Earth Watch Report – Sunday May 27th, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk			Source	Details
27.05.2012 10:25:28	4.9	Asia	Japan		Erimo				EMSC
27.05.2012 10:50:41	4.8	Asia	Japan	Hokkaido	Erimo				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 10:25:49	2.2	Europe	Italy		Crevalcore				EMSC
27.05.2012 10:00:25	4.3	Caribbean	U.S. Virgin Islands		Bovoni				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 10:26:09	4.3	Caribbean Sea	U.S. Virgin Islands		Bovoni				EMSC
27.05.2012 10:40:39	4.3	Caribean	U.S. Virgin Islands		Bovoni				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 09:50:36	4.4	Caribean	U.S. Virgin Islands		Nazareth				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 09:15:35	2.7	North America	United States	Alaska	Beluga				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 09:20:29	2.9	Asia	Turkey		Alacak				EMSC
27.05.2012 09:20:54	2.9	Europe	Greece		Kattavia				EMSC
27.05.2012 09:21:12	3.1	Europe	Italy		Scortichino				EMSC
27.05.2012 09:45:31	2.5	Caribbean	Puerto Rico		Corcega				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 08:20:29	2.7	Europe	Greece		Megalon Livadhion				EMSC
27.05.2012 08:20:50	3.5	Europe	Romania		Bradetu				EMSC
27.05.2012 08:21:10	2.0	Asia	Turkey		Karaca				EMSC
27.05.2012 08:21:30	2.9	Europe	Italy		Ghisione				EMSC
27.05.2012 08:21:48	2.1	Europe	Italy		La Pettenella				EMSC
27.05.2012 07:45:36	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Yakutat				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 08:22:10	3.0	Asia	Turkey		Alakilise				EMSC
27.05.2012 08:22:29	2.2	Europe	Italy		Il Motto				EMSC
27.05.2012 08:22:51	4.6	South-America	Peru		Nunez				EMSC
27.05.2012 07:40:35	4.7	South America	Peru	Departamento de Ica	San Clemente				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 08:23:12	2.8	Asia	Turkey		Inlice				EMSC
27.05.2012 08:30:30	3.1	Caribbean	Puerto Rico		Jose P H Hernandez (subdivision)				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 07:22:17	3.1	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand		Sumner				GEONET
27.05.2012 06:55:28	2.7	North America	United States	California	Indio Hills				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 07:20:30	2.7	Europe	Italy		Bellariva				EMSC
27.05.2012 07:20:51	2.6	Europe	Italy		La Pettenella				EMSC
27.05.2012 06:10:29	5.3	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia		Seai				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 06:15:35	5.3	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Bulatmonga				EMSC
27.05.2012 05:47:20	2.2	North America	United States	California	Whitmore Hot Springs				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 06:15:56	2.5	Europe	Greece		Nafpaktos				EMSC
27.05.2012 06:05:29	2.9	Caribbean	Puerto Rico		Aguacate				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 05:48:19	4.3	Europe	Sweden	(( Skaraborgs Lan ))	Vastbacken				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 06:16:19	4.2	Europe	Sweden		Vastbacken				EMSC
27.05.2012 06:16:40	2.2	Europe	Italy		Ponte Trevisani				EMSC
27.05.2012 06:17:01	2.8	Asia	Turkey		Bekdemir				EMSC
27.05.2012 06:17:22	2.1	Europe	Italy		Casa Novara				EMSC
27.05.2012 06:17:43	2.2	Europe	Italy		Mirabello				EMSC
27.05.2012 06:18:04	2.0	Europe	Italy		La Pettenella				EMSC
27.05.2012 05:15:29	3.2	Europe	Italy		Stellata				EMSC
27.05.2012 05:15:52	2.3	Europe	Italy		Finale Emilia				EMSC
27.05.2012 05:16:16	2.2	Europe	Italy		La Massara				EMSC
27.05.2012 05:16:37	2.7	Europe	Italy		La Massara				EMSC
27.05.2012 04:15:23	2.2	Europe	Italy		Finale Emilia				EMSC
27.05.2012 05:16:59	2.4	Asia	Turkey		Agarti				EMSC
27.05.2012 04:10:26	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Kantishna				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 04:10:47	4.4	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Sasu				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 04:15:42	4.4	Asia	Japan		Sasu				EMSC
