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SCIENCE NEWS January 14, 2007 Comoros Volcano Tremors Grow Stronger, More Frequent MORONI (Reuters) -
Earth tremors from Comoros' volcano Mount Karthala grew stronger and more frequent, residents said on Sunday, forcing thousands
of nervous families to sleep outside overnight for fear their homes might collapse. The Indian Ocean archipelago's
largest island, Grand Comore, was put on red alert after Mount Karthala -- one of the world's largest active volcanos
-- began to glow red and emit suffocating fumes late on Friday. The 2,361-meter (7,746-foot) Mount Karthala dominates
Grand Comore, but its eruptions, which happen on average every 11 years, have rarely caused a major disaster. But
while lava levels inside the crater have subsided, earth tremors have become more frequent. Hamidou Soule, a geologist
who leads the Karthala surveillance center, said tremors were lasting up to five seconds and had reached five on the
Richter scale. "The lava and the gases remain trapped and are looking to crack through the mountain. It seems the
main chimney is blocked," he said. "The frequency of the tremors shows that a (lava) flow could happen in any part of
the island." Residents said people were prepared to evacuate. "The tremors get stronger and stronger every
15 minutes," said Ibrahim Youssouf, a photographer from Mitsoudje village on the volcano's southwestern slope. "A good
number of people have packed their bags, ready to flee in case of eruption." Another resident from a village on
the volcano's western slope said high temperatures had made the air dry. "It feels like everything will explode," he
said. In the capital Moroni, thousands slept outside overnight and national radio broadcast appeals for calm and
readings from the Koran across the mainly Muslim island. "When I felt the tremor, I woke my wife and we stayed in
the garden," said resident Abderemane Koudre. "We thought the house was going to collapse. It was frightening." In
1903, 17 died from noxious fumes that seeped from cracks, and the last big eruption was in April 2005 when thousands fled
in fear of poisonous gas and lava. From: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=BCB91D59186AA1E622116246 FC3FE62C
January 13, 2007
== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
***This event has been revised.
Region: EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
Geographic coordinates: 46.288N, 154.447E
Magnitude: 8.2 Mw
Depth: 10 km
Universal Time (UTC): 13 Jan 2007
04:23:20
Time near the Epicenter: 13 Jan 2007 14:23:20
Local time in your area: 12 Jan 2007 21:23:20
Location
with respect to nearby cities:
807 km (501 miles) SSW (204 degrees) of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
1703 km (1058
miles) NE (42 degrees) of TOKYO, Japan
Next Solar Cycle May Be Largest Ever Recorded
12-Jan-2007
Predicted solar cycle |
We have reported before that the upcoming 2010-2011 solar cycle is expected to be large. Now, continuing studies of the sun have led solar scientists to predict that it may turn out to be the largest ever recorded.
Sunspot cycles have been recorded since the time of Galileo, and four of the five largest ever seen have been recorded in
the past 50 years. Solar physicist David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center explains that the current level of geomagnetic
activity tells us what the solar cycle will be like in 6 to 8 years, and current levels of activity indicate that the next
cycle will be extremely strong.
Quakes strike off Taiwan
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (CNN) -- Two earthquakes struck off the southwest coast of Taiwan on Tuesday, the second anniversary
of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster that left more than 200,000 dead.
Tuesday's first temblor registered a magnitude 7.1, and the second one, which followed eight minutes later, was a magnitude
7.0.
more... http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/26/taiwan.quakes/index.html?eref=yahoo
Scientists Predict Big Solar Cycle
12.21.2006
Dec. 21, 2006: Evidence is mounting: the next solar cycle is going to be a big one.
Solar cycle 24, due to peak in 2010 or 2011 "looks like its going to be one of the most intense cycles since record-keeping
began almost 400 years ago," says solar physicist David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center. He and colleague Robert
Wilson presented this conclusion last week at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
Yellowstone lava domes swelling fast
Associated Press
YELLOWSTONE
NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. - A geologist says some parts of the
continually shifting, collapsed volcano at the center of the park
are
swelling unusually fast.
Bob Smith, one of the leading researchers into Yellowstone's geology,
presented
some of his findings at the American Geological Union
meeting in San Francisco this week.
Smith and other geologists
from the University of Utah are
particularly interested in two subterranean lava domes deep beneath
the Yellowstone
caldera.
"We've gone to this really pronounced, and I would say unprecedented,
uplift of the caldera," he said.
Using
data collected on the ground and from satellites, scientists say
the Mallard Lake Dome, west of Yellowstone Lake's West
Thumb, has
risen 4 centimeters a year since the middle of 2004. Meanwhile, the
Sour Creek Dome north of Fishing Bridge
has risen about 6 centimeters
a year.
Smith said an infusion of magma may be heating up groundwater and
causing
the ground to bulge.
"It's like inflating the balloon, but the balloon is capped," he said.
Antarctic ice shelf 'might break off'
November 29, 2006 - 7:44AM
The Ross Ice Shelf, a massive piece of ice the size of France, could break off without warning causing a dramatic rise
in sea levels, warn New Zealand scientists working in Antarctica.
