  

MSM: "Volcanoes May Have Sparked Little Ice Age" [01/31/12] "A mysterious, centuries-long cool spell, dubbed the Little Ice Age, appears to have been caused by a series of volcanic eruptions and sustained by sea ice, a new study indicates. The research, which looked at chemical clues preserved in Arctic vegetation as well as other data, also pinpointed the start of the Little Ice Age to the end of the 13th century. During the cool spell, which lasted into the late 19th century, advancing glaciers destroyed northern European towns and froze the Thames River in London and canals in the Netherlands, places that are now ice-free. There is also evidence it affected other continents. "This is the first time anyone has clearly identified the specific onset of the cold times marking the start of the Little Ice Age," said Gifford Miller, a geological sciences professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the lead study researcher. "We also have provided an understandable climate feedback system that explains how this cold period could be sustained for a long period of time." [...]"  

MSM: "Eruption Update for January 30, 2011: Popocatépetl, Santorini, El Hierro, Etna, Grimsvötn" [01/31/12] "Let’s start the week with a bevy of new volcano news – the slow start to 2012 seems to be gaining some life. It isn’t all new eruptions as such, but a number of well-known volcanoes are potentially rumbling. [...]" 

MSM: "6.2 Magnitude Kermadec Earthquake Sets Off Swarm Of Aftershocks" [01/29/12] "A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has struck beneath the Pacific off New Zealand’s Kermadec Islands. The earthquake was later downgraded to a 5.8 by the USGS. No tsunami warning has been issued. The United States Geological Survey says the remote offshore quake hit at 05:42 am local time (1742 GMT) at a depth of 28 kilometers. Its epicenter was 44 kilometers east southeast of Raoul Island and 937 kilometers south southwest of Tonga. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert for the area, part of the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire,” a highly active tectonic zone that frequently experiences earthquakes. The initial quake was followed five minutes later by a 5.2-magnitude aftershock in a similar area which turned into a swarm. The remote Kermadec Islands are New Zealand’s northern most islands, 1,100 kilometers north of Auckland. The 5.8 earthquake was followed by a swarm of aftershocks- a 5.0, 5.1, a 5.2, a 5.3, and a 5.4. [...]" 

MSM: "U.S. To Begin Large-Scale Emergency Preparedness Drills For New Madrid Fault Region" [01/29/12] "Washington’s emergency management director is encouraging individuals, businesses, schools and service groups to participate in a regional earthquake preparedness drill. The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut will take place Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 10:15 a.m. As of Friday, more than 1.6 million participants from the region have agreed to take part in the drill in some form. Of those, more than 366,000 are from Missouri so far. Those interested in taking part in the drill can sign up to register at http://shakeout.org/centralus. Bill Halmich, emergency management director, said the city of Washington has registered for the drill. Halmich provided city departments with information about the drill and said each department will participate in a manner that does not disrupt city services that day. A resolution to participate is expected to be brought before the city council Monday, Feb. 6, Halmich said. Unlike other natural disasters, earthquakes can be an unusual challenge to prepare for because there are no advance warnings, he said. Those who register can participate at different levels based on how much time they can allow for the exercise. “It can be as easy as providing information to your staff,” Halmich said, such as emailing employees tips on how to prepare for an earthquake at home and work or hanging banners and signs throughout organizations or workplaces. Another way to participate is hold post-drill discussions to hear what people learned and plan their next steps. Participants also can consider taking part in safety drills, discussing what to expect will happen during the drill and then holding a feedback session after the drill to identify strengths and weaknesses. Registered participants will be asked after the drill to provide information as to what they did to prepare. Then, those individuals or groups will receive a certificate of participation. Halmich is asking once participants receive their certificate to notify him so he can make a list of who in this area took part and how. On April 28, 2011, 486,238 organizations and individuals in Missouri took part in the first Great Central U.S. ShakeOut. [...]"  

MSM: "Scientists Find New Dangerous 200 Km Long Fault Off The Coast Of Japan" [01/29/12] "An active fault around 200 km long that is believed to have been a source of huge quakes in the past has been found off Honshu’s Kii Peninsula, according to researchers at the University of Tokyo. If the fault on the Nankai Trough moves, it could trigger a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, the researchers said, adding they have found a seabed cliff several hundred meters high that was created by the fault’s past movements. “There is a high probability that fault shifts have caused great tsunami,” said Park Jin Oh, associate professor of marine geology. “We need to reformulate disaster countermeasures by taking into account an active fault on the seabed 200 km or longer.” Park analyzed sonar data on the seabed collected by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology and found a fault branching off from a boundary between two tectonic plates in an area west of the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture. The fault was found to be connected to a similar fault to the east of the peninsula and to extend at least 200 km, the researchers said. While it remains unclear exactly when or how many times the fault has moved, the eastern and western parts are believed to have shifted often and at the same time, judging from the geographical characteristics of the area. Such movements may have caused the 8.6-magnitude Hoei earthquake in 1707, Park said. The eastern part of the fault is meanwhile believed to have caused a magnitude 7.9 quake and tsunami that struck in 1944. In addition, an extended area of the newly discovered western part overlaps the area where a magnitude 8.0 quake struck in 1946. It is therefore possible that the western part moved two years after the eastern part did, Park said.  [...]"  Note:  Related:

Commentary: "Volcano / Earthquake Watch Jan 22-26, 2012" [01/28/12]   [5:08] Note: Correlation of solar events with geological events on Earth.

MSM: "Santorini Comes Under Close Observation After Crete Rattled By Second 5.2 Earthquake" [01/28/12] "Crete has been hit with a second 5.2 earthquake in 24 hours. After a serial of strong earthquakes on 26 January the Greeks begin to take the seismic development around an under Santorini serious. Today there have been several earthquakes south-west of Santorini on the Christiana-Kameni-Koloumbos-Fault starting with 5.2 R, 4,2 R end 3,2 R. It is a logic development that helps a magma chamber uprising. The status of the Nea Kameni volcano remains still at “yellow”, but we have to expect something. The team of VolcanoDiscovery is already prepared for a possible volcanic activity. It is not a danger to the tours, because there is a safe distance from the island Nea Kameni (the volcano) to the main part of the island (Thira). We watch the seismic activity on a daily base and will start an excursion from the time we will see a suddenly much higher rate of earthquakes on the island.  [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude-5.5 Quake Rocks Eastern Japan" [01/28/12] "A magnitude-5.5 earthquake has hit eastern Japan, Reuters reports. According to NHK TV, there is no tsunami warning.  [...]"  

MSM: "Mexico’s Turbulent Popocatépetl Volcano Erupts Again" [01/28/12] "The 5,400-metre high Popocatepeti volcano has erupted again with a plume of ash after shaking for several minutes early on Thursday. Civil protection authorities reported that the cloud drifted west before turning back eat towards Puebla City. Lying 37 miles southeast of Mexico City and its 18 million inhabitants it remains to be seen how the ash cloud will effect the megalopolis. The volcano’s activity has been reported as stable and there is no threat to populated areas. However, authorities have urged people to stay at least seven miles from the area and to await further information from Mexico’s national disaster prevention agency. The gas cloud is the largest in many years with authorities eagerly keeping watch over any potential change in activity. Popocatepetl has had more than 15 major eruptions since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. [...]" 

MSM: "Costa Rica’s Turrialba Volcano Unleashes 15,000 Ft Ash Cloud" [01/28/12] "Costa Rica’s Turrialba volcano produced a burst of activity that shot water, vapor and ash more than 15,000 feet into the air. Nearby residents reported that ash from the blast showered several communities. The mountain’s volcano observatory said that a new fissure broke open on the southeastern flank of the crater during the eruption. Turrialba last produced an eruption in 1866, which sent ash falling as far away as Nicaragua, according to historical records. The mountain has become increasingly active since it began to rumble again in January 2001. In January 2010, it spewed ash with such force that two nearby villages, La Central and El Retiro, were evacuated briefly [...]"  

MSM: "Tremors Trigger Panic In Eastern India" [01/27/12] "Mild tremors in parts of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday triggered panic among people. There was no loss of life or damage to property. People ran out of their houses in several parts of Krishna and Guntur districts in north coastal Andhra and Khammam district in Telangana region as the earth vibrated for few seconds. People in some areas said they experienced tremors at least five times between 12.25pm and 12.30pm. Vessels and other house-hold items trembled and even fell on the ground, people said. Fearing another earthquake, people were reluctant to return home and preferred to stay in open grounds. Scientists at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) here described the tremors as seismic vibrations. The tremors were not recorded at the observatory. A scientist said only tremors of an intensity of above 2.8 on the Richter scale get recorded. The NGRI scientists said there was no need for panic as such vibrations are a common occurrence. [...]" 

MSM: "Earthquakes Strike Regions Of Mt. St. Helens" [01/25/12] " A magnitude 3.4 earthquake occurred at 2:51 a.m. Wednesday about 10 miles north of Mount St. Helens. The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network reports mild shaking was felt in Longview, Castle Rock and Morton. The University of Washington reports the quake was followed by a half-dozen small aftershocks in the next hour. Small quakes are common in the area around the volcano in southwest Washington.  [...]"  

Commentary: "World’s Oceans Threatened By Growing Danger Of Volcanic Explosions" [01/24/12] " Between 75 and 80 per cent of all volcanic activity on Earth takes place at deep-sea, mid-ocean ridges. Most of these volcanoes produce effusive lava flows rather than explosive eruptions, both because the levels of magmatic gas (which fuel the explosions and are made up of a variety of components, including, most importantly CO2) tend to be low, and because the volcanoes are under a lot of pressure from the surrounding water. Over about the last 10 years however, geologists have nevertheless speculated, based on the presence of volcanic ash in certain sites, that explosive eruptions can also occur in deep-sea volcanoes. But no one has been able to prove it until now. By using an ion microprobe, Christoph Helo, a PhD student in McGill’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, has now discovered very high concentrations of CO2 in droplets of magma trapped within crystals recovered from volcanic ash deposits on Axial Volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, off the coast of Oregon. These entrapped droplets represent the state of the magma prior to eruption. As a result, Helo and fellow researchers from McGill, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, have been able to prove that explosive eruptions can indeed occur in deep-sea volcanoes. Their work also shows that the release of CO2 from the deeper mantle to the Earth’s atmosphere, at least in certain parts of mid-ocean ridges, is much higher than had previously been imagined. Given that mid-ocean ridges constitute the largest volcanic system on Earth; this discovery has important implications for the global carbon cycle which have yet to be explored. [...]"  

MSM: "6.3 Magnitude Quake Strikes Near Fiji, The Fourth Consecutive Major Quake In 4 Days" [01/24/12] "A very deep 6.3 magnitude earthquake erupted along the seafloor off the island of Fiji. The earthquake had a depth of 582.8 km (362.2 miles). The epicenter of the earthquake was 759 km (472 miles) from SUVA, Fiji and about 1374 km from Auckland, New Zealand. The Fiji earthquake was the fourth consecutive earthquake to strike the planet in four days. Earlier today, a 6.2 struck off the coast of Chile, preceded by a 6.0 in the South Sandwich Islands the day prior, and a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Chiapas, Mexico prior to that. The string of quakes comes both before and during a phase where solar activity and CME’s are colliding with the planet’s magnetosphere. [...]"  

MSM: "Strong Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Struck Offshore Chiapas, Mexico" [01/24/12] "A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has hit the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, shattering windows and sending frightened residents into the streets. The quake struck in the Pacific Ocean about 35 miles (55km) south-west of the city of Mapastepec, near Mexico's border with Guatemala. The tremor was felt hundreds of miles away in El Salvador's capital, San Salvador. [...]"  

MSM: "Moderate Earthquake Rattles Northeastern Iran- Strongest In 10 Years" [01/24/12] "An earthquake hit north-eastern Iran on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. The magnitude 5.5 (5.1 USGS) earthquake hit at 4:05pm (local time) about 10 kilometers outside the city of Neyshabur, which is some 70km away from the holy city of Mashhad, the official IRNA news agency said. “There have been no reports of casualties yet,” Red Crescent official Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh told the semi-official Fars news agency, adding that windows of some houses in Neyshabur had been shattered. The IRNA news agency said the quake lasted seven seconds and was the strongest felt in the region in 10 years. Many parts of Iran are prone to earthquakes. At least seven people were killed in a magnitude 6.5 quake that jolted the south east on December 20 in 2011, the same region where a huge tremor killed some 31,000 people in the city of Bam in 2003. [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.0 - South Sandwich Islands Region" [01/24/12]   [0:00] "38 km (85 miles) E of Visokoi Island, South Sandwich Islands [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.2 - Offshore Bio-Bio, Chile" [01/24/12] "50 km (31 miles) N of Concepcion, Bio-Bio, Chile [...]" Followed by continuing aftershocks.

MSM: "5.0 Quake Rattles Hawaii" [01/24/12] "A 5.0 earthquake and several aftershocks hit Hawaii late this afternoon, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injury. The tremblor struck Kae'na Point in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Nearby resident Joe Lopez, 70, felt a "pretty good jolt," he told the Honolulu Star Advertiser. The quake shook his home and sent books plunging to the floor. No tsunami warning was issued.  [...]" 

MSM: "Geothermal Test Will Pour Water Into Volcano To Make Power" [01/24/12] "Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in central Oregon this summer to demonstrate technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live up to its promise. [...]"  Note: Wait until they trigger geological activity. Let's watch ... and see what the meddlers do ...

MSM: "Eruption Continues Unabated At Congo’s Nyamulagira Volcano" [01/17/12] [3:08] "The eruption at Nyamuragira volcano (DR Congo) continues with lava fountains 50-150 m high, ejections of incandescent bombs reaching up to 600 m, and the emission of an aa lava flow from the second (eastern) vent. Nyamuragira has been described as Africa’s most active volcano and has erupted over 40 times since 1885. The latest eruption began in November of 2011.  [...]"  

MSM: "25 Volcanoes In Indonesia Now Showing Signs Of Abnormal Activity" [01/16/12] "Twenty-five volcanoes in Indonesia are now showing abnormal activity or have been put on alert or watch status, presidential special aide Andi Arief said here on Saturday. “According to official data, 25 volcanoes are now under alert or watch status and they must be given priority with regard to disaster mitigation planning at district or city levels,” he said at a workshop on journalists’ role in disaster management. He said in West Sumatra there were two volcanoes that need to be closely watched, namely Mount Marapi and Mount Talang, as they are still under alert status. Mount Marapi is located in Agam and Tanahdatar districts and rises 2891 meters above sea level, and Mount Talang (2597 meters above sea level) in Solok district was located around 40 kilometers from the provincial capital Padang. Apart from the two volcanoes, the government and regional disaster management agencies were also giving priority attention to Mount Papandayan in West Java, Mount Karangetan and Lokon in North Sulawesi, Mount Ijen in East Java, Mount Gamalama in North Maluku, Mount Krakatau in Banten and Lampung and Mount Lewoloto in East Nusa Tenggara. He said “it is not impossible that volcanoes that are now still normal could change to become abnormal due to earthquakes that have happened to trigger magma in the mountains to increase their activity, and therefore alertness and readiness of the people must continue to be maintained.” Andi said earthquakes below five on the Richter Scale could trigger magma in the volcanoes to rise and so people must not only be alert over big but also small tremors. The 4.4 magnitude earthquake like the one in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, is one of the examples, where people had never predicted before that it could happen there, he said. “The small magnitude quake is now being studied by researchers with regard to minimizing the damage in case an eruption happens in the country as there are a lot of volcanoes in Indonesia,” he said. [...]"  Related: "Seven Volcanoes In Indonesia On Alert Status" [01/09/12] below.

MSM: "6.6 Earthquake Hits Off Antarctica's Coast" [01/16/12] "A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck Sunday off the coast of Antarctica, prompting a warning that there was a "small possibility" it could trigger a tsunami. [...]"  

Analysis: "Global Earthquake Overview -- Europe, Asia, Americas" [01/15/12] [14:59] Very interestiing.

MSM: "Scientists Find Rift Between New Mexico And Colorado Geologically Active And Capable Of Generating Quakes" [01/14/12] " The Rio Grande Rift, a thinning and stretching of Earth’s surface that extends from Colorado’s central Rocky Mountains to Mexico, is not dead but geologically alive and active, according to a new study involving scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. “We don’t expect to see a lot of earthquakes, or big ones, but we will have some earthquakes,” said CU-Boulder geological sciences Professor Anne Sheehan, also a fellow at CIRES. The study also involved collaborators from the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, Utah State University and the Boulder-headquartered UNAVCO. The Rio Grande Rift follows the path of the Rio Grande River from central Colorado roughly to El Paso before turning southeast toward the Gulf of Mexico. Sheehan was not too surprised when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck about 9 miles west of Trinidad, Colo., in the vicinity of the Rio Grande Rift on Aug. 23, 2011. The quake was the largest in Colorado since 1967 and was felt from Fort Collins to Garden City, Kan. Along the rift, spreading motion in the crust has led to the rise of magma — the molten rock material under Earth’s crust — to the surface, creating long, fault-bounded basins that are susceptible to earthquakes, said Sheehan, a study co-author and also associate director of the CIRES Solid Earth Sciences Division. The team studied the Rio Grande Rift region to assess the potential earthquake hazards. Also, the team may attempt to determine vertical as well as horizontal activity in the region to tell whether the Rocky Mountains are still uplifting or not, Berglund said. As far as the potential for future earthquakes in the region, the study’s results are unequivocal, however. “The rift is still active,” Sheehan said. [...]"  

MSM: "Mystery Booming Noise Leaves Residents And Houses Reeling In Costa Rica" [01/13/12] Video clip [2:07] " Monday morning started off with a bang for residents of the Central Valley when a loud, as yet unidentified, series of booms rattled windows about 30 minutes after midnight. Many did not hear it, but enough people did to cause a firestorm of comment on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The strange sound was prolonged – many described it as lasting for five minutes or so. Perhaps the only one making no comments were scientists and government authorities, who were reticent about commenting or speculating. A few things it wasn’t: Volcanologists discounted a volcanic eruption; nor was it a supersonic aircraft, because the powerful radar at Juan Santamaría International Airport outside of San José picked up no planes at the time, not even subsonic ones. Also, there were no climatological phenomena or strange weather conditions. By nightfall Monday, the speculation was still going along briskly with the major vote going to fireworks at the festival at Zapote, in San José. But many said it sounded like no fireworks they had ever heard. Mario Sánchez, spokesman for the National Meteorological Institute, discounted a storm because the only thing that would sound like the noise described would be a storm accompanied by lightning – and early Monday morning was clear with a full moon. The sound reverberated in Coronado, Heredia, Desamparados, Escazú, Cartago, San Ramón, Turrialba and as far south as Pérez Zeledón near the Panama border. Rafael Arias, advisor to the San José Municipality, confessed to being puzzled. Yes, he told the daily La Nación, there were fireworks that closed out the fiestas, and they might have been heard as far away as Desamparados – but not in San Joaquín de Flores. Although other citizens might be celebrating with fireworks, they certainly would not be heard that far away, he added. The owner of fireworks firm Cavica, Carlos Villavicencio, thinks it could have been his company’s work in the night. “Yes, we closed out the festival with about 150 bombetas [exploding aerial bombs].” But he still couldn’t explain how they could have been heard in Turrialba. The director of the School of Physics at the University of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Carboni, scoffed that only a volcanic eruption could be heard that far away. But Fabio Antonio Chávez, a Zapote resident, was not convinced the fireworks didn’t cause the uproar. He told La Nación, “They set off my car alarm. They were very strong. … I’ve never seen anything like them in the 10 years I’ve lived here.” [...]"  

MSM: "7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The West Coast Of Northern Sumatra" [01/10/12] " A 7.3 magnitude tectonic earthquake at a depth of 29 km (18 miles) was recorded on Tuesday, 420 km (260 miles) south west of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey said. No immediate tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for its Indian Ocean area but later that was changed. The epicenter of the strong earthquake was about 1789 km (1111 miles) WNW of Jakarta, Java, Indonesia. In recent weeks, a spasm of earthquakes have rattled the region in around Indonesia and currently 7 volcanoes in the very geologically-active archipelago are on high alert status. The earthquake is the second large earthquake of 2012 and comes on the heels of yesterday’s 6.6 magnitude earthquake which struck the Santa Cruz Islands.  [...]"  

MSM: "Seven Volcanoes In Indonesia On Alert Status" [01/09/12]   "The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has warned that seven volcanoes located across the archipelago are on alert statuses. The agency said it has prepared measures for the worst-case scenarios and officials met on Saturday to discuss the measures, said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugrowo. The seven volcanoes are Papandayan Mountain in West Java, Karangetang and Lokon in North Sulawesi, Ijen in East Java, Gamalama in North Maluku, Anak Krakatau in Lampung and Lewotolo in East Nusa Tenggara. Sutopo said the agency was closely monitoring each volcano, and that mitigation measures varied in each region because of the different characteristics of the volcanoes and the territories. However, he said, in general, the agency has planned evacuation routes, sites for refugees, logistics supplies, machinery and volunteer mapping. “The plan is standardized, but we keep renewing it to adjust to current conditions. For Papandayan, we have a done dry-run three times so the people could get used to the measures,” he said. On Friday, Lokon Mountain erupted, spewing volcanic ash up to 1,500 meters high, but it had calmed down by Saturday morning and people living near the mountain were not evacuated. In North Maluku, some 296 people remain in refugee shelters in Dufa-Dufa following Mount Gamalama’s last eruption in early December. [...]" 

MSM: "6.6 Quake - Santa Cruz,  Solomon Islands" [01/09/12]  "Monday, January 09, 2012 at 04:07:16 UTC [...]"

MSM: "Mt. Etna Enters 2012 With New Paroxysmal Eruption Spewing Ash Up To 5 Kilometers" [01/06/12] "In the morning hours of January 5, 2012 the New South-East Crater of Mt. Etna has produced a new episode paroxysmal eruption after 50 quiet days. Last eruption had occurred November 15, 2011. Istituto Nazionale di Geosifica e Vulcanologia – Sezione di Catania (INGV) reported several hours of weak strombolian explosions within the crater, lava fountains from several vents within the crater and flanks the south-eastern and northern emission of lava flows and to the south-east... [...]" 

Commentary: "Unknown Magma Pool Causing Ground Uplift In Oregon" [01/05/12] "Volcanic activity is causing the earth to rise in Oregon, scientists have found. Though whether such uplift is a sign of an imminent eruption remains uncertain. As early as the summer of 1996, a 230-square-mile (600-square-kilometer) patch of ground in Oregon began to rise. The area lies just west of the South Sister Volcano, which with the North and Middle Sisters form the Three Sisters volcanoes, the most prominent peaks in the central Oregon stretch of the Cascade Mountains. Although this region has not seen an eruption in at least 1,200 years, the scattered hints of volcanic activity here have been a cause of concern, leading to continuous satellite-based monitoring. Now 14 years of data is revealing just how the Earth is changing there and the likely cause of the uplift — a reservoir of magma invading the crust 3-to-4 miles (5-to-7 km) underground. ... By analyzing precisely how the landscape was changing, the researchers suggest the magma pocket behind this uplift has a volume of 1.76-billion-to-2.47-billion cubic feet (50-million-to-70-million cubic meters), enough to fill 20,000-to-28,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Since the ground is still rising, “magma may still be accumulating, and as a result, this area needs to be continually monitored to determine whether or not there will be an eruption,” Riddick told OurAmazingPlanet. “If there were to be an eruption, it would probably not be from a pre-existing volcano that we can see because the uplifting ground area is several kilometers from historically active volcanoes,” Riddick added. ‘A new volcanic vent would likely form. Lava would be ejected from a vent and fall to the ground to create a cinder cone, which is a steep conical volcano made of lava fragments. We believe it would be a small eruption, because we calculated that only a relatively small amount of magma has accumulated in the earth’s crust so far.” [...]" 

MSM: "Volcanic Year in Review for 2011" [01/05/12] "Now that 2011 has come to a close, it is time for me to look back on the year. This by no means is an inclusive list of all the activity in 2011. For something close to that, check out the archives of the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program. However, this is a look back at many of the volcanic topics we tackled on Eruptions this year.  [...]" 

MSM: "Ohio Quakes Could Incite Fracking Policy Shift" [01/04/12] "In Ohio, geographically and politically positioned to become a leading importer of wastewater from gas drilling, environmentalists and lawmakers opposed to the technique known as fracking are seizing on a series of small earthquakes as a signal to proceed with caution. Earthquakes caused by the injection of wastewater that's a byproduct of high-pressure hydraulic fracture drilling, aren't new. Yet earthquakes have a special ability to grab public attention. That's especially true after Saturday's quake near Youngstown, at magnitude 4.0 strong enough to be felt across hundreds of square miles. Gov. John Kasich, a drilling proponent, has shut down the wastewater well on which the quake has been blamed, along with others in the area, as the seismic activity is reviewed. "Drilling's very important for our economy and to help us progress as a state, but every single person in the Mahoning Valley felt this earthquake," said state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, a Youngstown Democrat who on Tuesday called for a public hearing.  [...]" 

Commentary:  "Is A Super-Volcano Just 390 Miles From London About To Erupt?" [01/03/12] "A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up. It’s lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See Lake near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma. This monster erupts every 10 to 12,000 years and last went off 12,900 years ago, so it could blow at any time. The Laacher See volcano is similar in size to Mount Pinatubo, which caused a 0.5C drop in global temperatures when it erupted in 1991. It covered 620 square miles of land with ash and rocks and several small earthquakes in the region last year indicate that it could be awakening from its deep sleep. Experts believe that if it did go off, it could lead to widespread devastation, mass evacuations and even short-term global cooling from the resulting ash cloud blocking the Sun. The effect on the UK is hard to predict but it’s possible that large parts of southern England could be covered ash. It’s thought that the volcano is similar in size and power to Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, which blew in 1991 and became the biggest eruption of the 20th century. It ejected 10 billion tons of magma, 20 billion tons of sulphur dioxide 16 cubic kilometres of ash and caused a 0.5C drop in global temperatures. Volcanologists believe that the Laacher See volcano is still active as carbon dioxide is bubbling up to the lake’s surface, which indicates that the magma chamber below is ‘degassing.’ 2010 was the year Laacher See begin experiencing seismic and thermal anomalies and that was probably the year the volcano began awakening. [...]" 

MSM: "41 Quakes In 24 Hours Hit Christchurch, New Zealand" [01/03/12] "A swarm of large aftershocks, including a violent magnitude 5.5, rattled the Christchurch overnight and knocked out power to thousands of homes. Christchurch continues to be rocked with 41 earthquakes recorded in the Canterbury region over the past 24 hours. There have been no reports of significant damage or injury, but it was a sleepless night for most residents.  [...]"  

