lies the salvation of the world.**
M. Scott Peck
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)
This morning -
5.0 PAPUA, INDONESIA
5.9 VANUATU
Yesterday -
2/27/13 -
5.2 OFF COAST OF OREGON
b 5.0 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams
Hundreds of quakes shake villages around smoking Peruvian volcano - Hundreds of small earthquakes have shaken the earth around the Sabancaya volcano in southern Peru over just a few days and the rumbling, along with plumes of smoke spewing up to 320 feet high, have put officials on alert to evacuate the area.
Peru's geological agency Ingemmet recorded some 536 quakes, about 20 an hour, on February 22 and 23 and periodic movement is ongoing. Thousands of people live in the valleys surrounding the volcano. Some have already started to leave the region because the UNUSUAL SEISMIC ACTIVITY has damaged their homes. About 80 homes were damaged by one temblor on February 22.
Sabancaya, active historically, was dormant for 200 years before erupting into activity several times in the 1980s and 1990s. No casualties were reported at that and the volcano has only experienced small eruptions since. The volcano has not had a significant eruption in nearly a decade. It sits atop the South America tectonic plate, which forces magma to the surface when it clashes with the neighboring Nazca plate. Ingemmet said the volcano has been releasing huge smoke trails intermittently since January 15 and current seismic activity is similar to that which accompanied an eruption in 1986.
Southern Peru is the home to more than a dozen volcanoes. Sabancaya is about 62 miles from the city of Arequipa, one of Peru's three largest cities, which was recently hit by heavy rains and flooding. About 1.2 million people live in that city.
The swarm consisted of 560 volcano-tectonic (rock fracture), 20 long-period (fluid flow), and 48 hybrid (mixed rock fracture and fluid flow) events. The swarm was accompanied by increased fumarolic activity at Sabancaya’s summit. Scientists estimate 2.7 million cubic meters of magma were injected beneath the volcano during the swarm. The Peruvian Civil Defense has called an orange alert for the volcano. It will be monitored 24 hours a day and will call the population to evacuate as soon as it is necessary. (2 videos, plus info on other volcanoes)
Costa Rica - Inspection shows Rincón de la Vieja Volcano still active. Rincón de la Vieja was active in May, July and September 2012. In July, authorities closed tourist access to the crater area. The volcano is one of five active volcanoes in Costa Rica, along with Poás, Irazú, Arenal and Turrialba.
TROPICAL STORMS -
In the South Indian Ocean -
Tropical Cyclone Rusty was located approximately 65nm east of Port Hedland, Australia. Weakening - the eye has collapsed and the convection in the banding features continues to decrease. the final warning has been issued on this system. The system will be closely monitored for signs of regeneration.
Cyclone Rusty misses key Australia iron ore ports - Local officials at Port Hedland give all-clear advice. The major storm missed Australia's major iron ore port and crossed a sparsely populated stretch of the west coast. The Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement Thursday that Cyclone Rusty was weakening as it tracked inland.
The iron ore shipping hub Port Hedland escaped the brunt of the powerful cyclone that swept across the northwest Australian coastline on Thursday, with emergency officials lifting evacuation alerts as the storm veered east. A small clean-up is under way at Port Hedland, which had been expected to feel the full force of the cyclone, but came through relatively unscathed after the late change of course, with only tree branches littering roads and about 55 homes without power.
The death toll from tropical cyclone Haruna and heavy rains that have battered Madagascar has risen to 23 with 16 people missing, the national disaster management agency said on Tuesday.
SPACE WEATHER -
Comet C/2013 might hit Mars in 2014 - Astronomers hold fears a comet is on a collision course with Mars. The comet, named C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring), was spotted at the start of this year. Calculations put the closest approach of the comet at a distance of 109,200km from Mars in October 2014.
But there is still a chance the comet might collide with the red planet. It's too early to know if a collision will take place. ''The comet has only been observed for 74 days (so far), so it's difficult for astronomers to forecast precisely where the comet will be 20 months from now." Either way astronomers, professional and amateur alike, are bracing for a spectacular scene. ''Even if it doesn't impact, it will look pretty good from Earth, and spectacular from Mars, probably a magnitude -4 comet as seen from Mars' surface."
Meteor blast resonated around Earth - The meteor that exploded over the steppes of southwestern Russia sent a low-frequency rumble bouncing through the Earth, giving scientists new clues about the biggest cosmic intruder in a century.