27.05.2012 04:40:31	2.7	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		Belle Vue				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 04:16:03	2.4	Europe	Italy		Chiusa				EMSC
27.05.2012 05:17:19	2.3	Asia	Turkey		Karliyamac				EMSC
27.05.2012 04:16:30	2.3	Europe	Italy		San Giacomo Roncole				EMSC
27.05.2012 03:11:39	2.2	Europe	Italy		Pollara				EMSC
27.05.2012 02:55:26	2.2	North America	United States	California	Desert Sands Mobile Home Park				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 03:12:00	2.3	Europe	Italy		Gavello				EMSC
27.05.2012 03:12:21	2.8	Europe	Greece		Mikroulaiika				EMSC
27.05.2012 03:12:41	2.9	Asia	Turkey		Alakilise				EMSC
27.05.2012 03:25:30	2.4	North America	United States	Alaska	Akutan				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 03:13:02	2.7	Europe	Italy		Quarantoli				EMSC
27.05.2012 03:40:28	3.1	Caribbean	Puerto Rico		Soroco				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 02:10:24	2.0	Europe	Italy		Castrovillari				EMSC
27.05.2012 02:10:44	2.3	Asia	Turkey		Korucuk				EMSC
27.05.2012 02:11:05	2.5	Europe	Greece		Schoinas				EMSC
27.05.2012 02:11:26	2.5	Europe	Italy		San Nicola				EMSC
27.05.2012 01:05:39	2.3	Europe	Italy		Villa Magri				EMSC
27.05.2012 02:35:27	3.4	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		The Settlement				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 01:06:00	2.1	Europe	Italy		Santa Bianca				EMSC
27.05.2012 04:16:51	2.4	Asia	Turkey		Sarac				EMSC
27.05.2012 01:06:22	2.3	Europe	Italy		Case Oratorio				EMSC
27.05.2012 03:00:50	2.9	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand	Woodville County	Clifton				GEONET
27.05.2012 01:06:40	2.1	Europe	Italy		Casa Alta				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:05:37	2.0	Europe	Czech Republic		Karvina				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:05:58	5.5	Asia	Japan		Kitamura				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:10:26	5.5	Asia	Japan	Tokyo-to	Kitamura				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 00:10:32	5.5	Asia	Japan	Tokyo-to	Kitamura				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 00:06:20	2.6	Asia	Turkey		Satibey				EMSC
27.05.2012 01:07:02	3.0	Europe	Greece		Kattavia				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:06:41	2.0	Europe	Italy		Camposanto				EMSC
27.05.2012 08:23:34	3.2	Africa	Djibouti		Medeho				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:07:03	3.1	Asia	Turkey		Kozluca				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:07:24	3.9	Europe	Greece		Karpathos				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:07:45	2.1	Europe	Italy		Il Motto				EMSC
27.05.2012 01:07:21	2.6	Europe	Romania		Nereju Mic				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:08:06	3.1	Europe	Greece		Kattavia				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:08:31	2.0	Europe	Italy		Mirabello				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:08:50	3.9	Europe	Italy		Melara				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:09:16	2.2	Europe	Italy		Casa Beccaguta				EMSC
27.05.2012 00:09:36	2.1	Europe	Italy		Barchessone				EMSC
26.05.2012 23:30:30	4.5	South America	Chile	Region de Antofagasta	Oficina Oriente				USGS-RSOE
27.05.2012 00:09:57	4.5	South-America	Chile		Oficina Oriente				EMSC
26.05.2012 23:05:27	3.4	Europe	Greece		Lardos				EMSC
26.05.2012 23:05:49	2.4	Asia	Turkey		Kursunlu				EMSC
26.05.2012 23:06:17	5.0	Asia	Japan		Kitamura				EMSC
26.05.2012 22:20:35	5.0	Asia	Japan	Tokyo-to	Kitamura				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 21:55:39	2.6	North America	United States	California	Dales				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 22:00:34	2.0	Europe	Italy		Lustignano				EMSC
