are happy;
many, amid great affluence,
are utterly miserable.
Tacitus
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)
This morning -
5.7 MACQUARIE ISLAND REGION
5.1 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.3 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.2 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
Yesterday -
6/21/12 -
5.1 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
5.3 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.1 FIJI REGION
5.3 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 GUAM REGION
VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams
Colombia Closes Second Airport Due to Volcanic Ash Clouds - Colombia's government has closed a second airport after the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Washington issued an ash cloud advisory for the Nevado Del Ruiz Volcano, which Colombian authorities have been saying for weeks is probably getting ready to erupt. An official said the Matecana Airport in the city of Pereira was closed Wednesday "as a precaution" due to continued ash clouds in Colombia's central, coffee-growing region.
Pilots Warned about Alaska Volcano's Sudden Eruption - It seems there can be some trouble for aircrafts hovering over southwest of Anchorage, as there are reports that indicate a remote Aleutian volcano became active on Tuesday. For the past one year, it has been silent but it has been showing signs of strong eruptions. Recent reports from the Alaska Volcano Observatory have alerted one and all about what can happen to aircraft if in case they travel in such condition. Nonetheless, it is believed that there is nothing much to worry about as intensity of such ash signals is quite weak. "It was just one explosion, which was very typical of the thing Cleveland has been doing in the last year." It is believed that Cleveland is one of the most active Alaska's volcanoes but still there is no on-site seismic monitoring equipment. (photo)
TROPICAL STORMS -
In the Atlantic -
Tropical storm Chris was located about 540 mi [870 km] ESE of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Chris, which lasted six hours as a Category 1 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm, is expected to dissipate in two days or less.
Budding Gulf of Mexico Storm Forming as Chris Weakens in the Atlantic - A swath of rain and thunderstorms across the Caribbean from Mexico to southern Florida has a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm in 48 hours. It would be named Debby.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
Australia - Three homes have been flooded, 20 have been evacuated and one person has been treated for shock as residents in towns southeast of Melbourne in Victoria wait for floodwaters to recede.
EXTREME HEAT & DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
A novel technique to curb global warming could also trigger earthquakes - A report finds that injecting carbon dioxide into underground rock formations, while a potential means of fighting global warming, could increase stresses and trigger quakes.
Canada - Extreme heat blankets Ontario, Quebec. Demands for electricity are hitting seasonal highs as temperatures continue to soar across Ontario and Quebec, yet warnings to conserve energy aren't being heeded.
HEALTH THREATS -
A study reveals changes enabling airborne spread of H5N1 - A study showing that it takes as few as five mutations to turn the H5N1 avian influenza virus into an airborne spreader in mammals -- which launched a historic debate on scientific accountability and transparency -- was released Thursday in Science, spilling the full experimental details that many experts had sought to suppress out of concern that publishing them could lead to the unleashing of a dangerous virus.