A New Zealand-led ice drilling team has recovered three million years of climate history from samples which gives clues
as to what may happen in the future. (more..)
http://www.iris.washington.edu/news/special.htm
2006 November 15 11:14:16 UTC
Magnitude 8.3 - KURIL ISLANDS
A great earthquake occurred 495 km (305 miles) SSW of Severo-Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, Russia and 1665 km (1030 miles) NE
of TOKYO, Japan at 5:14 AM MDT, Nov 15, 2006 (10:14 PM local time in Russia). The magnitude and location may be revised when
additional data and further analysis results are available.
No reports of damage or casualties have been received at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused substantial
damage and casualties due to its location and size.
A Brand New Island
10-Nov-2006
Not there a few days ago | Another indication of the
high level of volcanic activity worldwide is that a large new island has appeared in the South Pacific, near Tonga, in an area so isolated that it has gone
virtually unnoticed by scientists. A cruising yacht and a fishing boat have both reported sailing into a vast area of floating
pumice, and the captain of the fishing boat reports seeing the island itself, which is about a mile across. Tonga authorities
have not commented on the existence of the island, and the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network has stated that a large
plume of pumice has been sighted near Fiji, and they are seeking its source. The appearance of a new island suggests extensive
underwater volcanic activity in the area, which is at present not being detected.
Yellowstone Hit With Swarm of Over 70 Quakes Earth Changes Media, Oct 25, 2006 News is just
coming out indicating a series of more than 70 small earthquakes hit the Yellowstone Volcanic Caldera on October 14th. Is
it just a coincidence that one day later the very unusual 6.8 quake hit Hawaii? In Saturday's October 14th 'swarm',
the largest of these small quakes registered 2.4 magnitude. But as you will see listed at the USGS sponsored University of
Utah Seismograph Center, the 'swarm' of quakes hitting in-and-around Yellowstone caldera have not let up. Utah Seismograph
Center: http://www.seis.utah.edu/req2webdir/recenteqs/Quakes/quakes0.html Yellowstone Caldera: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Yellowstone/description_yellowstone.html The October 14th swarm lasted several hours, according to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Henry Heasler, Yellowstone's
principal geologist reminds us Yellowstone has seen swarms before, as in April 2004 when more than 400 earthquakes were recorded
over three days. On the very next day we witnessed a very unusual and large quake hitting Hawaii's Big Island. And
guess what the headline read? "Hawaii Quake Blamed on Volcanic Stress". Full Article: http://www.earthchangestv.com/secure/2005/article_15394.php Are volcanoes connected in a more intimate manner than most geologist and volcanologist suggest? Does the "ring-of-fire"
have more of a "single pulse" than current science understands? Could this be a uncanny example of what our Mayan and other
elders mean when they suggest what I have customized to say "what we experience 'externally' - will mirror what we experience
'internally'. There is no doubt the signs of change are among us. The question is---will we listen?
Hawaii Hit by 6.6 Magnitude Quake, Scientists Say (Updated)
By Peter Young and Kevin Orland
Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck the largest of the Hawaiian Islands today, the
U.S. Geological Survey said. No fatalities were immediately reported.
The quake occurred at 7:07 a.m. local time and
was centered six miles (10 kilometers) southwest of Puako, according to the agency's Web site. The community is on the west
coast of the island of Hawaii, known as the Big Island. It was earlier estimated at magnitude 6.3.
Kona Community
Hospital was evacuated because of structural damage, said Ed Teixiera, vice director of Hawaii State Civil Defense, in an
interview on KITV-TV in Honolulu. Honolulu International Airport on Oahu is closed to outgoing flights because of power outages
caused by the earthquake, KITV said.
``Thankfully, we have no reports of any significant damage on Oahu yet,'' said
John Cummings, public information officer for the Civil Defense Agency's Oahu office.
About 90 percent of Oahu, the
state's most populous island is without power, Cummins said. Oahu is about 150 miles northwest of the earthquake's center.
A 5.8-magnitude aftershock hit seven minutes after the earthquake, the USGS said. Nine shocks of 3.1 to 4.2 on the
Richter scale were reported in the next three and a half hours. Values on the scale, an expression of energy released by the
quake, are typically between 1 and 9.
No Tsunami
``No tsunami is expected,'' the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, said in a bulletin. ``However, many areas may have experienced strong shaking.''
Earthquakes
are not uncommon in Hawaii, and strong quakes in the past have destroyed buildings and disrupted utilities, according to the
USGS Web site.
A 1975 quake of magnitude 7.2, centered on the south side of Kilauea, one of the Big Island's active
volcanoes, caused a tsunami that killed two people, destroyed houses and sank fishing boats, the geological survey said.
Volcanic Activity Increasing Rapidly--UPDATE
08-Jun-2006
Volcanic activity in the Pacific Ring of Fire appears to be increasing as volcanoes in Japan
and New Zealand become active and eight volcanoes in the Phillipines are put on the watch list.
Mt. Merapi on the island of Java continues to emit large quantities of gasses and magma, endangering the lives of thousands
who live on its slopes.
Meanwhile, Mt. Sakurajima in southern Japan erupted yesterday at 5:30 PM local time. Sakurajima is one of Japan's most
active volcanoes.
More at ... http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=5342
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