Greece: "Increased Seismic Activity Seen At Dangerous Santorini Caldera" [01/03/12] "Greece. The seismic unrest beneath Santorini which had started in July 2011 continues into 2012, greeting the world with a small swarm of quakes beneath the caldera. The slightly increased number of quakes is concentrated on the volcano-tectonic Kameni line, which stretches SW-NE through the caldera and extends outside, especially to the NE where the submarine volcano Kolumbo is located 8 km off the coast. The alignment defines a tectonic graben structure underlying Santorini and has been used for rising magma for nearly all past eruptions of the volcano. [...]"  

MSM: "Powerful 7.0 Quake Rocks Tokyo, Japan On New Year’s Day" [01/01/12] "A major 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Tokyo Sunday as Emperor Akihito led Japan’s New Year celebrations by urging people to work together in rebuilding the nation from March’s quake-tsunami disaster. The tremor struck at 2:28pm (0528 GMT) with its focus deep at about 370 kilometres (230 miles), Japan’s Meteorological Agency said. The US Geological Survey put the depth at 348 kilometres. Its epicentre was located near Torishima, a northwestern Pacific island about 560 kilometres south of Tokyo. [...]"  Related: See video "Volcano / Earthquake Watch Dec 27-31, 2011" [12/28/11] which predicted 7.0 level action now.

Commentary:  "Volcanic Activities At Start Of 2012" [01/01/12]   "We entering into 2012 with ongoing volcanic activities at El Hierro (Canary Islands),Fueg0 (Guatemala), Karymsky,Kizimen and Shiveluch ( Kamchatka,Russia), Kilauea (Hawaii), Popocatépetl (México), Puyehue-Cordón Caulle (Chile), Sakura-jima (Kyushu, Japan). 6 Indonesian volcanoes are now on high alert- Ijen, Gamalana, Papandayan, Karangetang, Lokon and Krakatau. Ijen turquoise crater lake has changed color to white. Office of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), reported that a thin layer of volcanic ash was ejected up to 500 meter high by Mount Marapi on Saturday afternoon. The Cleveland volcano (Alaska) sent ash 15,000 feet in the sky during a single explosion event on Thursday. New activity is reported at Galeras (Colombia), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Bulusan (Philippines), Nyamuragira (DR Congo), Dukono (Halmahera, Indonesia), Cerro Machin (Colombia) and Zubair Group (Yemen) which produced new island emerging from the Red Sea.[...]" 

MSM: "Magnitude 7.0 - Izu Islands, Japan Region" [01/01/12] "495 km (307 miles) SSW of TOKYO, Japan [...]"  See video "Volcano / Earthquake Watch Dec 27-31, 2011" [12/28/11] which predicted 7.0 level action now Related: "More On Japanese Coastal Earthquake" [0:30] 

MSM: "Unending Earthquake Tremors Plague Residents In Western Region Of India" [12/31/11] " The earthquake tremors continue to rattle Saurashtra and Kutch region amid cold wave like conditions. As many as 13 tremors that included nine in Kutch region were recorded during the last three days, according to official sources. According to Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) officials, two low-intensity tremors of magnitude 1.4 on the Richter scale were felt in Bhachau area of Kutch on Thursday. On December 27, a tremor measuring 2.4 rocked Bhachau again. The tremors have given sleepless nights to people in Saurashtra region, especially in Talala area in Junagadh distrct. On October 20, an earthquake measuring 5.3 on Richter scale damaged houses in Maliya-Hatina and Talala taluka of Junagadh. According to ISR officials, 160 tremors have rocked in the state, mostly in Saurashtra and Kutch region, since December 1 [...]"  

MSM: "Alaska’s Cleveland Volcano Erupts By Unleashing 15,000 Ft. Ash Cloud" [12/30/11] "An ash cloud erupted some 15,000 feet into the air from Alaska’s Cleveland Volcano, according to satellite images and the Alaska Volcano Observatory. The volcano, located in the Aleutian Islands about 45 miles west of the community of Nikolski, has been upgraded and downgraded several times over the last few months, flaring up in July and erupting in the form of a growing lava dome in August. Following several weeks of activity, the volcano was downgraded before being upgraded again to an alert level of “watch” and an aviation hazard color-code of “orange” in early September. Two months later, the alert level was again lowered after the volcano seemed to quiet down. This latest activity comes six days after the most recent update on the AVO website. The AVO said that satellite imagery from about 5 a.m. Thursday confirmed the presence of a detached ash cloud, about 50 miles away from the volcano and moving southeast. The last significant eruption of Cleveland occurred in February 2001 and resulted in three ash plumes that reached up to 39,000 feet above sea level and “a rubbly lava flow and hot avalanche that reached the sea.” Aviators in the area are encouraged to exercise caution, but the AVO said that the eruption may be an isolated event. “Satellite data indicate that this is a single explosion event,” the AVO said, “however, more sudden explosions producing ash could occur with plumes exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level. Such explosions and their associated ash clouds may go undetected in satellite imagery for hours.” Cleveland volcano lacks any real-time monitoring equipment.  [...]"  

MSM: "Volley Of Recent Earthquakes Rattling East Java Has Agitated Three Volcanoes" [12/29/11] "People living the vicinity of three volcanoes in East Java have been warned to be on the alert as they were showing signs of increased volcanic activity. The three volcanoes are Mt Ijen, Mt Semeru and Mt Bromo. East Java district disaster management head Timur Siswanto said the authorities were in a state of readiness to handle any volcanic disasters and had established command posts for relief work should any of the volcanoes erupt. He was reported as saying by the local media that Mt Ijen was showing the most activity and that people living in its vicinity had been warned not to come within a 1.5 kilometer radius of the mountain. Besides the above three, five other volcanoes – Mt Gamalama (Ternate Island, Moluccas), Mt Papandayan (Garut, West Java), Gunung Karangetang (northern Sulawesi ), Gunung Lokon (northern Sulawesi) and Anak Krakatau (Sunda Strait) – were also reported to have started “rumbling.” [...]"  

Research: "Volcano / Earthquake Watch Dec 27-31, 2011" [12/28/11] [4:56] "Targeting Coronal Hole(CH490) in the Southern Hemisphere. After analysis I have isolated 24-29° Latitude. Solar symmetry to earth the best fit regions for a possible 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake are: Kermadec Islands Region, South Of Fiji Region, Salta Argentina or Santiago Del Estero Argentina. Second watch is targeting a Southern Polar CH extending 51-69° S latitude and represents a possible risk for one or more 5.7-6.1 Magnitude earthquakes. Possible areas: Balleny Islands, Macquarie Islands Region or the South Sandwich Islands Region OLR Anomalies this week are: Carlsberg Ridge, Bay Of Bengal, Nias Indonesia, Arafura Sea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and East Of Hawaii [...]"   Related: See "Volcano and Earthquake Watcher" YouTube site, linked at the top of this panel, for continuing reports.

MSM: "6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Region Of Southwestern Siberia, Russia" [12/28/11] " Miners in a swath of southwestern Siberia are being told to leave their shafts after a strong earthquake shook the region. No injuries or damage have been reported from the quake, which had a preliminary magnitude reading of 6.6 and hit late Tuesday. The epicenter was about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Kyzyl, capital of the Russian republic of Tuva that borders Mongolia, according to the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center and Russian seismologists. Russian news agencies quoted Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying miners in the coal-producing regions of Kemerovo and Khakassia were being taken out of the mines. In Kyzyl, residents of multistory buildings who were concerned about aftershocks were being allowed to spend the night in schools, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported.[...]" 

Commentary:  "Volcanic Activity Along Zubair Islands In Red Sea" [12/28/11] "An eruption occurred in the Red Sea in December 2011. According to news reports, fishermen witnessed lava fountains reaching up to 30 meters (90 feet) tall on December 19. The activity in the Red Sea included more than an eruption. By December 23, 2011, what looked like a new island appeared in the region. The volcanic activity occurred along the Zubair Group, a collection of small islands off the west coast of Yemen. Running in a roughly northwest- southeast line, the islands poke above the sea surface, rising from a shield volcano. This region is part of the Red Sea Rift where the African and Arabian tectonic plates pull apart and new ocean crust regularly forms. [...]" 

MSM: "Indonesia’s Mount Lokon Erupts Three Times, Causing Panic" [12/28/11] [1:17] "Several eruptions at Mount Lokon on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Tuesday morning caused panic among local residents, local media reported. There were no casualties. According to the country’s Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG), the first eruption at Mount Lokon took place shortly after 3 a.m. local time. The eruption was quickly followed by two others. Chief Farid Ruskanda Bina at PVMBG’s local monitoring post in Tomohon told the Jakarta Post that Mount Lokon, which is located on the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, had been showing increased activity since Monday. The increased activity quickly accelerated on late Monday and early Tuesday morning. [...]"  

MSM: "6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes South Pacific Region Of Tonga" [12/27/11] " A strong earthquake struck off the Pacific island nation of Tonga on early Monday evening, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The 6.0-magnitude earthquake at 6.48 p.m. local time (0448 GMT) was centered about 28 kilometers (17 miles) south-southwest of Hihifo, the main village on the island of Niuatoputapu in Tonga. It struck about 78.6 kilometers (48.8 miles) deep, making it an earthquake of intermediate depth, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, but the USGS estimated that several thousand people on the island of Niuatoputapu may have felt moderate shaking which would unlikely result in serious damage. No tsunami alert was issued. Tonga is on the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions also occur frequently in the region, which is one of the most geologically active parts in the world. Tonga, with a population of around 104,000 people, is made up of 169 islands sprinkled over the Pacific Ocean about one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii. Only thirty-nine of the islands are inhabited. On September 29, 2009, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck 185 kilometers (115 miles) east-northeast of Hihifo on Tonga, unleashing large tsunamis that killed nearly 200 people and injured hundreds more in Tonga, American Samoa, Samoa, and other nearby islands. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake later struck in nearby Vanuatu. [...]"  

MSM: "Moderate Earthquake Hits Pakistan As Tremors Rumble Through India " [12/25/11] " A moderate 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted southern Pakistan on Friday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials said. The epicentre of the quake was 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of Sibi, a major city in southern Baluchistan province which borders Iran and Afghanistan. “Tremors were felt at 5:02 pm local time in Sibi and Quetta cities in the Baluchistan province,” meteorologist Arif Mehmood told AFP. “The earthquake struck at the depth of 10 kilometers,” he added. Pakistan was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005 that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and parts of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [...]" Related: "Mild Tremors In Srikakulam" [ " Mild tremors were felt for a couple of seconds in four mandals of Uddanam region in the district at 5.20 pm on Friday. According to locals, the tremors were felt in Donkuru, Nadumuru, Ekuvuru and Battigallu of Baruva mandal. No causalities have been reported. Tremors have also been reported in many parts of Mandasa, Vajrapukotturu and Sompeta mandals, PalasaKasibugga town and some surrounding rural pockets [...]"  

MSM: "Christchurch NZ Earthquakes 2011: City Hit By Series Of 'Strong' Quakes" [12/23/11] "According to the US Geological Survey (USGS) the first 5.8  magnitude quake striking Friday afternoon, 16 miles north of Christchurch and 2.5 miles deep. Almost immediately after, a 5.3-magnitude aftershock hit. About an hour later, Christchurch was shaken by another quake measuring 5.8, though New Zealand's geological agency GNS Science recorded that aftershock as a magnitude 6.0. Both aftershocks were less than 3 miles deep.[...] 

MSM: "Volcano Erupts In Yemen Spewing Lava- A First For The Region Says Locals" [12/20/11] "A volcano erupted near Saba Island in the Red Sea on Monday, said fishermen from Salif port city in the west of Yemen. The fishermen confirmed that the volcano erupted near Saba Island one of the Al-Zubair archipelago small Islands located 30 nautical miles away if Salif city. The fishermen said that the volcano can be seen 3 hours away from its center and that it has been popping up red lava that reached 20-30 meters high. The fishermen said this was the first volcano they ever seen in the region.  [...]"  

MSM: "Stray Showers Of Mercury Getting Into Food Chain" [12/19/11] "Earth is being showered with mercury that can land anywhere and enter the food chain, a study has shown. The poisonous metal is released as a vapour by burning fuel then falls back to Earth and is easily absorbed by the aquatic ecosystem. Thousands of tonnes of mercury vapour are pumped into the air each year. Scientists discovered that in time mercury is oxidised it can then be deposited back on Earth, either in rain or snow. Bacteria transform the oxidised mercury into methyl mercury, which easily enters the food chain. US scientist Dr Seth Lyman, who led the research while at the University of Washington Bothell, said: "Much of the emitted mercury is deposited far from its original sources. "Mercury emitted on the other side of the globe could be deposited right at our back door, depending on where and how it is transported, chemically transformed and deposited." Mercury from coal burning in Asia, for example, could circle the globe several times before being oxidised and carried back to the Earth's surface. Some areas, including the south-west US, had specific climate conditions that allowed them to receive more oxidised mercury from the upper atmosphere than others. The findings are reported today in the journal Nature. [...]" 

MSM: "Scientists Discover Geothermal Activity Outside Yellowstone Zone" [12/18/11] "NASA’s Landsat satellites have been tracking Yellowstone’s underground geothermal activity, a deep heat that is stored 4,000 miles into the earth’s core. But there are areas where these energy levels are becoming erratic. Old Faithful could be in trouble. The Landsat Program is jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, beginning its services of remote sensing in 1972. It became part of the Yellowstone National Park’s new monitoring plan in 2005. In addition to remote sensing, Landsat also uses airborne reconnaissance in order to “observe geothermal changes across all of Yellowstone in a systematic and scientific manner.” (NASA) Up until recently, the heat coming from Yellowstone’s underground magma chamber has always been the fuel for over 10,000 of the volcano’s features: Old faithful, hot springs, geysers, mud spots, terraces and mud pots. But NASA is reporting that the Landsat imagery has picked up some unexpected developments outside the park’s borders, also picked up by energy companies beyond the park’s borders. “If that geothermal development outside of the park begins, we need to know whether that’s going to cause Old Faithful to suddenly stop spewing,” says Rick Lawrence of Montana State University. The Landsat satellite allows the scientists to recognize big changes occurring in the geothermal area, like Yellowstone. However, nobody knows what is happening or where due to the satellite’s large pixel size in its imagery. But clues are being found regarding the interconnection of the underground geothermal events. [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Struck South Of Kermadec Islands" [12/16/11] "A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake erupted on the ocean floor south of the Kermadec Islands at 1010 GMT on Thursday. The earthquake struck at a depth of 34.1 km (21 miles) but is not expected to be strong enough to generate a tsunami threat. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake was preceded by a 5.6 magnitude foreshock. 734 km (456 miles) NorthEast of Auckland, New Zealand .[...]"  Note: The Kermadec earthquake is the 5th major earthquake to strike the planet in just four days and it comes as an omen of still more potential planetary seismic unrest. We first saw signs of mounting seismic tension across the planet on December 4th after a successive string of moderate tremors rattled tectonic plates across the globe. In subsequent days, a cadre of stress eruptive earthquakes have struck along the planet’s island arcs. Before today’s Kermadec earthquake, for example, the Island Arcs of South Sandwich Islands, Kuril, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, Sumatra along the Java Trench, and the Antilles region of the Puerto Rico Trench were all hit by tremors. Similarly, after the 6.3 Kermadec earthquake, 5.3 and 5.6 magnitude earthquakes which struck the Izu Islands along the arc of the Izu-Ogasawara Trench of Japan. Stay tuned; this turbulence may be far from over. 

MSM: "Thousands Of Birds Died Land-Crashing In Utah" [12/16/11] "Thousands of migratory birds were killed or injured after apparently mistaking a Wal-Mart parking lot, football fields and other snow-covered areas of southern Utah for bodies of water and plummeting to the ground. One state wildlife expert called the worst mass bird crash she’d ever seen. There’s no count on how many died, although officials estimate it’s upwards of 1,500. “They’re just everywhere. It’s been nonstop.  [...]"   Related: "Birds Accused Of Losing Bearings In New Mexico And Flying Into Trucks" "A strange sight in Bloomfield where 40 to 50 dead birds were reportedly found along U.S. 64 last week. Some of the black and speckled birds were lying on their backs with their small feet sticking up in the air, and at least one was missing its head. The Daily-Times reports about 30 dead birds were north of the highway and about 20 additional piles of flattened feathers were on the highway. Wildlife biologist John Kendall with the Bureau of Land Management investigated the cluster. He thinks they likely roosted in shrubs north of the highway Wednesday night and died when they flew into the side of a large truck driving the highway late Wednesday or early Thursday. It’s also unlikely the birds died from environmental causes because they were so close together when they died. [...] John Kendall, a wildlife biologist for the Bureau of Land Management, investigated the cluster and identified the species of bird. The starlings likely roosted in shrubs north of the highway Wednesday night and died when they flew into the side of a large vehicle driving the highway late Wednesday or early Thursday morning, he said. “It certainly is unusual,” Kendall said. “Usually birds are smarter than that."  

MSM: "Montenegro Earthquake Rattles Nerves And Buildings In Durbrovnik And Sarajevo" [12/16/11] "Dubrovnik residents have felt the reverberations of the light earthquake that hit Pljevlje on the border of Montenegro with Serbia Tuesday. The earthquake measuring a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale had its epicentre in Pljevlje municipality in the country’s north. Tremors were felt in Dubrovnik, Mostar and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), daily Vecernji List writes. No damage has been reported. [...]"  

MSM: "Residents Puzzled By Recent Flurry Of Earthquakes In Maine" [12/15/11] "The central coast of Maine was hit by two small earthquakes at nearly the same moment Monday night. The earthquakes, which measured 2.3 and 1.9 on the Richter scale, occurred about a second apart, at 11:41 p.m. The epicenters were about 4 miles apart in an area of Hancock County near Ellsworth and Searsport, according to a preliminary earthquake report released by the United States Geological Survey. More than 25 people have logged on to the USGS website so far to say they felt the quakes. Four reports came from the town of Blue Hill, where one epicenter was located. Ten reports came from the town of Sedgewick, the second epicenter. “I thought a big giant tree had crashed into my house,” said Shari Whelan, a resident of Sedgewick who works as a general manager at the Barncastle Hotel and Restaurant in Blue Hill. Whelan said she was watching television when the house began to shake and she heard a “boom,” that sounded like thunder. The two quakes were the third and fourth recorded in the state in two days. On Sunday afternoon and night, quakes measuring 1.0 and 1.4 on the Richter scale, respectively, were recorded in central Maine about 80 miles away. “This area of Maine does get a lot of earthquakes,” said Justin Starr, a research assistant at the Weston Observatory, the Boston College geophysical observatory. He said he didn’t know why there has been a flurry of activity in the area. [...]" 

MSM: "Number of Larger Earthquakes Is Rising" [12/15/11] "Not only did 2010/2011 exceed ALL of the norms for larger events, but the largest quakes, Richters 6, 7 and 8 - 9.9 gained significantly over 2008/2009. There are still two weeks to go... See the CHART. This is yet another sign of the End of this Age. [...]" 

MSM: "Scientists in Hawaii: Tsunamis on the Rise? " [12/14/11] [2:06] "A team of NOAA scientists that monitors the largest water masses in the world for any signs of seismic activity says the recent series of terrifying natural disasters could signify the beginning of a new cycle of large earthquakes. [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 7.3 - Eastern New Guinea Reg, Papua New Guinea" [12/14/11] December 14 05:04:56 UTC  

MSM: "UK Braces For Back-To-Back Lashing From The Worst String Of Winter Storms Seen In 30 Years" [12/13/11] "Britain was told to brace itself for the worst weather in 30 years – with forecasts of gale-force winds, snow, sleet and torrential rain. The Met Office issued a weather warning of gales as strong as 100mph and a freezing wind chill factor bringing the coldest week of the winter so far. Experts said there will be little respite until the New Year with more brutal weather during the run-up to Christmas. Motoring organizations urged the public to heed the warnings and plan journeys carefully to avoid the “carpet bomb” weather heading our way. And there were fears that already hard-hit retailers will take another financial wallop as Christmas shoppers may be put off by the extreme elements from stepping out on the high street. A double whammy of two deep Atlantic low-pressure systems is forecast to smash in from the South-west later tonight. High winds and rain will lash most of England with the South and Northern Ireland expected to take the brunt of the gales and storm-force winds. Snow and sleet is likely on higher ground as far south as Dartmoor and Exmoor and on the North Downs. Temperatures will drop to around 5C (41F) in the North and 7C (45F) in the South but it will feel colder because of the wind chill factor. While temperatures will not hit freezing in the weather system’s first phase, high winds and flooding are expected to make travel treacherous and cause structural damage. [...]" 

MSM: "6.7 Quake Jolts Western Mexico" [12/11/11] "The U.S. Geological Service initially estimated the quake at magnitude at 6.8, but downgraded it to 6.7 and then 6.5. A quake of that magnitude is capable of causing severe damage, although the depth of this temblor lessened its impact. The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 40.3 miles (64.9 kilometers). It was centered about 26 miles (42 kilometers) southwest of Iguala in Guerrero and 103 miles (166 kilometers) south-southwest of Mexico City. Mexico's Interior Department said the quake was felt in parts of nine states.[...]"  

MSM: "Super Fierce 165 Mph Winds Lash Scotland- People Warned To Stay Indoors" [12/09/11] "A fierce storm with winds of up to 165mph has battered northern parts of Britain, with people warned to stay indoors, schools forced to close and flights and rail links cancelled. Localized flooding has also caused major disruptions on roads – and more than 30,000 homes have been left without power. In North Yorkshire, a RAF helicopter plucked a couple to safety after their car was swept away in floodwaters near Aysgarth. They were flown to hospital with suspected hypothermia. A third person was also rescued from his car in a separate incident near the village of Gunnerside. Police have advised against all travel until at least 2am Friday, when winds are expected to ease. The Met Office earlier issued its strongest warning – a red alert – for winds in Scotland and warned parts of England and Wales to “be aware,” as temperatures were expected to drop and snowfall was predicted as far south as Birmingham. It said the Highland observing station at Glen Ogle reported a gust of 104mph at 11am. The Met Office later tweeted that a gust at the Aonach Mor ski area peaked at 137mph.  [...]" 

MSM: "Japan’s March 11th Massive Earthquake Altered The Planet’s Gravitational Field" [12/09/11] "Last week, we learned that the massive Tohuku earthquake that rocked Japan earlier this year shifted the sea floor of the Pacific Ocean by about 50 meters. Today, New Scientist informs us that the same earthquake was so powerful that it altered the planet’s gravitational field and, in turn, the orbits of satellites circling Earth. The findings were made by two satellites that make up NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, which has the express purpose of monitoring fluctuations in the Earth’s gravitational field, which are caused by adjustments in the planet’s mass, such as those caused by the melting of polar ice caps. How did GRACE come to the conclusion that satellites were knocked slightly off course? The researchers calculated how the relative velocity of the two satellites changed as they passed over the affected region. GRACE records variations in the gravity field due to other processes too, but these background signals change over larger timescales than that of the quake, and so could be identified and subtracted. The leftover signal showed that the rate at which the distance between the two GRACE satellites changed – the so-called range rate – was twice as high in the month after the earthquake as in the month prior to the event. Only two earthquakes since 2002 had been recorded as altering the gravitational field – the 2004 Indian Ocean quake and last year’s megaquake in Chile – and now the Tohuku quake has joined that rarified company. The GRACE team also found that monitoring shifts in satellite orbits could give a more accurate reading of how powerful an earthquake was, as their findings suggest the quake was a 9.1 on the Richter scale, compared to the 9.0 that Earth-based sensors arrived at.  [...]"  

Dutch Sinse: "Earthquake Overview USA, EU, Asia -- 2 Week Outlook" [12/08/11] [4:44] "On Dec 7th we saw a 6.1M earthquake along the coast of Chile .. as well as the series of 5.0M quake swarms around the circumference of the ENTIRE ring of fire (and adjacent plates). [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 5.9 Kepulauan Sula Region Of Indonesia" [12/08/11] "Magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit Kepulauan Sula region of Indonesia at 13:38:28 UTC 266 km (165 miles) SSW of Ternate and recently awaken Gamalama volcano in Molucca Sea, Indonesia, 311 km (193 miles) NW of Ambon, Moluccas, Indonesia and 792 km (492 miles) N of Dili, Timor-Leste (1.430°S, 126.516°E). The depth of epicenter was at 29.5 km (18.3 miles).  [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.1 - Atacama, Chile" [12/07/11] "Epicenter 80 km (49 miles) SW of Copiapo, Atacama, Chile [...]" 

Commentary: "Tension Mounts: Moderate String Of Earthquakes Rattle The Globe" [12/05/11] "A moderate string of earthquakes have rattled tectonic plate boundaries across the globe- a possible indication that a potential larger-scale seismic quake could erupt as a stress release. Growing seismic disturbances along the Caribbean plate, the Pacific Plate near Kermadec, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, and Alaska have reverberated in tremors across the planet. Indonesia, Taiwan and New Zealand were hit by mid-magnitude tremors this morning followed by the moderate earthquake eruption of a 4.9 and a 5.2 along the divergent boundary of the North Mid-Atlantic Ridge which separates the North American Plate from the Eurasian plate. That was followed by a quick succession of progressively moderate earthquakes including a 5.1 near Kermadec, a 5.2 south of Baja, California, a 5.3 near the east coast of Kamchatka, and a 5.4 and 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Papua and Seram, Indonesia. – " 

MSM: "Record Number Of Mud Volcanoes Erupting Across The Planet- Trinadad Mud Volcano Awakens After 14 Years" [12/05/11] "Residents of Piparo are living on the edge as the mud volcano that ravaged the village 14 years ago, has begun to threaten their community again. Residents are subjected to sleepless nights as they are haunted with memories of February 22, 1997, when steaming mud crushed houses and swept away cars, livestock and all else in its path. When the Sunday Guardian visited the site off Old Piparo Road yesterday, two new mounds had surfaced, spewing mud several feet into the air at five minute intervals. At the scene was Shammarine Kissoondath, 56, who lives nearby. He said he came to see what was happening as he had been kept awake by strange sounds issuing from the volcano. He said: “It sounded like gunshots and this morning when I awoke it was still making noise. This is the same sound it made before it erupted in 1997. It is possible that we can have a repeat and maybe this time it could be worse.” He said it only took ten minutes on that fateful day for the massive amount of mud spewing from the volcano to wreak havoc. Boyie Suratt, who lives about 300 feet from the volcano said he, too, has been sleeping restlessly since Thursday. Suratt’s home is nearest the volcano and he said while he does not believe that it will erupt any time soon, no one can predict when and how severe another eruption might be. “I was home in my gallery around 3 am on Thursday and I heard this sound like people bursting bamboo. We usually get a little noise now and then, especially when it rains because gas is trying to escape. But now the noise has been coming frequently like it have plenty gas down there.” He explained that the rain softens the mud which causes minor explosions. However, he admits that over the past few days the noise levels had increased significantly occurring at an alarming rate. He, too, recalled the drama that unfolded in 1997, saying that a wave of mud several feet high was crumbling any house in its path. Suratt said his home was saved as another house that crumbled was able to forge a barrier in front of his. He said on February 22, 1997, he awoke to mud spewing some 200 feet into the air.  [...]"  Note: "A storm is gathering on the horizon and the signs are apparent for anyone so inclined to see them. This year along, a record number of mud volcanoes have erupted including Azerbaijan, Karachi Pakistan, Ukraine, Indonesia, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Taiwan, and now Trinidad- showing the global extent to which geological forces are stirring methane and sediment under the ground beneath our feet. Volcanism has been kinetic across the Southern hemisphere, including the Canary Islands, Central and South America and East Africa (Congo and Eritrea). The planet’s climate has become more erratic and unstable- it’s storm systems stronger and more destructive. Earthquakes have erupted in places we’ve never seen earthquakes before in recent years and insidiously, sleeping fault system across the global landscape have awakened. Tectonic plates are becoming increasingly more restless. The list of ecologically devastated zones wrecked by natural disasters has also dramatically increased- Haiti, New Zealand, Pakistan, Japan, the horn of Africa, and eastern Turkey. Similarly, the fabric that holds civilization together, both politically and economically, is likewise unraveling. It is becoming more evident with each passing day that the planet is teetering more and more on the precipice of an unprecedented crisis."

