Crystal Hessian Facebook page.
Global Disaster Watch on Blogspot posts the daily summary of natural disaster news, with links, around midnight.
**Sometimes life gives you two options:
losing yourself or losing someone else.
Regardless of the situation,
don’t lose yourself.**
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide
This morning -
5.0 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Yesterday, 8/6/13 -
5.1 GUERRERO, MEXICO
5.5 VANUATU
5.9 VANUATU
5.2 WESTERN XIZANG
5.0 SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.7 SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.0 NEAR COAST OF NICARAGUA
5.5 GUATEMALA
8/513 -
5.3 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
Mexico - A moderate 5.1 earthquake has shaken southern Mexico, rocking buildings in the capital of Mexico City and sending some frightened people into the streets.
VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams
New Zealand - Mt Tongariro is under a watching brief after a series of small earthquakes was detected under the volcano over the past two weeks. The quakes were not connected to the ongoing flurry of seismic activity centred in the Cook Strait and the tremors are no cause for ''undue alarm.''
Fewer than 10 quakes, all under magnitude 1.5, have been recorded on a handful of seismic monitors and are too small to be pinpointed. ''The reason we're paying attention is because of their location and we don't see quakes there very often''. The volcano erupted for the first time in a century at the Te Maari craters in August last year, followed by another eruption in November and scientists warn the craters could still erupt with little or no warning.
The earthquakes could just be normal volcanic background unrest but the earthquakes had piqued interest because there have been so few since 2012 and could signal changes occurring inside the volcano. The seismic activity was not seen as a precursor to another eruption because carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide gas emissions had been at low levels since the start of the year. ''If we saw these gases increase and saw more and larger earthquakes then we would think of this very likely as magma moving through Tongariro.''
The area around the Te Maari craters is off-limits so scientists are waiting for the right prevailing winds to collect gas samples by driving or flying under volcanic plumes. ''At this stage we don't know what the activity is. There's obviously something disturbing the insides of the volcano - maybe it's just changes in the stress on the faultline.'' GNS has not changed its 0 to 5-scale Volcanic Alert Level from 1, which shows volcanic unrest or its Aviation Colour Code from green, which indicates no eruptive activity.
Alaska - Heat and Ash Melt Alaska Volcano's Snowy Blanket. Summer sun and heat, combined with a coating of ash from seven weeks of continuous eruption, have revealed the rocky summit of Alaska's Veniamanof volcano. A Landsat 8 image snapped July 25 shows the volcano's caldera rim and Cone Glacier. The caldera is a giant crater formed during a gut-busting eruption about 3,700 years ago, which emptied out and collapsed Veniamanof's magma chamber. Cone Glacier is one of several summit glaciers snaking down the slopes of the volcano, one of the tallest in the Aleutian Range.
Though the volcano has erupted steadily since it rumbled to life on June 13, much less ash was visible in an earlier Landsat 8 image captured on July 9. Freshly fallen snow likely buried the volcanic debris. But late July brought UNUSUALLY WARM WEATHER to southern Alaska, which combined with the heat-absorbing dark ash to melt the snow. On Aug. 2, Anchorage SET A RECORD FOR 15 DAYS of 70 degree Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) or higher temperatures in a row.
Russia - Kamchatka Volcano Sends Ash 4 Miles Into Sky. Active Karymsky volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Tuesday spewed ash to a height of 6.5 kilometers (four miles). For months it has had only smaller explosive activity.
TROPICAL STORMS -
In the Eastern Pacific -
- Post-Tropical storm Gil is located about 935 mi (1510 km) E of of Hilo, Hawaii. Disorganized Gil is slowly weakening and the last advisory has been issued on this system, unless regeneration occurs.
- Hurricane Henriette is located about 1485 mi (2390 km) E of Hilo, Hawaii. Gradual weakening expected to begin on Wednesday. (maps)
In the Western Pacific -
Tropical storm Mangkhut is located approximately 240 nm southeastward of Hanoi, Vietnam. (maps)
SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -
U. S. - 1 dead in flash floods in south-central Missouri. The sudden flood that swamped the south-central Missouri city of Waynesville killed a 4-year-old boy who was swept from a vehicle, and authorities were still searching the water Tuesday for a woman who is believed to be the mother of the boy.
The floodwaters left others clinging to tree branches in swiftly moving high water and damaged about 100 homes and businesses. "The quickness of the storm, the depth of it, the amount of water that was flowing freely, caused havoc." Although some of the water receded within hours, other larger rivers continued to rise throughout Tuesday and a forecast for more rain in the region led to fears of additional flooding in the coming days. About 200 Waynesville homes in low-lying areas were being evacuated because of the forecast.
The flooding was triggered after several days of rain in the region culminated in a RARE August downpour. More than 7 inches of rain fell at Fort Leonard Wood, which is near Waynesville, from midnight to mid-Tuesday morning — but unofficial gauges nearby had nearly 9 inches of rain.
A man sitting atop an SUV and clutching a tree branch screamed for help for several hours before rescue workers could reach him. At another site where people were stranded, a boat carrying rescue workers tipped over and additional crews had to be called in to rescue them. Local officials planned a mandatory evacuation in low-lying areas to guard against the potential for a resurgence of floodwaters.