26.05.2012 22:00:56	3.6	Europe	Greece		Lindos				EMSC
26.05.2012 21:45:36	2.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Meadow Lakes				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 23:06:38	3.0	Asia	Turkey		Ispir				EMSC
26.05.2012 21:35:40	2.1	North America	United States	California	Eagle Mountain				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 22:01:17	2.3	Europe	Italy		L’Orlanda				EMSC
26.05.2012 20:55:34	2.1	Europe	Italy		L’Orlanda				EMSC
26.05.2012 22:01:38	2.8	Asia	Turkey		Sofular				EMSC
26.05.2012 20:55:55	2.4	Europe	Italy		La Fruttarola				EMSC
26.05.2012 19:55:35	3.5	Europe	Greece		Kattavia				EMSC
26.05.2012 20:56:17	3.1	Asia	Turkey		Tabanli				EMSC
26.05.2012 19:55:56	2.5	Asia	Turkey		Cinarli				EMSC
26.05.2012 19:56:18	3.0	Europe	France		Sainte-Anne				EMSC
26.05.2012 19:56:40	4.9	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Pulaugelondi				EMSC
26.05.2012 19:58:44	5.0	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia		Pulaugelondi				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 22:01:57	3.9	Europe	Russia		Obryvistoye				EMSC
26.05.2012 20:57:08	2.3	North America	United States	Missouri	Hortense				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 19:57:01	2.0	Europe	Italy		L’Orlanda				EMSC
26.05.2012 18:52:34	2.1	North America	United States	California	Mount Signal				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 19:57:22	3.2	Europe	Italy		La Fruttarola				EMSC
26.05.2012 19:57:43	3.3	Asia	Turkey		Oglansini				EMSC
26.05.2012 18:50:34	2.2	Europe	Italy		Il Motto				EMSC
26.05.2012 18:50:55	2.7	Europe	Italy		La Campa				EMSC
26.05.2012 20:56:37	4.2	Europe	Russia		Sarychevo				EMSC
26.05.2012 18:51:15	2.6	Asia	Turkey		Cukurgol Yaylasi				EMSC
26.05.2012 18:51:36	2.6	Asia	Turkey		Yanalti				EMSC
26.05.2012 17:45:27	4.4	Asia	China		Sagankuduk				EMSC
26.05.2012 16:45:29	2.2	Europe	Italy		Acqua di Santa Domenica				EMSC
26.05.2012 16:45:49	2.4	Europe	Italy		La Pettenella				EMSC
26.05.2012 16:15:41	2.1	North America	United States	Hawaii	Pua‘äkala				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 19:58:05	2.5	Europe	Greece		Methoni				EMSC
26.05.2012 15:45:26	2.5	Europe	Greece		Kryovrysi				EMSC
26.05.2012 18:51:56	2.4	Europe	Greece		Kaloi Limenes				EMSC
26.05.2012 14:35:40	2.6	North America	United States	Alaska	Anaktuvuk Pass				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 14:15:33	3.4	North America	United States	Hawaii	Punaluu Kahawai				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 14:41:53	3.3	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand	Woodville County	New Brighton				GEONET
26.05.2012 14:40:34	2.3	Europe	Italy		Vallacquosa				EMSC
26.05.2012 14:40:54	2.2	Europe	Italy		La Campa				EMSC
26.05.2012 13:40:29	2.0	Europe	Italy		Dosso				EMSC
26.05.2012 13:40:48	5.0	Pacific Ocean – East	Northern Mariana Islands		Shomushon				EMSC
26.05.2012 13:35:40	4.8	Pacific Ocean	Northern Mariana Islands		Shomushon				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 17:21:30	3.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Happy Valley				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 12:35:28	3.3	Europe	Greece		Kaloi Limenes				EMSC
26.05.2012 12:10:35	2.0	North America	United States	Nevada	Garfield (historical)				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 13:41:06	4.5	Europe	Russia		Khalaktyrka				EMSC
26.05.2012 17:45:50	2.1	Europe	Greece		Kato Nisi				EMSC
26.05.2012 11:30:36	2.9	Asia	Turkey		Ciftlikkoy				EMSC
26.05.2012 11:30:57	3.9	Europe	Greece		Kaloi Limenes				EMSC
26.05.2012 11:31:18	2.8	Europe	Italy		La Campa				EMSC
26.05.2012 11:20:39	4.6	Europe	Greece	Nomos )) (( Piraios	Kaloi Limenes				USGS-RSOE
26.05.2012 11:31:39	4.5	Europe	Greece		Kaloi Limenes				EMSC
26.05.2012 16:46:17	2.5	Europe	Greece		Agia Marina				EMSC