MSM: "5.7-Magnitude Quake Hits New Zealand" [12/04/11] "An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale has struck New Zealand's capital, Wellington, and the north of the country's South Island. [...]"  

MSM: "New Icelandic Volcano Eruption Could Have Global Impact" [12/02/11] [2:18] "Hundreds of metres under one of Iceland's largest glaciers there are signs of an imminent volcanic eruption that could be one of the most powerful the country has seen in almost a century. Mighty Katla, with its 10km (6.2 mile) crater, has the potential to cause catastrophic flooding as it melts the frozen surface of its caldera and sends billions of gallons of water surging through Iceland's east coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. "There has been a great deal of seismic activity," says Ford Cochran, the National Geographic's expert on Iceland. "There have been more than 500 tremors in and around the caldera of Katla just in the last month, which suggests the motion of magma. And that certainly suggests an eruption may be imminent." Scientists in Iceland have been closely monitoring the area since 9 July, when there appears to have been some sort of disturbance that may have been a small eruption [...] The July 9 event seems to mark the beginning of a new period of unrest for Katla, the fourth we know in the last half century," says Professor Pall Einarsson, who has been studying volcanoes for 40 years and works at the Iceland University Institute of Earth Sciences. [...] Katla usually erupts every 40 to 80 years, which means the next significant event is long overdue. Katla is part of a volcanic system that includes the Laki craters. In 1783 the chain erupted continuously for eight months generating so much ash, hydrogen fluoride and sulphur dioxide that it killed one in five Icelanders and half of the country's livestock. "And it actually changed the Earth's climate," says Mr Cochran. "Folks talk about a nuclear winter - this eruption generated enough sulphuric acid droplets that it made the atmosphere reflective, cooled the planet for an entire year or more and caused widespread famine in many places around the globe. [...]"  

MSM: "6.0 Quake Hits Philippines' Main Island" [11/30/11] A 5.0 and a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of the Philippines along the Manila Trench. A 5.0 magnitude aftershock followed. The Manila Trench is an ocean trench in the South China Sea, west of the Philippines. It reaches a depth of about 5,400 m, in contrast with the average depth of the South China Sea of about 1,500 m. It is created by subduction, in which the Eurasian Plate is subducting under the Philippine Mobile Belt. The Manila Trench is associated with frequent earthquakes, and the plate movements which give rise to it are also responsible for the arc of volcanoes on the west side of the Philippine island of Luzon, including Mount Pinatubo which experienced a very violent VEI 6 Plinian eruption in 1991. It was the second largest volcanic eruption recorded in the 20th century.  [...]" 

MSM: "6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Tectonic Plate Boundary Near Papua New Guinea" [11/29/11] "A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea’s remote New Britain region on Monday but there was no danger of a tsunami, seismologists said. The United States (US) Geological Survey said the quake hit at 10.26 pm (1226 GMT, 8.26pm Singapore time) at a depth of 50km about 221km south-east of Rabaul, New Britain. Geoscience Australia gave the quake a preliminary measurement of magnitude 6.0. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there were no tsunami warnings or advisories in effect following the quake. [...]"  

MSM: "Ecuador: Tungurahua Volcano Active, Government Urges Evacuations" [11/29/11] "Ecuador's government is urging four villages to evacuate because of increased activity in the Tungurahua volcano not far from the country's capital. Authorities in the South American nation say about 700 people live in the mainly farming communities on the slopes of the volcano in the Andes. Ecuador's Geophysical Institute says increased activity that began Sunday is billowing columns of ash, sending superheated clouds of gas down the slopes and cascading hot rocks from the summit. The agency said Monday that it is recording a gradual accumulation of lava in the mountain. The 16,480-foot (5,023-meter) volcano is in a sparsely populated area about 84 miles (135 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Quito. It has been active since 1999. [...]"  

MSM: "Eruption Warning For Galeras Volcano In Colombia" [11/29/11] "The Galeras volcano is located in the Department of Nariño, about 9 km west of the City of San Juan de Pasto [...]" 

MSM: "Swarm Of 700 Quakes Unnerve Residents Of El Salvador" [11/27/11] "More than 700 slight to moderate earthquakes hit an area in eastern El Salvador in a 24-hour period, damaging dozens of homes but hurting no one. The brief quakes, which started Thursday and ranged from 1.8 to 4.6 in magnitude, have occurred in the municipality of El Carmen, some 163 km (101 miles) east of the capital of San Salvador, the country’s National Territory agency said. Jorge Melendez, in charge of civil protection, said on Friday that 80 homes were damaged by the tremors, known as an earthquake swarm. A hospital in the area showed cracks on the walls but no structural damage so far, he said. Army troops were sent in to monitor the damaged areas. While authorities have not ordered evacuations yet, many residents of El Carmen chose to sleep in the open and the army was handing out tents. El Salvador suffered two powerful earthquakes 10 any ten years ago: one of 7.6 magnitude in January 2001 and another of 6.6 magnitude a month later. The quakes killed more than 1,150 people and left about one million others homeless. El Savador is a region on the turbulent subduction border where the Cocos Plate interfaces with the ever-growing more dangerous Caribbean plate. As can be seen from the map, El Salvador is lined with volcanoes.  [...]"  

MSM: "White Smoke Billows From Summit Of Anak Krakatau" [11/25/11] " Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau volcano has been puffing white smoke the last few days, and scientists are warning locals and tourists to keep away. That could mean that the long suspected eruption of the world’s most famous volcano could be imminent. Actually, this volcano is the remnant of the biggest blast ever recorded on Earth. That was the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa. From the ruins of that gigantic crater left in the land has come forth what is now known as the Anak Krakatau volcano—literally “Krakatoa’s Child.” In the time since the original eruption, scientists have gotten much better at predicting when a volcano will have a catastrophic eruption, distinguishing it from the many smaller eruptions which do not harm the local population or environment. One of the telltale signs is sudden and increased activity like what scientists are seeing in this past week at the Anak Krakatau volcano. Of course, not wanting to take unnecessary chances, scientists have to balance warning off residents with calling a false alarm. That’s why this recent warning is so significant. Seismologists have learned to read the signs to an astonishingly accurate degree and have a tremendous track record for getting it right. So, the world may be close to once again hearing the loudest sound ever recorded. And this time, the spectacular show will be caught on tape! The volcano remains on level 3 alert. [...]"  Related: Video clip  [4:40] 

Commentary: "Mega Disasters: Mount Rainier - American Volcano " [11/25/11] [2:17] "Mount Rainier hasn't erupted since the beginning of the 19th century, but experts say the volcano is due. Should the eruption occur, deadly mudslides would claim tens of thousands of lives, and it could be the most catastrophic natural disaster in history.  [...]" 

MSM: "6.1 magnitude offshore earthquake strikes northeast of Tokyo" [11/24/11] " A 6.1 magnitude offshore earthquake struck the conjunctive tectonic plate boundary near Sendai, Japan. The 33 km deep earthquake is the latest in a series of strong tremors that continue to plague one of the most turbulence seismic regions on Earth since the March 11, 9.0 earthquake struck near Honshu Japan and killed more than 15,800 people. The epicenter of today’s 6.1 earthquake was 101 km (62 miles) ESE of Fukushima, Honshu, Japan and 244 km (151 miles) NE of Tokyo, Japan. Japan’s mounting environmental and financial problems are being compounded by the erosion of geological stability in a region that will only grow more dangerous with time as Earth-changes intensify. No tsunami warnings were issued for today’s earthquake. [...]" 

MSM: "East India Region Hit By 23 Minor Tremors A Day" [11/24/11]   "According to a reports of the Seismological Observatory, Manipur University, Manipur experiences at least 23 minor tremors in a day but these tremors could not be felt by the people, Director of College Development Council, Manipur University Dr. RK Ranjan has disclosed. He was speaking as Chief Guest of the inaugural function of a 5-day long NSS Mega Festival at Youth Hostel No.3, Khuman Lampak Sports Complex. The camp is being organized under the aegis of State National Service Scheme (NSS) Cell. Dr Ranjan informed that these minor tremors could be detected only by earthquake monitoring equipments. Some experts opined that such repetitive minor tremors is an indication that no major quake would occurred in Manipur while others maintained that these minor tremors are only regrouping of the elements that would ultimately erupt into a devastating quake sooner or later. In spite of contrasting views, one thing is certain that the land mass of Manipur has been formed along the fold lines that have no joining between one fold and another. There is one large fold line running from Mao to Churachandpur and this would pose greater risk in the event of a major earthquake and this could happen at any time. So, there is the need to step up the activities of Disaster Management in Manipur, Dr Ranjan said. It is also high time for the people to think over why there is acute shortage of the drinking water in Manipur despite receiving highest annual rainfall, he observed.  [...]" 

MSM: "Scientist Who Warned of Japan Quake Was Dismissed" [11/23/11] "Dismissed as a “nobody” by Japan’s nuclear industry, seismologist Katsuhiko Ishibashi spent two decades watching his predictions of disaster come true: First in the 1995 Kobe earthquake and then at Fukushima. He says the government still doesn’t get it. The 67-year-old scientist recalled in an interview how his boss marched him to the Construction Ministry to apologize for writing a 1994 book suggesting Japan’s building codes put its cities at risk. Five months later, thousands were killed when a quake devastated Kobe city. The book, “A Seismologist Warns,” became a bestseller. That didn’t stop Haruki Madarame, now head of Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission, from dismissing Ishibashi as an amateur when he warned of a “nuclear earthquake disaster,” a phrase the Kobe University professor coined in 1997. Ishibashi says Japan still underestimates the risk of operating reactors in a country that has about 10 percent of the world’s quakes.  [...]"  

MSM: "6.2 Earthquake Strikes Bolivia" [11/23/11] "Map" "Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 02:48:15 PM at epicenter. Location 15.345°S, 65.110°W. Depth 533.3 km (331.4 miles). 350 km (217 miles) ENE of LA PAZ, Bolivia.  [...]" 

MSM: "Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano Unleashes 2 Km Ash Cloud" [11/23/11] "The Guatemalan geophysical survey SERNAGEOMIN reports increasing explosive activity from Fuego volcano, one of the country’s most active volcanoes. Fuego was observed producing ash clouds reaching 1500-2000 m above the summit crater (at ca. 3600 m altitude) which drifted SW and reached up to 20 km distance where they produced some ash fall, reported in the communities of Panimaché, Morelia, Sangre de Cristo, and Santa Sofía. The explosions were accompanied by moderate to strong booming... [...]"  

MSM: "Myanmar Shaken By 5.9 Magnitude Earthquake" [11/22/11] "An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rocked India’s northeast, Myanmar and Bangladesh on Monday, triggering panic among people. The tremor was felt at 8.47 am in most parts of Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur, besides in Bangladesh and Myanmar. The epicenter was located at 24.947°N, 95.226°E in Myanmar, about 130 km east of Manipur capital Imphal, the website of US Geological Survey said. Seven northeastern states – Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur – are considered by seismologists to be the sixth most earthquake-prone belt in the world. The region experienced one of the worst earthquakes, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, in 1897, that claimed the lives of over 1,600 people. In September, more than 50 people died after a killer quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale shook the region. [...]"  

MSM: "Hydrovolcanism: When Magma And Water Mix" [11/20/11] "The activity at El Hierro has brought up a lot of questions about just exactly what happens when a volcanic eruption occurs underwater — and specifically, what happens if that eruption begins to occur in shallower water. This is the realm of “hydrovolcanism” or “phreatovolcanism” — when water and magma interact, either directly or indirectly, to produce volcanic activity. In general, magma’s interaction with water comes in two flavors — phreatic, where the eruption is steam-driven, but no magma is directly involved, just heat, and phreatomagmatic, where magma is involved directly in the eruption. Phreatic eruptions don’t require a lot of water — if groundwater or snow/ice melt seeps into a volcanic edifice and heats up (typically due to a new intrusion of magma coming into the upper part of the volcano), that water can flash to steam causing an explosion (see above). Many times, these phreatic explosions are precursors to renewed activity at a volcano. [...]"  

MSM: "Early Season Record Cold Temperatures Stun Residents Of Alaska" [11/19/11] "A mid-November cold snap seems to have caught even seasoned Fairbanksans off guard. “I don’t think anybody was really expecting this,” 43-year-old Shawn Ross, a lifelong Fairbanksan, said. “This came out of the blue.” For the second time in three days, Fairbanks set a new low temperature record on Thursday. A temperature of 41 degrees below zero — the first 40 below temperature of the season — was recorded at Fairbanks International Airport at 6:29 a.m., according to the National Weather Service in Fairbanks. That broke the old record of 39 below set in 1969. The cold air settling in the flatlands has concentrated air pollution. The Fairbanks North Star Borough issued air quality advisories on Wednesday and Thursday because particulate matter was above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards and rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups. Fairbanks set a new record of 35 below on Tuesday and the temperature bottomed out at 39 below on Wednesday, two degrees shy of the record. Thursday’s record low of 41 below marked the sixth earliest 40-below temperature recorded by the National Weather Service in Fairbanks since 1904. The earliest it’s ever hit 40 below in Fairbanks was Nov. 5, 1907, when it hit 41 below. The last time Fairbanksans saw 40-below temperatures in November was in 1994, when temperatures of 45, 43 and 45 below were recorded on Nov. 24, 25 and 30, respectively. The bitter, early season cold had Interior residents wondering if somebody turned the calendar ahead a month or two. “This sort of thing is certainly more common in December and January than November,” meteorologist Dan Hancock at the National Weather Service in Fairbanks said. “We can go through an entire winter and not get this cold.”Ross, who has owned Badger Towing for 11 years, said even he wasn’t prepared for a cold snap this severe so early in the season. [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.1 – Off East Coast Of the North Island, New Zealand" [11/19/11] "North Island, New Zealand at 07:51UTC and was located 158 km (98 miles) NE of Gisborne, 269 km (167 miles) ENE of Rotorua, 405 km (251 miles) ESE of Auckland, New Zealand (37.608°S, 179.243°E). According to NZ GEONET the depth was at 40km (24.8 miles), while USGS measured depth of 26 km (16.2 miles) and EMSC only 2km (1.2 miles). There have been a series of sharp earthquakes in the Kermadec Trench region... [...]" 

MSM: "5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Coast Of Ecuador" [11/17/11] "A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador at 1:57 UTC. The depth of the earthquake was 29.8 km (18.5 miles) SW of Manta and 380 km (236 miles) WSW of the capital QUITO, Ecuador. At the end of October, a 4.0 magnitude earthquake near Quito caused landslides and left cracks in some homes. Buildings were shaken but there have been no reports yet issued of damages. Ecuador sits in the Nazca tectonic plate which creates adjacent stress with the neighboring Caribbean Plate. [...]" 

MSM: "NASA Attempts to Quell Fears Of A Super-Volcano Eruption Event In 2012" [11/17/11] "Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre have found no evidence to support claims that there could be volcano super eruptions in 2012. The geological record holds clues that throughout Earth’s 4.5-billion-year lifetime massive super-volcanoes, far larger than Mount St. Helens or Mount Pinatubo, have erupted. However, despite the claims of those who fear 2012, there’s no evidence that such a super-eruption is imminent. The terms “super-volcano” and “super eruption” are fairly new and favored by the media more than scientists, but geologists have begun to use them in recent years to refer to explosive volcanic eruptions that eject about ten thousand times the quantity of magma and ash that Mount St. Helens, one of the most explosive eruptions in recent years, expelled. Volcanologists continue to seek answers to many unanswered questions about super-volcanoes. But there’s one thing that all experts agree on: super eruptions, though they occur, are exceedingly rare and the odds that one will occur sooner are vanishingly small. The most recent super eruption occurred in New Zealand about 26,000 years ago. The next most recent: the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Toba happened about 50,000 years earlier. In all, geologists have identified the remnant of about 50 super eruptions, though teams are in the process of evaluating a number of other possibilities. Scientists have no way of predicting with perfect accuracy whether a super-volcano will occur in a given century, decade, or year — and that includes 2012. But they do keep close tabs on volcanically active areas around the world, and so far there’s absolutely no sign of a super eruption looming anytime soon.  [...]"  Note: We will see what happens ... there WILL be geological chaos, regardless of whether or not the Yellowstone Complex or another one of the several supervolcanoes doesn't erupt. There is just NO way they know enough to make a definitive statement like they have. Over the long haul, they have been wrong, and surprised, again and again over time.

MSM: "Another Mass Stranding- Scores Of Whales Wash Up On New Zealand Beaches" [11/16/11] "Thirty-two pilot whales were confirmed dead today while the lives of 34 others hung in the balance after a mass stranding on tidal flats off New Zealand’s South Island. The remote location of the stranding meant rescuers were unable to help the marine mammals and their survival will depend on the tide, the Department of Conservation’s area manager, John Mason, told the Nelson Mail. Mr. Mason said the whales, up to five metros long, were stranded on the tidal flats at the tip of Farewell Spit in Golden Bay, located nearly three kilometers offshore at the northern end of South Island. “There’s really nothing we can do for them so we just have to hope that they manage to get out by themselves,” Mr. Mason added. The deaths of the mammals follow the stranding in Australia’s island state of Tasmania over the weekend. Twenty-three sperm whales, up to 18 meters long, died after they became stuck on Ocean Beach, near Strahan, on Saturday. One of the whales died overnight on Monday, leaving the sole surviving whale stranded off a nearby sandbank at Fraser Flats. Rescuers had to abandon their attempts to refloat the final whale today due to wild weather, The Mercury reported. “We were aware we had only a small weather window to work in today and, as forecast, the strong winds and high seas have interrupted our attempts,” incident controller Chris Arthur, from the Parks and Wildlife Service, said. He did not reveal any details as to when the rescue operation would resume.  [...]" 

MSM: "Magma Plume: Italy’s Mt. Etna Erupts For The 18th Time This Year" [11/16/11] "The Etna has intensified its activity today with fountains of lava and ash causing restrictions to air traffic. This eighteenth eruption this year has followed the Stromboli pattern as previous ones did and lasted just a couple of hours. The Crisis Unit at the Catania Fonatanrossa Airport met to assess potential consequences for flights and restricted air space until 16.30 without however affecting passenger flights. [...]" 

MSM: "South Dakota Shaken By Double Seismic Tremors" [11/16/11] "A small earthquake shook areas of northwest Nebraska and southwest South Dakota but no damage was reported. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 3.7 magnitude quake happened a little before midnight Sunday along the Nebraska-South Dakota border near Ardmore, S.D. Geophysicist Don Blakeman of the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., says a 3.7 magnitude quake is large enough to be felt but not big enough to cause any serious damage. KQSK reported that residents in Ardmore, Chadron and Crawford could feel the shaking. The radio station says one woman in Crawford reported hearing her windows rattle and feeling her bed shake. The woman says the quake lasted about 20 seconds. Geophysicist Don Blakeman of the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., says a 3.7 magnitude quake is large enough to be felt but not big enough to cause any serious damage. The quake was followed by a second 3.3 magnitude tremor today. [...]" 

"Quake In Haiti, Swarms In The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico- Tension Mounts On Caribbean Plate" [11/16/11] "Seven quakes have rocked Caribbean islands as of Saturday and another tremor occurred in Haiti this Monday, raising concern among experts about a likely seismic reactivation in the area. “For some days we have observed an unusual activity that seems to be linked to the subduction of the Caribbean tectonic plate,” Saint Lucian seismologist Bruce Kleever told Prensa Latina. Seven tremors were felt in the British overseas territories in East Caribbean over the weekend, according to the Disaster Management Department of the Virgin Islands. “The seismic events were of 3.5-4.6 magnitude and could also be felt in Puerto Rico. We’re following closely the situation in the area,” said Kleever. A 4.3-magnitude quake rocked southern Haiti early morning today, one year, ten months and two days after the worst seism in the history of this country occurred. No damages or fatalities have been reported so far, but the people panicked as they relived the nightmare. According to the expert, the tremor might indicate an area of seismic activity also in the northern Caribbean plate. For years, the specialists have feared the likelihood of powerful quakes and ensuing tsunamis in the Caribbean because of the existence in the area of important focuses of danger of tectonic movement. One of them is located near Dominica, considered the point with the largest number of potentially active volcanoes in the world. However, Kleever said panic must not be triggered among the population. “Just remain on alert and take steps in case of any tremor,” he said. Steps include going to open, safer spaces, mainly in highlands, far from buildings. The Caribbean currently lacks a tsunami early warning system. Such a device would be likely available by year 2014. Watch over the area is carried out from the Hawaii-based Tsunami Warning Center, in the Pacific. At least 88 tsunamis have occurred in the Caribbean in the past 500 years, the worst of them in 1946, killing some 1,600 people.  [...]"  Note:  See Graphic  

Commentary: "Cascadia: The West Coast Fault Line That Is "Nine Months Pregnant" [11/16/11] "Ever since the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, I've been thinking a lot about my friends in Oregon. Why? Because the impending "Big One" that Californians are nervous about is actually a lot more likely to occur off the coast of Oregon—and would be an even "Bigger One" there. [...]" 

MSM: "6.6 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Molucca Sea" [11/14/11]  "A 6.6-magnitude undersea earthquake struck Indonesia’s eastern North Maluku province on Monday in the Molucca Sea. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, and no tsunami alerts were issued by the NOAA. The earthquake occurred at 11:05 am (0405 GMT) with an epicenter 69 kilometers (42 miles) southwest of Labuha city, the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysics Agency said. It struck at a depth of 19.4 kilometers. The US Geological Survey recorded the quake’s magnitude at 6.6. Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. [...]"  

MSM: "Turkey Earthquake Tremor & Blackout Caught On Camera" [11/12/11]   [2:43] "CCTV cameras in the Turkish city of Van have captured dramatic video footage of the moment Wednesday's 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck. Security footage from violently shaking cameras showed people running out of buildings, lights going out and thick clouds of smoke enveloping streets in the provincial capital. The quake - which struck in the same Turkish province that was hit by a deadly temblor last month - has killed at least 10 people, including a Japanese aid worker. Twenty-eight people have been pulled out of the rubble alive since the quake, after rescuers worked through the night on Wednesday. [...]" 

MSM: "New Super X-Ray to Study Earth's Core" [11/12/11] "The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility has inaugurated a new X-ray beam that could tell us much about Earth’s most mysterious place: its core. The recently revamped ESRF uses a huge particle accelerator to create various intense X-Ray beams, which can give scientists an atom-level look at their subjects. The new beam, dubbed ID24, will allow scientists to subject metals to pressures and temperatures found at the center of the Earth, and observe what happens, Popular Science reports. ID24 won’t start experiments until spring, but when it does it’ll be capable of taking 1 million measurements per second, which mean scientists will get a very precise view of what happens when, say, iron is heated to 10,000 degrees. Those observations in turn could teach them much about how metal functions at extreme depths, shedding light on, among other things, the dynamo that generates the Earth’s magnetic field. [...]"  

MSM: "Northern Hemisphere Sea Level Falling For Almost A Decade" [11/12/11] "The European Union’s Envisat satellite was launched in 2002. Sea level in the northern hemisphere has declined since they started measuring it, and is now almost 30 mm lower than it was in the middle of 2004. [...]"  

MSM: "5.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northwest Of Athens, Greece" [11/11/11]  " A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck about 167 km (104) miles from Athens and about 27 km from Patras, Greece. The shallow earthquake was reported at a depth of just 6.9 km (4.3 miles) below the surface.  [...]"

MSM: "Massive Movement Of Tree Species" [11/11/11]   "Global warming, insect attack, diseases and fires caused a huge “migration” of trees across much of the West. Many tree species are projected to decline or die out in regions where they have been present for centuries, while others move in and replace them. In an enormous display of survival of the fittest, the forests of the future are taking a new shape.  [...]" 

MSM: "Scientists Peer Into Mystery Of Giant Waves Off The Coast Of Portugal" [11/10/11]   "Hawaiian hellman Garrett McNamara has cheated death to ride what is being billed as the largest wave ever surfed. The big wave rider caught the huge 30m (90 feet) monster earlier this month at Praia do Norte, Nazaré off the coast of Portugal during the ZON North Canyon Project 2011. “Everything was perfect, the weather, the waves. Cotty and I surfed two big waves of about 60 feet and then, when Garrett was ready, came a canyon wave of over 90 feet,” said Mennie who accompanied McNamara on the excursion. “The jet ski was the best place to see him riding the biggest wave I’ve ever seen. It was amazing. Most people would be scared, but Garrett was controlling everything in the critical part of the wave. It was an inspiring ride by an inspiring surfer.” Praia do Norte off the coast of Nazaré is home to one of the only deep water canyons runs all the way to shore in Europe. It funnels large swells from the Atlantic Ocean and, under the right conditions, can create massive waves that dwarf those along the rest of the Portuguese coast. McNamara has been working with the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute to understand how the waves reach such record-breaking heights at this particular point. “I feel so blessed and honoured to have been invited to explore this canyon and its special town. The waves here are such a mystery,” said McNamara. [...]" Related: "Surfer Riding 90 Foot Wave" [0:25] 

MSM: "Extreme Weather Events Reported In Skies Over Australia" [11/10/11] " Victoria’s State Emergency Service has responded to more than 1000 calls for help overnight after one of the wildest storms to lash the state this year. SES rescuers responded to cases of flash flooding, hail damage, people trapped in cars, unroofed homes and fallen trees. In one of the worst-hit areas, Frankston received 30 millimetres of rain in 20 minutes yesterday. Residents made more than 200 calls for help, including 150 about flooding and 40 about building damage. In Croydon several people had to be rescued from their vehicles after they became stuck in flood waters. There were another 150 reports of fallen trees, many in towns northwest of Melbourne including Castlemaine, Woodend and Maryborough. The northeast endured the worst of the storm, where 65mm of rain fell – the highest rainfall for the state. In Wodonga, several houses had their roofs ripped off. There were also reports of flooded backyards and falling trees.  [...]"  