About a dozen propane tanks were seen floating through the floodwater. Many of the tanks leaked, and in some places, the gas was a foot or two deep above the floodwaters, a fire threat that kept rescue boats away until the gas cleared. The Fort Leonard Wood area has seen nearly a foot of rain since August began. This month's WEATHER PATTERNS ARE UNUSUAL, as there's usually little rain and higher temperatures in August.
The downpours have caused dramatic rises in several rivers and creeks. The Gasconade River at Hazelgreen was at 3 feet on Saturday; it crested at 29.5 feet late Tuesday afternoon, but still was short of the record of 34.9 feet in 2008. Roubidoux Creek, which cuts through Waynesville, had only about a foot of water before the rain. On Tuesday, it reached a RECORD 21 feet.
Forecast for today is for more rain.
Minnesota - Storms that swept across Minnesota Tuesday brought golf-ball-sized hail that broke windshields and shattered storefront windows in the southern metro. The Eden Prairie Police Department tweeted a photo of a squad car with its rear window smashed in by hail just before 8 p.m. In Bloomington, hail smashed windows in the Wells Fargo Plaza, leaving broken glass in the 24-story building’s entry ways. The storms also brought high winds which knocked over large trees in areas like St. Louis Park.
SPACE WEATHER -
The Sun's Magnetic Field is about to Flip - SOMETHING BIG IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN ON THE SUN. According to measurements from NASA-supported observatories, the sun's vast magnetic field is about to flip. "It looks like we're no more than 3 to 4 months away from a complete field reversal. This change will have ripple effects throughout the solar system."
The sun's magnetic field changes polarity approximately every 11 years. It happens at the peak of each solar cycle as the sun's inner magnetic dynamo re-organizes itself. The coming reversal will mark the midpoint of Solar Cycle 24. Half of 'Solar Max' will be behind us, with half yet to come.
The poles are a herald of change. Just as Earth scientists watch our planet's polar regions for signs of climate change, solar physicists do the same thing for the sun. Magnetograms have been tracking the sun's polar magnetism since 1976, and they have recorded three grand reversals - with a fourth in the offing.
A reversal of the sun's magnetic field is, literally, a big event. The domain of the sun's magnetic influence (also known as the "heliosphere") extends billions of kilometers beyond Pluto. Changes to the field's polarity ripple all the way out to the Voyager probes, on the doorstep of interstellar space. The heliospheric current sheet becomes more wavy when the sun's magnetic field flips. As Earth orbits the sun, we dip in and out of the current sheet. Transitions from one side to another can stir up stormy space weather around our planet.
Cosmic rays are also affected. These are high-energy particles accelerated to nearly light speed by supernova explosions and other violent events in the galaxy. Cosmic rays are a danger to astronauts and space probes, and some researchers say they might affect the cloudiness and climate of Earth. The current sheet acts as a barrier to cosmic rays, deflecting them as they attempt to penetrate the inner solar system. A wavy, crinkly sheet acts as a better shield against these energetic particles from deep space.
As the field reversal approaches, data shows that the sun's two hemispheres are out of synch. "The sun's north pole has already changed sign, while the south pole is racing to catch up. "Soon, however, both poles will be reversed, and the second half of Solar Max will be underway." (video)
HEALTH THREATS -
Texas Cyclospora cases lift national total to 490 - The latest illness onset date is July 23, but the CDC said most of the dates have ranged from the middle of June through early July.
Texas health officials reported 41 more infections, raising its total to 181 and pushing it past Iowa as the state with the most cases. Despite all the cases in Texas, health officials still haven't found a common source for the illnesses. Yesterday the CDC said it has deployed extra assistance, including an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, to lend a hand with the investigation in Texas.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in an update that it's not clear if illnesses in other states are part of the same outbreak and that an investigation into the increased cases of cyclosporiasis in other states is ongoing. A few days ago the FDA said its trace-back investigation confirmed that the restaurant salad mix linked to illness clusters in Iowa and Nebraska was produced by a Taylor Farms facility in Mexico. It said the restaurants in Iowa and Nebraska include Olive Garden and Red Lobster.
USDA weighing whether poultry chemicals hide Salmonella - Concerns have been raised by researchers that more and stronger chemicals used to kill pathogens in poultry-processing facilities might be masking Salmonella contamination. Some scientists have said that the stronger chemicals may not be neutralized after rinsing prior to testing procedures that are done as spot checks for residual bacterial contamination after birds have been sprayed with or bathed in different chemical solutions. Any contamination that is still on the birds might be masked by tests that come back as false-negatives.
The issue has become a point of contention among chemical companies that market their products to poultry producers, and in June the USDA held a briefing to hear from the companies and food safety experts. Testimony revealed that the average number of chemical treatments on chicken-processing lines has grown from two to four since the early 2000s in an effort to cut pathogens and meet tougher federal food safety standards. Experts also reported that the chemicals, including cetylpyridinium chloride and peracetic acid, are now used with less dilution. The testimony also noted that poultry plants have cut Salmonella rates, without a similar drop in human Salmonella infections.
A poultry-processing expert will work with federal officials to identify steps to ensure that the chemicals are neutralized before testing. The USDA said it is assessing his work and will take steps to adjust its policies, if needed. The research will likely take 6 months to a year to complete.
Bird flu 'passed between humans' - Researchers report the first case of human-to-human transmission of the new bird flu strain that has emerged in China.