…………………………..

How The Earth Was Made.San Andreas Fault

Uploaded by 999yellowstone

A look at how geologists are keeping an eye on California’s 800 mile-long San Andreas Fault which many believe is overdue for a major earthquake in the region that could destroy some of the most valuable real-estate in the world.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

Record-setting heat starts summer off early

Published on May 25, 2012 by wish

It’s beginning to look a lot like mid-summer, and it’s still May. Not good for farm fields or your lawn. Demand for water in Indianapolis is up 20 million gallons this week alone. And the heat is just beginning.

Firefighters save some homes from New Mexico wildfire

 

By Zelie Pollon

SANTA FE, New Mexico

(Reuters) – Firefighters managed to protect the remaining homes in a southwestern New Mexico subdivision overnight, but some outlying buildings were engulfed by flames from a fire that burned on rough mountain terrain near the Arizona border.

Two fires merged in the Gila National Forest on Thursday and consumed 12,000 additional acres overnight, bringing the total burn area to 82,252 acres with none of it contained, said Public Information Officer Iris Estes.

Estes said firefighters were able to build fire lines toward the north, and expected gusty winds of 15 to 28 miles per hour to move the flames in that direction by midday.

Efforts overnight managed to preserve the more than 45 remaining vacation homes in the area. A total of twelve homes and 13 outlying buildings have been destroyed so far, Estes said.

“The fire is still burning in the subdivision, but they did a good job of getting in there and getting some structure protection in there,” Estes said.

Estes said the fire “spread out and moved in all directions” as it burned late Thursday, which allowed firefighters to get closer to the blaze and build fire lines with bulldozers.

“It didn’t make a run in any one direction, so we’re hoping it will continue to do that today,” she said.

More than 500 people are currently fighting the blaze. Voluntary evacuations were in effect for the nearby town of Mogollon.

(Editing by Greg McCune and Vicki Allen)

Fast-moving wildfire in Michigan consumes 9,500 acres

Associated Press

NEWBERRY, Mich. –  Officials say a fast-moving wildfire in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has consumed at least 9,500 acres, prompting some evacuations.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the blaze it’s calling the Duck Lake Fire was “burning explosively” early Friday in an area north of Newberry that includes Lake Superior State Forest land. It was detected Wednesday after a lightning strike.

No injuries were reported. TV stations WLUC and WWTV/WWUP say the Red Cross is helping people forced to flee at a center in Newberry.

The fire is one of two major wildfires in the area.

Crews have been fighting a fire at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Schoolcraft County that was started Sunday by a lighting strike, The Seney fire had burned 3,000 to 3,200 acres as of Thursday night.

High Wind Warning

CHEYENNE WY
RIVERTON WY
ALBUQUERQUE NM

Gale Warning

 

ANCHORAGE AK

Freeze Warning

 

FLAGSTAFF AZ

Excessive Heat Watch

 

MOUNT HOLLY NJ

Red Flag Warning

FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE

 

PUEBLO CO
NORTH PLATTE NE
GOODLAND KS
MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
TALLAHASSEE FL
CHEYENNE WY
DENVER CO
ALBUQUERQUE NM

Fire Weather Watch

 

EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM

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Storms, Flooding

Active tropical storm system(s)
Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details

Sanvu

Pacific Ocean

21.05.2012

27.05.2012

Tropical Storm

60 °

93 km/h

120 km/h

3.66 m

JTWC

Tropical Storm data

Storm name: Sanvu Area: Pacific Ocean Start up location: N 10° 48.000, E 145° 54.000 Start up: 21st May 2012 Status: 01st January 1970 Track long: 1,119.77 km Top category.: Report by: TSRC Useful links: Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale FEMA – How To Prepare for a Hurricane Effects of a Hurricane USA – National Hurricane Center

Past track Date Time Position Speed km/h Wind km/h Gust km/h Category Course Wave Pressure Source 21st May 2012 11:05:55 N 10° 48.000, E 145° 54.000 11 46 65 Tropical Depression 270 12 TSRC 22nd May 2012 07:05:29 N 13° 24.000, E 144° 6.000 17 74 93 Tropical Storm 340 12 TSRC 23rd May 2012 08:05:09 N 16° 24.000, E 140° 54.000 20 93 120 Tropical Storm 315 12 TSRC 24th May 2012 06:05:36 N 18° 42.000, E 139° 12.000 15 120 148 Typhoon I. 340 12 TSRC 25th May 2012 06:05:35 N 22° 12.000, E 139° 12.000 17 148 185 Typhoon I. 25 12 TSRC 25th May 2012 10:05:26 N 23° 0.000, E 139° 36.000 17 139 167 Typhoon I. 25 12 TSRC 26th May 2012 07:05:07 N 24° 42.000, E 141° 18.000 17 139 167 Typhoon I. 50 12 TSRC 26th May 2012 11:05:50 N 25° 0.000, E 142° 6.000 15 130 157 Typhoon I. 65 12 TSRC Current position Date Time Position Speed km/h Wind km/h Gust km/h Category Course Wave feet Pressure Source 27th May 2012 05:05:35 N 27° 0.000, E 145° 18.000 26 93 120 Tropical Storm 60 ° 12 TSRC

