G.C. Lichtenberg
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.6 XIZANG-QINGHAI BORDER REGION
5.6 XIZANG-QINGHAI BORDER REGION
Yesterday -
3/23/10 -
5.2 NEAR COAST OF SOUTHERN PERU
5.3 NEAR ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.0 VANUATU
5.3 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.1 OFF COAST OF O'HIGGINS, CHILE
5.0 OFF COAST OF AISEN, CHILE
Experts Predict Second Iceland Earthquake - Last Saturday, lava and ash shot from a volcano in southern Iceland. The Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in Iceland is a RARE occurrence. The last time it happened was about 200 years ago. But when Eyjafjallajokull erupts, it is usually followed by a volcanic eruption at Katla. The problem with an eruption at Katla, is that the Katla volcano is under an enormous Ice Cap. If it erupts, it could cause disastrous flooding for both Iceland and neighboring nations. "From records, we know that every time Eyjafjallajokull erupts, Katla has also erupted."
In 1783, a volcanic eruption in Iceland is said to have caused a change in the weather pattern. When gases were released into the air, they froze, created smog, and drifted across the globe in the jet stream. The volcano is blamed for famine, for killing crops, for killing people with gas poisoning. Some even blame the Laki volcano eruption for the cold winter experienced in the United States in 1784 that froze the Mississippi near New Orleans.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Tropical storm 02W was 575 nmi WSW of Agana, Guam.
Cyclone IMANI was 972 nmi ESE of Diego Garcia.
The first cyclone to enter Philippine territory this year will have little effect on the country and is not likely to last long, state weather forecasters have said. The cyclone was expected to enter Philippine territory at 8 a.m. today. It is moving northwest and may change its direction, or dissolve if it gets near the ridge of a high pressure area in Northern Luzon. The tropical depression, to be code-named “Agaton" upon entering Philippine territory, was at 1,050 km east of Visayas as of 2 a.m. Wednesday. It packed maximum sustained winds of 55 kph and was moving at 26 kph northwest.
SANDSTORMS -
CHINA - Beijing residents awakened Monday to skies the eerie yellow color of a street lamp. It was the second time in three days that the Chinese capital had been scoured by sandstorms that have hit 16 provinces across west, central and north China, affecting nearly one-fifth of the country's 1.3 billion people. Tiananmen Square was filled with choking whirlwinds, cars and bicycles were coated in a thin layer of wheat-colored dust, flights were delayed and on March 20 the air pollution index reached 500 - THE WORST LEVEL POSSIBLE - due to the high level of particulates in the air. A day later, several cities in eastern China including Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou and Hangzhou reported similarly bad air quality. Hong Kong and Taiwan also reported dangerously high levels of pollution.
"What has lead to the floating dust in Beijing is what we call a 'Mongolian cyclone,' a whirlwind caused by low atmospheric pressure. The center of the Mongolian cyclone is usually 800 to 1,000 kilometers to the northwest of Beijing, a vast desert region covering southern Mongolia and northwestern Inner Mongolia. The cyclone draws sand and dust particles into high altitudes and together with a strong north wind, it brings sand grains to nearby areas, and smaller dust particles further south." Springtime sandstorms are common in China, as Siberian winds blow dust and sand off the Gobi desert across east Asia - sometimes as far as North America. But the size of the storm that began Saturday has surpassed what China's capital has seen recently.
While northern China has been battered by sandstorms this spring, traditionally soggier south China has been battling drought. Drought-stricken villages in Yunnan province have received half the usual rainfall. Sixteen million people in the region are now suffering drinking water shortages.
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
AFGHANISTAN - At least 35 people were killed in an avalanche in a remote area of northern Afghanistan two weeks ago. An avalanche swept through five civilian houses in Arghanj Khowa district in the village of Dood Daood. There could be more bodies still in the snow. An estimated 500 cattle and other animals were also killed. Arghanj Khowa district is about 50km (30 miles) south of the Tajikistan border. The harsh weather and remoteness of the far northern province of Badakhshan meant local people had had to travel for days to get help. Rescue workers took four days to get to the scene. In February, at least 171 people died in an avalanche at the 3,800m-high (12,700ft) Salang Pass.
HEALTH THREATS -
Reports from clinics and hospitals of rising flu-like illnesses over the past few weeks prompted Louisiana health officials to launch walk-in pandemic H1N1 flu vaccine clinics throughout the state this week. Louisiana's state health officer warned in a press release that another wave of infections could occur and urged residents to get vaccinated. The department also noted that other southern states, including the border states of Arkansas and Texas, were seeing rises in flu activity.
