The explosion also strobed Earth with a pulse of extreme UV radiation. The UV pulse partially ionized Earth's upper atmosphere, disturbing the normal propagation of radio signals around the planet. Monitoring stations in Norway, Ireland and Italy recorded the sudden ionospheric disturbance. Finally, solar protons accelerated by the blast are swarming around Earth. The radiation storm, in progress, ranks "S1" on NOAA space weather scales, which means it poses no serious threat to satellites or astronauts. This could change if the storm continues to intensify.
when perfect sincerity is expected,
perfect freedom must be allowed;
nor has anyone who is apt to be angry when he hears the truth
any cause to wonder that he does not hear it.
Tacitus
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)
This morning -
5.0 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.1 FIJI REGION
Yesterday -
7/12/12 -
5.5 SERAM, INDONESIA
5.8 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
5.7 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.0 CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0 GUATEMALA
7/11/12 -
5.4 NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.1 GALAPAGOS ISLANDS REGION
5.6 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.4 TONGA
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
5.7 KURIL ISLANDS
5.3 SOLOMON ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
In the Pacific -
- Category 1 Hurricane Emilia was located about 1025 mi [1655 km] WSW of the southern tip of Baja California.
- Tropical storm Fabio was located about 625 mi. [1005 km] S of the southern tip of Baja California.
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
Japan - People in southwestern Japan are bracing for more rain after "UNPRECEDENTED" downpours left at least 19 people dead and eight missing as whole neighbourhoods were swamped. Television footage showed torrents of muddy water carrying uprooted trees and other debris, while rivers burst their banks and flooded towns and villages in the main southern island of Kyushu. Residential streets in the city of Kumamoto were buried in mud, while battered cars that had been swept away by flood water were left dumped on hillsides in scenes reminiscent of the March 2011 tsunami in the northeast.
In the city of Aso, landslides buried 17 households, killing at least 17 people with five still missing. Rescuers were continuing their search on Friday morning, using heavy machinery to remove uprooted trees, boulders and debris as rain continued to fall. The weather had eased somewhat by Friday morning, but the Japan Meteorological Agency said it expected "very heavy rain" again in Kyushu later on Friday. The downpours were set to add to the misery for an area where 50,000 people were ordered to leave their homes on Thursday after it was lashed by THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL ON RECORD (20 inches). "We expect heavy rain on the same scale we saw yesterday will fall again today. We remain on the highest alert," said a local official in badly-hit Oita prefecture.
An official in Kumamoto prefecture, neighbouring Oita, said at least 18 people were known to have died, with troops and rescuers continuing their search for seven still missing. In Oita, a man in his 70s died after being swept into a raging river, while another man remained missing. The weather agency urged residents of Kyushu to continue exercising vigilance against mudslides and floods after rainfall of 10.1 centimetres (about 4 inches) per hour was recorded in the southern region of Kagoshima early Friday.