MSM: "Quake Kills at Least 3 in Turkey" [11/10/11] "A 5.6-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday in the same region hit by a larger quake two weeks ago killed at least three people and trapped others who had moved into damaged buildings that collapsed Wednesday, the Turkish media reported. The reports said about 25 buildings, including two hotels, were destroyed Wednesday. Many of the buildings were empty, according to a television report on NTV, but some people had moved into the hotels after their homes were flattened or deemed unsafe after the earlier 7.2-magnitude quake.  [...]"  Note: Now who's 'shit list' is Turkey on ....

Presentation: "Geoengineering: Destroying the Atmosphere – Rosalind Peterson" [11/09/11] [90:00] "Radio Liberty Seminar, October 23, 2011, Aptos, California. Rosalind Peterson and Allan Buckmann present their findings relating to geoengineering.  [...]"  Related: PowerPoint presentation and a host of documents

MSM: "Magnitude 6.9 – Northeast of Taiwan" [11/08/11] "Strong 6.9 magnitude eathquake strike 215 km (133 miles) NW of Naha, Okinawa, Japan, 361 km (224 miles) NNE of Ishigaki-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan and 500 km (310 miles) ENE of Taipei, Taiwan (27.291°N, 125.868°E). The epicenter was at depth of 209.5 km (130.2 miles) according to USGS. EMSC recorded 6.8 magnitude at depth of 211 km.  [...]"

MSM: "Japan Earthquake: Strong 6.8 Temblor Recorded Off Southern Okinawa Island" [11/08/11] [0:45] "A fairly strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 has hit off the shores of Japan's southern Okinawa Island. [...]"  

Commentary: "Eruptions And Quakes: The Earth Continues To Groan" [11/08/11] "The volcanic eruptions of 2011 have been notable. Not only are more volcanoes awakening from dormancy, it also appears the eruptions have become more kinetic and the volcanoes are staying active longer. There is also more than a good chance that this is having an effect on the weather. A week into November is showing no slacking off of the great disturbances shaking the Earth, with a new underwater volcano off the coast of Spain boiling the waters there. On October 1 in Tennessee we heard, “It’s scary-loud. It’s loud enough that it makes your heart stop for a second,” said Andy Wombold. “It sounds like a shotgun or an explosion of some kind.” Wombold and dozens of other residents in the neighborhood are unable to say exactly what “it” is. All they know is the mysterious booms have provided several rude awakenings that sent residents scrambling in fear. And this has been happening in Canada and the Ukraine and other places around the globe. Nobody can explain it but the Earth is groaning. [...]"  

MSM: "5.6 Magnitude – Oklahoma" [11/08/11] "Strong 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Oklahoma at at 03:53:10 UTC. A good tectonic summary of what has been happening in Oklahoma.  [...]"  Related: "Experts Say Oklahoma Earthquakes Stronger Than Fracking Tremors" "Thousands of times every day, drilling deep underground causes the earth to tremble. But don't blame the surprise flurry of earthquakes in Oklahoma on man's thirst for oil and gas, experts say. The weekend quakes were far stronger than the puny tremors from drilling – especially the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing. The weekend quakes didn't have the mark of man. They were a force of nature. [...]"  

MSM: "Nyamuragira Volcano Erupts In The Congo" [11/08/11] "The Nyamulagira volcano located 22 km from the city of Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu, in eastern DRC, has been erupting since Sunday around 8:30 p.m., a said Monday the Goma Volcano Observatory. According to volcanologists, the people of Goma, are not directly threatened by the eruption of this volcano because the lava flows are directed towards the Virunga National Park (Virunga National Park). . However, had he added, people should be held in compliance with the rules of hygiene to protect against such volcanic ash released by the volcano. During the last eruption of this volcano in January 2010, the lava had burned over 11 hectares of the forest of the Virunga Park, which extends over 790,000 ha. To the World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1979, the Virunga National Park is home to various species of mammals (hippos, gorillas …), reptiles and birds. The eruptions of Nyamulagira May 2004 and November 2006 had made the most active volcano in Africa. Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo volcanoes are two of eight active volcanoes that make up the Virunga chain, located in the Virunga National Park in eastern DRC. In January 2002, a lava flow of Nyiragongo volcano had destroyed 80% of the border city of Rwanda. Le Nyamulagira volcano erupts at intervals of about 2 years in contrast to Nyiragongo is unpredictable. [...]"  

MSM: "6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Seafloor Northeast Of Taiwan" [11/08/11] " A 6.9 magnitude earthquake rattled the sea-floor just northeast of Taiwan. The earthquake was deep- 209.5 km or erupted 130.2 miles below the surface. The epicenter of the earthquake was 497 km (309 miles) ENE from T’ai-Pei, Taiwan and 1140 km (708 miles) S (186°) from Seoul, South Korea. A low tsunami alert was issued but is not expected to be a threat to the mainland. [...]"  

MSM: "Oklahoma Shakes Overnight" [11/07/11] 1:49] "A late-night earthquake rattled homes — and nerves — across Okla. last night. NBC’s Lilia Luciano reports. [...]"  

MSM: "5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Coastline Of Northern Chile" [11/06/11] " A 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook northern Chile early on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of any damage to property or copper mines in the area, emergency and mine officials said. The temblor struck at 3:13 a.m. EDT and was centered 13 miles northeast of Antofagasta, at a depth of 20.5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, revising the quake down from an original reading of 6.0 magnitude. State emergency office ONEMI said the temblor had knocked out cell phone services in some areas, but it had received no reports of damages. A union official at Anglo American’s 90,000 tonne per year Mantos Blancos deposit near the epicenter said workers had felt the tremor, but operations were not affected [...]"  

MSM:"5.2 Magnitude Quake Strikes Oklahoma: USGS" [11/06/11] "The USGS initially reported the quake as a 5.8 magnitude. The quake was a shallow 3.1 miles deep and was centered 4 miles east of Sparks, which is east of Oklahoma City. "  

MSM: "Sea Boils Near El Hierro: Submarine Volcanic Activity Continues Off El Hierro Island" [11/05/11] "A 3.8 magnitude earthquake occurred at 13.41 hours, in latitude 27.7886, longitude -18.0469 with an estimated depth of 21 kilometers, in line with those that occurred during late Thursday night and Friday morning. In this way, and during the day Friday, El Hierro has produced a total of 24 earthquakes- the 3.8 that has been the strongest. Fear of new and powerful earthquakes continues to spread in El Hierro. This morning, the island has recorded twelve new earthquakes, which have ranged from 2 to 3 degrees of intensity, as reported Canarias 7 citing National Geographic Institute. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the direction of Civil Protection Plan for Volcanic Risk said Border seismic events correspond to the stage of La Restinga underwater eruption, which began on 10 October. Specifically, there have been twelve new earthquakes that have had an intensity of 2 to 3 degrees as reported by sources of IGN Canarias 7 newspaper. On Thursday, officials of the Civil Protection Plan for Volcanic Risk assured the public that the latest seismic events, which have intensified in recent days, corresponds to the scene of the submarine eruption of La Restinga, which began on 10 October. Also, the direction of PEVOLCA recalled that no risk to the population, but that all resources are on Civil Protection. [...]"

MSM: "Magnitude 6.2 – Pacific-Antarctic Ridge" [11/03/11] Related: "Increased Seismic Turbulence Seen At The Southern Pole- 4 Days, 4 Earthquakes" " A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge region today at the shallow depth of 1.1 km. The earthquake is the fourth earthquake to rattle the southern region of the globe in four consecutive days. On November 1, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Western Indian-Antarctica Ridge. On October 31, a 5.1 struck the tectonic plate conjunction of the Southeast East Pacific Rise and on October 30, the Southeast Indian Ridge was hit by a 4.5 magnitude earthquake. Tectonic plate agitation has diffused across the planet over the last 45 days and we’re seeing more unrest in places which typically don’t have earthquakes like the 6.3 magnitude earthquake which struck Revilla Gigedo Island region west of Mexico on November 1. Whether this latest series of earthquakes, shaking the southernmost hemisphere, signals a major shift in planetary seismic stress or a further erosion of planetary magnetism remains to be seen. We will be watching developments very closely over the next few days.  [...]"  

MSM: "5.4 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Costa Rica" [11/03/11]  " A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Costa Rica. The depth of the earthquake was 39.6 km (24.6 miles). The epicenter of the earthquake was 83 km (51 miles) WSW of SAN JOSE, Costa Rica and 162 km (100 miles) S of San Carlos, Nicaragua. The earthquake was tectonic in nature and represents yet another stress release on the Cocos tectonic plate which experienced a 6.3 earthquake at Revilla Gigedo Islands west of Mexico on November 1. Costa Rica is a tri-junction tension point lodged between the Cocos, Caribbean and Nazca tectonic plate. There were no immediate reports of damage. [...]" 

Analysis: "Early Snowstorm Wreaks Havoc With Northeast US" [11/02/11] "A record early snowfall led to the declaration of states of emergency in the states of New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut, as well as large parts of New York State. The storm brought significant snowfall to New York City in October for only the fourth time since the American Civil War of 150 years ago. [...] the recent spate of disasters highlights the lack of long-term planning that increasingly characterizes American capitalism and its long-term decline. The unpreparedness is made worse by the growing neglect of public and social services in recent decades. The privatization of virtually all sections of economic life, combined with the indifference and hostility to investments that do not turn an immediate profit, and the unanimous ruling class opposition to public works spending in the face of mass unemployment, has helped to create the current state of affairs. " 

MSM: "Magnitude 6.3 – Revilla Gigedo Island Region, Mexico" [11/02/11] "Strong and shallow magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Revilla Gigedo Island region at 12:32:00 UTC 227 km (141 miles) NE of Socorro Island, 333 km (206 miles) SSE of Cabo San Lucas, Baja Calif. Sur, 419 km (260 miles) W of Puerto Vallarta [...]" 

MSM:"4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northeast Of Los Angeles, CA" [11/02/11] " A shallow 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern California today- surprising some area residents. The depth of the earthquake was 4.7 km (2.9 miles) and occurred at 08:38 am. The epicenter of the earthquake was 9 km (6 miles) NE from Ridgecrest, CA and about 190 km (118 miles) NNE from downtown Los Angeles, CA. The state has been rattled by an increasing number of tremors in recents weeks. There were no immediate reports of damages from today’s earthquake [...]"  

MSM: "Two Moderate Earthquakes Strike China" [11/01/11] "Two moderate earthquakes have shaken China's northwest and southwest regions. The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit China's Xinjiang region about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the city of Yining at 8:20 a.m. Tuesday, while the other quake struck the region bordering Sichuan and Gansu provinces at 6 a.m. at a magnitude of 5.5. [...]" 

MSM: "Scientists Warn Half Of Chile’s Active Volcanoes Could Erupt In The Near Future" [11/01/11] "The Chilean authorities have kept the red alert in the south of the country due to the Hudson volcano’s eruptive activity and also from the volcanic complex of Puyehue Cordon Caulle. Although the Hudson, located in Aysen region, registers a minor eruption and the external signs tend to fall, there is no magma movement inside the massif, of a 1, 960 meters high and located about two thousand kilometers far from this capital. The director of the National Geology and Mining Service, Enrique Valdivieso, said that monitoring equipment installed, permit the control of what happens in and out of the volcano. We know how it is behaving, he said. Yesterday Pilar Cuevas, mayor from Aysen said Monday they will decide whether or not the cessation of red alert for Hudson, whose last major eruption took place between Aug 8 and Dec 29, 1991. The same applies to the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle with a flow volume of ash emission since last June and is checked by air navigation in cities of Argentina and Chile, relieved by periods depending on the direction of the wind. The main problem for the aircraft is not only visibility due to the ash presence in the air, but also the abrasive effect it has on the fuselage of the aircraft and engine overheating them that may come to a halt in midair. Jaime Valdenegro, director of the National Emergency Office in Los Rios’ region, also confirmed that the day before there was an increase in the precipitation of particulate material, although the massif, about 2, 240 meters height, has also registered a minor level of eruption. The Puyehue-Cordon Caulle is located in the Andes, about 900 kilometers south of Santiago, between the regions of Los Rios and Los Lagos. Its previous eruption was in 1960, after the mega-quake of 9.5 degrees in Valdivia city, considered the greatest in the history of mankind. All along the Chilean Andes there are around 3, 000 volcanoes and 80 of them are active, of which, according to experts, half could erupt in the near future. Among the most explosive there, are the Puyehue and the Hudson also the Chillan, Antuco, Villarrica, Llaima and Osorno, among others. The South American country has the 15 percent of all the active volcanoes in the world. [...]" 

MSM: "Scientists Find Link Between Magnetic Reversal And Tectonic Plate Movements" [10/31/11] "The Earth’s magnetic field is produced by the flow of liquid iron within its core, three thousand kilometers below our feet. What made researchers think of a link between plate tectonics and the magnetic field? The discovery that convective liquid iron flows play a role in magnetic reversals: experiments and modeling work carried out over the last five years have in fact shown that a reversal occurs when the movements of molten metal are no longer symmetric with respect to the equatorial plane. This “symmetry breaking” could take place progressively, starting in an area located at the core-mantle boundary (the mantle separates the Earth’s liquid core from its crust), before spreading to the whole core (made of molten iron). Extending this research, the authors of the article asked themselves whether some trace of initial symmetry breakings behind the geomagnetic reversals that have marked the Earth’s history, could be found in the only records of large-scale geological shifts in our possession, in other words the movements of continents (or plate tectonics). Some 200 million years ago, Pangaea, the name given to the super continent that encompassed almost all of the Earth’s land masses, began to break up into a multitude of smaller pieces that have shaped the Earth as we know it today. By assessing the surface area of continents situated in the Northern hemisphere and those in the Southern hemisphere, the researchers were able to calculate a degree of asymmetry (with respect to the equator) in the distribution of the continents during that period. [...] In conclusion, the degree of asymmetry has varied at the same rhythm as the magnetic reversal rate (number of reversals per million years). The two curves have evolved in parallel to such an extent that they can almost be superimposed. In other words, the further the centre of gravity of the continents moved away from the equator, the faster the rate of reversals (up to eight per million years for a maximum degree of asymmetry). What does this suggest about the mechanism behind geomagnetic reversals? The scientists envisage two scenarios. In the first, terrestrial plates could be directly responsible for variations in the frequency of reversals: after plunging into the Earth’s crust at subduction zones, the plates could descend until they reach the core, where they could modify the flow of iron. In the second, the movements of the plates may only reflect the mixing of the material taking place in the mantle and particularly at its base. In both cases, the movements of rocks outside the core would cause flow asymmetry in the liquid core and determine reversal frequency. [...] "  

Explorations: "Post Departure Earth Cataclysms: 2036 Collision Between Asteroid Apophis and Earth" [10/31/11] Note: This happens to the surface of Earth and will cause or exacerbate the global climactic situation, decades after the population of the planet is no longer here. By 2100, after multiple events, there is no trace that there was ever a civilization here.

MSM: "Cerro Hudson Volcano In Chile Remain At Highest Alert Level" [10/31/11] "A large exclusion zone of 45 km is in place around Hudson volcano in southern Chile (45.90 S, 72.97 W ). The volcano remains on the highest level 5 alert due to high seismic activity. Steam and minor ash emissions reached height of 5.5 km on Thursday 27th October. A minor eruption was confirmed on Wednesday 26th October. The eruption of Hudson volcano in 1991 was one of the largest in the world [...]"  

MSM: " Earthquakes Are Increasing In Oklahoma" [10/30/11] "Two small earthquakes were reported in Oklahoma County early Friday, authorities report. (See seismic hazard map above) A 3.5-magnitude earthquake has been reported Friday by the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was at 3:18 a.m. Friday 2 miles north of Spencer and 4 miles northwest of Nicoma Park. No reports of property damage or injuries were made. Also, a 3.3 magnitude earthquake was reported at 12:24 a.m. a mile northeast of Spencer.  [...]" 

MSM: "2.2 Million Without Power As Winter Storm Slams Northeast US" [10/30/11] "An unusually early and powerful nor'easter dumped wet, heavy snow Saturday from the mid-Atlantic to New England, toppling leafy trees and power lines and knocking out electricity to more than 2 million homes and businesses. [...]" 

MSM: "Strong 7.0 Earthquake Hits Peru" [10/28/11] "A powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale has struck southwest of the Ica region in Peru, the USGS reports.  [...]"  

MSM: " Quakes Rattle Bay Area Overnight" [10/28/11]   "Two earthquakes shook Northern California overnight, including a 3.6-magnitude temblor in the San Francisco area  [...]"

MSM: "6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Fiji Island Region" [10/28/11] "A deep 6.0 magnitude earthquake has struck the region of the Fiji Islands. The earthquake was 611.9 km (380.2 miles) in depth and generated no tsunami warning. The epicenter of the earthquake was 208 km (129 miles) SE of Lambasa, Vanua Levu, Fiji and 2177 km (1352 miles) NNE of Auckland, New Zealand. Earthquakes around Fiji have been increasing in frequency and depth near the islands- an indiction of tension from tectonic plate stress.The stresses created by the opposing plate movements have resulted in the formation of transform faults such as the Fiji Fracture Zone to the north and the Hunter Fracture Zone to the south.  [...]"  

MSM: "Incessant Tremors Rattle Nerves In Indian State Of Gujarat" [10/28/11] "With quake aftershocks continuing to rattle Junagadh, residents are experiencing a jittery Diwali. On Wednesday, as many as nine earthquake aftershocks were reported from the Sasan Gir area in the district. According to Institute of Seismological Research (ISR), Gandhinagar, the tremors had a magnitude of 0.8 to 1.7 on the Richter scale. All nine aftershocks were reported 10-13 km south-east of Sasan Gir. People are still spending sleepless nights in Junagadh region, which had experienced an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale on October 20. [...]"  

MSM: "Shallow 4.7 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles NE California" [10/28/11] "A shallow 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck the northeastern region of California near the Nevada border. The depth of the earthquake was 13.7 km (8.5 miles). The epicenter of the earthquake was 15 km (9 miles) SSE from Whitehawk, CA, 56 km (35 miles) from Reno and 145 km (90 miles) from Sacramento, Ca. The earthquake struck at 11:37 p.m. Pacific time (0637 GMT) and there have been no reports of damage. – [...]"

MSM: "Mount Etna Volcano Erupts In Sicily" [10/25/11] [0:46] "Sicily's Mount Etna is erupting again. The volcano in Italy, which is the tallest and most active volcano in Europe, is spewing lava for the 17th time this year, according to BBC News. The current eruption has not caused injuries or property damage, according to the Associated Press. Ash from the eruption has caused a closure at the airport in nearby Catania, Sicily's second-largest city.According to BBC News, Etna was shooting lava 300 feet (100 meters) into the air. [...]"  Note: Lower volume for commercial.

MSM: "Rapidly Inflating Volcano in Bolivia Creates Growing Mystery" [10/25/11] "Uturuncu is a nearly 20,000-foot-high (6,000 meters) volcano in southwest Bolivia. Scientists recently discovered the volcano is inflating with astonishing speed. Super-volcanoes get their name because they erupt with such power that they typically spew out 1,000 times more material, in sheer volume, than a volcano like Mount St. Helens. Modern human civilization has never witnessed such an event. The planet’s most recent super-volcanic eruption happened about 74,000 years ago in Indonesia. These eruptions are thought to have not only a local and regional impact, but potentially a global impact,” de Silva said. Uturuncu itself is in the same class as Mount St. Helens in Washington State, but its aggressive rise could indicate that a new super-volcano is on the way, or not? De Silva said it appears that local volcanoes hoard magma for about 300,000 years before they blow — and Uturuncu last erupted about 300,000 years ago. “So that’s why it’s important to know how long this has been going on,” he said. If this is a super-volcano, it could be one of the largest on the planet. [...]"  

MSM: "Turkey 7.2 Earthquake Leaves As Many As 1,000 People Feared Dead" [10/23/11] "Many hundreds of people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake hit eastern Turkey, destroying scores of buildings and leaving many victims trapped in the rubble. Scientists from Turkey's Kandilli earthquake institute said that up to 1,000 people may have lost their lives given the force of the 7.2-magnitude quake, which struck at 1.41pm local time (11.41am BST), and given the often shoddy construction standards in the mountainous area near Turkey's border with Iran. The US Geological Survey said last night an aftershock of magnitude 6.1 also struck the area. The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visited the area and said 138 people were confirmed dead in the towns of Van and Ercis. In Ercis, a town of about 75,000 people, up to 80 buildings collapsed, including a student dormitory, and hospitals reported receiving about 1,000 casualties. In Van, at least 10 buildings were razed. TV footage showed distraught relatives waiting by a collapsed eight-storey building which had shops on the ground floor. [...]"  

MSM: "On The Brink: Tremors Increase At Anak Krakatau To 5,000 A Day" [10/22/11] "SUMATRA, Indonesia –Several earthquakes have struck near south Sumatra of the 5.0 and 5.1 magnitude range today- making a tense situation on the volcanically-dotted archipelago potentially even more volatile. The Anak Krakatau volcano is showing signs of increased seismic activity. Authorities fear the volcano is building towards an eruption that could dwarf the one which occurred in 2007. Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disasters Mitigation Center reported the numbers of seismic tremors now registering from the volcano have exceeded 5,000 a day. There are also reports of a gaseous mist which has seeped from the volcano and have enshrouded it in a yellowish haze- something that has never been observed at the volcano before. Anak Krakatau was placed on orange (level 3) status alert on September 30, 2011. [...]" 

MSM:"7.6 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes South Pacific" [10/22/11] "A strong earthquake struck far off the South Pacific island nation of Tonga on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the magnitude-7.6 quake struck Friday at 1:57 p.m. (1757 GMT) about 541 miles (870 kilometers) south of Nuku'Alofa on Tonga. The quake struck at a depth of 24 miles (39 kilometers). [...]" 

MSM: "Fault Cavity Found Near Marianna, Arkansas Could Produce 7+ Magnitude Earthquake" [10/22/11] " Researchers have found new evidence of earthquakes in the Mid-South. They say the quakes could be the result of a new fault line, a little sister, or big sister, of the New Madrid. “It’s opened up to ancient history down here,” geophysicist Rob Williams tells abc24.com as he looks down into a pit made to study evidence of earthquakes in Marianna, Arkansas. “We’re looking back 4,000 to 10,000 years down in this pit,” he says. The pit may seem like a simple hole in the ground, but to Williams it’s much more. “What this shows,” he says, “is that we’ve had at least two large earthquakes in the last 10,000 years about as big as the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812.” Williams tells abc24.com those earthquakes were huge. “Magnitude seven plus,” he says, “but probably less than an 8.” Williams says it isn’t a fault line in Marianna, but rather the effects of strong ground shaking. He say’s when the ground shakes cracks will open up and sand that’s under pressure from all the shaking water wants to escape and that sand and water will flow onto the ground surface. Scientists are in the area to study earthquakes in the region. [...]"  

MSM: "Northern Italy Rattled By Second Earthquake Swarm In 2 Months" [10/22/11] "At least ten earthquakes were recorded in northwestern Italy on Thursday, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The largest of the earthquakes measured 4.2 magnitude (mb) on the Richter Scale and occurred at 08:11 AM local time (00:11 AM EDT) at a shallow depth of 10 km. The epicenter was located in the Aveto Natural Regional Park, about 5 km northeast of Borzonasca (pop 2,046), 16 km northeast of Chiavari (pop 27,865), and 39 km east of Genoa (pop 601,951). It was the strongest earthquake to hit northern Italy since a 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck on 25 July last. The other nine tremors recorded on Thursday ranged between 2.2 and 3.4 magnitude. The most significant earthquake to hit the region in recent years occurred on 23 December 2008 when a 5.4 magnitude quake was recorded WNW of Genoa and SW of Parma. Previous to that a 5.4 mb earthquake struck northeast of Verona on 24 November 2004.  [...]" 

MSM: "Unexplained Tremors Rattling Homes In Eastern India" [10/22/11] "Mild tremors, lasting two to three seconds, enough to result in the walls of a few houses developing cracks, occurred in over ten villages and Girijan areas of Piyepalli mandal, about 100 km from here, in the small hours of Thursday. The villages are surrounded by hills. The Puttangandi irrigation project, which is also a source of drinking water, is nearby. Several residents of Vaddipatla, Puttangandi , Duggyala and thandas of Nakkalapenta, Chintala, Palugu told The Hindu that upon hearing thunder-like sounds (‘urumulu’) at around 00.20 hours, they rushed out of their houses and took shelter in the open ground abutting their dwellings. They did not sleep and waited in bated breath outside. Some said they felt giddy. Walls of some houses like that of Koppula Bikshamaiah and Lakshamamma of Vaddipatla developed cracks, as also those of Lakpathi Naik, S. Naik and Somla of Puttangandi thanda. There are about 120 houses in Puttangandi of which over 20 developed cracks.  [...]"  

MSM: "Deepest And Most Explosive Underwater Eruption Ever Seen Happening Near Samoa Hotspot" [10/21/11] " An underwater volcano bursting with glowing lava bubbles — the deepest active submarine eruption seen to date — is shedding light on how volcanism can impact deep-sea life and reshape the face of the planet. Submarine eruptions account for about three-quarters of all of Earth’s volcanism, but the overlying ocean and the sheer vastness of the seafloor makes detecting and observing them difficult. The only active submarine eruptions that scientists had seen and analyzed until now were at the volcano NW Rota-1, near the island of Guam in the western Pacific. Now researchers have witnessed the deepest active submarine eruption yet. The volcano in question, West Mata, lies near the islands of Fiji in the southwestern Pacific in the Lau Basin. Here, the rate of subduction — the process in which one massive tectonic plate dives under another, typically forming chains of volcanoes — is the highest on Earth, and the region hosts ample signs of recent submarine volcanism. “It was absolutely stunning and exciting, something we’d never seen on the seafloor before,” researcher Joseph Resing, an oceanographer at the University of Washington in Seattle, told OurAmazingPlanet. This submarine eruption is the deepest seen yet, about 2,200 feet (700 m) deeper than NW Rota-1. This was deeper than scientists had expected to see explosive eruptions. Water pressure goes up the further down you go, “so as pressure goes up, the ability of gas as it comes out of magma to cause explosions is diminished, and the thought was that you wouldn’t get explosive eruptions below about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet),” Resing said. Eruptions at centers of ocean floor spreading — where the majority of eruptions on Earth happen — generally seem to occur in relatively short episodes lasting hours to months, but West Mata appears to have erupted near continuously since it was first observed in 2008. This might be because magma is focused there, instead of being spread across many volcanoes at once. “However, this is a question that we don’t currently know the answer to,” Resing said. [...]" 

MSM: "San Francisco Earthquake: Second Tremor Jolts Northern California" [10/21/11] "The San Francisco Bay Area shook with its second earthquake of the day Thursday night, likely an aftershock from the earlier 4.0 temblor that struck near Berkeley. According to USGS, the latest jolt measured 3.9 on the Richter scale and hit at 8:16pm PST. The quakes came on the heels of California's "ShakeOut" drill, during which residents across the state prepared for disaster. [...]"  

