do small things in a great way.**
Napoleon Hill
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)
This morning -
None 5.0 or larger.
Yesterday -
10/21/12 -
5.0 OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR
5.2 NEAR COAST OF NICARAGUA
5.1 SAKHALIN, RUSSIA
5.2 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
5.2 ICELAND REGION
Scientists link deadly 2011 quake in southern Spain to decades of groundwater extraction - Nine people died and nearly 300 were injured when an UNUSUALLY SHALLOW magnitude-5.1 quake hit the town of Lorca on May 11, 2011. It was the country's worst quake in more than 50 years, causing millions of euros in damage.
Farmers drilling ever deeper wells over decades to water their crops likely contributed to the deadly earthquake. The quake ruptured a fault running near a basin that had been weakened by 50 years of groundwater extraction in the area. During this period, the water table dropped by 250 meters (274 yards) as farmers bored ever deeper wells to help produce the fruit, vegetables and meat that are exported from Lorca to the rest of Europe.
The researchers noted that even without the strain caused by water extraction, a quake would likely have occurred at some point. But the extra stress of pumping vast amounts of water from a nearby aquifer may have been enough to trigger a quake at that particular time and place. "This has been going on for years in the Mediterranean areas, all very famous for their agriculture and plastic greenhouses. They are just sucking all the water out of the aquifers, drying them out." It was "no coincidence that all the aftershocks were located on the exact position of maximum depletion." Excess water extraction is common in Spain. "Everybody digs their own well, they don't care about anything. I think in Lorca you may find that some 80 percent of wells are illegal."
Not everyone agreed with the conclusion of the study. "There have been earthquakes of similar intensity and similar damage caused in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries when there was no excess water extraction." Still, it isn't the first time that earthquakes have been blamed on human activity, and scientists say the incident points to the need to investigate more closely how such quakes are triggered and how to prevent them. The biggest man-made quakes are associated with the construction of large dams, which trap massive amounts of water that put heavy pressure on surrounding rock.
A pioneering geothermal power project in the Swiss city of Basel was abandoned in 2009 after it caused a series of earthquakes. Nobody was injured, but the tremors caused by injecting cold water into hot rocks to produce steam resulted in millions of Swiss francs (dollars) damage to buildings. Earlier this year, a report by the National Research Council in the United States found the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas was not a huge source of man-made earthquakes. However, the related practice of shooting large amounts of wastewater from "fracking" or other drilling activities into deep underground storage wells has been linked with some small earthquakes. Once the process is fully understood, "we might dream of one day being able to tame natural faults with geo-engineering." (photo)
Iceland - An earthquake swarm started in northern Iceland during the night of the 20th and still continuing today. Quite a heavy earthquake swarm in the North of Iceland, Siglufjörður region and tjörnes Rift Zone. Over 31 quakes larger than 3 on the Richter scale, several over 4. Some broken windows and Church bells ringing themselves have been reported. No serious damage.
At 3 am blog time Sunday, the count ran over 50 quakes stronger than Magnitude 3. Those quakes seem to be tectonic quakes as there is no current volcanic activity known in the area. The largest quake was upgraded to a 5.7.
Hundreds of earthquakes have been recorded outside Siglufjörður. The largest was the second time in the night, 5.2 in size. Human habitations quaking in Akureyri, dogs rushed up óhljóðum and items moved from one place. People were troubled. No reports have been received of injuries however. Activity has come in waves. (map & charts)
All across Israel, the nationwide earthquake drill “Turning Point 6″ was run. The drill simulated massive earthquakes ranging from 5.0 to 7.0 in magnitude, as well as a tsunami hitting Israel near Tel Aviv later in the day.
TROPICAL STORMS -
No tropical storms.
A disturbance in the Central Caribbean likely will become the season’s next tropical depression or storm. The next named storm will be Sandy. As of Sunday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center gave it a 70 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next two days.
For now, it is moving slowly west, but models predict it will make a sharp turn to the northeast by Wednesday and arrive over the southern Bahamas on Thursday, crossing Cuba along the way. Whether it will bring rain and wind to Florida, it’s too soon to say. The system could produce heavy rains over Jamaica, Cuba and Hispaniola over the next few days and trigger dangerous mudslides in mountainous areas.
The National Hurricane Center also is monitoring a disturbance in the Central Atlantic, saying it has a medium chance to develop. That system is unlikely to threaten Florida.
Cyclones less likely in northern Australia, but floods possible - Residents of Australia's tropical north will experience fewer cyclones than usual this summer, but floods are still a threat. There is a 63 per cent chance fewer cyclones than usual will batter Australia's northern coastline, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
About 11 tropical cyclones occur across Australia during an average storm season. A weak El Nino-Southern Oscillation was bringing below-average surface sea temperatures to the western Pacific Ocean. "We've observed that when the El Nino-Southern Oscillation is in a similar state, we have fewer cyclones in the Australian region." The passing of the La Nina climate pattern earlier in 2012, however, would not necessarily mean less heavy rainfall this summer. "In Queensland, you can get bad flooding during an El Nino - it doesn't rule it out completely."
The weather bureau said there was a 57 per cent chance that residents in far north Queensland and the north of Western Australia will endure fewer cyclones than the long-term average. The probability of a drop in cyclone numbers in the Northern Territory and the Gulf of Carpentaria was rated at 52 per cent. Cyclone season runs from November 1 until the end of April.
Low Pressure Area nearing Mindanao may become a cyclone within the week. The Japan Meteorological Agency has already upgraded the LPA into a tropical depression while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center advisory indicates a low potential for the development of a significant tropical cyclone over the area.
