Earthquakes
RSOE EDIS
| Date/Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Area | Country | State/Prov./Gov. | Location | Risk | Source | Details | ||
| 26.05.2012 07:25:23 | 2.7 | Europe | Italy | Ponte Trevisani |  |
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EMSC |  |
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| 26.05.2012 07:25:49 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Cukurgol Yaylasi |  |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 07:26:11 | 4.4 | Asia | China | Kuqa Chang | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 07:26:32 | 2.1 | Europe | Italy | La Fruttarola | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 06:20:33 | 4.4 | Asia | Afghanistan | Razer | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 06:22:21 | 4.4 | Asia | Afghanistan | Velayat-e Badakhshan | Razer | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 06:20:59 | 2.0 | Europe | Italy | Masseria Salituri | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 06:21:19 | 2.6 | Asia | Turkey | Cinarli | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 05:50:35 | 5.0 | Asia | Russia | Taymyrskiy (Dolgano-Nenetskiy) Avtonomnyy Okrug | Khantayskoye Ozero | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 06:21:39 | 5.1 | Europe | Russia | Khantayskoye Ozero | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 05:51:01 | 4.6 | Asia | Russia | Taymyrskiy (Dolgano-Nenetskiy) Avtonomnyy Okrug | Khantayskoye Ozero | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 06:21:58 | 4.9 | Europe | Russia | Khantayskoye Ozero | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 05:20:48 | 2.0 | Europe | Italy | Ponte di San Pellegrino | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 05:21:10 | 2.3 | Europe | Italy | La Massara | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 05:21:29 | 4.0 | Europe | Romania | Tipau | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 05:21:50 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Kizlaralani | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 05:22:12 | 2.2 | Europe | Italy | La Pettenella | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 03:45:42 | 2.3 | North America | United States | Alaska | Iniskin | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 04:20:26 | 2.8 | Asia | Turkey | Karakisla | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 04:20:48 | 2.3 | Europe | Italy | Cancelli | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 04:21:09 | 4.8 | Middle-America | Guatemala | Churirin | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 03:40:41 | 4.8 | Middle America | Guatemala | Departamento de Suchitepequez | Churirin | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 04:21:30 | 2.3 | Europe | Italy | San Biagio | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 04:21:52 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Killik | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 04:22:15 | 2.5 | Europe | Italy | Palata Pepoli | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 04:22:36 | 2.4 | Europe | Italy | Il Motto | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 04:22:58 | 3.2 | Europe | Portugal | Pontinha | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 03:15:35 | 5.1 | Pacific Ocean – West | New Caledonia | Wakone | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 03:17:12 | 5.1 | Pacific Ocean – West | New Caledonia | Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies | Wakone | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 03:15:57 | 3.3 | Europe | Greece | Mikhoion | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 03:16:20 | 3.1 | Europe | Greece | Rovianitis | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 02:00:27 | 2.3 | Middle America | Mexico | Estado de Baja California | Cerro Prieto | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 02:15:24 | 2.1 | Europe | Italy | La Massara | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 02:35:56 | 2.9 | Caribbean | Puerto Rico | El Combate | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
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| 26.05.2012 02:15:44 | 2.9 | Europe | Greece | Sougia | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 02:30:37 | 2.1 | North America | United States | Alaska | Happy Valley | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 02:16:05 | 3.3 | Europe | Greece | Rodhakinon | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 02:16:29 | 3.0 | Europe | Greece | Kaleryiana | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 01:13:17 | 2.1 | North America | United States | Alaska | Golden | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 01:10:36 | 2.0 | Europe | Italy | Alberica | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 01:10:56 | 2.5 | Europe | Greece | Ayioi Pandes | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 01:11:17 | 2.1 | Europe | Italy | San Biagio | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 01:11:38 | 2.4 | Europe | Italy | Torre Tre Ponti | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 01:11:58 | 2.6 | Asia | Turkey | Sogut | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 01:12:22 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Sogut | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:05:34 | 2.3 | Europe | Italy | Sant’Agostino | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:05:56 | 2.6 | Europe | Greece | Sotaina | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 01:12:22 | 2.3 | Asia | Turkey | Sogut | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:40:39 | 4.0 | North America | United States | Alaska | Amchitka | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 01:12:44 | 4.0 | North-America | United States | Amchitka | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 23:55:38 | 3.9 | North America | United States | Alaska | Amchitka | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 26.05.2012 00:06:25 | 2.0 | Europe | Italy | Ponte Trevisani | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:06:45 | 2.2 | Europe | Italy | Le Cremosine | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:07:07 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Kalkan | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:07:29 | 2.4 | Europe | Italy | La Collevata | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:30:39 | 3.0 | Caribbean | British Virgin Islands | The Settlement | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:07:51 | 2.3 | Asia | Turkey | Sogut | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 00:08:14 | 3.4 | Asia | Turkey | Sogut | |
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EMSC | |
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| 26.05.2012 03:16:42 | 2.6 | Asia | Turkey | Dorumlar | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 23:05:54 | 2.1 | Europe | Italy | Villa Magri | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 23:06:20 | 2.5 | Europe | Greece | Kalamakion | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 23:06:42 | 3.0 | Asia | Turkey | Suruguden | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 22:05:30 | 2.2 | Europe | Italy | Gavello | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 23:07:05 | 4.5 | South-America | Ecuador | Santo Tomas | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 22:05:51 | 2.3 | Asia | Turkey | Bekdemir | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 22:36:24 | 2.7 | North America | United States | Alaska | Happy Valley | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 21:15:40 | 4.6 | Asia | Japan | Iwate-ken | Aneyoshi | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 22:06:14 | 4.6 | Asia | Japan | Aneyoshi | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 21:05:31 | 3.0 | Asia | Turkey | Ortakaracik | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 21:05:52 | 2.1 | Europe | Italy | Ponte Trevisani | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 21:06:15 | 2.6 | Europe | Greece | Tsoukalaiika | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 22:06:39 | 4.0 | Europe | Russia | Karaus | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 21:06:36 | 2.2 | Asia | Turkey | Inlice | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 20:00:41 | 2.5 | Europe | Italy | Mirandola | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 19:40:38 | 2.1 | North America | United States | Washington | Grisdale | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 20:01:02 | 2.4 | Europe | Italy | La Pettenella | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 20:01:21 | 2.0 | Europe | Greece | Koumaria | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 20:01:40 | 2.0 | Europe | Greece | Ambeloi | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 20:01:59 | 4.7 | Indonesian Archipelago | Indonesia | Simatorkis | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 18:55:33 | 3.1 | Caribbean | Puerto Rico | Vinet | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
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| 25.05.2012 18:00:29 | 2.1 | Europe | Italy | Gavello | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 17:25:40 | 2.6 | North America | United States | Alaska | Boswell Bay | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 18:00:54 | 2.3 | Europe | Italy | La Pettenella | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 17:10:41 | 2.2 | North America | United States | California | Mercuryville | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 18:01:14 | 2.0 | Europe | Macedonia | Dabile | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 23:21:21 | 3.0 | Pacific Ocean | New Zealand | Woodville County | New Brighton | |
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GEONET | |
| 25.05.2012 18:01:36 | 4.4 | Indonesian Archipelago | Indonesia | Silabuhan | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 18:01:57 | 3.0 | Asia | Turkey | Tepecik | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 18:02:18 | 2.2 | Europe | Albania | Himare | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 18:02:40 | 2.4 | Europe | Italy | Sala Bolognese | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 17:00:35 | 2.3 | Asia | Turkey | Cokene | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 16:30:41 | 2.5 | North America | United States | Hawaii | Pähala | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 17:00:56 | 2.0 | Asia | Turkey | Kandilli | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 17:00:56 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Kandilli | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 17:01:15 | 3.2 | Europe | Italy | San Giacomo Roncole | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:50:33 | 2.1 | North America | United States | Alaska | Port William | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 15:55:30 | 3.5 | Asia | Turkey | Kirim | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:55:54 | 4.0 | Europe | Italy | La Pettenella | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:58:59 | 4.2 | Europe | Italy | Ponte di San Pellegrino | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:20:35 | 2.1 | North America | United States | California | Sepulveda | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 15:56:16 | 2.5 | Europe | Italy | Finale Emilia | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:56:37 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Kozagac | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:25:46 | 4.5 | Europe | Sweden | (( Skaraborgs Lan )) | Vastbacken | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 15:56:56 | 4.5 | Europe | Sweden | Vastbacken | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:57:16 | 3.2 | Europe | France | Saint-Andre | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:57:37 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Yenikoy | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:55:34 | 3.1 | Europe | Italy | La Massara | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:55:55 | 3.4 | Asia | Turkey | Kadidagi Koyu see Kadidagi | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:56:16 | 2.6 | Europe | Italy | La Pettenella | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:56:37 | 2.0 | Europe | Greece | Vasilitsion | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 15:58:21 | 2.1 | Asia | Turkey | Irsadiye | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:56:58 | 2.3 | Asia | Turkey | Tuncbilek | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:30:41 | 4.8 | Pacific Ocean | New Zealand | Woodville County | Horoera | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 14:57:20 | 4.8 | Australia & New-Zealand | New Zealand | Horoera | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:57:41 | 2.9 | Europe | Italy | Le Cremosine | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 17:01:36 | 2.1 | Asia | Turkey | Kirim | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:58:02 | 2.3 | Europe | Greece | Alexandreia | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 17:01:58 | 2.3 | Asia | Turkey | Karacaviran | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 13:55:25 | 2.4 | Asia | Turkey | Bayindir Yaylasi | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 14:05:47 | 4.3 | Asia | Turkey | Malatya Ili | Sogutlu | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 13:55:50 | 4.6 | Asia | Turkey | Kirim | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 13:56:13 | 2.0 | Europe | Italy | Finale Emilia | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 13:56:33 | 2.0 | Europe | Italy | L’Orlanda | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 13:56:58 | 2.2 | Europe | Greece | Kamariotissa | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:55:24 | 2.1 | Europe | Spain | Moalde | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:55:49 | 2.8 | Asia | Turkey | Nize | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:56:12 | 3.9 | Europe | Italy | La Fruttarola | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:56:33 | 2.0 | Europe | Czech Republic | Prostredni Dvur | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:56:53 | 3.2 | Asia | Turkey | Aslankent | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:57:15 | 2.2 | Asia | Turkey | Cayhisar | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:57:36 | 2.7 | Europe | Italy | Finale Emilia | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 16:31:03 | 3.4 | North America | United States | Alaska | Hospital Valley | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 12:57:57 | 2.8 | Europe | Greece | Akrotirion | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 11:50:35 | 2.7 | North America | United States | Alaska | Tanana | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 11:50:59 | 2.8 | North America | United States | Alaska | Kantishna | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 11:55:21 | 3.5 | Europe | Greece | Tsaflaiika | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:25:40 | 3.1 | Caribbean | Dominican Republic | Provincia de La Altagracia | Cabo Engano | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 11:55:47 | 2.1 | Asia | Turkey | Isiktepe | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:15:45 | 3.8 | Caribbean | Dominican Republic | Provincia de La Altagracia | Cabo Engano | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 11:05:34 | 2.4 | North America | United States | California | Solromar | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 11:56:54 | 2.7 | Europe | France | Port-Cros | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 11:01:14 | 3.4 | Pacific Ocean | New Zealand | Woodville County | New Brighton | |
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GEONET | |
| 25.05.2012 11:57:15 | 2.7 | Asia | Turkey | Sarkoy | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 11:57:36 | 2.5 | Europe | Italy | Santa Bianca | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 10:50:55 | 2.9 | Europe | Italy | L’Orlanda | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 10:51:16 | 3.6 | Europe | Greece | Kattavia | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 10:51:35 | 2.2 | Asia | Turkey | Haciomerli | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 09:52:38 | 2.0 | North America | United States | California | Caldwell Pines | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 10:30:41 | 4.1 | North America | Canada | British Columbia | Port Alice | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 10:51:56 | 4.1 | North-America | Canada | Port Alice | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 16:15:40 | 2.2 | North America | United States | Alaska | Atka | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 09:50:56 | 2.8 | Europe | Bulgaria | Vitanovtsi | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 12:01:26 | 3.0 | Pacific Ocean | New Zealand | Woodville County | New Brighton | |
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GEONET | |
| 25.05.2012 09:05:41 | 2.5 | Middle America | Mexico | Estado de Baja California | El Centinela | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 12:58:20 | 2.5 | Europe | Greece | Kattavia | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 09:00:34 | 4.4 | North America | United States | Alaska | Atka | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 09:51:17 | 4.4 | North-America | United States | Atka | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 08:52:51 | 4.6 | North America | United States | Alaska | Atka | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 09:51:38 | 3.1 | Europe | Greece | Khamaitoulon | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 08:50:33 | 2.5 | Asia | Turkey | Colpan | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 08:50:54 | 3.2 | Asia | Turkey | Uzumlu | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 08:51:16 | 2.4 | Europe | Italy | Le Cremosine | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 08:51:34 | 3.6 | Asia | Azerbaijan | Neft Daslari | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 08:51:56 | 4.6 | Pacific Ocean – East | Tonga | Haatua | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 11:01:44 | 3.4 | Pacific Ocean | New Zealand | Woodville County | New Brighton | |
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GEONET | |
| 25.05.2012 21:11:06 | 2.0 | North America | United States | Utah | Circleville | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 25.05.2012 11:57:56 | 2.2 | Europe | Sweden | Vastbacken | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 11:58:17 | 2.5 | Europe | Sweden | Vastbacken | |
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EMSC | |
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| 25.05.2012 11:58:39 | 2.8 | Europe | Sweden | Vastbacken | |
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EMSC | |
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……….
Western Bulgaria Earthquake Strongest for Sofia since 1858
A file photo shows destruction from the 1928 earthquake in Chirpan; the small Bulgarian town was hit by another quake in 1942. Photo from Lost Bulgaria
The earthquake that the Bulgarian capital Sofia experienced at 3 am on Tuesday has been the strongest in its history since 1858, i.e. in 154 years, historical records indicate.
On Tuesday, Bulgaria’s territory saw over 60 weak aftershocks after the 5.8-5.9-magnitude it experienced early Tuesday morning, according to the Geophysics Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
All of the 60 aftershocks had magnitudes of over 1 on the Richter scale, and their epicenters were around the western Bulgarian city of Pernik, where the initial earthquake hit at about 2:58 am on Tuesday. Some of the major aftershocks had a magnitude of 4.2-4.7, and were felt in Pernik and Sofia.
On September 30, 1858, when the future Bulgarian capital was still only a provincial town in the Ottoman Empire, it suffered an earthquake that had an estimated magnitude of 6.6-7.0 on the Richter Scale, damaging some 80% of its buildings.
As a result of the earthquake, 19 out of the 24 then mosques in Sofia saw their minarets collapse, while only two out of the seven churches remained operational. The 1858 earthquake claimed 4 lives in Sofia, and created huge cracks in the ground outside of the town.
The May 22, 2012, earthquake in Sofia, Pernik, and other parts of Western and Southern Bulgaria luckily, also pales in comparison with the strongest earthquake in the country ever – the March 17, 1942, earthquake in the southeastern town of Chirpan
Another strong earthquake in Bulgaria was the 1977 quake with its epicenter in Vrancea, Romania, which killed between 100 and 250 people in the Bulgarian Danube town of Svishtov, according to various estimates.
The latest earthquake in Sofia is comparable to the December 7, 1986 earthquake in Northeastern Bulgaria, which killed two people, and destroyed 150 buildings in the town of Strazhitsa.
After 2000, Bulgaria has seen a total of seven earthquakes with a magnitude beyond 4 on the Richter scale. The strongest one was in 2009 in the Black Sea near the town of Shabla, with a magnitude of 4.8.
New quake shakes nervous Christchurch
- From: AFP
NERVOUS shoppers fled into the streets when a 4.7-magnitude earthquake rattled the New Zealand city of Christchurch, halting rebuilding work following last year’s tremor that killed 185.
These were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and police and ambulance services said they had received no calls for assistance.
The quake struck at 12.44pm (AEST) at a shallow depth of eight kilometres about 25 kilometres east of New Zealand’s second largest city, the US Geological Survey said.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, which is overseeing reconstruction after the deadly 6.3 tremor in February last year, said it suspended demolition work in the city centre as a precaution.
Christchurch has experienced thousands of aftershocks in the past 18 months, delaying efforts to rebuild and further unsettling residents.
AFP
Seismic Hazard: Faults Discovered Near Lake Tahoe Could Generate Earthquakes Ranging from 6.3 to 6.9
ScienceDaily : Results of a new U.S. Geological Survey study conclude that faults west of Lake Tahoe, Calif., referred to as the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone, pose a substantial increase in the seismic hazard assessment for the Lake Tahoe region of California and Nevada, and could potentially generate earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 6.3 to 6.9. A close association of landslide deposits and active faults also suggests that there is an earthquake-induced landslide hazard along the steep fault-formed range front west of Lake Tahoe.
Using a new high-resolution imaging technology, known as bare-earth airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), combined with field observations and modern geochronology, USGS scientists, and their colleagues from the University of Nevada, Reno; the University of California, Berkeley; and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have confirmed the existence of previously suspected faults. LiDAR imagery allows scientists to “see” through dense forest cover and recognize earthquake faults that are not detectable with conventional aerial photography.
“This study is yet one more stunning example of how the availability of LiDAR information to precisely and accurately map the shape of the solid Earth surface beneath vegetation is revolutionizing the geosciences,” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. “From investigations of geologic hazards to calculations of carbon stored in the forest canopy to simply making the most accurate maps possible, LiDAR returns its investment many times over.”
Motion on the faults has offset linear moraines (the boulders, cobbles, gravel, and sand deposited by an advancing glacier) providing a record of tectonic deformation since the moraines were deposited. The authors developed new three-dimensional techniques to measure the amount of tectonic displacement of moraine crests caused by repeated earthquakes. Dating of the moraines from the last two glaciations in the Tahoe basin, around 21 thousand and 70 thousand years ago, allowed the study authors to calculate the rates of tectonic displacement.
