almost always comes from ignorance,
and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence
if they lack understanding.**
Albert Camus
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)
This morning -
None 5.0 or larger.
Yesterday -
2/21/13 -
5.4 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G.
5.2 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams
Gravity Makes Volcanoes Sag, Influencing Eruptions - The way gravity deforms volcanoes could help explain mysterious features seen in volcanoes on Mars, Earth and elsewhere, as well as potentially revealing risks that volcanoes pose to neighboring communities on Earth, a group of researchers says.
Gravity can make large volcanoes warp under their own weight in two ways: they can either spread outward on top of their "basement" of underlying rock or sag downward into that basement. The way volcanoes deform strongly influences the stability of their structures, and when and how they erupt. The researchers saw that a range of volcano spreading and sagging evolved, depending on the rigidity and strength of a volcano's basement compared to the size of the volcano it supported. Spreading occurred when the basement was rigid, as appears to be the case with the volcanic island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean, while sagging happened when a volcano and its basement deformed together, as is the case with Elysium Mons on Mars.
Sagging and spreading can also happen at the same time, when a volcano and its basement deform separately. These interactions may explain features seen at Olympus Mons on Mars and with volcanoes on Hawaii, the largest volcanoes on Mars and Earth, respectively. Such activity may explain puzzling terraces seen jutting a bit like steps out fromthese structures' mid-to-upper flanks. Such research could help assess the hazards that different volcanoes pose. For instance, "a volcano that's more likely to spread than sag is at greater risk of suffering landslides or a full-blown flank collapse, and vice versa for a sagging volcano." These studies could also reveal likely sagging- or spreading-influenced sites of eruptions.
TROPICAL STORMS -
In the South Indian Ocean -
Tropical Cyclone 16s (Haruna) was located approximately 285 nm southwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar - currently tracking over southern Madagascar.
Australia - Wild weather causes damage in Ballina. Roofs have come off homes and businesses as severe weather hits northern New South Wales.
The wild winds, surf and rain are forecast to hit the northern rivers, mid-north coast, Hunter and northern tablelands, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned. But a State Emergency Service spokeswoman said Ballina on the north coast had already experienced damage as a low pressure system edged to the coast near the Queensland and NSW border. "We had some really strong winds come through Ballina, peak gust of up to 110km/h. We've seen a lot of roofs come off buildings there. We had to evacuate the Ballina centre for the disabled because part of the roof has come off there. Part of the roof has come off the Commonwealth Bank in the CBD and lots of roofs have come off homes."
The SES said it is expecting a busy night. The severe weather warning for northern NSW remains and the situation is expected to get worse. "The low pressure system which was sitting about 300km off the coast at 7am is now about 100km offshore near the border of Queensland and NSW. That's been bringing a lot of rain and damaging to destructive wind gusts through that region. It's been very severe, the strongest wind gust I've recorded is 126km/h at Cape Town Byron. We're expecting for tonight for that low to cross the coast and we're expecting it to move inland on the Saturday to the northern tablelands and the northern slopes and planes."
More than 20,000 homes between Ocean Shores and Port Macquarie have lost power as a result of the storms. Winds up to 130km/h have been recorded along the coast. The worst hit areas are on the coast around Ballina and Byron Bay, Yamba and Maclean, and Coffs Harbour. Customers have been warned that they could be without electricity overnight, although Essential Energy says they are working to restore power wherever possible. In January, extreme weather across parts of Queensland and northern NSW left at least three people dead with a damage bill likely to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -
U.S. Midwest swaddled in blanket of snow - Powdery snow bombarded much of the nation's midsection Thursday, leaving as much as 17 inches in some places, shutting down airports, schools and state legislatures.
30 million people are in the path of the winter storm.
Near white out conditions, thunder snow and strong winds swept into the Midwest, bringing transportation to a halt in several states. And in the South, a wintry mix of rain, snow and sleet created dangerous icy conditions.
Lumbering coast to coast, a winter storm hammered the Great Plains on Thursday, and more than a dozen more states were forecast to be hit in coming days. Accidents were reported across the region, with one death: an Oklahoma teenager who was killed when his pickup truck skidded across a slushy road. By evening, more than 14 inches of snow had fallen on the ground in Wichita, Kansas, the second largest on record and THE MOST THE CITY HAS SEEN IN 50 YEARS. The Weather Channel said snow totals would be formidable: Up to a foot of snow for Omaha, Neb., 3 to 6 inches of snow and sleet for St. Louis, 8 to 12 inches of snow for Kansas City, Mo., and 3 to 6 inches of snow for Chicago.
Kansas and Missouri declared states of emergency as plows struggled to keep up with a system dumping as much as 3 inches of snow per hour, and a swath of the country from Ohio to Arkansas prepared for a coating of dangerous ice. “I do want to urge everybody in the state: If you don’t have to travel, don’t,” the Kansas Governor said. “Get out a board game, play with the kids, drink a cup of coffee.” United, Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways, American Airlines and American Eagle said they had canceled hundreds of flights for Thursday and Friday, and Kansas City International Airport was closed altogether. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has already cancelled more 200 flights scheduled for Friday.
Snow will arrive in the Chicago metro area on Friday before traveling to the East Coast where it will develop into rain and sleet across the region and snow in the Boston area. Raymore, Mo., reported more than 10 inches of snow. Topeka, Kan., had 9.2 inches, the most in a day since January 1993. Alva, Okla., had more than a foot on the ground. Advisories for snow, ice, wind or rain were posted as far south as the Texas Panhandle, as far north as Minnesota and Wisconsin and as far east as the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
Authorities closed a 90-mile stretch of Interstate 70, which forms a belt across Kansas and Missouri. The speed of the snowfall is “going to be overwhelming even the best snow-clearing capabilities that they have. If you don’t have anywhere to go, don’t. Please don’t.” The storm is vast: Earlier this week, it closed roads and stranded cars in California and dusted cactus tops in Southwest. At a delayed tournament in Arizona, pro golfers threw snowballs at each other and retreated to the clubhouse for hot chocolate.
The same weather system could dump snow on New England for the third weekend in a row, and a stretch of Georgia and the Florida Panhandle could be doused by 7 inches of rain. A wintry mix of snow and ice was likely to come in the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains, including parts of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina, by Friday morning.
HEALTH THREATS -
CDC midseason check finds scant flu vaccine effect for seniors - Flu shots only 9% effective for elderly. Influenza vaccine over the past few months has provided moderate protection overall but didn't have a significant impact on protecting seniors, a study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals.
RECALLS & ALERTS
- Kasel Associated Industries of Denver, CO is voluntarily recalling All Products Manufactured at its Denver, Colorado Facility from April 20, 2012 thru September 19, 2012 due to possible Salmonella contamination. Kasel Industries is recalling dog treats - Boots & Barkley, BIXBI, Nature’s Deli, Colorado Naturals, Petco, and Best Bully Stick items.
Nutri-Vet, LLC. of Boise, ID is recalling its Nutri-Vet and NutriPet Chicken Jerky Products because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.