Beryl

Atlantic Ocean

26.05.2012

27.05.2012

Tropical Storm

230 °

83 km/h

102 km/h

3.66 m

NHC

Tropical Storm data

Storm name: Beryl Area: Atlantic Ocean Start up location: N 32° 30.000, W 74° 48.000 Start up: 26th May 2012 Status: Active Track long: 140.02 km Top category.: Report by: NHC Useful links: Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale FEMA – How To Prepare for a Hurricane Effects of a Hurricane USA – National Hurricane Center
Past track Date Time Position Speed km/h Wind km/h Gust km/h Category Course Wave Pressure Source 26th May 2012 11:05:54 N 32° 18.000, W 75° 36.000 7 74 93 Tropical Storm 255 12 1001 MB NHC Current position Date Time Position Speed km/h Wind km/h Gust km/h Category Course Wave feet Pressure Source 27th May 2012 05:05:24 N 30° 48.000, W 77° 12.000 11 83 102 Tropical Storm 230 ° 12 998 MB NHC

Subtropical Storm Beryl swirls toward U.S. southeast coast

MIAMI

May 26 (Reuters) – Subtropical Storm Beryl churned toward the U.S. southeast coast on Saturday, threatening heavy rains and dangerous surf on Sunday to northeastern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Beryl was centered about 230 miles (375 km) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, carrying maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). It was moving southwest with tropical storm force winds extending about 115 miles (185 km) from the storm’s center.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for Sunday from the Volusia/Brevard County line in northern Florida to Edisto Beach, South Carolina.

Forecasters predict the storm will eventually turn back toward the Atlantic on Monday or Tuesday, posing no threat to oil and gas production facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The hurricane center said dangerous surf conditions and unusually high tides are possible along the coasts of northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina over the Memorial Day weekend.

Beryl is being called a subtropical storm, which usually have a broader wind field than tropical storms and shower and thunderstorm activity farther removed from the storm’s center.

Beryl formed off the South Carolina coast late on Friday and is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has had an early start. The season officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. (Reporting by Kevin Gray; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Tropical Storm Warning

ATLANTIC FROM 27N TO 31N W OF 77W-
CAPE FEAR TO 31N OUT TO 32N 73W TO 31N 74W
MELBOURNE FL
CHARLESTON SC
JACKSONVILLE FL

Tropical Storm Watch

JACKSONVILLE FL

Hurricane Statement

CHARLESTON SC
JACKSONVILLE FL

Winter Storm Warning

GREAT FALLS MT
MISSOULA MT
BILLINGS MT

Flash Flood Warning

DULUTH MN
DULUTH MN
TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN

Flash Flood Watch

SIOUX FALLS SD
OMAHA/VALLEY NE
DULUTH MN
TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
CHARLESTON SC

Flood Warning

TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
DULUTH MN
SIOUX FALLS SD

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Radiation

Tokyo soil so contaminated with radiation it would be considered nuclear waste in US

By Ethan A. Huff, 
(NaturalNews) Radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster continues to show up at dangerously high levels in the city of Tokyo, which is located roughly 200 miles from the actual disaster site. According to an analysis of five random soil samples recently taken by nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen, the soil around Tokyo is so contaminated with Fukushima radiation that it would be considered nuclear waste here in the U.S.

During a recent trip to Tokyo, Gundersen collected soil samples from a sidewalk, a children’s playground, a rooftop, a patch of moss by the side of a road, and the lawn of a judicial building. After sending those samples in for testing, it was revealed that each one had high levels of radioactive cesium-134 (CS134) and cesium-137 (CS137), while three of the samples contained high levels of cobalt-60 (CO60). One of the samples also tested positive for uranium-235 (U235).

“[W]hen I was in Tokyo, I took some samples […] and sent them to the lab,” said Gundersen in a recent video report. “And the lab determined that all of them would be qualified as radioactive waste here in the United States and would have to be shipped to Texas to be disposed of.”

You can view the complete report here:
http://www.fairewinds.com

Despite the fact that radioactive plumes from Fukushima have largely drifted seaward based on wind patterns, a considerable amount of this radiation traveled southward towards Tokyo and elsewhere. The findings also confirm the reality that Fukushima radiation has likely had significant global spread as well, which confirms earlier reports of samples taken on the U.S. West Coast (http://www.naturalnews.com/035731_Fukushima_radiation_America.html).