“Although the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone has long been recognized as forming the tectonic boundary between the Sierra Nevada to the west, and the Basin and Range Province to the east, its level of activity and hence seismic hazard was not fully recognized because dense vegetation obscured the surface expressions of the faults,” said USGS scientist and lead author, James Howle. “Using the new LiDAR technology has improved and clarified previous field mapping, has provided visualization of the surface expressions of the faults, and has allowed for accurate measurement of the amount of motion that has occurred on the faults. The results of the study demonstrate that the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone is an important seismic source for the region.”
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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather
High Wind Warning
SALT LAKE CITY UT SAN DIEGO CA GRAND JUNCTION CO FLAGSTAFF AZ ALBUQUERQUE NM
Dust Storm Warning
FLAGSTAFF AZ
Gale Warning
LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA POINT CONCEPTION TO GUADALUPE ISLAND POINT ARENA TO POINT CONCEPTION HONOLULU HI ANCHORAGE ALASKA
Fire Weather Watch
EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM ALBUQUERQUE NM TALLAHASSEE FL
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Storms, Flooding,Landslides
Active tropical storm system(s) |
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| Name of storm system | Location | Formed | Last update | Last category | Course | Wind Speed | Gust | Wave | Source | Details |
| Bud | Pacific Ocean – East | 21.05.2012 | 26.05.2012 | Tropical Storm | 360 ° | 93 km/h | 111 km/h | 3.66 m | NHC | |
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| Sanvu | Pacific Ocean | 21.05.2012 | 26.05.2012 | Typhoon I. | 50 ° | 139 km/h | 167 km/h | 3.66 m | JTWC | |
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| Beryl | Atlantic Ocean | 26.05.2012 | 01.01.1970 | ER | ° | 0 km/h | 0 km/h | 0.00 m | |
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Tornado damages 15 homes in North Port, Florida
A possible tornado damaged 15 homes in North Port on Thursday evening, leaving one family homeless,
According to a news release from the City of North Port:
At about 6:30 pm Firefighters received a call of structural damage to a home from a tornado. When firefighters arrived on scene they discovered roof damage to a mobile home in the Holiday Park community. A flurry of calls came in from the Highland Ridge community nearby, and that is where several more homes received damage.
Three fire engines, three ambulances and three command cars responded to assess the damage to the neighborhood. While firefighters conducted a ground survey, the Sarasota Sheriff’s helicopter surveyed from the air.
“The damage was relatively minor and there were no injuries to citizens or first responders,” said Battalion Chief James Woods, “that’s the outcome we want”.
Only one family was displaced for the night, with enough damage to the house that the power had to be disconnected.
James and Elsie Hudson’s home at the corner of Talbrook and Gable lost its roof in the storm.
“I didn’t know what it was,” Elsie Hudson told SNN. “When I ran to the back to the lanai, everything was gone.”
The winds had taken off part of the home’s roof, and rain water was flowing into the living room, she said. The power was disconnected and the couple decided to stay with relatives.
The Red Cross was on scene to help storm victims, SNN Local News 6 was reporting.
The storm struck suddenly, and although the National Weather Service had been monitoring throughout the evening, inclement weather was not evident on the radar.
| Today | Tornado | USA | State of Florida, North Port |  |
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Tornado in USA on Saturday, 26 May, 2012 at 05:21 (05:21 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Although Jimmy Jones’ home was damaged in Thursday evening’s tornado, he called a roofing company to secure his neighbor’s roof after parts of it flew off. The two families had only a few moments’ warning before the twister ripped through their Highland Ridge neighborhood near South Biscayne Drive and North Port Boulevard, damaging 17 homes.Around 6:30 p.m., Jones called 911 to say it looked like a funnel cloud was forming down the street from his home.“I got off the phone and the funnel came toward my home. I told my wife and daughter to get in the tub,” he said Thursday night. “It was so loud it sounded like a freight train was rushing through the neighborhood. It was very scary.”Seconds later, parts of his fence became projectiles, embedded in the exterior wall of his home.According to city Emergency Management Coordinator Richard Berman, a EF0 tornado with winds of 80 mph, about 150 yards wide, touched down in Holiday Park, hit a four-block radius around Gabo Road, then passed through the area by the Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club.Within two minutes, the tornado had damaged roofs and ripped apart pool cages, fences, tree limbs and sheds, then burst through Highland Ridge Park, knocking over wooden benches, toppling a tree behind the Boys & Girls Club and twisting metal bleachers at the North Port Bike Park. The roof of a manufactured home at Holiday Park also reportedly was damaged.“The Sarasota (County) Sheriff’s Office sent (the) Air One (helicopter) up to do an aerial view of the damage,” said North Port Fire Marshal Mike Frantz. “Thankfully, no one was injured, including our first responders. The Red Cross came to help any of the (families) whose homes were damaged, and to help if firefighters needed them.”Overall damage was estimated at $50,000, according to the National Weather Service in Ruskin, near Tampa.On Friday, a man in a Lowe’s store vest drove near Elroy Hall’s Talbrook Road home. He said he was sorry about the damage to his roof and left a case of bottled water.“I’m very appreciative of the help,” said Hall, who, along with his parents Elsie, 86, and James, 96, now is staying with his brother, who also has a home in North Port. “My neighbor Jimmy called Suncoast Roofing and they came over and put tarps and wood on the roof.”Hall said he was at Winn-Dixie when the tornado struck the home with his parents inside. He said they were scared, but were all right.Richard Edwards, who lives on Gabo, retrieved Hall’s rain gutter across North Port Boulevard near the tennis courts at Highland Ridge Park.“I was in my backyard when I saw the funnel form above my head,” Edwards said. “I ran to get my camcorder, but realized it was serious. I ran inside and told my wife the tornado was in the backyard. As I said it, it moved to the front yard and jumped across the road. It was so loud and scary. My house only has minor damage. I think it may have started in (nearby) Holiday Park and reformed in my backyard.”Lou Sperduto, city Property Maintenance manager, said the two sets of bike park bleachers probably would have to be replaced. They cost about $2,500 each. Gianni Tsiogas, 13, and two of his friends were riding their bikes along Talbrook when the tornado came toward them.“We rode as fast as we could and then dropped our bikes and ran to someone’s front porch,” Gianni said. “It reminded me of when I lived in Port Charlotte during Hurricane Charley (in 2004). It was scary.”Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/05/25/4053481/tornado-damages-17-homes-in-north.html#storylink=cpy |
Weather officials have confirmed a tornado touched down about two miles south of Marathon City in Marathon County, and was on the ground intermittently for about five minutes.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or major structural damage.
Jeff Last is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He says that at about 7 p.m. Thursday, a Wisconsin State Patrol officer saw the tornado touch down. It was on the ground off and on for several miles as it moved northeast.
Last says the tornado lifted off the ground about two miles northwest of Rib Mountain State Park.
He says the storm was fast-moving.
Local authorities are surveying the area. So far, they have seen several downed trees.
Streamline winds also downed trees as storms moved across the state.
Source: The Associated Press
Hurricane Bud heading for area near Puerto Vallarta
Bud weakened overnight from a powerful Category 3 storm, but it’s dangerous as a Category 2 with 110 mph winds. And it’s expected to dump heavy rains in several states in western Mexico, threatening floods and landslides.The government of Jalisco state prepared hundreds of cots and dozens of heavy vehicles like bulldozers that could be needed to move debris.
Officials in Puerto Vallarta said they were in close contact with managers of the hundreds of hotels in the city in case tourists needed to move to eight emergency shelters. It said the sea along the city’s famous beachfront was calm, but swimming had been temporarily banned as a precaution.
At Mexico’s largest Pacific port of Manzanillo, skies were overcast and rainy before the forecast landfall.
The hurricane is the Pacific’s first of the 2012 season.
“Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the hurricane warning area this afternoon,” the center said in an advisory.
Located about 105 miles southwest of Manzanillo, the hurricane was moving north-northeast at around 8 mph and Mexico’s government issued a hurricane watch along the coast from Punta San Telmo to Cabo Corrientes.
Bud is expected to soak the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco and southern Nayarit with around 6 to 8 inches of rain.
In some places, the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain.
“These rainfall amounts could produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides,” the center said. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”
Most of Mexico’s oil platforms and exporting ports are in the Gulf of Mexico and affected by storms in the Atlantic, where forecasters are expecting a “near normal” hurricane season this year with up to 15 tropical storms and four to eight hurricanes.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640
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Late-season storm could bring summer snow to Sierra, California
Sacramento Bee
A skier walks toward the lift at Alpine Meadows where green grass contrasts with snow. While the valley bakes under an unrelenting sun, some head up the hill for a ski weekend on the Fourth of July. Sunday, July 3, 2011.
The advice this Memorial Day weekend, particularly for folks heading into the Sierra, is “Be prepared.”
