**Invite your melancholy outside for a walk.
Or read it a poem.
Or bake it chocolate chip cookies.**
Dr. SunWolf
LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
None 5.0 or higher.
Yesterday, 10/6/13 -
6.2 WEST CHILE RISE
5.0 VANUATU
6.0 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION
5.4 ROMANIA
Mexico - A series of earthquakes rattled southern and central Mexico Sunday, forcing the evacuation of dozens of villages that sit on hillsides loosened by a deadly tropical storm last month.
More than a dozen quakes centered along the coast of Guerrero state began around 8:30 a.m. and continued for at least three hours, ranging in strength from barely perceptible to 5.2. Authorities reported no deaths or significant damage. Authorities were evacuating between 100 and 200 hamlets, most of less than 150 people, where the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Manuel left unstable slopes on surrounding hills.
One of the strongest of Sunday's quakes set off seismic alarms in Mexico City and authorities warned people to stay away from elevators and windows. It had its epicenter near the hamlet of La Pintada, where dozens died when a massive mudslide hit the center of town on Sept. 16.
The first strong temblor struck at 9:27 a.m. (10:27 ET) and was centered less than 3 miles south of the coastal town of Coyuca de Benitez. It had a preliminary magnitude of 5.21.
The institute issued a preliminary magnitude of 4.96 after the second strong quake, which hit at 10:57 a.m. (11:57 ET) and was centered 27 miles south of the community of Atoyac de Alvarez, near La Pintada.
+ Romania - MYSTERIOUS EARTHQUAKE SWARM damages many villages in Galati province, Eastern Romania. Prior to Sunday's 5.4 quake, for a couple of weeks, an UNUSUAL earthquake swarm has been going on in Eastern Romania, close to the Moldovia border. Accompanied by a sound like “boiling water” (coming from the ground), a strange water smell (like sulfur) and big cracks appearing in the ground.
The Galati area experienced dozens of moderate earthquakes. The quakes have an extremely shallow depth, have a relatively high shaking intensity and are causing a lot of damage in the villages near the epicenter areas. Some people are not waiting for more earthquakes and left their houses due do the damage, fearing a collapse if further quakes would strike.
Galati is a region with relatively low seismic activity and earthquake swarms like the current events are only known from the newspapers in other regions and countries (There are some unconfirmed reports that a number of earthquakes occurred in March 1894).
Residents and seismologists are very surprised and are trying to understand what is happening. Oil extraction and floodings where initially mentioned as possible triggers but these reasons cannot explain why some other phenomenons like : a constant sound like “boiling water” (coming from the ground) and a strange water smell (like sulfur) is being noticed. Another reason the people are scared of are the big cracks appearing in the ground.
'There is no question that the seismic activity is caused by flood or oil exploitation,” said the Minister for Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Development. Scientists are saying that there was no big historic earthquake in the Galati area.
Although scientists are absolutely not sure about what will happening in the near future, they are trying to prevent panic in the affected villages. The affected population are upset about the lack of information from the authorities and the scientists. As a reaction people tend to believe rumors coming from so-called people with special capacities while others have been praying to the Gods to end the swarm. Romanian TV stations are following the events in the news and with a number of LIVE reports and discussion shows.
Saturday, October 5 : chemical analysis confirmed that the ground water is still drinkable.
Sunday October 6 : A strong 5.4 earthquake occurred in Vrancea region and was also felt in Galati. Currently there is no visible connection between the strong quake and the Galati swarm. [map, photos & video at link]
VOLCANOES -
Indonesia - Mt. Tangkuban Parahu closed to the public. The local authority has temporarily closed Mount Tangkuban Parahu, a popular tourist destination in Bandung regency, West Java, following increased minor phreatic eruptions on Saturday.
The Geological Disaster Mitigation and Volcanology Center has called on residents and visitors to not come within a 1.5 kilometer radius of the craters, especially its Ratu crater. The PVMBG has also raised the mountain’s status from “normal” to “caution”. The team had detected a minor eruption in the Ratu crater at around 6:21 a.m., and further eruptions might possibly occur. There is the potential discharge of toxic gas from the mountain.
After the eruption, Ratu crater had emitted thick white gas clouds about 300 meters into the sky. They also detected increasing seismic activities during that hour. After the findings, officers at the Tangkuban Parahu monitoring post immediately forbade people from venturing in the area around the crater. The eruption occurred at the same spot where the mountain erupted in February.
“If the situation worsens, we will take further steps." The crater’s volcanic activity left 5 to 10 millimeters of volcanic ash around the crater. Meanwhile, the Subang regency administration secretary has called on nearby residents to remain alert. “Don’t panic.” He has instructed all district and subdistrict heads around Mt. Tangkuban Parahu to inform residents about the increasing volcanic activity. “It has happened several times so we remain calm, but we are staying alert.”
TROPICAL STORMS -
* In the Western Pacific -
- Typhoon Danas is located approximately 381 nm southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan.
- Typhoon Fitow is located about 115 nm north of Taipei, Taiwan.
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+ RED ALERT IN CHINA - China sounds its highest alert over typhoon Fitnow, evacuates 417,000 people. The authorities also recalled over 65,000 fishing vessels. The red alert, the highest against typhoon, warns of strong tides and waves to be created by the typhoon. The typhoon will bring heavy or torrential rain to five provinces, Shanghai and Taiwan over the next three days. Some coastal areas may see rainfall of 250 millimeters (9.84 inches).
The typhoon is expected to make landfall late Sunday or early Monday somewhere between Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. It is expected to raise waves as high as 10 meters in the south of the East China Sea and waters around the Diaoyu Island. Local authorities were asked to reinforce harbour facilities and repair sea walls to prepare for the tides.
The Fujian provincial meteorological bureau said Fitow was 360 km from its coastal city Fuding at midday and was approaching at 15 to 20 km per hour. Authorities in Zhejiang evacuated 202,000 people and recalled 35,000 vessels as 28 meters per second gales swept the province. The typhoon caused suspension of bullet trains in several cities in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi and halted services on at least 35 lines that pass cities on the typhoon route, including services between Beijing and Nanjing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Xiamen.
The typhoon is the 23rd to hit the region this year.
UPDATE - Powerful Typhoon Fitow hit eastern China after triggering an evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. Waves batter China as Fitow makes landfall. Waves more than 20m high have been battering the coast of China's Zhejiang province. Hundreds of thousands of people in costal areas of eastern China have been told to leave their homes and the wild weather has also disrupted trains and flights.
Typhoon Danas was blowing east of the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes on Sunday with sustained winds of 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour and gusts of 160 kph (100 mph), but was too far out in the ocean to affect any part of the country. Danas may blow toward southern Japan later this week if it does not change direction.
[Articles marked + were posted on Facebook earlier.]