MSM: "Magma Plume: Mauna Kea Shaken By Large Swarm Of Earthquakes" [10/21/11] "After yesterday’s post on the “swarm” at Rainier (which apparently rubbed a lot of people the wrong way), I was hesitant to post on the news coming from Mauna Kea right away, but if you’re looking for a real swarm of earthquakes at a volcano, look no further (see above). Since early yesterday (Hawaii time), the volcano has experienced at least 38 earthquakes, some as large at M 4.5, all centered NW of the main summit of Mauna Kea, all at depths between 14-19 km, all below the crust under the Big Island. This is what a suspicious swarm looks like, where we have a strong focus of seismicity at depth under an active volcano – the question now is how persistent will this swarm be. More likely than not, these earthquakes will lead to nothing – and HVO says these earthquakes are “most likely caused by structural adjustments within the Earth’s crust due to the heavy load of Mauna Kea”. Remember, Mauna Kea is a huge point weight on the crust and upper mantle below Hawai’i, towering over 4,200 m / 13,800 feet above the surrounding seafloor, so a lot of stress can accumulate from the mass of the volcano. This means earthquakes are likely common as that stress builds. Remember, Kilauea and Mauna Loa are not the only active volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Haulalai last erupted as recently as 1801, while Mauna Kea, the 2nd oldest shield volcano on the island last erupted only 4,470 years ago.  [...]" See Graphic Showing Large Plumes on Earth Map

MSM: "Shallow 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes South Of San Antonio, Texas" [10/21/11] "An earthquake centered in Campbellton, Texas shook the area early Thursday morning, which reportedly rattled homes and caused faint tremors in downtown San Antonio. Preliminary reports from the U.S. Geological Survey said the 4.8-magnitude earthquake hit at 7:24 a.m. in the area about 50 miles south of San Antonio at a shallow depth of 3 km. According to The Associated Press, no injuries or major damage was reported. Many residents close to the epicenter apparently did not notice any tremors, near Karnes City. Yet small vibrations felt in San Antonio did cause occupants to briefly evacuate a downtown federal building as a precaution. The USGS world map of earthquakes shows this is the only earthquake to have happened Thursday. Many of the North American earthquakes that happened within the last week popped up in Hawaii and Alaska. Earthquakes are not common in Texas, and according to the USGS, Texas — along with several other states — has not had an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.5 or greater for at least 30 years. The USGS site indicates the state has seen only one historic earthquake, which happened near Valentine and had a 5.8 magnitude. [...]"  

MSM: "Huge 'Haboob' Hits Lubbock, Texas" [10/21/11] "A giant dust storm known as a haboob swept through Lubbock, Texas, on Monday, blotting out the sun and turning everything a hazy copper. The 8,000-foot-tall (2,400 meters) dust cloud knocked down trees and power lines, sparked small wildfires and damaged a hangar at the local airport, reported the Los Angeles Times.  [...]"  

MSM: "Scientist Concerned About Rumbling Under Mount Rainier" [10/19/11] [0:40] Note: October 17, 2011 KING 5 News.

MSM: "New Mexico Shaken By ‘Historically Unusual’ 3.8 Magnitude Earthquake" [10/18/11] "A 3.8 magnitude earthquake “is unusual for this area, historically,” Richard Aster, a professor of Geophysics at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, wrote the New Mexican in an email Monday. “The present estimate of the epicenter is about half way between Santa Fe and Espanola. This is a large enough event that there may be felt aftershocks.” Monday’s temblor, at 3.8, is small compared to the earth-moving quakes recorded in Japan, California or other hot zones. But in New Mexico, 3.8 is a major event. There were the two earthquakes around Socorro in 1906, including one in November of that year that shook four chimneys and plaster off the Socorro County Courthouse and a cornice fell on the northwest corner of the two-story adobe Masonic Temple was thrown onto its first floor. More recently, there was a 5.0 quake 25 miles west of Raton and a 4.2 magnitude temblor on Dec. 19, 2005 near Carlsbad, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It appears the largest quake was a 5.1 trembler near Dulce in 1966. Elvira Garcia and Becky Romero of Nambe knew as soon as they heard their dishes and glasses tinkle and windows rattle Monday morning, they were experiencing something new. “We hear experimental explosions from the lab,” Romero said of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. “We hear sonic booms and crashes on (State Route) 503. But this was totally different. When things started shaking, that really frightened me. I could hear the dishes and glasses tinkling.” Garcia heard the rumble while she was on the telephone with her sister. “The cat ran across from one room to the other,” Garcia recalled late Monday morning. The shaking knocked a photograph and several knickknacks off shelves along with rattling her nerves. “I’ve been through the big floods in the arroyos with the pigs rolling down,” Garcia said. “But never have I felt something like that.” [...]"  

MSM: "World Population To Reach 7 Billion In Next Few Days" [10/16/11] "The world's population looks set to smash through the seven billion barrier in the next few days, according to the United Nations. It comes just 12 years since the total reached six billion - with official estimates saying the figure will top eight billion in 2025 and 10 billion before the end of the century. And it is most likely the baby will be born in the Asia-Pacific region - where the population growth rate is higher than anywhere else in the world. [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.7 – Eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea" [10/15/11] "A very strong earthquake at intermediate depth occurred very close to the PNG town of Finschhafen. Magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Eastern New Guinea region with location 103 km (64 miles) E of Lae, New Guinea, 184 km (114 miles) WSW of Kandrian, New Britain, 323 km (200 miles) NNE of PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (6.626°S, 147.927°E). The epicenter was at depth of 45.4 km (28.2 miles) according to USGS and EMSC.  [...]"  

MSM: "6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southeast Region Of Russia" [10/15/11] "A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Amurskay Oblast region of Southeast Russia at a depth of 15.3 km. The epicenter of the earthquake was 130 km (80 miles) SSW of Tynda, Russia and 5154 km (3202 miles) NE of MOSCOW, Russia. One hour and 15 minutes later, a 4.2 earthquake also struck near Lake Baikal- which is southwest of the epicenter. Lake Baikal was similarly hit by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in July of 2011. The seismic turbulence in southeast Russia is happening along the periphery of a region of the Russia that is slowly tearing apart or rifting along a divergent plate boundary. Geological turbulence will only increase with time. Like Iceland, Africa and the sea-floor near El Hierro in the Canary Islands, this process appears to have become more excited this year and is an indication geological change is accelerating its advance across the world as the planet’s magnetic field strength continues to erode. [...]"  

MSM: "Powerful 6.0 Temblor Strikes Off Popular Resort Island Of Bali" [10/13/11] "A powerful earthquake struck off Indonesia's popular resort island of Bali on Thursday, sending people fleeing from their homes and hotels in panic. No tsunami alert was issued, and there were no immediate reports of injuries. Some roofs collapsed, and witnesses told local radio and television stations they saw cracks in the walls of buildings. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 was centered 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of the island. It struck 36 miles (60 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor. [...]" 

MSM: "Magnitude 5.9 - Off The Coast Of Oregon" [10/13/11] "233 km (144 miles) W of Coos Bay, Oregon [...]" 

MSM: "Secret Of Catastrophic Volcanic 'Super-Eruptions' That Happen Once Every 100,000 Years Is Unlocked" [10/13/11]   "Researchers have finally discovered the causes for 'super-eruptions' of volcanoes which are considered one of the most catastrophic natural events on Earth, The violent explosions which occur about every 100,000 years are now thought to be caused by a combination of temperature and the geometrical configuration of the magma chamber in the volcano. Scientists at Oregon State University presented the finding of their study, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis. [...]" 

Research: "Earthquakes in Australia" [10/11/11] " ... Australia has more quakes than other regions that sit in the middle of plates and are considered relatively stable, such as the eastern USA. "The level of seismicity does seem to be significantly higher here," says Professor Phil Cummins, an expert on quakes at Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Australian National University's Centre for Natural Hazards. "But no-one really knows why that is." According to recent research by GA, there's been about one earthquake measuring magnitude 2.0 or greater every day in Australia during the past decade. "There are likely to be many more smaller earthquakes that we cannot locate because they're not recorded on a sufficient number of seismograph stations," says Clive Collins, a senior GA seismologist. Western Australia is a quake hotspot, with more quakes than all the other states and territories combined. But the GA data show that Adelaide has the highest risk of any capital. It's suffered more medium-sized quakes in the past 50 years than any other (including one that struck in March 1954, just before the visit of Queen Elizabeth II) - and that's because it's being squeezed sideways.  [...]"  

MSM: " Winter 2011-2012 Forecast: Another Brutal One" [10/11/11] "The AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team is predicting another brutally cold and snowy winter for a large part of the country, thanks in large part to La Niña... yet again. La Niña, a phenomenon that occurs when sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific are below normal, is what made last year's winter so awful for the Midwest and Northeast. Monster blizzards virtually shut down the cities of New York and Chicago. Last winter was one of New York City's snowiest on record. [...]"  Note: Article has links to Full Forecasts for different regions of the US.

Commentary:  "Who's Covering Up El Hierro's Quakes?" [10/11/11] "An interesting article came out on the AP two hours ago reporting a 4.3 EQ has just rattled El Hierro. Most of their events have been in the 1.5 - 2.5 mag. range, with a couple of mid-Richter 3's. This is the largest shake in the over 9,950 temblors since July 19. According to Irish Weather Online, the mayor of El Hierro, David Cabrera, confirmed in an interview on Radio Iron Garoé that an ‘underwater eruption’ is taking place about 900 metres beneath the sea surface and 3 miles south of La Restinga. The eruption, which has been ongoing for 4 hours, was triggered when a fissure opened after the 4.3 quake struck just off El Hierro's coast yesterday. It's not clear at this time if the volcano is spewing gas or lava. However, gases were detected 600 meters below the sea and about 7 miles from the La Restinga. [...] This morning when checking 7 reporting sites: USGS, IRIS, Google Earth, GFZ Potsdam, Switzerland's Red Puma, and Germany's EQ Mashup, only Europe's ESMC shows it. The first 6 show NO quake activity whatsoever on El Hierro for the last three months. Zip. Zero. Nada. NONE of the nearly 10,000 quakes show up on Google Earth, no matter how big the map is enlarged. Then again, Google Earth uses a USGS feed for quake reports and it shows a totally clean slate for the Canaries. Right.... It's as though none of the massive number of quakes has happened. Even though USGS does not show quakes less than Richter 4.5 for Worldwide events, with a swarm this massive one would think the Canary events would garner some attention. However, Red Puma has no such excuse and though IRIS records events down to 4.0, they nothing show on their maps."  Related: Research: "Cumbre Vieja Volcano -- Potential Collapse And Tsunami At La Palma, Canary Islands" PDF "Geological evidence suggests that during a future eruption, Cumbre Vieja Volcano on the Island of La Palma may experience a catastrophic failure of its west flank, dropping 150 to 500 km3 of rock into the sea. Using a geologically reasonable estimate of landslide motion, we model tsunami waves produced by such a collapse. Waves generated by the run-out of a 500 km3 (150 km3) slide block at 100 m/s could transit the entire Atlantic Basin and arrive on the coasts of the Americas with 10-25 m (3-8 m) height. [...]"  See also, below, "Canary Islands: El Hierro Volcano On The Brink "

MSM: "Aftershock Rattles ChristChurch, New Zealand" [10/10/11] "One of the most powerful aftershocks since a couple of months occurred at 07:34 PM (19:34), October 9 2011o. Early reports are mentioning a strong shaking 10 km north-east of Diamond Harbour. GEONET, New Zealand reports a magnitude (Richter) of 5.5 at a depth of 12 km.  [...]"  Note: I think it's a new quake, not an aftershock from an old one. I don't know what it is with these people that they can't admit a new quake happens unless it's monstrous.

MSM: "Canary Islands: El Hierro Volcano On The Brink - 9,300 Tremors Have Rattled The Island Since July" [10/08/11] "Intense swarms of tremors beneath one of the volcanic Canary Islands has placed residents of El Hierro on alert for a possible eruption. Spain’s Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN) reported the 9,300 seismic movements on the island since July 17 have caused measurable changes in the terrain. El Hierro’s only eruption during recorded history was in 1793, when the Volcano de Lomo Negro vent rumbled for a month and produced lava flows. Seismologists say they don’t know if the rising ball of lava causing the latest rumblings will break through the surface, but they have issued a “yellow” alert as a precaution. IGN Director Maria Jose Blanco told reporters that any eruption would most likely have a “low explosive value.” Tremors about 50,000 years ago produced an enormous landslide that cascaded into the ocean, creating a large tsunami that probably reached the North American coast.  [...]"  

MSM: "Magnitude 6.2 – Jujuy, Argentina" [10/07/11]  "An earthquake 6.2 magnitude has struck Argentina, 106 km (65 miles) E of San Salvador de Jujuy, 129 km (80 miles) N of El Quebrachal, Salta and 135 km (83 miles) ENE of Salta, Argentina (24.181°S, 64.250°W). The closest villages were San Rafael and La Ronda. The nearest big city is San Salvador de Jujuy. Epicenter was at depth of 9.5 km (5.9 miles). The preliminary magnitude was 6.2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. [...]"  

Internet: "Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System" [10/06/11] "The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System provides near real-time alerts about natural disasters around the world and tools to facilitate response coordination, including media monitoring, map catalogues and Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre. [...]" 

Natural World: "World’s Sees So Much Precipitation, Ocean Levels Fall" [10/05/11] " According to this jaw-dropping NASA report, worldwide rainfall and snowfall were so extreme, in so many places last year, that sea levels fell dramatically. Sea levels have been rising steadily for over a century as the ever warmer ocean water expands and the world’s remaining glaciers and ice sheets melt. In fact sea levels are rising twice as fast now as they were a few decades ago. As the NASA chart above shows there have been some ups and downs but nothing in the modern satellite record comes close to the 6 mm drop worldwide last year. While 6 mm might not sound like a lot, when collected from the surface of all our planet’s oceans it adds up to 26,000 gallons of water per human. So just where did all this missing water go? The ringleader of the great water heist was one of the strongest La Nina cycles of recent times. La Nina shifted and altered weather patterns causing extreme precipitation to funnel into places like India, Pakistan, Australia, and northern tiers of both South and North America. In the map below, produced from NASA’s GRACE satellite data, blue indicates areas that gained water last year. "  

MSM: "Deep 4.8 Earthquake In Vrancea Worries Romania" [10/05/11] "At 05:40 on October 4 a Vrancea deep earthquake measuring 4.8 magnitude according to EMSC, made the Romanian people nervous. The epicenter was located in a wilderness area near Plostina, 2 km W of Focsani, 25 km NE of Nehoiu and 11 km W of Valea râmnicului. Biggest cities in the area are Focsani and Brasov. The earthquake was also well felt in the capital Bucharest. 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 at depth of 150km. This area has the biggest peak ground acceleration in Romania. These deep earthquakes are mostly harmless unless that they are reaching magnitudes greater than 6.5 . One of the specific aspects of a deep earthquake is that they are felt in a very wide area almost the same way. The shock waves are radiating from deep under the surface in a width area of several 100 km. The distance of 150 km to the surface also means that the intensity is very much weakened. The epicenter location of deep earthquakes is less important than with shallow earthquakes. [...]"  Related: "Vrancea Earthquake Zone : One Of The Most Active Seismic Areas In Europe (Carpathians)" | Map 

Eruptions: "Kamchatka’s Shiveluch Volcano Unleashes 8 Km Ash Cloud" [10/05/11] "Kamchatka volcano Shiveluch has emitted a column of ash up to 8km high. There is no danger for the local population. No volcanic dust fall has been registered in the nearby villages, the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical service of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported on Tuesday. Last time Shiveluch became active in May 2009 and since then emissions of gas, ash and even lava have been occurring on a regular basis. Kamchatka volcano Shiveluch has emitted a column of ash up to 8km high.  [...]"  Related: Anak Krakatau 3 Km Cloud In Eruption "Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia, erupted on Tuesday sending columns of ash and rock hurtling high into the air. The rise in volcanic and earthquake activity prompted authorities to put in place a 2km exclusion zone for tourists and local fishermen. The Indonesian Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Centre reported that an estimated 6,000-7,000 volcanic earthquakes were recorded daily during the weekend and on Monday. Daily earthquake totals usually do not exceed 100-200. Seismologists are still attempting to determine the type and scale of the ongoing eruption. [...]"

Commentary:  "Eternal Flame: Chile, Africa, Italy- Why Volcanoes Erupting In 2011 Refuse To Die" [10/05/11] " Chile’s Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano continues to erupt and affect other countries, like Argentina.  Satellite images suggest that a restive east African volcano is continuing to simmer — after erupting in more spectacular fashion earlier this summer — in an isolated region where eyewitness accounts are few and far between. The Nabro Volcano, which lies near the border of Ethiopia and Eritrea, has been erupting since the middle of June. The new images indicate lava is flowing from the 7,280-foot (2,218-meter) peak, which is the tallest of several volcanoes in the region. Just months ago, Nabro rumbled to life for the first time in recorded history. The mountain spewed forth a thick plume of ash, disrupting air travel, and sent rivers of lava running down its sides. The eruption killed seven people and affected thousands more, according to the Eritrean government. Italy's Mount Etna erupts sending off spectacular shoots of lava arcing into the night sky over Sicily. [...] The volcanic eruptions of 2011 have been notable because they signal a shift in the geological direction of the planet- tilting the Earth towards the spectrum of fire and the ensuing catastrophic upheaval that is destined to alter and, in some cases, reshape land masses. Not only are more volcanoes awakening from dormancy; it also appears the eruptions have become more kinetic and the volcanoes are staying active longer than what we’re typically accustomed to seeing. Unrest at Iceland’s Katla volcano, which began with a small sub-glacial eruption over the summer, has continued into the fall with two more reported tremors rattling the icy summit just over the weekend. Heightened unrest has also been seen this year at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, Japan’s Sakurajima volcano at the Aira caldera, Alaska’s Mount Cleveland volcano and the rocky volcanic summits of Kamchatka, Russia. According to geologists, the 10,000 earthquake swarm on the German- Czech border of August-September 2011 has been attributed to the movement of magma. This month, scientists also discovered a reservoir of 3,000 cubic kilometers under the eastern horn of Africa that is expediting the tearing of the continent. Even El Hierro is now stirring in the Canary Islands after 218 years of dormancy. The number of earthquakes recorded since July 17 on the smallest of the Canary Islands exceeded 9250 on October 3, 2011.  [...]"  

MSM: "Ozone Layer Hole Over Arctic In Sudden Expansion" [10/04/11] "Arctic and Antarctic holes of similar size for first time, say scientists, due to combination of wind patterns and intense cold [...]"  Related: "Cold Causing Record Ozone Loss Over Arctic: Scientists" [10/03/11] "Scientists say an unprecedented ozone "hole" opened up above the Arctic last year, caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures. A NASA-led study says the amount of ozone destroyed was comparable to that seen in some years in the Antarctic, where an ozone "hole" has formed each spring since the mid 1980s. Scientists from 19 institutions in nine countries, including Canada and the United States, were involved in the research. They found that at some altitudes, the cold period in the Arctic lasted more than 30 days longer in 2011 than in any previously studied Arctic winter, leading to the unprecedented ozone loss. This year's ozone loss occurred over an area considerably smaller than that of the Antarctic ozone holes. That's because the Arctic polar vortex, a persistent large-scale cyclone within which the ozone loss takes place, was about 40 per cent smaller than a typical Antarctic vortex. [...]"  

MSM: "Geologists Map Birth Of New Ocean" [10/03/11] "A giant underground reservoir of molten rock has been discovered under the deserts of Ethiopia by British geologists. They targeted the Afar region in the Horn of Africa after a recent surge in volcanic activity and earthquakes plus the appearance of giant cracks in the rocky surface. Tectonic plates in the area are pulling apart and gradually creating a new ocean, The (London) Sunday Times said. Now, the scientists have mapped the colossal underground lake of magma that lies up to 32km below the earth's surface. "We estimate that there is 3000 cubic kilometres of molten rock under Afar - enough to cover all of London ... with around a kilometre of rock," said Kathy Whaler, professor of geophysics at Edinburgh University. The reservoir is under such pressure that it has forced tongues of molten rock up towards the surface, producing eruptions and earthquakes. In 2005, a 7.6m wide tongue of lava spread 64km under Afar in 10 days and solidified, and many more followed. Afar lies in east Africa's Great Rift Valley at a point where three tectonic plates are pulling apart from each other. Such movement creates gaps, or rifts, in the Earth's crust, which allows molten rock to well up from deep below. [...]" 

Natural World: "The Oldest Living Things In The World" [10/03/11] "The oldest living things in the world (OLTW) is a project in process by the american photographer Rachel Sussman in which she searches, visits and photographs "continuously living organisms 2000 years old and older". She also says: 'I am trying to create a means in which to step outside our quotidian experience of time and to start to consider a deeper timescale." It's also interesting to just read about this different living things as they all are somewhat odd and extraordinary. [...]"  

MSM: "Anak Krakatau Raised To Highest Alert Status- Quakes Are Now Continuous, Warn Officials" Indonesia [10/02/11] "[Translated] Indonesian officials have raised the status of one of its most dangerous volcanoes, Anak Krakatau, to a “standby” or level IV- the highest level. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), Surono said this is a rise in status that was set on Friday, September 30, 2011 evening at 24.00. The reason for the elevated status is because of the high-intensity level of earthquakes. Today, for example. “On October 2, 2011, at 00.00 until 12.00, there are 2745 recorded seismic events,” said Surono, when he was contacted by VIVAnews.com, Sunday, October 2, 2011. Earthquakes under Mount Anak Krakatau, Surono added, were even felt all along the island of Anak Krakatau. “The swarm of tremors are continuous and although small, 2 on the Richter scale, they are cause for concern because they are felt constantly,” he added. He explained, almost since 2007, Krakatau has been stirred by unrest. “In a moment, it stopped, and erupted in 2009. I think this mountain is always in danger of erupting,” he added [...]"  

MSM: "Costa Rica’s Rincon De La Vieja Volcano Awakens From Dormancy After 13 Years" [10/02/11] "Dormant for more than a decade, the Rincon de la Vieja volcano surprised area residents and tourists with its a phreatic eruption on September 16 and 22. The volcano is located in the northern sector of the country Buenos Aires de Aguas Clara de Upala, in the province of Alajuela. Experts from the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica OVSICORI) toured the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano to inspect activity. The ascent to the crater took over three hours until it was confirmed what the neighbors reported, investigators finding that on Saturday, September 17, a day after the eruption of water and sediment, some fish were found dead in the river Penjamo. Investigators this week found more evidence of material spewed by the colossus in the streams and ditches in the area. The report indicated that some sediment have made up t 18 kilometers upstream in the local rivers. Also being investigated is whether the walls of the volcano have some movement. The eruption of November 1995 was one of the most intense. And although the current eruptions are nothing compared, area residents are taking precautions. After a meeting with experts, officials took the decision to revive the local emergency committee. For now, tourist visits to the crater have been suspended and guides are required to visit other parts of the national park. Authorities recommend people living in the foothills of the Rincon de la Vieja be aware of the water level in the rivers. [...]"  

MSM: "Mystery Intensifies Over Unexplained Booming Noise In Tennessee" [10/02/11] "The Lashbrooke subdivision in Louisville enjoyed a quiet and sun-bathed afternoon on Thursday. The peaceful surroundings of the affluent neighborhood along the Tennessee River lend no hint that its residents suffer from shell-shock. “It’s scary-loud. It’s loud enough that it makes your heart stop for a second,” said Andy Wombold. ”It sounds like a shotgun or an explosion of some kind.” Wombold and dozens of other residents in the neighborhood are unable to say exactly what “it” is. All they know is the mysterious booms have provided several rude awakenings that sent residents scrambling in fear.  [...]"  

MSM: "Mysterious Boom And Tremors Rattle South Carolina" [10/01/11] "A loud boom shook the coastal Lowcountry Wednesday morning, felt from Mount Pleasant to West Ashley. And once again, no one could say what caused it. Seismographs at the College of Charleston didn’t pick up any earthquake activity. The Charleston Air Force Base didn’t report any military aircraft creating sonic booms. No commercial vessels responded to a U.S. Coast Guard message asking for reports if it had been felt offshore. The reverberation most likely came from the “Seneca Guns,” a so-far-unexplained phenomenon felt along coasts around the world. Some experts speculate that the booms are caused by gases released from the sea floor, or undersea landslides along the Continental Shelf, or the echoed sound of distant thunder, or lightning-like electrical discharges, or even meteors crashing into the atmosphere at angles. The latest blast hit just before 10 a.m. “It was a pretty good shake, a pretty loud boom,” said Mark Reamer, who felt it in the Financial Management. “The mirrors on the wall rattled,” said Melinda Issacson, who was working out at home on James Island. Doors, windows and houses shook in Mount Pleasant and on Sullivan’s Island, according to Twitter reports. A West Ashley tweeter said it sounded like a gust of wind against the house. About the same time, a large tree fell across Hut Road on Johns Island and a nearby resident reported an explosion. But a tweeter in North Charleston said nothing was felt there. Small quakes and other booms are regular occurrences in the Lowcountry, where a series of faults converge underground. The last big shake was a temblor from the 5.8 Richter scale quake in Virginia in August. In March, a succession of three loud booms shook the coast that were widely believed to be the Seneca Guns [...]" 

MSM: "Italy’s Mt. Etna Rumbles With 15th Eruption" [09/30/11] "On the evening of 28 September 2011, the New Southeast Crater of Etna has produced its 15th paroxysmal eruptive episode since the beginning of this year. The culminating phase of this episode lasted less than a half hour but was more violent than those of the preceding paroxysms; on the contrary lava emission was rather minor, forming two small flows that reached the upper part of the steep western slope of the Valle del Bove. The ash plume was driven southwestward by the wind [...]" 

MSM: "5.6 Earthquake Off Coast of Chile" [09/28/11] "A very shallow 2.9 km, 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Northwest Territories of Canada. The epicenter of the earthquake was 137 km (85 miles) W of Wrigley, Northwest Territories, Canada and 617 km (383 miles) WNW of Yellowknife, NW Territories, Canada. The region, the earthquake struck, was remote and there have been no confirmed reports of damage. The USGS historical seismicity map for the region can be seen above. The last large earthquake to strike in the Northwest of Canada was a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck along the Nahanni region in 1985. [...]" 

MSM: "5.3  Earthquake Strikes Northwestern Territories Of Canada" [09/25/11] "A very shallow 2.9 km, 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Northwest Territories of Canada. The epicenter of the earthquake was 137 km (85 miles) W of Wrigley, Northwest Territories, Canada and 617 km (383 miles) WNW of Yellowknife, NW Territories, Canada. The region, the earthquake struck, was remote and there have been no confirmed reports of damage. The USGS historical seismicity map for the region can be seen above. The last large earthquake to strike in the Northwest of Canada was a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck along the Nahanni region in 1985. [...]" 