National Weather Service and state transportation officials say travelers can expect everything from snow showers and accumulations of up to 6 inches in the high country today and Saturday to temperatures in the 80s in the Sacramento Valley on Sunday and Monday.
“We have a cool-weather system dropping down from British Columbia and washing over Northern California,” said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
A high of 69 degrees is forecast for the Sacramento area today, 15 degrees below the average high of 84 for this time of year. The drop in temperature will be accompanied by a 30 percent chance of rain and a slight chance of afternoon thunder-showers.
In the mountains, a winter weather advisory is in effect from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, and snow levels are expected to drop to about the 5,500-foot elevation, with some accumulation above 6,000 feet.
“The road surface is warm this time of year,” Swanberg said, which should help keep snow from accumulating on the roadway. “But there could be enough to cause slippery conditions.”
California Department of Transportation officials say motorists should be prepared for winter driving conditions and warn that chain controls could be in effect at times today.
High temperatures today in the Sierra are expected to range from the mid-30s to about 50 degrees. Southwesterly winds of 15 to 30 mph also are forecast, with gusts to 45 mph.
Although storms this late in the spring are somewhat unusual, it’s still May, the tail end of the potentially active period of the season, Swanberg said, and people should plan accordingly.
“Bring along the coat, the gloves and the long pants, and expect a brief period of winter driving conditions,” he said.
Although snow showers will continue at higher elevations through much of Saturday, the Valley will begin to dry out. Highs in the Sacramento area are expected to be in the low to mid-70s Saturday and in the low 80s Sunday and Monday.
A high around 48 degrees is forecast for South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, but temperatures are expected to reach the low 60s on Sunday and Monday.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
SIOUX FALLS SD
Hurricane Statement
JACKSONVILLE FL MELBOURNE FL
Tropical Storm Watch
JACKSONVILLE FL CHARLESTON SC CHARLESTON SC CHARLESTON SC
Winter Storm Warning
BILLINGS MT GREAT FALLS MT MISSOULA MT
Flood Warning
WICHITA KS DULUTH MN SIOUX FALLS SD
Flood Advisory
KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO FAIRBANKS AK DULUTH MN
| 25.05.2012 | Flood | Serbia | Osečina |  |
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Flood in Serbia on Friday, 25 May, 2012 at 18:33 (06:33 PM) UTC.
| Description | |
| 200 households in the western Serbian town of Osečina are threatened by floods and traffic has been interrupted in the area of Valjevo.MUP Emergency Sector chief Predrag Marić says that one elderly person has been evacuated and that nobody is currently in immediate danger.He added that there was a danger of torrential floods on many rivers in eastern Serbia.More rainfall is expected this weekend.According to him, water levels of the Sava and Danube Rivers in Belgrade are dropping and there is no danger that they could overflow.Marić said that all regional rescue teams would be on standby over the weekend and be sent to potential flood sights.He noted that around 140 municipalities out of 170 had drafted a flood protection operation plan, adding that the new government would have to address the issue.The Tamnava River overflowed its banks in the Koceljeva municipality and flooded between 1,500 and 2,000 hectares of arable land.The Koceljeva-Donje Crniljevo road has been closed due to the flood.Koceljeva Mayor Milutin Cvejić stressed that residential areas are not threatened by the flood.Several roads near the western town of Valjevo have been closed due to heavy rainfall, floods and mudslides, Roads of Serbia public company has stated.The Loznica-Osečina road in the village of Komirić is completely closed due to floods caused by the Jadar River.The Zavlaka-Krupanj road in the village of Mojković is also closed.Roads of Serbia public company teams are working on clearing the roads. |
| 25.05.2012 | Landslide | Indonesia | West Java, [Bogor] | |
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Landslide in Indonesia on Friday, 25 May, 2012 at 18:36 (06:36 PM) UTC.
| Description | |
| An official says a landslide on Indonesia’s main island of Java has killed at least six gold miners.Six other workers at the illegal mine are still missing after the landslide in West Java’s district of Bogor.Disaster management agency official Budi Aksomo said Friday several days of rain caused the landslide at the mountainous site Thursday.He added that eight miners were found alive.Rescuers are still evacuating the bodies from the scene and searching for the missing miners. Seasonal downpours often cause landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, an archipelego nation where millions of people live on mountains or near fertile flood plains. |
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Radiation
Utility Says It Underestimated Radiation Released in Japan
By REUTERS
TOKYO (Reuters) — The amount of radioactive materials released in the first days of the Fukushima nuclear disaster was almost two and a half times the initial estimate by Japanese safety regulators, the operator of the crippled plant said in a report released on Thursday.
The operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, said the meltdowns it believes took place at three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant released about 900,000 terabecquerels of radioactive substances into the air during March 2011. The accident, which followed an earthquake and a tsunami, occurred on March 11.
The latest estimate was based on measurements suggesting the amount of iodine-131 released by the nuclear accident was much larger than previous estimates, the utility said in the report. Iodine-131 is a fast-decaying radioactive substance produced by fission that takes place inside a nuclear reactor. It has a half-life of eight days and can cause thyroid cancer.
It is difficult to judge the health effects of the larger-than-reported release, since even the latest number is an estimate, and it does not clarify how much exposure people received or continue to receive from contaminated soil and food. Experts have been divided on the health impacts since the disaster because the studies of assessing radiation risks are based mainly on a different type of exposure — the large doses delivered quickly by the atomic bombs in Japan in 1945.
Although people who lived closest to the plant were evacuated, many people remain in areas with significantly higher radiation levels than normal.
Tokyo Electric said it had initially been unable to accurately judge the amount of radioactive materials released soon after the accident because radiation sensors closest to the plant were disabled in the disaster.
“If this information had been available at the time, we could have used it in planning evacuations,” a spokesman for Tokyo Electric, Junichi Matsumoto, said at a news conference.
More than 99 percent of the radiation released by the accident came in the first three weeks, the utility company added.
The newly released information is likely to add to concerns among many Japanese that they were never told the extent of the accident or the risks it posed.
A terabecquerel is a trillion becquerels, a commonly used measure of the radiation emitted by a radioactive material.
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Climate Change
Pollution teams with thunderclouds to warm atmosphere
by Staff Writers
Richland WA (SPX)
 Inside a thunderstorm cloud, warm air rises in updrafts, pushing tiny aerosols from pollution or other particles upwards. Higher up, water vapor cools and condenses onto the aerosols to form droplets, building the cloud. At the same time, cold air falls, creating a convective cycle. Generally, the top of the cloud spreads out like an anvil. |
Pollution is warming the atmosphere through summer thunderstorm clouds, according to a computational study published May 10 in Geophysical Research Letters. How much the warming effect of these clouds offsets the cooling that other clouds provide is not yet clear. To find out, researchers need to incorporate this new-found warming into global climate models.
Pollution strengthens thunderstorm clouds, causing their anvil-shaped tops to spread out high in the atmosphere and capture heat – especially at night, said lead author and climate researcher Jiwen Fan of the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
“Global climate models don’t see this effect because thunderstorm clouds simulated in those models do not include enough detail,” said Fan. “The large amount of heat trapped by the pollution-enhanced clouds could potentially impact regional circulation and modify weather systems.”
Clouds are one of the most poorly understood components of Earth’s climate system. Called deep convective clouds, thunderstorm clouds reflect a lot of the sun’s energy back into space, trap heat that rises from the surface, and return evaporated water back to the surface as rain, making them an important part of the climate cycle.
To more realistically model clouds on a small scale, such as in this study, researchers use the physics of temperature, water, gases and aerosols – tiny particles in the air such as pollution, salt or dust on which cloud droplets form.
In large-scale models that look at regions or the entire globe, researchers substitute a stand-in called a parameterization to account for deep convective clouds. The size of the grid in global models can be a hundred times bigger than an actual thunderhead, making a substitute necessary.
However, thunderheads are complicated, dynamic clouds. Coming up with an accurate parameterization is important but has been difficult due to their dynamic nature.
Inside a thunderstorm cloud, warm air rises in updrafts, pushing tiny aerosols from pollution or other particles upwards. Higher up, water vapor cools and condenses onto the aerosols to form droplets, building the cloud. At the same time, cold air falls, creating a convective cycle. Generally, the top of the cloud spreads out like an anvil.
Previous work showed that when it’s not too windy, pollution leads to bigger clouds . This occurs because more pollution particles divide up the available water for droplets, leading to a higher number of smaller droplets that are too small to rain. Instead of raining, the small droplets ride the updrafts higher, where they freeze and absorb more water vapor. Collectively, these events lead to bigger, more vigorous convective clouds that live longer.
Now, researchers from PNNL, Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the University of Maryland took to high-performance computing to study the invigoration effect on a regional scale.
To find out which factors contribute the most to the invigoration, Fan and colleagues set up computer simulations for two different types of storm systems: warm summer thunderstorms in southeastern China and cool, windy frontal systems on the Great Plains of Oklahoma. The data used for the study was collected by different DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement facilities.
The simulations had a resolution that was high enough to allow the team to see the clouds develop. The researchers then varied conditions such as wind speed and air pollution.
