There will be no update tomorrow.
**When you have once seen the glow of happiness
on the face of a beloved person,
you know that a human can have no vocation but
to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him.**
Albert Camus
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)
This morning -
None 5.0 or higher.
Canary Islands cluster seems to be waning.
Yesterday -
3/30/13 -
5.0 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 MYANMAR
5.4 GUAM REGION
5.2 OFF COAST OF NORTHERN PERU
5.1 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
3/29/13 -
5.0 SOUTHEAST OF EASTER ISLAND
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.5 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.6 NORTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams
Colima volcano (Mexico) - frequent explosions and rockfalls make for Easter tourist attraction. The "Volcano of Fire" has become a tourist attraction with now up to 200 weak to moderate explosions per day, and frequent incandescent rockfalls / small pyroclastic flows that descend the flank of the volcano to a length of up to 1.5 km and are a spectacular view at night.
The Fuego de Colima volcano is currently the most active of the country, and has recently increased its explosive activity. A 8 km exclusion zone is in place around the volcano and the governments of Colima and Jalisco are on permanent alert. Scientists rule out any risk for the population.
Iceland sees unusual seismic activity at Hekla volcano - Icelandic Met Office raises its aviation warning level from ‘green’ to ‘yellow’ for the first time in 2 years.
Iceland on Tuesday reported unusual seismic activity at Mount Hekla, one of its most active volcanos, and raised its alert level but said no eruption was imminent. The Icelandic Met Office said it had raised its aviation warning level a notch Tuesday for the first time in two years following “elevated unrest above a known background level during the last weeks.”
There was no smoke rising from the mountain, but dark clouds seen from the ground could lead people to think there had been an eruption. The alert level for the aviation industry was raised from “green” to “yellow”, which it described as a precautionary measure due to the volcano’s “increased earthquake activity.” Emergency services said in a separate statement that they had declared “an uncertainty phase”, the lowest level of warning issued for events “that may threaten public health and safety, or that an environment or inhabited area may be threatened.”
The eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjoell volcano in April 2010 stranded more than eight million travellers as volcanic ash spread across Europe.
Hawaii - An increase in Kilauea's eruptive “pulse” spawns the Kahauale'a flow. Over the past six months, the pace of Kilauea’s 30-year-long ongoing eruption has quickened. This follows the quietest period — spanning most of 2012 — of the eruption yet recorded.
In the east rift zone, this quiet period was characterized by persistent Peace-Day-flow breakouts scattered on the coastal plain that failed to reach the ocean all summer. Along with other lines of evidence, this stall of the flow advance suggested that the eruption rate was well below the long-term average. Then, in late November, the flow became more cohesive, advanced to the coast, and entered the ocean. The entry plumes, while very weak at first, became stronger and new entry points developed, indicating that the eruption rate was increasing.
At the same time, lava began to erupt from spatter cones at Pu`u `O`o. The crater filled slowly and, in January 2013, began to overflow its eastern rim. One spatter cone, on the northeast edge of the crater floor, developed into a low shield that stood above and eventually buried the adjacent crater rim. On January 19, lava from that shield began to spill down the northeast flank of Pu`u `O`o cone, starting a new lava flow informally named the Kahauale`a flow.
Flowing continuously since, the front of the Kahauale`a flow has traveled about 4.5 km (2.8 mi) to the northeast over `a`a flows erupted from Pu`u `O`o in the early 1980s and pahoehoe and `a`a flows erupted in 2007. The flow has slowed but widened over the past week. It traverses the Kahauale`a Natural Area Reserve and extends a short distance into the Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve.
What does all of this mean? Over the 30-year duration of the current east rift zone eruption, most lava flows have gone south toward the coast; flows north of the rift zone have been infrequent. During 1983 to 1986, there were several short-lived flows associated with fountaining phases of Pu`u `O`o that advanced parallel to, and north of, the rift zone; but they stopped when the fountaining ceased at the end of each episode. Flows from Kupaianaha in the late 1980s were prevented from going north by these older Pu`u `O`o flows.
In the summer of 2007, a new fissure that opened on the east flank of Pu`u `o`o sent lava flows initially toward the northeast. A few months later, a vent wall near the source ruptured and diverted lava to the south again. While these flows were advancing north of the rift zone, Puna residents became worried by the bright glow in the sky and the smell of wood smoke.
Like these other flows, the Kahauale`a flow is advancing north of the rift zone but is blocked to the south by the 2007 lava. The main difference between the 2007 flows and the Kahauale`a flow, however, is in supply rate of lava that fueled each flow. In 2007, these were the only active flows and they were fed at a supply rate slightly higher than the long-term average for this eruption. On the other hand, the Kahauale`a flow is fed by less than half of the long-term average supply rate while the Peace Day flow is fueled by the rest.
As it was during the 2007 eruption, there is a distant possibility that the Kahauale`a lava flows will continue to advance to the northeast. Over the past two months, the flow has advanced irregularly but at an average rate of 70 m/day (230 ft/day). Depending on exactly where the flows enter the forest, they could advance toward populated areas. The flows, however, would take months to reach these populated areas if — and this is a big “if” — they continue to advance at the current average rate. A lot could happen to slow or stop the flow between now and then.
Island residents can take comfort in knowing that, during the past 30 years, no other lava flows on the north side of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone have ventured very far to the north — and that Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists are keeping close watch on the Kahauale`a flow and will continue to update emergency managers and the public with the latest information. (video)
TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical storms.
HEALTH THREATS -
E coli outbreak linked to frozen snacks sickens 24 in 15 states - Federal and state health officials are investigating a multistate Escherichia coli O121 outbreak that has so far sickened 24 people in 15 states and sparked a recall of Rich Products, a New York company's frozen chicken quesadillas and other snacks.
RECALLS & ALERTS
- Rich Products Corporation Announces a Recall of Farm Rich® Mini Quesadillas, Farm Rich® Mini Pizza Slices, Farm Rich® Philly Cheese Steaks, Farm Rich® Mozzarella Bites, and Market Day® Mozzarella Bites Due to Possible Contamination with E. Coli.
- Publix Super Markets is issuing a voluntary recall for Publix Deli Tri Fruit and Grain Salad since it may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes. Publix received notification of the potential contamination from their supplier, Allison's Gourmet Kitchens.