Read Full Article Here

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Solar Activity

2MIN News May26: More North Pole Quakes??? Solar/Planetary Update

Published on May 26, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/usa/nm-20120525.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/25/us-nuclear-iran-uranium-idUSBRE84O0…
http://phys.org/news/2012-05-oil-alaska-source-renewable-energy.html

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]

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!]

SOLAR ACTIVITY UPDATE: New Sunpot 1492 Popping With C Flares (May 26th, 2012).

Published on May 25, 2012 by Skyywatcher88

Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 24/2100Z
to 25/2100Z: Solar activity was low. A few nominal C-class flares
occurred. Two new active Regions, 1491 (N23W29) and 1492 (S13E65)
were numbered today. A few CMEs were observed during the period,
but all appear to be limb events and non-geoeffective.

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Space

Dragon Capsule Docks To International Space Station

Published on May 25, 2012 by TheDailyConversation

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule approaches and makes its inaugural rendezvous with the International Space Station.

 

Scientists to watch Venus transit from Alaska on June 5

The next Venus transit across the sun won’t occur until December 2117.

By Mike Wall, SPACE.com

SLOW MOVE: Watching the tiny silhouette of the planet Venus slowly cross the face of the sun (here in 2004) doesn’t evoke the same drama and excitement as experiencing a total solar eclipse. (Photo: Imelda B. Joson and Edwin L. Aguirre)

A NASA sun-watching spacecraft will have an unbeatable view of June’s historic Venus transit, but some of the probe’s scientists are taking measures to get a great look for themselves here on Earth, too.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite will watch from space as Venus crosses the sun’s face on June 5 (June 6 in the Eastern Hemisphere) — the last such Venus transit until December 2117. Not content to live vicariously through their spacecraft, some SDO scientists are headed to Alaska to watch the seven-hour event in its entirety.

“For the United States, only Hawaii and Alaska will see the entire transit,” said SDO project scientist Dean Pesnell, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “There’s a solar physics meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, the week after the transit. So we said, ‘Well, let’s go to Alaska and see the transit.'”

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1

A historic event

Venus transits occur in pairs that are eight years apart, but these dual events take place less than once per century. The last transit happened in 2004, and the next won’t come until 2117. So next month’s transit is the last chance for skywatchers to see Earth’s so-called sister planet trek across the solar disk. [Venus Transit of 2004: 51 Amazing Photos]

Venus transits have played a large role in astronomical history. Scientists and explorers, for example, mounted large expeditions to observe the 18th century’s two transits, which occurred in 1761 and 1769.

The idea was to time the Venus transit precisely from many different spots around the globe, then use the principle of parallax to calculate the distance from Earth to the sun — a quantity that had eluded scientists for millenia. With that information in hand, the scale of the entire solar system would follow.

The 1761 and 1769 efforts both came up short, but measurements made with the help of photographs during the 19th century’s Venus transits finally gave researchers the data they needed.

For its part, SDO will observe the transit to learn more about Venus’ atmosphere and to help calibrate some of its instruments, Pesnell said.

An outreach opportunity

Pesnell and his colleagues plan to watch the transit from Fairbanks, and they’re going to use the rare event as an education and outreach opportunity.

“We’re working with some amateur astronomers up there to set up a family science-oriented event in the city of Fairbanks,” Pesnell told SPACE.com, adding that the team will bring 10 to 20 different displays to teach people about the sun and SDO. “It’s been a fairly popular thing to take to cities.”

Those of us unable to make the trek to Alaska, Hawaii or other good transit-viewing locales around the world will still be able to watch the historic event as it happens. Pesnell said that NASA plans to webcast live footage of the transit from SDO, whose images should be spectacular.

“There are no clouds in space, so we’re guaranteed to have a pretty good view,” Pesnell said.

The $850 million SDO spacecraft launched in February 2010. The probe’s five-year mission is the cornerstone of a NASA science program called Living with a Star, which aims to help researchers better understand aspects of the sun-Earth system that affect our lives and society.

You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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 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 – 35 m 26.2 13.27 (2001 CQ36)  2012-May-30 0.0258 10.0 77 m – 170 m 22.7 5.62 (2002 OA22)  2012-May-31 0.1197 46.6 370 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 0.0426 16.6 31 m – 69 m 24.7 10.17 (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 – 460 m 20.6 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 46.0 230 m – 520 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 (2008 TC4)  2012-Aug-18 0.1937 75.4 140 m – 300 m 21.5 17.34 (2006 CV)  2012-Aug-20 0.1744 67.9 290 m – 640 m 19.8 13.24 (2012 EC)  2012-Aug-20 0.0815 31.7 56 m – 130 m 23.4 5.57 162421 (2000 ET70)  2012-Aug-21 0.1503 58.5 640 m – 1.4 km 18.1 12.92 (2007 WU3)  2012-Aug-21 0.1954 76.0 56 m – 120 m 23.4 5.25 (2012 BB14)  2012-Aug-24 0.1234 48.0 27 m – 60 m 25.0 2.58 (2012 FM52)  2012-Aug-25 0.0599 23.3 510 m – 1.1 km 18.6 17.17 * Diameter estimates based on the object’s absolute magnitude.