Fan and colleagues found that for the warm summer thunderstorms, pollution led to stronger storms with larger anvils. Compared to the cloud anvils that developed in clean air, the larger anvils both warmed more – by trapping more heat – and cooled more – by reflecting additional sunlight back to space. On average, however, the warming effect dominated.
The springtime frontal clouds did not have a similarly significant warming effect. Also, increasing the wind speed in the summer clouds dampened the invigoration by aerosols and led to less warming.
This is the first time researchers showed that pollution increased warming by enlarging thunderstorm clouds. The warming was surprisingly strong at the top of the atmosphere during the day when the storms occurred. The pollution-enhanced anvils also trapped more heat at night, leading to warmer nights.
“Those numbers for the warming are very big,” said Fan, “but they are calculated only for the exact day when the thunderstorms occur. Over a longer time-scale such as a month or a season, the average amount of warming would be less because those clouds would not appear everyday.”
Next, the researchers will look into these effects on longer time scales. They will also try to incorporate the invigoration effect in global climate models.
Reference: Jiwen Fan, Daniel Rosenfeld, Yanni Ding, L. Ruby Leung, and Zhanqing Li, 2012. Potential Aerosol Indirect Effects on Atmospheric Circulation and Radiative Forcing through Deep Convection, Geophys. Res. Lett. May 10, DOI 10.1029/2012GL051851.
Related Links
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
The Air We Breathe at TerraDaily.com
‘Scientific experts’ confounded by increasing snow cover on Mount Kilimanjaro
eTN Tanzania
Constituting the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro is slowly building up its snow cover, allaying the fears of prominent scientists who had predicted witnessing the eminence lose its famous white hat. The drifts are slowly thickening on the top point of this summit, giving new hopes to Mount Kilimanjaro environmental watchdogs and tourists that the peak may not lose its beautiful snowy cap, as scientific experts have long been warning.
Covered in mist for most of the day, Mount Kilimanjaro is the most tourist-attractive site in Tanzania, pulling in tens of thousands of foreigners and locals each year. The snow, which once had disappeared on some parts of the mountain, is piling up again gradually, making a beautiful picture out of the Kibo peak.
Sources from Kilimanjaro environmental groups said this precipitation could rise to cover most areas of the mountain, but the effects of climate change and global warming could still affect the peak’s snow layers, which have been becoming thinner and thinner.
Environmentalists had warned that this highest peak in Africa could lose its ice cover and glaciers between 2018 and 2020 unless global campaigns to save the mountain’s ecology were taken and a stop put to rampant tree-felling and unchecked agricultural activity on its slopes.
The writer of this article observed during this week’s flight closer to the mountain, recovering snow piled up, covering the whole mountain peak.
Despite several warnings by scientists over disappearing snow, new hopes are rising to see this highest peak in Africa regain its face through stringent environmental protection campaigns.
Kilimanjaro Area Governor Mr. Leonidas Gama said environmental degradation has to be checked by all possible means lest Kilimanjaro residents live to regret it, adding that after inspecting the natural plants and plantation forests on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro aboard a hired helicopter, he found people harvesting timber, and livestock grazing in different areas, with total impunity.
“The situation has become alarming and has to be arrested now, to restore the former glories of the mountain, the highest peak in Africa, one of the World Heritage sites and an absolute destination choice of foreign visitors to our country,” Gama said.
He said residents should be sensitized to the need to lend their hands to reforestation practices, so as to ensure that the region becomes once again a choice place to live in, with all its natural resources intact. He expressed the need to deploy security organizations to curb the ever-worsening scourge of timber-harvesting from natural and reserved forest areas.
This reporter observed with enthusiasm during the recent flight around the mountain’s peak that there was a deepening of the snow, which had once practically disappeared.
Standing freely and majestically with its frozen cover gleaming in the sun, our beloved Kilimanjaro has been in great danger of losing its eye-catching glaciers. The mountain is located some 330 kilometers and 3 degrees south of the equator.
Mount Kilimanjaro is an awesome and magnificent peak, one of the prides of Africa, and one of the chief free-standing mountains in the world. It is composed of three independent peaks – Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira – covering a total area of 4,000 kilometers.
The snow-capped Kibo, with permanent glaciers covering its entire tip, is the highest at 5,895 meters altitude and is the most attractive sight, pulling in over 40,000 foreign and local tourists per year.
This peak is indeed considered one of the leading tourist attractions in Tanzania, due to its beautiful appearance and its strange geological characteristics.
Global warming effects are being felt in most parts of Africa with important impacts indeed on tourist sites, included in which are Tanzanian wildlife parks and Mount Kilimanjaro’s unique ecosystem.
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Epidemic Hazards/Diseases
| Today | Epidemic Hazard | Ireland | West Cork, | |
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Epidemic Hazard in Ireland on Saturday, 26 May, 2012 at 05:27 (05:27 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Seventeen new case of measles have been reported during the last six days in an outbreak in southern Ireland.The total number of confirmed cases in West Cork, Ireland, stands at 42. Public health officials are urging parents to make certain their children are fully protected against the highly infectious illness, according to CorkIndependent.com.“At the moment, the best way to ensure safety is to ensure that babies are not exposed to older children who may not be vaccinated and who are incubating the disease,” Dr. Fiona Ryan, a consultant in public health medicine, said, CorkIndependent.com reports. “Some cases have unvaccinated brothers and sisters, so they are very likely to become infected. Unfortunately the symptoms are very non-specific before they get the rash.”Two doses of the MMR vaccine are recommended, with the first dose to be given at 12 months of age and the second between the ages of four and five.Children or teenagers who have not received both doses of the vaccine can have it administered by a general practitioner free of charge. Those affected in the outbreak have mainly been teenagers, but children under the age of 12 months are considered especially at risk.“We have a worry that it will spread to other children,” Ryan said, according to CorkIndependent.com. “We are expecting more cases.“In West Cork, we have quite a number of children that haven’t been vaccinated. There are so many unvaccinated that you are getting a lot of spread. It’s a very, very infectious disease.”The nationwide MMR vaccination rate in Ireland for children aged 24 months is 92 percent, but in West Cork 14 percent of children at that age remain unvaccinated. | |
| Biohazard name: | measles |
| Biohazard level: | 1/4 Low |
| Biohazard desc.: | Bacteria and viruses including Bacillus subtilis, canine hepatitis, Escherichia coli, varicella (chicken pox), as well as some cell cultures and non-infectious bacteria. At this level precautions against the biohazardous materials in question are minimal, most likely involving gloves and some sort of facial protection. Usually, contaminated materials are left in open (but separately indicated) waste receptacles. Decontamination procedures for this level are similar in most respects to modern precautions against everyday viruses (i.e.: washing one’s hands with anti-bacterial soap, washing all exposed surfaces of the lab with disinfectants, etc). In a lab environment, all materials used for cell and/or bacteria cultures are decontaminated via autoclave. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
| Today | Epidemic Hazard | Pakistan | [Bajaur Agency] | |
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Epidemic Hazard in Pakistan on Saturday, 26 May, 2012 at 05:19 (05:19 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| At least eight children have died in the past three days and dozens are sick after a measles outbreak across Bajaur Agency, senior health official Dr. Khursheed Khan told Central Asia Online.About 30 other children are sick, but their condition is good now, Khursheed said May 25.Vaccinators have been deployed to vaccinate the children. “We have also sent a mobile hospital to the affected areas to ensure that children in inaccessible areas are administered vaccine,” he said.He attributed the outbreak to a lapse in vaccinations in some insurgency-prone areas over the past three months.In North Waziristan Agency, 20 children have died from measles in the past two weeks, he said. | |
| Biohazard name: | measles |
| Biohazard level: | 1/4 Low |
| Biohazard desc.: | Bacteria and viruses including Bacillus subtilis, canine hepatitis, Escherichia coli, varicella (chicken pox), as well as some cell cultures and non-infectious bacteria. At this level precautions against the biohazardous materials in question are minimal, most likely involving gloves and some sort of facial protection. Usually, contaminated materials are left in open (but separately indicated) waste receptacles. Decontamination procedures for this level are similar in most respects to modern precautions against everyday viruses (i.e.: washing one’s hands with anti-bacterial soap, washing all exposed surfaces of the lab with disinfectants, etc). In a lab environment, all materials used for cell and/or bacteria cultures are decontaminated via autoclave. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
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Solar Activity
2MIN News May25: ArticQuake, Hurricane Bud, Solar/Planetary Update
Published on May 25, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers
New Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2149227/Gospel-Barnabas-cause-… Thanks Dee
http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/storms/2012/Bud
http://phys.org/news/2012-05-spacex-readies-space-station-rendezvous.html
http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4777/nomads-of-the-galaxy
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]
HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]
LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php
SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos – as seen from earth]
SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT – as seen from earth]
Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI – as seen from the side]
SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it… trust me]
SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]
iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/cme-based/ [CME Evolution]
RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]
Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can’t figure out what this one is for?]
BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]
TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]
GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]
INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]
NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/
PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]
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Space
UPCOMING CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH |
| 1 AU = ~150 million kilometers 1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers |
| Object Name |
Close Approach Date |
Miss Distance (AU) |
Miss Distance (LD) |
Estimated Diameter* |
H (mag) |
Relative Velocity (km/s) |
| (2012 KO11) | 2012-May-25 | 0.0731 | 28.4 | 30 m – 66 m | 24.8 | 8.88 |
| (2012 HL8) | 2012-May-25 | 0.1316 | 51.2 | 49 m – 110 m | 23.7 | 6.64 |
| (2012 KD6) | 2012-May-25 | 0.0335 | 13.0 | 52 m – 120 m | 23.5 | 10.47 |
| (2012 KX) | 2012-May-26 | 0.0566 | 22.0 | 59 m – 130 m | 23.3 | 7.07 |
| 154330 (2002 VX94) | 2012-May-26 | 0.1869 | 72.8 | 670 m – 1.5 km | 18.0 | 13.62 |
| (2012 KF25) | 2012-May-26 | 0.0291 | 11.3 | 23 m – 52 m | 25.3 | 8.61 |
| (2002 AW) | 2012-May-26 | 0.1924 | 74.9 | 210 m – 460 m | 20.6 | 6.95 |
| (2012 KB4) | 2012-May-27 | 0.0904 | 35.2 | 22 m – 49 m | 25.4 | 3.44 |
| (2012 KP24) | 2012-May-28 | 0.0004 | 0.1 | 16 m – 36 m | 26.1 | 13.33 |
| (2001 CQ36) | 2012-May-30 | 0.0258 | 10.0 | 77 m – 170 m | 22.7 | 5.62 |
| (2002 OA22) | 2012-May-31 | 0.1197 | 46.6 | 360 m – 820 m | 19.3 | 7.01 |
| (2007 LE) | 2012-Jun-02 | 0.0478 | 18.6 | 390 m – 870 m | 19.2 | 19.77 |
| (2012 KO18) | 2012-Jun-02 | 0.0827 | 32.2 | 100 m – 220 m | 22.1 | 15.29 |
| (2012 JW11) | 2012-Jun-02 | 0.1309 | 51.0 | 110 m – 250 m | 21.9 | 5.14 |
| (2012 HK31) | 2012-Jun-04 | 0.0336 | 13.1 | 22 m – 49 m | 25.4 | 3.03 |
| (2012 KN18) | 2012-Jun-05 | 0.0424 | 16.5 | 34 m – 76 m | 24.5 | 10.29 |
| (2008 MG1) | 2012-Jun-05 | 0.1268 | 49.3 | 290 m – 640 m | 19.8 | 22.32 |
| (2009 LE) | 2012-Jun-06 | 0.1150 | 44.8 | 50 m – 110 m | 23.6 | 13.61 |
| (2006 SG7) | 2012-Jun-06 | 0.0857 | 33.4 | 71 m – 160 m | 22.9 | 16.47 |
| (2001 LB) | 2012-Jun-07 | 0.0729 | 28.4 | 210 m – 470 m | 20.5 | 11.56 |
| (2012 JU11) | 2012-Jun-09 | 0.0731 | 28.4 | 27 m – 60 m | 25.0 | 3.77 |
| (2012 GX11) | 2012-Jun-10 | 0.1556 | 60.5 | 170 m – 380 m | 21.0 | 6.38 |
| (2012 KM11) | 2012-Jun-14 | 0.0933 | 36.3 | 30 m – 66 m | 24.8 | 5.91 |
| (2012 HN40) | 2012-Jun-15 | 0.1182 | 46.0 | 240 m – 530 m | 20.3 | 13.79 |
| (2002 AC) | 2012-Jun-16 | 0.1598 | 62.2 | 740 m – 1.7 km | 17.8 | 26.71 |
| 137120 (1999 BJ8) | 2012-Jun-16 | 0.1769 | 68.8 | 670 m – 1.5 km | 18.0 | 14.88 |
| (2011 KR12) | 2012-Jun-19 | 0.1318 | 51.3 | 140 m – 310 m | 21.4 | 10.10 |
| (2004 HB39) | 2012-Jun-20 | 0.1605 | 62.5 | 77 m – 170 m | 22.7 | 8.88 |
| (2008 CE119) | 2012-Jun-21 | 0.1811 | 70.5 | 21 m – 46 m | 25.5 | 3.22 |
| 308242 (2005 GO21) | 2012-Jun-21 | 0.0440 | 17.1 | 1.4 km – 3.1 km | 16.4 | 13.27 |
| (2011 AH5) | 2012-Jun-25 | 0.1670 | 65.0 | 17 m – 39 m | 25.9 | 5.84 |
| (2012 FA14) | 2012-Jun-25 | 0.0322 | 12.5 | 75 m – 170 m | 22.8 | 5.28 |
| (2004 YG1) | 2012-Jun-25 | 0.0890 | 34.7 | 140 m – 310 m | 21.4 | 11.34 |
| (2010 AF3) | 2012-Jun-25 | 0.1190 | 46.3 | 16 m – 36 m | 26.1 | 6.54 |
| (2008 YT30) | 2012-Jun-26 | 0.0715 | 27.8 | 370 m – 820 m | 19.3 | 10.70 |
| (2010 NY65) | 2012-Jun-27 | 0.1023 | 39.8 | 120 m – 270 m | 21.7 | 15.09 |
| (2008 WM64) | 2012-Jun-28 | 0.1449 | 56.4 | 200 m – 440 m | 20.6 | 17.31 |
| (2010 CD55) | 2012-Jun-28 | 0.1975 | 76.8 | 64 m – 140 m | 23.1 | 6.33 |
| (2004 CL) | 2012-Jun-30 | 0.1113 | 43.3 | 220 m – 480 m | 20.5 | 20.75 |
| (2008 YQ2) | 2012-Jul-03 | 0.1057 | 41.1 | 29 m – 65 m | 24.8 | 15.60 |
| (2005 QQ30) | 2012-Jul-06 | 0.1765 | 68.7 | 280 m – 620 m | 19.9 | 13.13 |
| (2011 YJ28) | 2012-Jul-06 | 0.1383 | 53.8 | 150 m – 330 m | 21.3 | 14.19 |
| 276392 (2002 XH4) | 2012-Jul-07 | 0.1851 | 72.0 | 370 m – 840 m | 19.3 | 7.76 |
| (2003 MK4) | 2012-Jul-08 | 0.1673 | 65.1 | 180 m – 410 m | 20.8 | 14.35 |
| (1999 NW2) | 2012-Jul-08 | 0.0853 | 33.2 | 62 m – 140 m | 23.1 | 6.66 |
| 189P/NEAT | 2012-Jul-09 | 0.1720 | 66.9 | n/a | 0.0 | 12.47 |
| (2000 JB6) | 2012-Jul-10 | 0.1780 | 69.3 | 500 m – 1.1 km | 18.6 | 6.42 |
| (2010 MJ1) | 2012-Jul-10 | 0.1533 | 59.7 | 52 m – 120 m | 23.6 | 10.35 |
| (2008 NP3) | 2012-Jul-12 | 0.1572 | 61.2 | 57 m – 130 m | 23.3 | 6.08 |
| (2006 BV39) | 2012-Jul-12 | 0.1132 | 44.1 | 4.2 m – 9.5 m | 29.0 | 11.11 |
| (2005 NE21) | 2012-Jul-15 | 0.1555 | 60.5 | 140 m – 320 m | 21.3 | 10.77 |
| (2003 KU2) | 2012-Jul-15 | 0.1034 | 40.2 | 780 m – 1.7 km | 17.7 | 17.12 |
| (2007 TN74) | 2012-Jul-16 | 0.1718 | 66.9 | 20 m – 45 m | 25.6 | 7.36 |
| (2007 DD) | 2012-Jul-16 | 0.1101 | 42.8 | 19 m – 42 m | 25.8 | 6.47 |
| (2006 BC8) | 2012-Jul-16 | 0.1584 | 61.6 | 25 m – 56 m | 25.1 | 17.71 |
| 144411 (2004 EW9) | 2012-Jul-16 | 0.1202 | 46.8 | 1.3 km – 2.9 km | 16.5 | 10.90 |
| (2012 BV26) | 2012-Jul-18 | 0.1759 | 68.4 | 94 m – 210 m | 22.2 | 10.88 |
| (2010 OB101) | 2012-Jul-19 | 0.1196 | 46.6 | 200 m – 450 m | 20.6 | 13.34 |
| (2008 OX1) | 2012-Jul-20 | 0.1873 | 72.9 | 130 m – 300 m | 21.5 | 15.35 |
| (2010 GK65) | 2012-Jul-21 | 0.1696 | 66.0 | 34 m – 75 m | 24.5 | 17.80 |
| (2011 OJ45) | 2012-Jul-21 | 0.1367 | 53.2 | 18 m – 39 m | 25.9 | 3.79 |
| 153958 (2002 AM31) | 2012-Jul-22 | 0.0351 | 13.7 | 630 m – 1.4 km | 18.1 | 9.55 |
| (2011 CA7) | 2012-Jul-23 | 0.1492 | 58.1 | 2.3 m – 5.1 m | 30.3 | 5.43 |
| (2012 BB124) | 2012-Jul-24 | 0.1610 | 62.7 | 170 m – 380 m | 21.0 | 8.78 |
| (2009 PC) | 2012-Jul-28 | 0.1772 | 68.9 | 61 m – 140 m | 23.2 | 7.34 |
| 217013 (2001 AA50) | 2012-Jul-31 | 0.1355 | 52.7 | 580 m – 1.3 km | 18.3 | 22.15 |
| (2012 DS30) | 2012-Aug-02 | 0.1224 | 47.6 | 18 m – 39 m | 25.9 | 5.39 |
| (2000 RN77) | 2012-Aug-03 | 0.1955 | 76.1 | 410 m – 920 m | 19.0 | 9.87 |
| (2004 SB56) | 2012-Aug-04 | 0.1393 | 54.2 | 380 m – 840 m | 19.2 | 13.72 |
| (2000 SD8) | 2012-Aug-04 | 0.1675 | 65.2 | 180 m – 400 m | 20.9 | 5.82 |
| (2006 EC) | 2012-Aug-06 | 0.0932 | 36.3 | 13 m – 28 m | 26.6 | 6.13 |
| (2006 MV1) | 2012-Aug-07 | 0.0612 | 23.8 | 12 m – 28 m | 26.7 | 4.79 |
| (2005 RK3) | 2012-Aug-08 | 0.1843 | 71.7 | 52 m – 120 m | 23.6 | 8.27 |
| (2009 BW2) | 2012-Aug-09 | 0.0337 | 13.1 | 25 m – 56 m | 25.1 | 5.27 |
| 277475 (2005 WK4) | 2012-Aug-09 | 0.1283 | 49.9 | 260 m – 580 m | 20.1 | 6.18 |
| (2004 SC56) | 2012-Aug-09 | 0.0811 | 31.6 | 74 m – 170 m | 22.8 | 10.57 |
| (2008 AF4) | 2012-Aug-10 | 0.1936 | 75.3 | 310 m – 690 m | 19.7 | 16.05 |
| 37655 Illapa | 2012-Aug-12 | 0.0951 | 37.0 | 770 m – 1.7 km | 17.7 | 28.73 |
| (2012 HS15) | 2012-Aug-14 | 0.1803 | 70.2 | 220 m – 490 m | 20.4 | 11.54 |
| 4581 Asclepius | 2012-Aug-16 | 0.1079 | 42.0 | 220 m – 490 m | 20.4 | 13.48 |
* Diameter estimates based on the object’s absolute magnitude.