MSM: "6.2 Quake Hits Tonga" [09/23/11]   "A magnitude-6.2 earthquake rattled the island nation of Tonga in the South Pacific on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The 12:07 p.m. Friday (2307 GMT Thursday) quake was 8.6 kilometers (5.3 miles) below the surface, the USGS said. The USGS said the quake was some 382 kilometers (238 miles) northwest of Neiafu,Tonga.  [...]"  

MSM: "Typhoon Roke Nears Japan on Track for Leaking Nuclear Plant" [09/21/11] "Typhoon Roke brought evacuation orders and fears of floods to Nagoya city in central Japan today as it approached the main island of Honshu on a course toward the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant. More than 1 million people in Nagoya have been advised to evacuate because of Roke and almost 80,000 have been ordered to leave due to flood risk, said Katsuya Kobayashi in the city's disaster prevention center. That's more than double the numbers for typhoon Talas earlier this month, which dumped record rainfall on southern Japan, causing mudslides and floods that killed 67 people and left 26 missing. Talas was the deadliest storm to hit Japan in seven years. “The major difference between the two typhoons was Talas was slow-moving over the Kii peninsula, dumping rain in the same area, while Roke is fast moving,” Kenji Okada, a forecaster at the Japan Meteorological Agency, said. “Roke is bringing strong gusts and dumping rain in a wide region.” [...]" 

MSM: "Magnitude 5.8 – Guatemala" [09/20/11] " A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has struck the country of Guatemala at a depth of 39.4 km. The epicenter of the earthquake was 53 km (32 miles) SE of GUATEMALA, Guatemala , 74 km (45 miles) WNW of Santa Ana, El Salvador and 1114 km (692 miles) ESE of MEXICO CITY, D.F., Mexico. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake was preceded by a 4.8 foreshock which struck at a depth of 61 km. The Guatemala earthquake is the latest in an escalating series of earthquakes that have rattled nearly every corner of the globe in the month of September. An initial reports of damage or causalities is forthcoming.  [...]"  

MSM: "Tambora Rumbles Back To Life After 200 Years" [09/19/11] "Gede Suantika of the government’s Center for Volcanology said activity first picked up in April, with the volcanic quakes jumping from less than five a month to more than 200. “It also started spewing ash and smoke into the air, sometimes as high as 1,400 meters (4,600 feet),” he said. “That’s something I’ve never seen it do before.”....The April 1815 eruption of Tambora left a crater 11 kilometers (7 miles) wide and 1 kilometer (half a mile) deep, spewing an estimated 400 million tons of sulfuric gases into the atmosphere and leading to “the year without summer” in the U.S. and Europe. It was 10 times more powerful than Indonesia’s much better-known Krakatoa blast of 1883 – history’s second deadliest. But it doesn’t share the same international renown, because the only way news spread across the oceans at the time was by slowboat, said Tambora researcher Indyo Pratomo. In contrast, Krakatoa’s eruption occurred just as the telegraph became popular, turning it into the first truly global news event. The reluctance of Hasanuddin and others to return to villages less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Tambora’s crater sounds like simple good sense. But it runs contrary to common practice in the sprawling nation of 240 million – home to more volcanoes than any other in the world. Even as Merapi, Kelut and other famously active mountains shoot out towering pillars of hot ash, farmers cling to their fertile slopes, leaving only when soldiers load them into trucks at gunpoint. They return before it’s safe to check on their livestock and crops. Tambora is different. People here are jittery because of the mountain’s history – and they’re not used to feeling the earth move so violently beneath their feet. Aside from a few minor bursts in steam in the 1960s, the mountain has been quiet for much of the last 200 years.  [...]" 

 Spike In Seismic Activity For Month Of September: [09/19/11]  "1. 6.9 earthquake Sikkim, India- September 18, 2011 2. 6.0 earthquake Honshu, Japan- September 16, 2011 3. 6.7 earthquake East Coast Honshu, Japan- September 16, 2011 4. 7.3 earthquake Fiji- September 15, 2011 5. 6.2 earthquake East Coast Honshu, Japan- September 15, 2011 6. 6.0 earthquake North Island, New Zealand- September 15, 2011 7. 6.1 earthquake Aleutian Islands, Alaska- September 14, 2011 8. 6.2 earthquake Papua New Guinea- September 12, 2011 9. 6.0 earthquake Vanuatu- September 11, 2011 10. 6.4 earthquake Vancouver Island- September 9, 2011 11. 6.6 earthquake Northern Sumatra- September 5, 2011 12. 6.3 earthquake Tonga- September 5, 2011 13. 6.1 earthquake Vanuatu- September 4, 2011 14. 7.0 earthquake Vanuatu- September 4, 2011 15. 6.2 earthquake South Sandwich Islands- September 3, 2011 16. 6.8 earthquake Fox Islands- September 2, 2011 17. 6.7 earthquake Santiago Del Estero, Argentina- September 2, 2011 [...]" 

MSM: "Massive 6.9 Earthquake Hits India and Napal" [09/18/11] "A strong earthquake shook northeastern India and Nepal, killing at least 16 people, damaging buildings and sending lawmakers in Nepal's capital running into the streets. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9, struck at 6:10 p.m. Sunday local time. The epicenter was in India's Sikkam state near the border with Nepal, and shaking was felt across northern and eastern India, including in the capital of New Delhi. It triggered at least two aftershocks of magnitude 6.1 and 5.3, Indian seismology official R.S. Dattatreyan said. He warned more aftershocks were possible. ... The quake was also felt as far as the Indian capital, with New Delhi residents also rushing out of shaking buildings, and in the Chinese-ruled Himalayan region of Tibet. According to China's official Xinhua News Agency, the quake caused three houses in Tibet to collapse, injured one person and suspended a border county's telecommunications services. [...]"  Note: This quake just a short time after the September 5, 2011 quake in Indonesia that measured a 6.6. 

Natural World: "Volcanic Vents Give Sneak Peek of Acidic Ocean" [09/18/11] "... The waters just off the island of Ischia mirror the projected conditions of the Earth's oceans at the beginning of the next century because the volcanic vents found there infuse the water with large helpings of carbon dioxide, or CO2, which turns seawater acidic. [...]"  Note: In reality, geological emissions, over time, have far outweighed human emissions.  CO2 levels have been much higher than they are now, in the past, mostly because of geological phenomenon.

Natural World: "Hives Bigger, Killer Bees Meaner This Year, Say Experts After Attacks" [09/17/11] "...Reed Booth, also known as The Killer Bee Guy: "This is the worst I've seen in 10 years," Booth told CNN affiliate KOLD-TV in Tucson this week. Booth spoke after taking out a 200-pound hive of a quarter-million killer bees on a Bisbee farm earlier this week. The bees had swarmed after their hive in an outbuilding on the farm was disturbed. They killed a 1,000-pound hog and and sent a pregnant 800-pound sow into a coma. The piglets were lost, KOLD reported. "A thousand-pound pig is a huge thing," Booth said. "I'm kinda surprised that they did kill it." The Bisbee hive was one of two massive hives Booth has tackled within a week. On Tuesday, Booth removed a hive of 200,000 bees from an abandoned home in Palominas, according to a report on willcoxrangenews.com. That hive contained some of the most aggressive bees he's ever seen, according to the report. "This was, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, this was definitely a nine," Booth said. "You could smell the venom. There were so many bees around our masks, we could barely see." [...]"  

MSM: "Series Of Quakes Hit Off Japan Disaster Zone" [09/17/11] "A strong 6.6-magnitude undersea quake and a series of aftershocks hit off the coast of Japan's Honshu island Saturday, not far from the area ravaged by a huge March quake and tsunami, geologists said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties and no widespread tsunami warning, although the initial earthquake was followed by five more quakes of magnitude five or above, one of them measuring 6.2. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the first, 36.2-kilometre (22.6-mile) deep quake hit 108 kilometres east-south-east of the coastal town of Hachinohe, 574 kilometres from Tokyo, at 4:26 am (1926 GMT Friday). [...]"  

MSM: "September 15th Event: Planet Rattled By Swarm Of Major Earthquakes" [09/15/11]  "The shaking continues with a major 7.3 earthquake reported off the coast of Fiji at a depth of 626 km. Even with the downgrade of the earthquake off the coast of Cuba from 6.0 to 5.1 by the USGS, one would be hard-pressed not to see geological forces are now disturbing tectonic plates across the globe- perhaps nudging the planet into a new catastrophic seismic paradigm. 14 major earthquakes have now been reported in the first 15 days of the month of September, with 4 of those events occurring within the last 23 hours. We have crossed a threshold. – [...]"  

MSM: "Kamchatka’s Shiveluch Volcano Unleashes Massive Ash Cloud" [09/13/11] " ...The Tuesday upgrade to a red threat level was the first time in 2011 the volcano was at its top danger rating. Shiveluch last catastrophic eruption was in 1956. Experts have differed on whether intensifying activity in recent years could foreshadow another eruption soon [...]"  

MSM: "Hundreds Of Seismic Tremors: Colombian Volcanoes Are Stirring" [09/13/11] "Ruiz and Machin are both on elevated alert status, but Machín is the more interesting of the two as it has likely been almost 900 years since it last erupted. The volcano is a dome complex that has produced pyroclastic flows and mudflows sourced from explosive eruptions, some of which traveled over 40 km from the domes in the ancestral caldera. There has been an increase in seismic activity – 139 earthquakes in August alone – under Machín for the past year or so thus necessitating the increased alert status, but little else has changed. These earthquakes have been at two depths, from 1-5 km and 5-14 km below and to the southeast of the main domes. This potential activity has real ramifications in the region around Machín, such as decisions on where to build schools. Over at the more famous Nevado del Ruiz (see above), seismicity has increased dramatically over the course of 2011 (the 20 year anniversary since its last eruption). During the month of August alone, almost 400 likely volcanically-related earthquakes occurred at Ruiz. Sulfur dioxide measurements are listed as “moderate” but no signs of deformation have occurred at the volcano. All that shaking means that Ruiz is also on yellow alert status, suggesting that an eruption might be in the cards. These two volcanoes are located close to populated areas – Manizalez and Pereira (my mother’s hometown) for Ruiz and Ibague for Machín, so they will be closely watched by INGEOMINAS for the slightest change in their activity. [...]" 

MSM:"6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Vanuatu" [09/12/11] "A shallow 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of the South Pacific island of Vanuatu on Monday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning issued. The quake struck at a depth of just one kilometer (half a mile), around 61 kilometers southwest of the capital Port Vila. “It was very shallow and produced a lot of surface water activity, but no tsunami,” said a GeoScience Australia seismologist, adding that it would have been felt in Port Vila but damage was unlikely unless structures were weak. It follows a series of recent quakes near Vanuatu including two of 7.0 magnitude or over in the past month. “Over 40 quakes this year have been recorded in the area southwest of Port Vila and this would be an aftershock from those,” said the seismologist. Vanuatu lies on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates. [...]"  

MSM: "Indonesia’s Mount Lokon Volcano Shaken By Four Eruptions" [09/07/11] " Indonesia’s Mount Lokon erupted four times on Tuesday after increasing its volcanic activity during the past week, officials said. Mount Lokon, which is located on the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, had four small eruptions on Tuesday, spewing out materials between 150 and 200 meters (492 to 656 feet), Warno, an officer at the Mount Lokon and Mount Mahawu observation post at Kakaskasen village told the Antara news agency. The first eruption took place at 7:21 a.m. local time and the fourth 2:20 p.m., producing thick white and gray smoke. According to Warno, this means water and gases are still being burned in the crater. As of 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday, only one volcanic tremor was recorded on Tuesday, compared to Monday’s two deep volcanic tremors as well as four distant tectonic quakes. The amplitude of the latest tremors ranged between 0.5 millimeters and 10 millimeters. Despite their amplitude declining compared to previous ones, Warno said magma was still being pushed upwards. Officials at the Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center have kept the volcano’s alert status to level III, even though the geological activity has began decreasing. Mount Lokon has shown constant volcanic activity since June, prompting authorities to raise its status to Alert on June 27 and Watch on July 10. A series of eruptions in mid-July forced at least 5,269 locals from the villages of Kinilow, Kelurahan Kinilow I and Kakaskasen 1 to evacuate the area. While most residents returned to their homes later that month, some 222 people remain at temporary refugee camps because their homes are in Mount Lokon’s red zone – 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) from its crater. After July’s activity, Mount Lokon’s alert level was lowered from Watch to Alert, and has remained at this level since.  [...]"  

Commentary: "Forecaster Predicts Brutal UK Winter Weather For 2011-2012" [09/05/11] "Matt Talbot Bridge in Dublin, December 2010. Image Anthony McEvoyA UK-based long range weather forecaster has issued a severe winter weather warning for 2011-2012. The advisory has been issued following one of the coldest winters experienced in Ireland and Britain more than 45 years. James Madden from weather organization Exacta Weather correctly predicted the harsh conditions experienced over the last two years, and is once again forecasting record-breaking snowfall and freezing temperatures during November, December and January. One of Madden’s primary methods of analyzing long range weather conditions is his analysis of solar cycles. Last week Irish Weather Online carried a story from the National Solar Observatory (NSO) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) stating that a missing jet stream, fading spots, and slower activity near the poles are signs that our Sun is heading for a rest period even as it is acting up for the first time in years. Dr. Frank Hill, associate director of the NSO’s Solar Synoptic Network, said of the results: “this could be the last solar maximum we’ll see for a few decades. That would affect everything from space exploration to Earth’s climate. [...] Although sunspot activity has increased somewhat this year and there has been an increase in solar flare activity, the activity is minuscule in comparison to what it should be like during a solar maximum and in terms of frequency. Periods of low solar activity such as this have future repercussions of low solar activity in future cycles and produce extra cloud cover that reflects sunlight with a cooling influence on Earth. The lack of major sunspots and solar flares clearly indicate a slower conveyor belt within the sun. We are now in a very weak solar maximum and my observations indicate that the next solar cycle will also be weak”, he added. Mr. Madden also said that the dust and ash particles released by the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland and Chile would also contribute to cooling down of global temperatures. He said he expected the 2011-2012 winter to follow a similar pattern in terms of how November and December was in 2010 for the vast majority of the coming winter. “It will be exceptionally cold and snowy with well below average temperatures. I fully expect to see records broken with the highlands of Scotland being once again particularly hard hit. It is therefore vital to start preparing now in terms of high energy bills and raising awareness amongst the most vulnerable and elderly people of society”, Mr. Madden concluded. "  

MSM: "Number Of Volcanoes In Indonesia On Alert Continues To Rise" [09/04/11]   See Graphic "The government has requested that local administrations remain on the alert for severe risks of volcanic eruptions, as the number of volcanoes showing abnormal activity continued to rise. As of Friday, activity in 22 volcanoes was categorized as above normal, with six at alert level three and 16 at level two. Volcano status ranges from level one, which is normal, to four, which is the highest alert. The Volcanology and Geophysical Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) raised the status of Papandayan, one of the major tourist destinations in Garut, West Java, to alert level three on Friday. “There were 48 shallow volcanic earthquakes detected, with one deep volcanic earthquake and a white cloud emitted as high as 20 meters on Thursday,” National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Sutopo added that his office had prepared contingency plans to anticipate worst-case scenarios if Papandayan erupts. “If Papandayan erupts, it would impact 171,744 people living in the five subdistricts and 20 villages,” he said. Indonesia has been dubbed the world’s most disaster-prone country for its frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods and droughts. Indonesia lies in the “Ring of Fire”, where dozens of volcanoes are still active. A 2011 report from the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) ranked Indonesia the third-most prone nation out of 153 countries for earthquakes, with 11,056,806 people exposed. It said that earthquake hazards could potentially cause a loss of US$79.13 billion to the nation’s GDP. A 2010 report from the World Bank ranks Indonesia as 12th among countries with relatively high mortality risks from the multiple hazards. Mount Merapi, which erupted last year, caused a financial loss of Rp 3.59 trillion. Sutopo said that his office had transferred Rp 444 billion to the Public Works Ministry to accelerate the rebuilding of infrastructure damaged by Mt. Merapi. “From that money, some Rp 232 billion was used to rebuild roads and bridges,” he said. The eruption of Mt. Merapi damaged at least 23 bridges, including Pabelan bridge connecting Yogyakarta and Magelang. On Thursday, the government elevated the status of three volcanoes: Tombora, Lewatobi Perempuan and Anak Rakana in Nusa Tenggara. Tombora, in Bima Regency, experienced 14 shallow volcanic earthquakes. Tambora erupted in 1815, killing about 71,000.  [...]"  

MSM: "7.0 Earthquake Strikes Off The Islands Of Vanuatu" [09/04/11] " A magnitude- 7.0 earthquake shook the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. No tsunami alert was issued. The 9:55 a.m. Sunday (2256 GMT Saturday) quake was deep, some 132 kilometers (82 miles) below the surface, the USGS said. The USGS said the quake hit some 348 kilometers (216 miles) southeast of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, and some 1,860 kilometers (1,155 miles) northeast of Brisbane, Australia.  [...]"  

MSM: "Scientists Race To Unravel Mystery Of Planet’s Magnetic Field" [09/03/11] "Earthquakes, explosions and observations of Earth’s ever-changing magnetic field are helping scientists open up a new window on the heart of our planet. The magnetic field also acts as a protective barrier between us and some of the dangers of space, shielding us from radiation in the solar wind. The Earth’s magnetic field has been steadily weakening over the past 180 years. And there is one patch that is weakening faster than any other. It is an area scientists have dubbed the “South Atlantic Anomaly“, which sits over the South Atlantic and the centre of South America. It is a known hazard for spacecraft because it creates a dip in the field, allowing charged particles into the orbit of satellites and upsetting their electronics and instrumentation. But what some scientists suspect is that it could be much more than an inconvenience to satellite operators – it could be the first indication of a profound change in Earth’s magnetic field. When scientists mapped the Earth’s magnetic field down to the level of the outer-core, they discovered that under the South Atlantic Anomaly the simple north-south divide we know at the surface had broken down. There are patches where the field has actually flipped and points north instead of south. Using his weather analogy, Lathrop believes “a particularly violent or unusual patch of weather” in the molten metal of the outer-core is responsible for reversing the field. If these patches continue to deepen and spread, the entire Earth’s magnetic field could reach a tipping point and flip, he believes. It is not something that would happen overnight – it could take thousands of years, during which period the field would be pretty confused. The magnetic poles could wander to the equator for example, and take with them the spectacular Northern Lights. It would not be out of character – the shifting flows of the core have reversed Earth’s field hundreds of times before. “It’s not a question of if the Earth is going to reverse the magnetic field, but when,” says Lathrop. Exactly when this might be remains one of the core’s many mysteries. But after centuries of speculation, scientists are finally beginning to understand this great wonder lying 6,000km beneath our feet.  [...]" 

MSM: "6.4 Earthquake Hits Argentina" [09/03/11]   "A magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck north-central Argentina Friday, shaking things up enough to cause evacuations in the capital and be felt in much of the country's population centers. But people living near the epicenter didn't even notice it. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Santiago del Estero, a provincial capital of 250,000 people and the 12th-largest city in Argentina. Magnitude-6 earthquakes can cause severe damage, but this one was centered nearly 400 miles (600 kilometers) below the surface – so far underground that its effects were minimized. [...]"  

MSM: "Another Aftershock Felt In Virginia" [09/03/11] "Central Virginia has been shaken by another aftershock from last week's earthquake that rattled the East Coast. [...]"  

"7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Fox Islands Chain Off Alaska" [09/02/11] " A 7.1 magnitude earthquake has struck the Fox Islands chain off the coast of Alaska. The earthquake struck at a depth of 35.5 km and the epicenter was 45 km (27 miles) SW of Amukta Island, Alaska and 1658 km (1030 miles) WSW of Anchorage, Alaska. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck nearly the identical region at a depth of 62 km on June 24, 2011. The region is prone to large earthquakes. According to USGS data, the average number of 7.0-7.9 earthquakes that strike the planet a year is 15. Today’s earthquake would have made the 13th this year but the quake was later 'downgraded to a magnitude 6.8' by the USGS (who tries to minimize information and/or impact). The quake prompted the issue of a tsunami warning for the Aleutian Islands but they were later canceled.  [...]"  

"Tambora Volcano Showing Signs Of Reawakening" [09/02/11] "Tambora volcano in Indonesia has been raised to level 2 alert (out of maximum 4) after an increase in volcanic earthquakes. In April 2011 there were 37 shallow volcanic earthquakes recorded, 167 in May, 277 in June, 363 in July, and 141 from 1-29 August. Continuous tremor was recorded on 29 and 30 August. Tourists and locals are advised to avoid the summit area of Tambora volcano. In 1815 Tambora had one of the largest eruptions on earth in the past 1000 years and ejected 100-150 cubic km of lava. Tambora erupted in 1815 killing 92 000 people making 1816 the year without a summer as the global climate effects were felt. Aerosols from the Tambora eruption blocked out sunlight and reduced global temperatures by 3 deg C. Europe missed a summer, and India had crop failures following the Tambora eruption. 100 cubic km of magma was erupted. Ten thousand people were killed immediately from the pyroclastic flows and the eventual toll due to starvation and disease may have been as high as 117,000. The eruption caused a tsunami with a wave height of 10 m [...] What most people don’t know is that after the 1815 eruption, Tambora has erupted at least 3 known times, all in the scale of VEI 0-2 (rather than the VEI 7 of 1815)." 

Astrological Views - Virginia Earthquake:  [09/01/11] "According to the USGS, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the U.S. East Coast August 23. A shallow earthquake at 3.7 miles deep, with its epicenter near Mineral, Virginia, the shaking was felt throughout the Appalachian states from Georgia to New England. The quake lasted about 15 seconds. Numerous aftershocks have occurred, some almost as strong as the original event. Click here to see the Virginia chart PDF  Note the early cardinal degrees on the Virginia chart, which are aspected by the transiting Uranus-Pluto square. According to Lind Weber, author of The Astro-Geology of Earthquakes and Volcanoes, these degrees are strongly linked to earthquake activity. [...]"  Book: That book had better be good for $34.95 ... you can find in on Amazon a little cheaper, especially used copies (in the 20's). Here's the book description: "Worldwide, there are approximately eighteen annual earthquakes if magnitude 7.0 or higher. Using all the scientific tools available today, however, geologists and seismologists are unable to predict exactly when and where such an earthquake will occur. The best they can do is to identify areas that have a high probability for a severe earthquake. Astrology does more. The Astro-Geology of Earthquakes and Volcanoes is the result of Lind Weber's extensive research into the planetary influences related to earthquakes. After examining thousands of charts, he identified specific signatures for many of the strongest earthquake-prone areas around the globe. In this extensive book Lind Weber presents his findings, which include the significance of: Signs in the four elements: fire, earth, air, water The Cancer-Capricorn axis Early degrees of cardinal signs Grand Trines in the four elements Planetary placements Aspect intensity Simultaneous events Outer planets Planetary complexes and patterns Approaching and separating aspects Also presented in the author's findings is the astrological distinction between earthquake and volcano charts as well as how volcanic eruptions can indicate a cyclical timing mechanism. He correlates the volcanism process with solar activity." Note: And, in fact this backs up what is being discovered now, isn't it, so this would be useful. (264 pages)

MSM: "Chances Of A Large Earthquake In Japan Increasing Warns Tokyo Earthquake Institute" [09/01/11] "The possibility of a huge plate-boundary earthquake amplified by simultaneous moves in two or more focal areas beneath Tokyo has been increasing since the Great East Japan Earthquake, according to the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute. The institute said that since the March 11 disaster, pressure on the tectonic plates beneath the city has changed and two or more focal areas may move simultaneously, resulting in a massive quake. The institute intends to continue monitoring and assess the possibility of a huge earthquake. The tectonic makeup of Tokyo and surrounding areas is complicated, with two ocean plates subducting below a land plate on which the Japanese archipelago is located. There have been many earthquakes in this area, as both plate- boundary quakes, which are caused by friction between the plates, and inland quakes, which are caused by faults in the plates, can occur. The average number of quakes measured at magnitude 3 or more in the five years preceding the March 11 disaster was about eight a month. The institute discovered that the number of small-scale plate-boundary quakes that are not felt by people has drastically increased following the March 11 earthquake. Also, the preliminary observed number of magnitude-3 or larger plate-boundary quakes between March 11 and Aug. 20 rose about fourfold in an area 60 to 70 kilometers below northern Tokyo Bay. Similarly sized plate-boundary quakes occurring 40 to 55 kilometers below southern Ibaraki Prefecture have increased about 20-fold. The number of inland quakes has not drastically increased, but the institute said the types of the quakes have clearly changed. There have been huge quakes with shallow focal points below Tokyo and surrounding areas in the past. The 1923 magnitude-8 Great Kanto Earthquake occurred in southern Tokyo Bay. The government’s Central Disaster Management Council has maintained that magnitude-8 quakes will not occur in the near future. But the Great East Japan Earthquake has largely changed conventional thinking about the region’s seismology. Naoshi Hirata, a researcher at the institute and a member of the government’s Earthquake Research Committee, said, “If there is drastic plate movement, there is no guarantee that the scale of the quake will be in line with the government’s prediction of up to magnitude 7.3. “In addition to looking at the intervals of recurrence of Great Kanto Earthquake level quakes, it’s necessary to review the predictions,” he said.  [...]"  

MSM: "4.2 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Central Los Angeles- Aftershocks Follow" [09/01/11] "An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.1 has rumbled across the Los Angeles region. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake hit around 1:47 p.m. Thursday and was centered north of Los Angeles. The quake was reportedly felt widely across Los Angeles County.  [...]"  

MSM: "Mexico’s Popocatepetl Volcano Blasts Out Ash Cloud" [08/31/11] "The Popocatepetl volcano south of Mexico City is shooting blasts of ash from its crater. Mexico’s national disaster prevention agency says the volcano has spewed ash more than a half mile (a kilometer) into the sky four times Tuesday. It says there is a possibility ash could fall onto Mexico City overnight. The agency is urging people to stay at least 7 miles (12 kilometers) from the crater. The 17,886-foot (5,450-meter) volcano is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southeast of the capital. – [...]"  

MSM: "Deep 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Banda Sea" [08/30/11]   "A powerful earthquake hit waters off East Timor on Tuesday, but officials said it was too deep to trigger a tsunami. There were no reports of injuries or damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.8 -magnitude quake struck 171 miles (276 kilometers) from the capital, Dili, and was centered 300 miles (465 kilometers) beneath the Banda Sea. That was too deep to generate destructive waves, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an e-mailed statement. Most residents living in Dili said they didn’t feel the quake. “We weren’t even aware,” said Santina Araujo, a mother of two who attending a church gathering with other housewives. “Everything is normal here, no panic or anything.” East Timor is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. [...]"  Note: The Banda Sea earthquake along the Banda plate appears to have reignited the seismic aftershock swarm that has been gnawing away at the stability of the Vanuatu region since the outbreak of the double 7.0+ magnitude earthquakes struck the region over a week ago. After the 6.8 earthquake in the Banda Sea, Vanuatu was rocked by a 4.9, 5.0, 5.3 and a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in quick succession.