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Biological Hazards/Wildlife

Thousands of shellfish found dead in Peru

• A dead dolphin lying on a beach on the northern coast of Peru, close to Chiclayo, some 750 km north of Lima, in March 2012. Thousands of crustaceans were found dead off the coast of Lima following the mystery mass death of dolphins and pelicans, the Peruvian Navy said Friday

Thousands of crustaceans were found dead off the coast of Lima following the mystery mass death of dolphins and pelicans, the Peruvian Navy said Friday.

The cause of death is under investigation, said Industry and Fishing Minister Gladys Triveno, warning that “it would be premature to give a reason for this phenomenon.”

The Navy said it presented a report on the find to the Agency of Environmental Evaluation and Control to determine the cause.

Biologist Yuri Hooker of Cayetano Heredia University said the species found on Pucusana Beach, 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Lima, was a type of red krill about three centimeters (1.2 inches) long.

“They live mostly along the coast of Chile up to the coast of northern Peru. What is happening is that these crustaceans are being affected by the warming of Pacific waters in the north of the country,” he said, adding that the phenomenon occurs “with some frequency.”

Hooker explained that the warmer temperatures led the shrimp-like creatures that usually live far away from the coast to move in closer to land, where they died.

Nearly 900 dolphins washed up along Peru’s northern coast between February and April. A government study said the marine mammals died of natural causes, while environmental groups insist the massive toll was linked to offshore oil exploration in the area.

Peruvian officials have suggested that the dolphins, along with 5,000 dead sea birds — mostly pelicans — died due to the effects of rising temperatures in Pacific waters, including the southern migration of fish eaten by the birds.

Black Sea Ecologists Alarmed By Dolphin Deaths

Claire Bigg, Mariyat Shapsug
Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty

© EPA
An increasingly common sight on Russia’s and Ukraine’s Black Sea coast.

Hardly a day goes by in Sochi, Russia’s picturesque Black Sea resort, without a dead dolphin washing up on the beach.

With the tourist season just kicking off, the unexplained deaths have yet to draw much scrutiny.

But environmentalists are increasingly alarmed. The dolphin carcasses are also turning into a real holiday spoiler for vacationers drawn to the region’s scenic beaches and pristine vistas.

Russian tourist Aida Kobzh was shocked to discover a group of dead dolphins last week at her local beach in Sochi.

“Everyone stood there and stared at the dead little dolphins lying belly up. Poor creatures!” Kobzh says. “There were some on the beach but also in the water, they were floating there, dead.

Little Official Interest

The dolphins started washing up along Russia’s Black Sea coast several weeks ago. They have also been spotted on Ukrainian shores.

Environmentalists are now talking about the biggest dolphin die-off to date in the region, with an estimated 300 animals dead so far.

Local authorities have made no serious attempt to investigate the deaths, saying the animals are too decayed by the time they reach the shore for laboratory tests to be conducted.

Officials have blamed poachers and fishing nets. They say the unusually cold winter has driven dolphins from the Sea of Azov to the warmer Black Sea.

Some experts, like local zoologist Konstantin Andramonov, point to a possible killer virus.

“The death toll is constantly growing, unfortunately,” Andramonov says. “We are now witnessing the same in Ukraine. There is a hypothesis that we are dealing with an infectious disease that occurs roughly every 20 years.”

Ecosystem In Danger

Most experts, however, believe the real culprit is ever-increasing pollution in the Black Sea region.

Valery Brinikh, who works for the prominent environmental group Ecological Watch, says the scale of the dolphin deaths belies official accounts faulting poachers and fishing nets.

“This happens every year in Sochi — sometimes there are more deaths, sometimes fewer,” Brinikh says. “But the scale this time suggests unnatural causes, probably sea pollution or a loss of orientation of the dolphins, which can also be linked to pollution.”

Environmentalists say pollution levels have risen dramatically around Sochi since the city was selected to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

They have long warned that unbridled construction is inflicting irreparable ecological damage to Sochi’s unique ecosystem.