*************************************************************************************************************
Mysterious Sightings
Fireball, UFO, flare? US Airways Express flight crew sees mysterious object
newsnet5.com
A US Airways Express flight crew reported seeing what looked like a flare with a smoke trail in the vicinity of its aircraft while on approach to Philadelphia International Airport on Tuesday.
According to authorities, what the crew witnessed remains a mystery. The aircraft with 34 passengers and three crew members landed safely.
Flight 4321, originating from Elmira-Corning Regional Airport, was about 500 feet above the ground in Philadelphia when the incident took place.
After landing in Philadelphia, the aircraft taxied to the gate, according to US Airways spokesman Liz Landau. Runway 17 was closed for about 30 minutes after the incident for investigation, the FAA said. Law enforcement authorities are investigating the incident.
The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Dash 8 twin engine plane operated for US Airways by Piedmont Airlines.
CNN’s Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.
Source: 2012 Cable News Network, Inc.
Strange objects over Blue Springs, Missouri
KCTV
(US) Strange lights in the night sky over Blue Springs have UFO investigators interested.
Neighbors say in the past two weeks they have seen multi-colored lights in the sky, and the Missouri UFO Network is now conducting its own investigation. The video of these orbs hovering is causing quite the debate in Blue Springs and is the topic of discussion in the quiet suburb.
Robert Kover first noticed it two weeks ago and went down to get a closer look. He was confronted by a neighbor who thought he was spying on women, until he handed her his binoculars.
“I showed her the star that in the sky, just to get somebody else’s perspective on it, and they said they had never seen anything like it before,” Kover said.
Becky Neely said it was vibrating red, green and blue lights.
“It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before, but with binoculars we could see it fairly well, and it was off in the distance,” Neely said.
Teresa Price saw it as well, at least twice. The same night Kover and Neely did and again when she was walking her dogs the following week. However, this time, things were even more bizarre.
“It was up in the sky and then it just dropped and stayed stationary in that lower position,” Teresa Price said.
Price had seen KCTV5’s recent news report on domestic drones that are now being used by local governments and law enforcement agencies and thought that was what it was.
“It kind of made me think that there is some sort of drone out there. Why is it out at night? I don’t know,” Price said.
Kover called the KCTV5 Investigative Hotline and posted a sighting on a UFO spotters website. The night of a interview, KCTV5’s Dave Jordan spotted similar sightings.
Kover was contacted by Margie Kay with the Missouri UFO Network, who decided to investigate for herself the following night.
Kay interviewed everyone who claimed to have seen the UFOs and then set up telescopes to watch the sightings herself. Neighbors came out hoping to see similar activity that captivated the community.
As the sky darkened, one of them appeared. Kay initially dismissed it.
“I am 90 percent sure we are looking at Vega in this instance, and they’re some other planets out right now,” said Margie Kay with the Missouri UFO Network.
But she came to a different conclusion after others starting appearing. And after she put in a call to a colleague to take a look at what she thought was Vega, that person described it as Pure White.
“That is not what we are seeing. We’re seeing colors in this. I see green in this one and in the other I see red, green and blue,” Kay said. “I don’t think it’s a planet at this point. I don’t know what it is. It’s unidentified.”
KCTV5 contacted Blue Springs police, and they have said they haven’t received any calls about this. KCTV5 also contacted NORAD, and a spokesman said that he did hear about similar sighting, but he wasn’t sure if it was in Missouri because that division of NORAD monitors the entire Midwest.
Show In The Sky:
Strange, Dancing, Shape-Shifting Lights Over Milford, Pennsylvania
MessageToEagle.com – These strange lights seen dancing in the skies over Milford, Pennsylvania were filmed with an android phone.
As you can see the light, flicker, change not only color, but shape as well!
What could they be?
Youtube user lisah6083 who filmed these mysterious lights says they look like stars, but she also points out it was a crystal clear night.
| “You could see every star in the sky but they are so small that my camera doesn’t even pick them up.These were large bright objects moving slowly to the left.
No noise. And they had a orange, flickering type appearance. I believe some of them even disappeared in a flash. Hard to tell they are moving in the pic, but in person they were all moving in a clear path across the sky. When the seem to “squiggle” in the sky that’s just me moving my camera. The noise in the background is a motorcycle that came across…. completely oblivious to the lights in the sky, ” lisah6083 says. |
The lights appear at about 0:17According to lisah6083 there was also another eyewitness who saw the dancing lights in the sky.
It was an amazing light show in the night sky.
Have you taken any interesting images or filmed something unusual? Remember you can always send the images to us so we can publish them.
MessageToEagle.com
See also:
Mysterious Object Falls From The Sky After Explosion
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Biological Hazards/Wildlife
Astana: A massive wave of deaths has been reported among the endangered saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan. Around 540 carcasses of the animal has been found in the country, RIA Novosti reported Thursday.
According to the Kazakh agriculture ministry, the carcasses were found in the Kostanai region.
“Aviation monitoring today (Thursday) discovered a new concentration of saiga deaths with the approximate number of dead animals reaching beyond 400,” the ministry said.
Last year, at least 12,000 saiga antelopes died in Kazakhstan, presumably from pasteurellosis infection and from overeating. In November 2010, Kazakhstan introduced a ban on saiga hunting.
The latest statistics put the number of saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan at 85,500. The country spends $800,000 annually to prevent the deaths.
Saiga were virtually exterminated in the 1920s but then their numbers increased in the 1950s. The animals mostly became endangered because of hunting and the high demand for their horns in traditional Chinese medicine.
Saiga are also found in Russia’s Kalmykia region and in Mongolia.
IANS
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Articles of Interest
Latest Southern Ocean research shows continuing deep ocean change
by Staff Writers
Canberra, Australia (SPX)
 Deploying a mooring carrying a suite of monitoring sensors into the sea ice. Credit: Steve Rintoul. |
Comparing detailed measurements taken during the Australian Antarctic program’s 2012 Southern Ocean marine science voyage to historical data dating back to 1970, scientists estimate there has been as much as a 60 per cent reduction in the volume of Antarctic Bottom Water, the cold dense water that drives global ocean currents.
In an intensive and arduous 25-day observing program, temperature and salinity samples were collected at 77 sites between Antarctica and Fremantle. Such ship transects provide the only means to detect changes in the deep ocean.
The new measurements, which have not yet been published, suggest the densest waters in the world ocean are gradually disappearing and being replaced by less dense waters.