MSM: "Quake May Have Exceeded Nuke Plant Design" [08/30/11] "More federal inspectors are en route to Virginia's North Anna nuclear power station. The plant remains offline.  More federal inspectors are en route to Virginia's North Anna nuclear power station after early data indicated the plant may have experienced more shaking than it was designed to withstand during last week's 5.8 earthquake. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission sent additional inspectors to the site, about a dozen miles from the quake's epicenter near Mineral, Va. The added scrutiny was triggered by preliminary data reported Friday by the plant's operator, Dominion Virginia Power, which signaled that ground motion caused by the quake surpassed the plant's design. Jim Norvelle, a spokesman for Dominion, said a more detailed seismic analysis should be complete by the end of the week. [...]"  

MSM: "Tropical Storm Katia On Similar Path As Irene" [08/30/11] "Tropical Storm Katia has formed and is moving quickly across the Atlantic. Katia has maximum sustained winds early Tuesday near 40 mph (65 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says strengthening is forecast and Katia is expected to be near hurricane strength by late Wednesday or early Thursday. The storm’s forecast track shows it could become a major hurricane over the weekend. Katia is centered about 535 miles (855 kilometers) west-southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and is moving west-northwest near 17 mph (28 kph). Hurricane specialist Michael Brennan says Katia could affect the Caribbean, but it’s too early to tell if it will hit the U.S. The storm’s name replaces Katrina in the rotating storm roster because of the catastrophic damage from the 2005 storm. The storm is expected to reach Category 3 strength as early as Sunday.  [...]"  Note: It will be interesting to see if there are any more close correspondences between weather and geological processes during this hurricane season ... which may again point to some technological manipulation.

Commentary:  "Magma Plume: Mount Etna’s Eruption Intensifies In Italy" [08/30/11] "Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano is stepping up its eruption, spewing out ash and shooting lava into the air. Italy’s Civil Protection agency says the nation’s geophysics and volcanology institute on Monday registered increased explosive activity by Etna, eight days after the latest eruption began. The government agency says Etna started spewing out a significant amount of ash in a southeast direction early in the day but that the eruption tapered off in about two hours. Etna has several inhabited villages on its slopes. Eruptions are not infrequent, and Italian airliners sometimes have to alter their routes to avoid flying through ash cloud. The airport at Catania city near the volcano wasn’t affected by the ash Monday [...]"  

Commentary: "6 Strange Anomalies With The Virginia Earthquake" [08/28/11] "My first thought upon hearing the news of the rare 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Virginia this week was that it was not a natural occurrence. After all, no one has ever felt or even heard of such a powerful temblor happening in this area in a lifetime. As is usual for my cynical instincts, I hoped that I was wrong. However, several anomalies indicate that something is not normal with the Virginia quake. [...]"   Related: "HAARP, Hurricane Irene and the DC Earthquake …Connected? " "... A reader directed me towards CIMSS, where they offer a microwave loop of Hurricane Irene. And on August 25th, from about 3:00 AM – 11:00 AM, we can see severe “tuning fork” interference patterns from the south-east. Is this merely a satellite artifact? A glitch in the rendering? Or did the satellite truly pick up that sort of activity, representing insanely heavy rains or wildly fluctuating temperatures… perhaps something more? These tuning fork bands are extremely pronounced, much more defined than the easterly forks that emanated from Hurricane Ophelia. Is this an example of the “pulsing energy” described in Tesla technology and in several research papers regarding HAARP? But just like Ophelia, as the tuning forks fade away, the storm starts tracking in a different direction.  It is Hoagland’s contention “…based on the physics of these images that these bizarre ‘tuning fork’ patterns — note, geometrically aimed at the precise centers of these respective storms – are actually a “rainfall side-effect” of an unseen energy technology being applied to these respective storms … in an effort to decrease both their wind velocities, and to simultaneously alter the storms’ tracks themselves.” [...]"  

MSM: "California Ancient Volcano Site Rattled By Swarm Of Tremors" [08/28/11] "A cluster of mild earthquakes rumbled early on Saturday near Pinnacles National Monument, site of an ancient volcano in central California, and were widely felt in and around the Monterrey Bay area. The largest of the tremors, measured at a magnitude of 4.6, struck shortly after midnight Friday local time just northwest of Pinnacles, which lies in the San Andreas seismic fault zone about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco Bay, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Quakes of that size cause noticeable shaking of furniture and some rattling noises, but there were no reports of damage or injuries from Saturday’s temblors, which were typical for the seismically active region. “It’s not uncommon to see clusters, or what we call swarms, of earthquakes in many places around California,” USGS spokeswoman Leslie Gordon said. The quake cluster near Pinnacles began at about 11 p.m. and numbered in the dozens. But only seven registered a magnitude 3.0 or higher as of noon on Saturday, USGS data showed. A National Park Service ranger reached by telephone at Pinnacles, known for its monolithic rock formations, spires and sheer-walled canyons, said the quakes were noticed but shrugged off by residents accustomed to such tremors. “Most of the residents here felt it, but we’re so used to having small earthquakes all the time that it was no big deal,” she said. A USGS mapping system that records citizen reports of where quakes are felt showed the largest of Sunday’s tremors was noticed as weak to light shaking throughout the Monterrey Bay region along a 200-mile-long corridor of central California. The California quake swarm occurred days after a rare 5.8 earthquake shook much of the U.S. East Coast on Tuesday, centered in Mineral, Virginia. That shock damaged the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument and sent thousands of jittery residents and office workers out onto the streets. [...]"  

MSM: "Earthquake swarm reported on the German-Czech border" [08/27/11] "The Germany Czech border area has been hit by an earthquake swarm with mainly very weak earthquakes; the strongest ones measuring 4.0 and 3.6. The earthquakes started their sequence on Tuesday. The earthquakes started their sequence on Tuesday. Cheb/ Vogtland is a seismically-active area where the seismographs did record a lot of activity (a lot of which cannot be felt by humans). The earthquake has been felt in a moderate area radius near a few dozen kilometers from hypocentra. Tremors felt the people in Karlovy Vary, Lower Zandov or Birch. Since Tuesday, more than 1,000 earthquakes were registered (yes, this is not an error as 99% of these quakes could only be measured with instruments and cannot be felt by humans). The epicenters are moving slowly to the northeast. A similar earthquake swarm was recorded three years ago. By Thursday evening, dozens of seismographs recorded aftershocks. Reported damage at the present magnitudes includes cracks in walls, fallen objects and occasionally a collapsed chimney. This occurs mostly in older brick houses. [...]"  

Buffoonery: "US Still Unprepared For Emergency Weather Response, Despite Storms Reoccurring Every Year" [08/27/11] "Top US emergency officials warned Friday that it could take weeks or possibly months to get relief to some areas in response to the incoming Hurricane Irene. "We are anticipating it to be a huge geographical area with lots of people impacted," warned Gail McGovern, head of the American Red Cross, at a press conference in Washington. "From the time perspective, this could take weeks, maybe months to be able to respond to," she told reporters alongside Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Craig Fugate, chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)... [...]"  Related: "Spending Fight Could Slow Emergency Aid For Hurricane Irene Damage"   Note: Such masterful incompetence, holding up support for disaster relief for political purposes. 

MSM: "New York Ordering First Mandatory Evacuations In City History" [08/27/11] "New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered residents of low-lying coastal areas to leave their homes in advance of Hurricane Irene’s arrival Sunday, the first time a mandatory evacuation order has been imposed. Residents in the affected neighborhoods must leave by 5 p.m. tomorrow, the mayor said during a City Hall news briefing. It’s the first time New York residents have been ordered to leave their homes ahead of a storm, he said. Citywide, about 270,000 residents live in the low-lying zones most vulnerable to a storm surge accompanied by high winds and rain, according to the mayor’s office. The neighborhoods include Manhattan’s Battery Park City, home to 39,700; Coney Island and other Brooklyn beach communities, with 180,000; the Rockaways in Queens, where at least 70,000 live, and shore areas of Staten Island, with at least 40,000 residents. Some parts aren’t in low-lying areas so aren’t affected. [...]"  Related: "Hurricane Irene: Traffic Jams 20 Miles Long… 2.5 Million Evacuated Ahead Of Extensive Storm Surge"   "Satellite Photo of Hurricane" 

Buffoonery: "US Still Unprepared For Emergency Weather Response, Despite Storms Reoccurring Every Year" [08/27/11] "Top US emergency officials warned Friday that it could take weeks or possibly months to get relief to some areas in response to the incoming Hurricane Irene. "We are anticipating it to be a huge geographical area with lots of people impacted," warned Gail McGovern, head of the American Red Cross, at a press conference in Washington. "From the time perspective, this could take weeks, maybe months to be able to respond to," she told reporters alongside Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Craig Fugate, chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)... [...]"  Related: "Spending Fight Could Slow Emergency Aid For Hurricane Irene Damage"   Note: Such masterful incompetence, holding up support for disaster relief for political purposes. 

MSM: "More Than A Dozen Aftershocks Continue To Rattle Colorado After Largest Quake In 40 Years" [08/25/11] "The strongest earthquake to hit Colorado in more than four decades continues to rattle the state with 13 aftershocks and likely more on the way for days or even weeks, Amy Vaughan of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center in Golden said to The Denver Post. The largest magnitude aftershock of 3.9 was felt around 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning and centered about 13 miles southwest of Trinidad, according to KOAA. Vaughan says that there has been no major damage from the aftershocks and that their frequency and intensity will diminish over the coming days, the Boston Herald reports. Monday night’s magnitude-5.3 quake struck just hours before a magnitude-5.8 temblor in Virginia shook much of Washington D.C. and the East Coast, the Associated Press reported. Both the Colorado and Virginia quakes are extraordinarily rare natural events for those regions. According to the USGS, an 1882 earthquake -- with an estimated magnitude of 6.6 -- near what is now Rocky Mountain National Park is believed to be the largest recorded in the state. [...]"  

MSM: "Strong 7.0-Magnitude Quake Shakes Peruvian Amazon" [08/24/11] "A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck a remote Amazon region of Peru on Wednesday, shaking office buildings far away in the capital and in neighboring Brazil although no injuries or damage were reported immediately. The quake's epicenter was near the town of Pucallpa, which lies some 600 km (370 miles) from Lima in a sparsely populated central-eastern region close to the Brazilian border, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. [...]" 

Analysis: "East Coast Earthquake Strongest Since 1944 " [08/24/11] "Tens of millions of people from Georgia to Canada were jolted Tuesday by the strongest earthquake to strike the East Coast since World War II. Three weeks before the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, office workers poured out of New York skyscrapers and the Pentagon, relieved it was nothing more sinister than an act of nature. There were no known deaths or serious injuries, but cracks appeared in the Washington Monument and the National Cathedral, which had three capstones break off its tower. Windows shattered and grocery stores were wrecked in Virginia, where the quake was centered. The White House and Capitol were evacuated. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered magnitude 5.8. By West Coast standards, that is mild. But the East Coast is not accustomed to earthquakes at all, and this one unsettled some of the nation's biggest population centers. [...]"  Related: "Highly Unusual, Once In A Century” 5.8 Virginia Earthquake Leaves Geologists Puzzled" "The strong earthquake that rattled the eastern United States on Tuesday was highly unusual in its severity, though it was centered in a part of Virginia known for smaller quakes, seismologists said. The initial earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 5.9 just before 2 p.m. EDT, was felt from the Carolinas to New England. “One of this size is highly unusual,” said Karen Fisher, a professor of seismology at Brown University and president-elect of the seismology section at the American Geophysical Union. “This is the largest earthquake by far that I am aware of occurring there in recent history.” The quake’s epicenter in central Virginia is in an area the U.S. Geological Survey calls the Central Virginia Seismic Zone, Fisher said by phone from Providence, Rhode Island. While the strength of the quake was unusual, the wide spread of the shock waves was common for the East Coast, according to Peggy Hellweg, a research seismologist at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory in California. [...]"  Note: See below.

Explorations: "Dormant Faults Have Started To Awaken" [08/24/11] "The outer rocky shell of the Earth, known as the lithosphere, is colder on the East Coast than in California, which is well known for experiencing frequent earthquakes. “So when something shakes, it is like hitting a bar of steel, it rings pretty well. Whereas on the West Coast, the rocks are higher temperature and it is more like hitting something quite a bit softer,” he said. Lucy Jones, a USGS spokeswoman, said the West Coast crust is broken up by active faults so it “doesn’t do as good of a job of transmitting the energy.” “On the East Coast, you have this old, hard, cold crust that does a lovely job of transmitting the waves like a solid bell,” she said on CNN, so that an earthquake “can definitely be felt hundreds of miles away.” The U.S. East Coast has plenty of fault lines, but they are ancient, and are inside a creaky plate that is under pressure from being jostled and pushed by other plates, experts said. Occasionally, pressure builds up and stresses will be released in earthquakes, like the one on Tuesday. “They are faults that used to be very active faults hundreds of millions of years ago, unlike the faults on the West Coast… (that) are active today,” Jordan said. Jack Boatwright, a seismologist with USGS, told AFP that one aftershock of 2.8 magnitude was recorded in the hour following the quake. Other parts of the world that are similar to the US East Coast in terms of earthquake dynamics would include India, as well as some parts of Russia and Australia, he added. “In India, that large triangle is relatively old, so we think that it conducts energy similarly,” he said. Other differences between East and West Coast quakes are the sounds they make — residents of California are less likely to hear banging associated with a big quake unless they are very near the epicenter, he said.  [...]"  

MSM: "Two Nuclear Reactors Taken Off Line After 5.9 Earthquake In Virginia" [08/23/11] "Two nuclear reactors were taken offline at the North Anna Power Station due to the earthquakes in Virginia. Federal officials say two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, Va., were automatically taken off line by safety systems around the time of the earthquake The Dominion-operated power plant is being run off of four emergency diesel generators, which are supplying power for critical safety equipment. Whether or not they were damaged and releasing radiation is unknown at this time and unfortunately we will most likely never know considering the fact that all major nuclear disasters have been covered up worldwide. Anna Rhett Miller, a reporter for CNN has tweeted the following: NRC confirms Dominion’s North Anna plant has lost offsite power, is shut down, and is now using backup generators to keep spent fuel cool. [...]"  Related: "Quakes Hit Virginia, Colorado" "The east coast quake measured a 5.9 magnitude and was epicentered in Mineral, Va., 100 miles southwest of Washington D.C. The White House, Pentagon, and Capitol have reportedly been evacuated. And it might not be over: “What the concern is, of course, is that this is a foreshock. If it’s a foreshock, then the worse is yet to come.” She said the energy from earthquakes on the East Coast does not attenuate as quickly as it does on the West Coast, and thus even a relatively modest tremor can shake a very broad [area].“ [...]"  "NRC Current Power Reactors Status" |  Check for Subsequent Quakes  

MSM: "Rare Quake Rattles Eastern US Seaboard" [08/23/11] "One of the strongest earthquakes to strike the US east coast in decades rattled offices Tuesday in downtown Washington and caused anxious evacuations from skyscrapers as far away as New York. The Pentagon, the US Capitol and monuments in the nation's capital were all evacuated after the 5.9-magnitude quake, which was shallow with its epicenter only 0.1 miles (kilometers) underground. [...]" Related: "5.9 Magnitude Quake Clogs Wireless Networks Triggers Closures and Evacuations All Over Country"  "According to a report by the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit Virginia today at around 1:51 PM EDT. The quake was felt as far north as Ottawa, and the resulting freak outs have resulted in significant closures and evacuations in cities up and down the eastern seaboard. The resulting hysteria has apparently clogged wireless networks in many cities, causing FEMA to urge users to stay off their phones if possible. The NYPD is apparently telling people not to call 911 -- since they already are well aware of what happened. According to the USGS, this is the largest earthquake to originate out of Virginia since 1897. [...]"  

MSM: "5.3 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Southern Colorado" [08/23/11] "Southern Colorado was rattled by a magnitude 4.6 earthquake Monday evening near Trinidad. That quake was overshadowed by a much stronger 5.3 magnitude earthquake which struck near the same region. The same area had been struck by a gentler temblor earlier in the morning. According to the US Geological Survey, the quake occurred at 5:30pm and was centered 16 miles west southwest of Trinidad or 20 miles west northwest of Raton, New Mexico. The quake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 3.1 miles. Initial reports show the quake was felt in Trinidad and as far north as La Veta and Aguilar. To the south in New Mexico, Raton felt the shaking as well as Springer and Questa. This morning, a magnitude 2.9 quake struck the same area at 7:52am. This also follows a magnitude 2.8 temblor in March. Other quakes up to magnitude 4.1 have been recorded in January 2010 as well as a series of quakes in the area in August 2009. The earthquake’s epicenter was 299 km (185 miles) S of DENVER, Colorado. – [...]"  

MSM: "Hurricane Irene Heading Towards US" [08/23/11] "Tropical Storm Irene has officially been declared a hurricane as it strengthens while passing over Puerto Rico and heading towards Haiti.  [...]"  

MSM: "In 2011, Record-Tying Nine $1B Weather Disasters" [08/22/11] "With hurricane season still ahead, a record-tying nine $1 billion weather disasters have already racked the nation this year, federal, state and private forecasters reported Wednesday. Following on the heels of the 60-mph wind gusts that collapsed a stage and killed five at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, the National Weather Service estimates that weather disasters have cost more than $35 billion this year, based on insurance estimates. Recent flooding in the Midwest along the Missouri and Souris rivers topped the $2 billion damage mark. [...]" 

MSM: "Ireland Experiencing The Coldest Summer In 25 Years" [08/22/11] "Counties in central and southern Ireland have been experiencing temperatures that are between 0.2 degrees C and 0.9 degrees C below normal this summer. The Irish weather site Met Eireann reported that the mean temperatures for June around the country have been about 1 degree C lower than normal. July also is reported to have had lower-than-average mean temperatures for the month. The temperatures were about 0.5 to 1 degree C below normal. [...]"  

Upcoming: "Tracking the Forces of Nature" [08/21/11] "We here at larouchepac.com have provided you with a first in a series of soon to be maps, tracking these very forces of Nature. [...]"  Note: Under Construction. Nice EQ display, so far. 

MSM: "7.5 Magnitude Quake Hits Vanuatu" [08/20/11] "A powerful earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale has hit off the coast of the capital of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. The quake occurred on Sunday at 3:55 a.m. local time at a depth of 40 kilometers, about 60 kilometers south of Port Vila, the New Zealand Herald reported. No tsunami warning has been issued, and there have been no reports of damage so far. Shortly after the first quake, a 5.9 magnitude tremor occurred.  [...]" 

"6.7 earthquake struck near the coast of Honshu, Japan" [08/19/11] "A strong earthquake meassured 6.7 magnitude struck near the east cost of Honshu island Japan at depth of 20km, according to Japan Meteorological Agency. USGS meassured 6.5 magnitude with epicentre 99 km (61 miles) SE of Sendai, 103 km (64 miles) NE of Iwaki, 113 km (70 miles) E of Fukushima and 283 km (175 miles) NE of TOKYO, on depth of 39.1 km (24.3 miles).  [...]"  

"6.5 Earthquake Hits Eastern Part Of Indonesia" [08/16/11] "A shallow undersea quake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale jolted eastern parts of Indonesia on Tuesday, no tsunami warning was immediately reported, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported. EMSC recorded 6.2 and USGS 5.8 magnitude earthquake and the Hong Kong Observatory said it was at 6.3 magnitude. The quake struck at 18:03 p.m. Jakarta time (1103 GMT) with epicenter at 163 km northwest Ambon, the capital city of Maluku province, and with the depth. [...]" 

Trends: "Natural Disasters Lead To Rise Of Animal Encroachment Incidents" [08/16/11] "Los Alamos animal control officers are dealing with an increase of dangerous animals venturing a little too far into human habitats. Sunday a 300 pound, male black bear wandered into a trap sitting right in front of the Newma’s house. “I’ve got a bear and I’ll tell you, it’s been exciting,” said Herbert Newman who has heard the bear wrestling around at night and believes he’s been stealing his garbage. Bears aren’t uncommon in Los Alamos, but ones so close to homes, the Newmans say it’s uncomfortable. “All the other animals i’m not worried about,” commented Newman. “I’m stronger than they are.” Game and Fish officers say they’ve also seen an increase of deer, coyotes and raccoons. “We’ve had a high consistency of animals coming into town,” said Officer Blake Swanson, NM Game and Fish. “After the Las Conchas fire they were basically running rampant throughout town.” Swanson says besides the Las Conchas fire, the dire drought is also to blame for starving animals forced into neighborhoods. Before attending to the bear at the Newman’s home, he set a trap for a raccoon that another neighbor says has been plucking fish out of his pond. The department has also trapped an unusually high number of raccoons. Swansons adds keeping garbage inside and taking down bird feeders at night will also help deter hungry creatures. He says the weather is helping too. “Every day we get a little more rain, a little more habitat back and that’s helping quite a bit.” The trapped at the home was healthy and will be relocated near Cuba, N.M.  [...]"

MSM: "New Zealand: Polar Blast Was "Of The Order Of A 50 Year'' Event" [08/16/11]   "The snow that has blanketed New Zealand today will freeze overnight creating treacherous driving conditions, police warn. Snow fell in Auckland for the first time in more than 30 years as the country shuddered from a polar blast that brought joy to children and angst for motorists. [...]"  

MSM: "New Zealand Citizens Urged To Prepare For Major Winter Storm" [08/14/11] "People are being urged to prepare for a major polar blast which could bring snow as far north as the Coromandel Peninsula from Sunday. “This is not just a cold snap coming up. It’s a major winter storm, with some places likely to have gale force winds, others to have snow to low levels, and a few places to have both,” MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said. The cold snap was likely to last longer than the storm which brought snow to much of the country in the last weekend of July. Anyone planning travel, working outdoors, or caring for livestock should check forecasts regularly, he said. Canterbury Regional Civil Defence was warning people in the region to make preparations to avoid being caught out on Sunday or Monday. For this forecast, we have time to get prepared on Saturday in case we get snow towards the end of the weekend or early next week,” Civil Defence manager Jon Mitchell said. “Schools and businesses should have their plans in place today so people have a clear idea what will happen if snow again closes roads and keeps people at home on Monday,” Mr Mitchell said. People with prepaid electricity accounts were urged to top up their power managers after some were caught without power in last month’s snow storm, he said. Weatherwatch head weather analyst Philip Duncan said snow was predicted to low levels around Wellington and across Hutt Valley, and could fall to low levels in Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Manawatu and Taranaki. Snow was also expected on the Coromandel Peninsula and Kaimai Ranges, in the Bay of Plenty.”Canterbury to Marlborough will have blizzard potential,” Mr Duncan said. Snow could cause travel issues for motorists from Southland to Otago, Canterbury to Marlborough, Wellington to Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay to Central Plateau. It may even be an issue on highways as far north as the Gisborne region, Mr Duncan said. Snow on the North Island ranges was predicted to be especially heavy, with snow showers for the Desert Road on the central plateau from Sunday night until Wednesday.  [...]"  

MSM: "5.8-Magnitude Earthquake Hit Northwest China" [08/14/11]   "A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region around 6:06 p.m. Thursday, said the China Earthquake Networks Center. The epicenter was monitored at the border area between the region’s Atux City in the Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture and Jiashi County in Kashgar.  [...]"  

MSM: "Hyper-Active Stunner: 4 Low-Pressure Systems Form Off The Coast Of Africa" [08/14/11] "Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are watching four areas in the Atlantic Ocean for potential tropical development and said three of those systems now have a “medium chance” of soon growing into a tropical cyclone. One of those areas is a low pressure system centered more than 1,100 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands. It was moving toward the west-northwest at nearly 20 miles per hour. Forecasters said the system had begun to show some organization and that environmental conditions were becoming “conducive for development.” Another broad low pressure system near the Cape Verde Islands was moving westward at 15 to 20 miles per hour and was also given a medium chance — 40 percent — of developing into a cyclone in the next two days. A third area of concern is located 160 miles west-northwest of Bermuda — well to the east of North Carolina. Though the system was given a 30 percent chance of development, it’s trajectory — to the northeast — posed little threat to any populated region. The final system under scrutiny is located 700 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. This less-developed system has a 20 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours. It was moving to the west-southwest at 10 miles per hour. Forecasters have projected an above average Atlantic storm season this year. Historically, the end of August and beginning of September are the most active weeks for storm development.  [...]"  

Natural World: "Geologic Time-Scale For Recyling Of Planet’s Crust 4 Times Faster Than Previously Thought" [08/11/11] " The recycling of the Earth’s crust in volcanoes happens much faster than scientists have previously assumed. Rock of the oceanic crust, which sinks deep into the earth due to the movement of tectonic plates, reemerges through volcanic eruptions after around 500 million years. German researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz obtained this result using volcanic rock samples. Previously, geologists thought this process would take about two billion years. Virtually all of the ocean islands are volcanoes. Several of them, such as Hawaii, originate from the lowest part of the mantle. This geological process is similar to the movement of colored liquids in a lava lamp: hot rock rises in cylindrical columns, the so-called mantle plumes, from a depth of nearly 3000 kilometers. Near the surface, it melts, because the pressure is reduced, and forms volcanoes. The plume originates from former ocean crust which early in the Earth’s history sank to the bottom of the mantle. Previously, scientists had assumed that this recycling took about two billion years. The chemical analysis of tiny glassy inclusions in olivine crystals from basaltic lava on Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii has now surprised geologists: the entire recycling process requires at most half a billion years, four times faster than previously thought. To their surprise, the Max Planck researchers found residues of sea water with an unexpected strontium isotope ratio in the samples, which suggested an age of less than 500 million years for the inclusions. Therefore the rock material forming the Hawaiian basalts must be younger. “Apparently strontium from sea water has reached deep in the Earth’s mantle, and reemerged after only half a billion years, in Hawaiian volcano lavas,” says Klaus Peter Jochum, co-author of the publication. “This discovery was a huge surprise for us.” Another surprise for the scientists was the tremendous variation of strontium isotope ratios found in the melt inclusions in olivine from the single lava sample. “This variation is much larger than the known range for all Hawaiian lavas”, says Alexander Sobolev. “This finding suggests that the mantle is far more chemically heterogeneous on a small spatial scale than we thought before. [...]"  Note:  Like I've said, they seem to know little or nothing about so much, with any degree of certainty, but they have to pretend they do.[...]" 