“The amount of dense Antarctic Bottom Water has contracted each time we’ve measured it since the 1970s,” said Dr Steve Rintoul, of CSIRO and the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC. “There is now only about 40 per cent as much dense water present as observed in 1970.”
The ocean profiles also show that the dense water formed around Antarctica has become less saline since 1970.
“It’s a clear signal to us that the oceans are responding rapidly to variations in climate in polar regions. The sinking of dense water around Antarctica is part of a global pattern of ocean currents that has a strong influence on climate, so evidence that these waters are changing is important,” Dr Rintoul said.
The research was carried out by more than 50 scientists on the Australian Antarctic Division’s research and resupply vessel Aurora Australis, which sailed to Commonwealth Bay, west along the Antarctic coast, and returned into Fremantle.
The Australian Antarctic Division’s Chief Scientist, Dr Nick Gales, said the findings of the oceanographic study are profoundly important.
“Not only will this research improve our understanding of ocean currents, but will also feed into our knowledge of how the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic continent drives the world’s climate processes,” Dr Gales said.
Dr Rintoul was Chief Scientist on the recent voyage and has made a dozen voyages to the Southern Ocean. “When we speak of global warming, we really mean ocean warming: more than 90 per cent of the extra heat energy stored by the earth over the last 50 years has gone into warming up the ocean.
The Southern Ocean is particularly important because it stores more heat and carbon dioxide released by human activities than any other region, and so helps to slow the rate of climate change” Dr Rintoul said. “A key goal of our work is to determine if the Southern Ocean will continue to play this role in the future.”
The causes of the observed changes in the Southern Ocean are not yet fully understood. Changes in winds, sea ice, precipitation, or melt of floating glacial ice around the edge of Antarctica may be responsible. Data collected on the latest voyage will help unravel this mystery.
A major challenge is the lack of observations at high latitude, where much of the ocean is covered by sea ice in winter. During the voyage scientists deployed nine drifting profilers, called Argo floats, which will transmit profiles of temperature and salinity every 10 days for the next five years. These ice-capable floats in the seasonal ice zone in the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean are funded through Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System.
“The Argo floats have revolutionised our ability to measure the ocean, particularly in winter when ship observations are very rare,” said Dr Rintoul. “On this voyage, we deployed a new kind of float designed to survive encounters with the sea ice. These floats will allow us to see how dense water forms in winter for the first time.”
The Aurora Australis visited Commonwealth Bay as part of a celebration of the centenary of Sir Douglas Mawson’s Australian Antarctic Expedition. Dr Rintoul’s team had the opportunity to repeat oceanographic measurements made by Mawson’s team 100 years ago, obtaining one of the few century-long records obtained anywhere in the ocean.
“Our measurements collected in 2012 are quite different to those collected by Mawson in 1912,” Dr Rintoul said. “This is an indication of a change in the ocean currents that may be related to a reduction in the amount of dense water formed near Antarctica.”
“Mawson’s expedition really marked the transition from the “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration to a period where science was the primary motivation for Antarctic expeditions. I think he would have gotten a real kick out of the idea that measurements made by his team a century ago are still useful and that Australian scientists are continuing his legacy by studying Antarctica and its connection to the rest of the globe.”
Related Links
CSIRO
Water News – Science, Technology and Politics
Ancient giant turtle fossil revealed
by Staff Writers
Raleigh NC (SPX)
 This is a reconstruction of Carbonemys preying upon a small crocodylomorph. Credit: Artwork by Liz Bradford. |
Picture a turtle the size of a Smart car, with a shell large enough to double as a kiddie pool. Paleontologists from North Carolina State University have found just such a specimen – the fossilized remains of a 60-million-year-old South American giant that lived in what is now Colombia.
The turtle in question is Carbonemys cofrinii, which means “coal turtle,” and is part of a group of side-necked turtles known as pelomedusoides. The fossil was named Carbonemys because it was discovered in 2005 in a coal mine that was part of northern Colombia’s Cerrejon formation.
The specimen’s skull measures 24 centimeters, roughly the size of a regulation NFL football. The shell which was recovered nearby – and is believed to belong to the same species – measures 172 centimeters, or about 5 feet 7 inches, long. That’s the same height as Edwin Cadena, the NC State doctoral student who discovered the fossil.
“We had recovered smaller turtle specimens from the site. But after spending about four days working on uncovering the shell, I realized that this particular turtle was the biggest anyone had found in this area for this time period – and it gave us the first evidence of giantism in freshwater turtles,” Cadena says.
Smaller relatives of Carbonemys existed alongside dinosaurs. But the giant version appeared five million years after the dinosaurs vanished, during a period when giant varieties of many different reptiles – including Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever discovered – lived in this part of South America.
Researchers believe that a combination of changes in the ecosystem, including fewer predators, a larger habitat area, plentiful food supply and climate changes, worked together to allow these giant species to survive. Carbonemys’ habitat would have resembled a much warmer modern-day Orinoco or Amazon River delta.
In addition to the turtle’s huge size, the fossil also shows that this particular turtle had massive, powerful jaws that would have enabled the omnivore to eat anything nearby – from mollusks to smaller turtles or even crocodiles.
Thus far, only one specimen of this size has been recovered. Dr. Dan Ksepka, NC State paleontologist and research associate at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, believes that this is because a turtle of this size would need a large territory in order to obtain enough food to survive.
“It’s like having one big snapping turtle living in the middle of a lake,” says Ksepka, co-author of the paper describing the find.
That turtle survives because it has eaten all of the major competitors for resources. We found many bite-marked shells at this site that show crocodilians preyed on side-necked turtles. None would have bothered an adult Carbonemys, though – in fact smaller crocs would have been easy prey for this behemoth.”
The paleontologists’ findings appear in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. Dr. Carlos Jaramillo from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and Dr. Jonathan Bloch from the Florida Museum of Natural History contributed to the work.
“New pelomedusoid turtles from the late Palaeocene Cerrejon Formation of Colombia and their implications for phylogeny and body size evolution” Authors: Edwin Cadena, Dan Ksepka, North Carolina State University; Carlos Jaramillo, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama; Jonathan Bloch, Florida Museum of Natural History Published: In the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology
Related Links
North Carolina State University
Explore The Early Earth at TerraDaily.com
| Today | Chemical Accident | USA | State of California, Santa Maria [C & D Zodiac Inc.] | |
|
Chemical Accident in USA on Saturday, 26 May, 2012 at 05:29 (05:29 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Hazardous material response crews are cleaning up about 20 gallons of industrial-strength paint that spilled this morning at C & D Zodiac Inc. in Santa Maria, sending one woman to the hospital for treatment of nausea.The spill happened just before 8 a.m., and in the wake of the incident, employees’ cars were streaming out of the lot on Airpark Drive due to a mandatory evacuation of the building. Some 800 employees were evacuated.The paint reportedly spilled after some shelving collapsed, dropping and puncturing some cans of water-based paint used to coat aircraft interiors.C & D Zodiac designs and manufactures aircraft interiors, such as overhead baggage bins. Scott Johnson, battalion chief with the Santa Maria Fire Department, said the paint had a low level of flammability and posed little hazard, but gave off some biting fumes that made several employees feel ill.“There was a nice amount of fumes in there and a big mess,” he added.Employees were expected to return to work around 11:30 a.m. after cleanup was complete, said C&D Zodiac General Manager Tony Guy. |
| 25.05.2012 | Chemical Accident | USA | State of Nebraska, [Tyson Fresh Meats Pork Plant] | |
|
Chemical Accident in USA on Friday, 25 May, 2012 at 08:37 (08:37 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| About 30 workers at the Tyson Foods pork plant in Madison, Neb., were taken to the hospital Thursday night after an anhydrous ammonia leak.The employees were directly exposed to ammonia and needed medical care, a spokeswoman for Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk told KTIV-TV in Sioux City, Iowa.Ten of the injured workers were taken by ambulance to the Norfolk hospital about 8:45 p.m.“Patients were quickly assessed for severity of inhalation and potential contamination,” Kelly Driscoll, vice president of patient care services, told KTIV.“All 10 patients were found to suffer from minor chemical inhalation, were treated and then released.”The leak was at the Tyson Fresh Meats Pork Plant. The Tyson plant, with 1,200 full-time employees, is the largest employer in Madison, which has a population of 2,438. |
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When I was younger I was lucky enough to have a job that allowed me to travel to some relatively exotic locations. As a jewelry importer, I visited rural Mexico and Italy on several occasions. I never hit the big tourist destinations – my time was spent in small villages where the culture was very unique to the area.
In the event of an 
The state Department of Environment investigated a fish kill by the boat ramp in Merritt Point Park. (Gene Sweeney Jr., Baltimore Sun / May 23, 2012)
The new law, which takes effect Jan 1, prohibits the use, sale, or distribution of commercial feed containing arsenic and specifically mentions two Pfizer drugs that contain arsenic: Roxarsone, which the company voluntarily withdrew from the market last year, and Histostat, which is still on the market.
Courtesy Robin Pierre
Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell 
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The modern cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. Photograph courtesy University of Virginia.
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