MSM: "Massive Undersea Volcanic Eruption Found Off Oregon Coast" [08/10/11] "Oregon State University scientists say they’ve discovered an eruption of an undersea volcano about 250 miles off the Oregon Coast. The April 6 eruption produced a lava flow at least 1.2 miles wide, scientists say, and there were hundreds of tiny earthquakes during the eruption. The volcano, named Axial Seamount, last erupted in 1998, and the team of OSU scientists forecasted it would erupt again before 2014. Oregon State scientists say this marks the first-ever successful forecast of an undersea volcano. The new eruption was discovered July 28 when scientists used a robot to find a new lava flow on the seafloor that was not present a year ago. Because only a handful of the earthquakes were detected from land, scientists did not initially believe there was an eruption. Bill Chadwick, an OSU geologist, says the team of scientists thought they were in the wrong place because the seafloor looked so different. “We couldn’t find our markers or monitoring instruments or other distinctive features on the bottom,” he says. “Once we figured out that an eruption had happened, we were pretty excited.” When they recovered seafloor instruments and recorders, the scientists learned the volcanic eruption took place April 6. “So far, it is hard to tell the full scope of the eruption because we discovered it near the end of the expedition,” Chadwick says. “But it looks like it might be at least three times bigger than the 1998 eruption.” [...]" 

MSM: "18 Indonesian Volcanoes On Alert Status" [08/08/11] "Eighteen Indonesian volcanoes are on “alert” status, two of which are at Alert Level 3, which is called “Siaga”, the Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center says. Center head Surono said Sunday in Jakarta the erupting Mount Lokon in North Sulawesi and Mount Ibu in North Maluku were the two volcanoes at Siaga status. The center has adopted four levels of alert status: “Normal” (Level 1), “Waspada” (Level 2), “Siaga” (Level 3) and “Awas” (Level 4). Surono said the conditions at Mt Lokon and Mt Ibu were currently considered most worrisome because they had been consistently erupting searing clouds affecting a radius of 2.5 kilometers. He added, however, that the eruptions had not yet endangered people living around the volcanoes. “The eruptions are heading west, while people are concentrated in east,” he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. Surono added that 16 other volcanoes were at Level 2 alert status, “Waspada”, including Mt. Papandayan and Mt. Guntur in West Java. “Locals have reported several quakes,” he said. Surono said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had summoned him on Saturday to report the volcanoes’ status and the center’s preparations to anticipate possible disasters. He said ideally there should be an expert monitoring the activities of each volcano in Indonesia, as is the case in Japan. “Currently an expert handles five mountains.”  [...]"  

MSM: "Rare Earthquake Shakes Israel’s Coast" [08/08/11] "An unusual and rare earthquake struck Israel’s central coast Sunday, and tremors were felt as far south as Gaza. The earthquake registered 4.3 on the Richter scale, and no one was injured. “We have no trace of any historic important earthquakes in the past” in the area, earthquake-report.com reported. One Haifa resident wrote to the site, Haifa, “I felt a light shaking from side to side” at about 11:55 Sunday morning. The quake was 10 miles deep and was traced from 44 miles northwest of Tel Aviv to 49 miles west-southwest of Haifa. One Petach Tikva resident told Arutz Sheva, “The table began to move for about 10 seconds.” Another earthquake, which registered 5.9 on the Richter scale on a Greek island, shook up hundreds of thousands of Israelis four months ago between Tzfat, in the Galilee, and Nahariya, on the northwestern cost. Two major earthquakes have struck Tzfat (Safed) in the past two centuries, the worst one striking in 1837, killing 4,000 people, destroying the city and nearby Arab villages. A smaller quake in 1927 caused damage as far south as Shechem in Samaria.  [...]" 

MSM: "Magma Plume: Rivers Of Lava Flow From Hawaii’s Kīlauea Volcano" [08/06/11] "Eruptive activity at Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano is continuing, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Experts say the crater floor and lava lake within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō collapsed and lava flowed out of its west flank on Wednesday, leading to the closure of some local roads in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The USGS stated: “Measurements today showed that the Pu’u ‘Ō’ō crater floor collapsed about 80-85 m (260-280 ft). The Pu’u ‘Ō’ō crater rim remained extremely unstable, with continued collapses along the crater walls sending blocks of rock onto the crater floor. Gas emissions from east rift zone sources remain elevated. Tourists have since flocked to the site to view dramatic glows from the new Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō eruption from several vantage points. In addition, Kīlauea’s summit eruption at Halema‘uma‘u crater continues, and visitors can often hear the roar from rocks exploding off crater walls, and can observe a beautiful red glow after nightfall. [...]" 

"Unexplained Fissures Reported Near Town Of Tucapel Chile" [08/06/11] translated from Spanish "- Fear, disbelief and surprise are some of the expressions of the neighbors in the south east of the city who awaken to find a large crack was created in front of their homes. The issue has concerned neighbors, who called on the authorities to go to the site and investigate the cause of the strange phenomenon. The authorities were unable to explain the causes of the fissure in the ground measuring about 200 meters.  [...]"  

"Ash Plume Rising From Krakatoa" [08/03/11] "A newly released NASA satellite image shows an ash plume drifting from Anak Krakatau (also known as Krakatoa), a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It has been intermittently active for the past several decades. The island exploded in 1883, killing approximately 40,000 people, although some estimates put the death toll much higher. The explosion is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history, with reports of it being heard nearly 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from its point of origin. The shock wave from the explosion was recorded on barographs around the globe. [...] On July 31, 2011, a wispy ash plume rose above the volcano and drifted west. The natural-colour satellite image was acquired by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) aboard Earth Observing-1 (EO-1). Dark gray areas of Anak Krakatau are composed principally of lava flows deposited in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. These flows are topped by a young cinder cone near the center of the island. The last significant activity at the volcano occurred in January 2011 when ash was emitted more than 600 m into the air, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. A 2km exclusion zone was also put in place for tourists and local fishermen. The volcano also erupted on 29thOctober 2010 leading Indonesian authorities to issue a level 2 alert."  More Information

  "Mount Etna Volcanic Eruption Lights Up Sicilian Night" [08/01/11] [1:49] "Mount Etna volcano on Sicily, in southern Italy, started erupting again at the weekend, sending flames and sparks shooting 250 metres into the air, and flows of lava down its slopes. There were concerns that the ash could block flights out of nearby Catania airport, but the winds were blowing the ash away from the airport east towards the Ionian Sea and no flights had been cancelled or delayed.  [...]"  Note: Impressive.

"6.8 Quake Hits Papua New Guinea" [08/01/11] "An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude on the Richter scale has hit the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea, but fell short of triggering a major tsunami alert. [...]"  

Natural World: "Planet’s Shape Morphing With Earth Changes" [07/31/11] "The Earth was never perfectly round to begin with, due to its spin. Just as an ice skater’s skirt flutters up and away from her skates during her pirouette, water on Earth is more concentrated at the equator than at the poles. As recently as 22,000 years ago, several miles of ice covered much of the northern hemisphere. Since the downward pressure of land-based ice has reduced as the ice melted, the land underneath has “rebounded” causing the Earth to become more spherical, said Steve Nerem, an aerospace engineer at the University of Colorado at Boulder and coauthor of a new analysis of the Earth’s bulge. “It’s a bit like a sponge, and it takes a while to come back to its original shape,” Nerem said. Scientists had observed the bulge shrinking for years, but then something changed. Around the middle of the 1990s, they noticed that the trend reversed and the Earth was getting fatter, like a ball squeezed at the top and bottom — but until recently they didn’t have the tools to understand why. Gravity depends on mass, so any changes to the Earth’s shape changes the distribution of mass, and therefore its gravity field. Data from GRACE, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment — twin satellites launched in 2002 that make exacting measurements of Earth’s gravity field to monitor changes in ice mass, the amount of water in the ocean and losses in continental water — enabled the researchers to test a theory that the ice loss was changing the shape of the planet. GRACE took snapshots of the surface of the Earth every 30 days, allowing researchers to monitor changes in ice mass from the changes in the gravitational fields. They found that melting glaciers Greenland and Antarctica were indeed the biggest contributors to the Earth’s growing spare tire, as the huge amount of water was pulled to the equator. According to the researchers, the two regions are losing a combined 382 billion tons of ice a year. While the reduced mass on the continents will allow the land to spring back and make the planet more round, that process takes thousands of years. And in the meantime, the bulge is growing at about .28 inches per decade. The planet’s radius is about 13 miles bigger at the equator than at the poles right now, says Nerem. This means that the point on the Earth’s surface furthest away from its center is not the summit of Everest but rather the top of an Ecuadorian volcano. All this adds up to a strong signal that the planet is changing. [...]"  

MSM: "Ocean Life May Be on Edge of Catastrophe" [07/31/11] "An extinction event “unprecedented in human history” is probably under way in the world’s oceans, according to a report recently released by a panel of 27 scientists reviewing the latest research from all areas of marine science. The destruction is occurring at a faster rate than was previously expected and the die-offs are graver than the worse predictions. Marine extinctions of this scale have occurred before in geological history, with each episode seeing much of the Earth’s plant and animal life on land destroyed as well. [...]"  

"Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake Struck Near Iwaki, Japan" [07/31/11] "A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has been felt in north-east Japan, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo, USGS reporting. It occurred at 0354 local time on Sunday (1854 GMT Saturday), at a depth of 44km (27 miles), 18 km (11 miles) ESE of Iwaki and 184 km (114 miles) NE of Tokyo. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami warning was issued.  [...]"   

"Powerful 6.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near The Fiji Islands" [07/30/11]   " A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake has struck 369 km (229 miles) southwest of Ndoi Island. The earthquake was also 1541 miles North/northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. The 521 km depth of the earthquake, though to deep to cause tsunamis, reflects the strong nature of the geological forces gnawing away at the stability of this portion of the South Pacific (a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck in March). Double aftershocks followed the earthquake- a 5.2 and a 5.1. See our March post on early-warning signs of growing seismic instability emerging around the regions of [...]" 

"5.9 Earthquake Strikes The Gulf Of California" [07/27/11] "An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 struck Tuesday in the Gulf of California, off the coast of the Baja California Peninsula in northwestern Mexico, officials said. The earthquake’s epicenter was 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico’s National Seismological Service said, and about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Tijuana, Baja California. No damages or injuries have been reported from the quake. Regions in the U.S. state of California and the Mexican state of Baja California register frequent seismic activity due to the presence of the San Andreas Fault.  [...]"  

Research: "Mass Release Of Methane In Oceans Tilted Earth Towards Past Extinction" [07/25/11] "Prior to this research, most scientists have believed that the sudden extinction of nearly half of all life forms on the planet was due solely to the emissions from volcanic eruptions that were occurring in what was to become the Atlantic Ocean. Ruhl et al contend that instead, what happened, was that the small amount of atmospheric heating that occurred due to the exhaust from the volcanoes, caused the oceans to warm as well, leading to the melting of ice crystals at the bottom of the sea that were holding on to methane created by the millions of years of decomposing sea life. When the ice crystals melted, methane was released, which in turn caused the planet to warm even more, which led to more methane release in a chain reaction, that Ruhl says, was the real reason for the mass extinction that led to the next phase in world history, the rise of dinosaurs. Ruhl and his team base their assertions on studies they’ve made of the isotopes of carbon in plants (found in what is now the Austrian Alps) that existed during the period before the mass extinction. In so doing they found two different types of carbons and the molecules that were produced during that time frame. After extensive calculations, Ruhl and his team came to the conclusion that some 12,000 gigatons of methane would have had to have been pumped into the atmosphere to account for the differences in the isotopes; something the team believes could only have happened if the methane were to come from the sea floor. This new research, though dire sounding, may or may not have implications for modern Earth. While it is true that humans have pumped significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, amounts that are approaching what Ruhl and his team say led to the earlier methane release, it doesn’t necessarily mean we are on the same path, because as Ruhl points out, things are much different today, the very structure of the planet has changed so much that it would be impossible to transfer what might have been learned about events in Earth’s history 200 million years ago, to what is going on today. [...]"  

"Second 6 + Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Sendai Japan In 24 Hours" [07/24/11] "The second large earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan in 24 hours. The latest earthquake measured by the USGS was a 6.2 magnitude and had about a 1 km shallower depth than the 6.4 magnitude earthquake which struck near the same region on Saturday. Seismologists have long feared that the seismic stress of aftershocks from the March 9.0 earthquake was not diffusing properly along the plate boundary- pointing to increased instability and the potential for the increased risks of another large earthquake as we have also stated. No tsunami warnings were issued with the latest quake. - [...]"  

Cold Weather: "Bolivia: Cold Spell Damages Crops, Causes Deaths" [07/24/11] "An influx of cold polar air in the last week has produced record low temperatures throughout Bolivia and severely damaged crops in least five departments of the country. The freeze hurt almost all edible crops grown in the areas affected and has already resulted in increased prices for those items in large cities. According to reports, the ice and snow of last week most affected Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Tarija, Potosí, and La Paz. In all of these areas the cold compounded with hurricane-force winds lasted three days. Several cities also registered record low temperatures. [...]"  Related: "Record Cold Autumn In Australia"

"Mag 6.4 Earthquake In Japan, Near East Coast Of Honshu" [07/24/11] [1:07] Note: Dutch Sinse. More Info

"Chile - 'White Earthquake'" [07/24/11]   "A snowfall so fierce that Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter called it a "white earthquake" buried communities, blocked roads, cut off food supplies, and wreaked havoc on basic utilities in Chile's central Araucania region. Following four days of non-stop snowfall piling as high as nine feet (2.7m) in some areas, President Sebastián Piñera declared much of the region a disaster area on Wednesday. Although this part of the country is no stranger to cold weather, Piñera described the current polar front as the worst the region has seen in 30 years [...]" 

"Scientists Admit They Have No Idea What’s Heating The Earth" [07/23/11] "Radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium in Earth’s crust and mantle is a principal source, and in 2005 scientists in the KamLAND collaboration, based in Japan, first showed that there was a way to measure the contribution directly. The trick was to catch what Kamioka Liquid-scintillator Antineutrino Detector (KamLAND) dubbed geoneutrinos – more precisely, geo-antineutrinos – emitted when radioactive isotopes decay. KamLAND scientists have now published new figures for heat energy from radioactive decay in the journal Nature Geoscience. Based on the improved sensitivity of the KamLAND detector, plus several years’ worth of additional data, the new estimate is not merely “consistent” with the predictions of accepted geophysical models but is precise enough to aid in refining those models. One thing that’s at least 97-percent certain is that radioactive decay supplies only about half the Earth’s heat. Other sources – primordial heat left over from the planet’s formation, and possibly others as well – must account for the rest. The first signal comes when the antineutrino converts the proton to a neutron plus a positron (an anti-electron), which quickly annihilates when it hits an ordinary electron – a process called inverse beta decay. The faint flash of light from the ionizing positron and the annihilation process is picked up by the more than 1,800 photomultiplier tubes within the KamLAND vessel. A couple of hundred millionths of a second later the neutron from the decay is captured by a proton in the hydrogen-rich fluid and emits a gamma ray, the second signal. This “delayed coincidence” allows antineutrino interactions to be distinguished from background events such as hits from cosmic rays penetrating the kilometer of rock that overlies the detector. This is more heat energy than the most popular BSE model suggests, but still far less than Earth’s total. Says Freedman, “One thing we can say with near certainty is that radioactive decay alone is not enough to account for Earth’s heat energy. Whether the rest is primordial heat or comes from some other source is an unanswered question.” Better models are likely to result when many more geoneutrino detectors are located in different places around the globe, including mid-ocean islands where the crust is thin and local concentrations of radioactivity (not to mention nuclear reactors) are at a minimum.  [...]"  

"6.0 Earthquake In Fiji -- One Per Day -- Unrest Continues" [07/23/11] [1:36]   

"Alert Level Raised On Alaska’s Cleveland Volcano" [07/23/11] "The alert level for an Alaska volcano is being raised after officials say persistent thermal anomalies have been spotted in satellite data. The Alaska Volcano Observatory on Wednesday raised the level Cleveland Volcano to advisory from unassigned. There is no real-time seismic network at the volcano, located 939 miles southwest of Anchorage on an uninhabited island. Officials are not able to track local earthquake activity related to volcanic unrest. Short-lived explosions with ash clouds or plumes exceeding 20,000 feet above sea level are frequent on Cleveland. It last showed signs of unrest last summer, with a small ash emission and lava flows on its upper flanks. [...]" 

"Massive Ice Island Drifts Toward Canada" [07/23/11] "A Manhattan-sized chunk of ice that broke off a glacier in Greenland nearly a year ago is drifting toward the coast of Newfoundland, Canada - providing a stunning sight to scientists and curiosity-seekers but also posing a potential threat to ships. [...]"  

"Lithospheric Fracturing Continues: Gigantic Cracks Appear In Mexico" [07/22/11] [1:39] "The crack appeared on 13 July in Santa Maria Huejoculco in Chalco, State Mexico, land has now reached the thousand 500 meters long and the authorities have not taken preventive measures, warned James Espinoza Hilario, responsible for planning Social of the project Sierra Nevada of the Autonomous Metropolitan University. In addition, after survey work was detected in Santa Maria Huejoculco get another gap of about four km which reaches La Candelaria Tlapala, in the community of Miraflores, in Chalco, explained Professor in interview with Martín Espinosa, for group picture Multimedia. These failures is part of a family of cracks that exist in the region and threaten to spread across the entire area east of the Valley of Mexico, result in the overexploitation of water table and the proliferation of housing. This event began back 2009 in a small area of this region but since it has grown and opened wide up eating up everything around it . [...]"  

Commentary: "Climate Change and Upcoming Disasters" Christal Smith [07/22/11] "The keynote speaker at the World Conference on Disaster Management last month in Toronto was Lester Brown, a highly respected expert on the global environment and climate change. What does climate change have to do with preparing for upcoming disasters? A whole lot, it turns out. I had a chance to speak with Lester Brown following his speech:  CS: Talk to me about what we call "natural disasters." LB: It's always called a "natural disaster". But, to the extent that we are now changing the earth's climate system, as indeed we are, at what point does a natural disaster become a human disaster in terms of its origins? Human disasters are going to become more and more frequent. Now, if someone had said to me at the beginning of June last year, that there was going to be a heat wave in Moscow where during the month of July, the average temperature will be 14 degrees above normal for the month, I would have said, "Well, I'm not a climate denier but that's beyond." And we saw extraordinary disasters. It started in late June, went through the month of July, and by early August, there were [about] 400 new fires started every day. The situation was entirely out of control. And that's when President Medvedev, sweating in a press conference, said, "We used to be climate deniers. Not anymore." He said, "We've got to get together, we've got do something about this." And, I mean, it was almost like a deathbed conversion of his finally seeing the light. But the damage there was extraordinary. Millions of acres burned [including] crops, and forests and grasslands and they lost most of their hay crop. It takes a lot of hay to keep the dairy herds going and they didn't have the hay. [...] Each year now, the agriculture system, is more and more out of sync with the climate system which is continually changing. Because, we don't know which way things are going to grow. You can't make the investments. So it used to be, we'd have a bad year or some failure -- be it a drought in the former Soviet Union or heat wave in the US Corn Belt -- but then things would go back to normal. But there's no normal to go back to. We're in a state of constant change and that's what makes it so risky. And, that's why I think food prices are going to be the first major economic indicator that climate change is for real. It has to be taken seriously. And, I think people will understand that. [...] What happened with the Mayans, for example, was that as their civilization expanded, there [was demand for] more and more land and more fuel [from trees]. And then two things began to happen there. One was with the deforestation came more and more soil erosion. The second thing that happened was that so much land was cleared that it changed the local climate of the entire region of Central America, reducing the rainfall. A human disaster -- drought -- as a result of their extensive deforestation was what brought [their civilization] down. Soil erosion is not new. [But] we are running out of underground water resources [and this is] not something we have experience with. And, the disturbing thing about it is that aquifer depletion is invisible. We can't see it. And looking around the world, we have not found a single country where someone said, "Hey, our water tables are falling," and [put] into action a plan to stabilize the situation by recycling water or reducing wastage or what have you.[...]"  Related: "Climatologist Blames Hotter Nights For Rise In Number Of Destructive Storms" "The freak windstorm that toppled the main stage at the Ottawa Bluesfest may be a sign of weather to come, warns a top climatologist. Provincial investigators combed the gnarled wreckage at the grounds of the festival on Monday for clues to explain how a violent summer gale destroyed the stage during a Cheap Trick concert the night before. But one of Canada’s foremost weather experts has his own theory: climate change. Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips said it’s not the days that are getting hotter — it’s the nights. According to Phillips, there are more and more nights when the mercury stays above 20 Celsius. That means there is less time for the air to cool down at night, causing a build-up of hot air. When a cold front comes in, like it did on Sunday night in the Ottawa region, it’s the perfect storm fuel. “You do get the element of severe weather under something like this, when it’s so hot and humid,” Phillips said. A century ago, Toronto would get three or four nights a year above 20 C. Now it’s more like 20 nights a year, he explained. “It’s the fuel that drives storms.” He said Canadians can expect more of the extreme weather that howled through the concert grounds, sending thousands of people scurrying for cover as scaffolding buckled into a heap. The storm also killed two people in boating accidents in west Quebec. [...]"  

Natural World: "Loss Of Top Animal Predators Has Massive Ecological Effects" [07/21/11] "Trophic Downgrading of Planet Earth," a review paper that was published on July 15, 2011, in the journal Science, concludes that the decline of large predators and herbivores in all regions of the world is causing substantial changes to Earth’s terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. The paper claims that the loss of apex consumers from ecosystems “may be humankind’s most pervasive influence on nature.” The research was funded primarily by the Institute for Ocean Conservation... [...]"   

"Another Howling Haboob Smothers Phoenix, Arizona" [07/21/11] [1:36] "A wall of dust and debris advanced through Arizona last week, inundating the city of Phoenix. During the dust storm, which hit the city on 5 July, there was near-zero visibility and winds of up to 110 kilometres per hour, according to the Phoenix office of the US National Weather Service. Radar data suggests that the dust storm travelled 240 kilometres in total, with the dust reaching 1800 metres in altitude. Meteorologists classify this kind of storm as a haboob. These are formed when thunderstorms release their precipitation, causing the strong winds that were being sucked into the storm to blow downwards and outwards instead. If the thunderstorm “collapses” over a desert, the strength of these winds stir up the dust and sand. In this case, the haboob arose as a result of severe thunderstorms east of Tucson, which is located on ground 460 metres higher than Phoenix. The winds that resulted were in excess of 70 kilometres per hour. These tore down through the dustbowl that has developed between the cities, thanks to the area receiving less than half the normal rainfall since the end of last summer. The dust storm was born. As the dust wall hit Phoenix, trees were felled, traffic crawled to a stop to avoid chain collisions and pileups, and aircraft were grounded. The city, from swimming pools to cars, became coated in brown dust.[...]"  

MSM: "6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Kyrgyzstan" [07/20/11] "A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has struck the country of Kyrgyzstan at a depth of 17.9 km. The earthquake was centered 42 km (26 miles) SW of Farghona (Fergana), Uzbekistan and 60 km (37 miles) SE of Quqon (Kokand), Uzbekistan and 404 km south of Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek. As the earthquake occurred during at 1:35 in the morning. There are no reports of damage. The earthquake was followed by a 4.4 magnitude aftershock which occurred at an even shallower depth of 1 km according to the EMSC. No casualties or serious damage were immediately reported from the temblor, which hit at about 1:35 a.m. local time in an area some 35 kilometers (22 miles) away from the Uzbek city of Ferghana, which has a population of more than 200,000. In Andijan, the next largest city in Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Valley, roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the epicenter, residents told The Associated Press that many people had left their homes in panic and were standing in the streets. One 40-year-old woman said the quake appeared to last several minutes. “There was a really strange and weird sound,” she said on condition of anonymity. She said there were no immediate signs of damage to buildings, but that city dwellers have taken provisions and are spending the night on the streets. [...]" 

"Southern Chile Buried Under As Much As 2 Meters Of Snow" [07/20/11] "Heavy snow storms bury southern Chile in six feet of snow leaving communities isolated with blocked roads and downed power lines. A massive snowstorm dumped some six feet of snow on Chile’s Araucancia region, leaving many without power and communities completely cut off from the rest of the country. Residents of the mountainous region of the Andes were forced to dig out from massive piles of snow and television footage showed homes almost completely buried in the snow. A heavy snow season has disrupted highways and mountain passes connecting the southern Chilean region with Argentina via snowy Andes Mountain passes. “The problem is the road, that’s all. We are cut-off from everything, but they’re going to have to open it, “said one resident of the Araucania region on Monday. Emergency crews were removing snow from vital highways to allow for transportation to continue in and out of the secluded area as residents said they were also facing communication complications. “We are completely cut-off without anything. There are no cell phones and no radio,“ another resident said Local media reported that the Pino Hachado International pass connecting the Araucania region to Argentina to the east had reopened Tuesday, but local authorities said the area could still face food and supply shortages. “We are already having problems with food shortages both with livestock and people,“ area police chief Ivan Bezmalinovic said. The Pino Hachado pass was the only connection to neighboring Argentina open as of Tuesday morning. In addition to transportation and communication problems, 15,000 people were reportedly without electricity. [...]"  

"Heat-Wave Setting Records Throughout U.S. Midwest" [07/19/11]   "The high temperatures gripping much of the Midwest are nearly certain to persist through the week, and forecasters say the extreme discomfort will soon spread to the East Coast. The misery was widespread Monday, with the worst conditions blanketing a broad band from Texas to Minnesota and Dakotas. Seventeen states issued heat watches, warnings or advisories. The heat index easily surpassed 100 degrees in many places, including 126 in Newton, Iowa, and 119 in Madison, Minn. But few people are hit as hard as the poor. In Oklahoma, for example, applications from elderly and low-income residents are pouring in for help to pay utility bills. And Chicago officials have opened six cooling centers, many of them in lower-income neighborhoods, along with hundreds of air-conditioned public buildings. [...]"  

Canada: "Searing Heat: Northwestern Ontario Goes Up In Flames" [07/18/11] "Dozens of wildfires raged across much of northwestern Ontario on the weekend as hot, dry weather swept the province, leaving forests tinder-dry. The provincial Ministry of Natural Resources says there are 92 active fires burning in the remote northwestern region. More than 30 new blazes are expected in the coming days. Water bombers, attack helicopters, aircraft and ground crews are battling the flames. There are more than 2,000 fire fighters on the ground; they will be helped by another 500 or so arriving from British Columbia early this week. Many northwestern communities are faced with heavy smoke drifting in, and they are consulting federal and provincial authorities about possible evacuations if advancing flames pose a threat. Residents of the Keewaywin First Nation have already begun leaving for Greenstone, a town about 250 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. Provincial authorities plan to move nearly 200 people out of the community. Some 111 residents from Cat Lake were evacuated to Matachewan on Friday due to power outages and concerns about heavy smoke. As well, at least four fires are also burning in northeastern Ontario: one near Timmins and three near Cochrane. The province warns that the fire hazard is “extremely high” in the province and says even pockets of southeastern Ontario are now at risk with a heat wave baking the province. On Sunday, temperatures were in the 30s in much of the province. A weak cold front is forecast to pass through northwest Ontario on Monday, but any relief will likely be short-lived as temperatures return to near 30C later in the week. A similar heat wave has also hit south of the border with heat advisories and warnings now in place in 17 states, from Texas to Michigan.  [...]"  

"Biggest Blast Yet Rocks Indonesia Volcano" [07/18/11]