Olga Noskovets, a local ecologist, suspects that the authorities are perfectly aware it is pollution that is killing the dolphins.

She says pollution levels are highest in areas close to the Olympic construction sites that dot Sochi and its outskirts.

Black-And-Blue Sea

According to Noskovets, the most affected area is Sochi’s Lazarevsky district, where tourist Aida Kobzh recently spotted the dead dolphins.

“The biggest hazard is posed by a river that runs through the Lazarevsky district, an area with a high concentration of sanatoriums, including for children,” says Noskovets. “The infamous Olympic dump lies nearby, and it has no waste-treatment system. This small mountain stream, which used to have fish, is now cloudy, brown and foamy. It collects waste and carries it to beaches that once counted among the most beautiful in the area.”

Noskovets says the dolphin die-off should act as a wake-up call. She says the authorities must urgently sound the alarm and warn visitors about the health hazards of bathing on certain Black Sea beaches before the tourist season reaches its peak.

“If sea creatures that are adapted to life in the sea react this way, what will the consequences be for humans?” Noskovets says. “Every year, numerous people suffer poisoning incidents after bathing in the sea, and these are always blamed on food poisoning. It is a nasty lie from our authorities, who are afraid of telling the truth — that the Black Sea is simply being poisoned.”

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Articles of Interest

50 years on, coal seam ablaze underneath Centralia

May 26, 2012 12:20 am

Michael Rubinkam/Associated Press

David DeKok, author of “Fire Underground,” a book about the town, poses Thursday on abandoned Route 61 in Centralia, Columbia County.

By Michael Rubinkam / The Associated Press

CENTRALIA, Pa. — It’s an anniversary the few remaining souls who live here won’t be celebrating.

Fifty years ago on Sunday, a fire at the town dump ignited an exposed coal seam and still burns today. It set off a chain of events that eventually led to the demolition of nearly every building in Centralia — a whole community of 1,400 simply gone.

All these decades later, the Centralia fire maintains its grip on the popular imagination, drawing visitors from around the world who come to gawk at twisted, buckled Route 61, at the sulfurous steam rising intermittently from ground that’s warm to the touch, at the empty, lonely streets where nature has reclaimed what coal-industry money once built. It’s a macabre story that has long provided fodder for books, movies and plays — the latest one debuting in March at a theater in New York.

Yet to the handful of residents who still occupy Centralia, who keep their houses tidy and their lawns mowed, this borough in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania is no sideshow attraction. It’s home, and they’d like to keep it that way.

“That’s all anybody wanted from day one,” said Tom Hynoski, who’s among the plaintiffs in a federal civil rights lawsuit aimed at blocking the state of Pennsylvania from evicting them.

Centralia was already a coal-mining town in decline when the fire department set the town’s landfill ablaze on May 27, 1962, in an ill-fated attempt to tidy up for Memorial Day. The fire wound up igniting the coal outcropping and, over the years, spread to the vast network of mines beneath homes and businesses, threatening residents with poisonous gases and dangerous sinkholes.

After a contentious battle over the future of the town, the side that wanted to evacuate won out. By the end of the 1980s, more than 1,000 people had moved and 500 structures were demolished under a $42 million federal relocation program.

But some holdouts refused to go — even after their houses were seized through eminent domain in the early 1990s. They said the fire posed little danger to their part of town, accused government officials and mining companies of a plot to grab the rights to billions of dollars’ worth of anthracite coal, and vowed to stay put.

After years of letting them be, state officials decided a few years ago to take possession of the homes. The state Department of Community and Economic Development said Friday it’s in negotiations with one of the five remaining homeowners; the others are continuing to resist, pleading their case in federal court.

Residents say the state has better things to spend its money on. A handwritten sign along the road blasts Gov. Tom Corbett, the latest chief executive to inherit a mess that goes back decades.

“You and your staff are making budget cuts everywhere,” the sign says. “How can you allow [the state] to waste money trying to force these residents out of their homes? These people want to pay their taxes and be left alone and live where they choose!”

Whether it’s safe to live there is subject to debate.

Tim Altares, a geologist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, said that while temperatures in monitoring boreholes are down — possibly indicating the fire has followed the coal seam deeper underground — the blaze still poses a threat because it has the potential to open up new paths for deadly gases to reach the remaining homes.

“It’s very difficult to quantify the threat, but the major threat would be infiltration of the fire gases into the confined space of a residential living area. That was true from the very beginning and will remain true even after the fire moves out of the area,” Mr. Alteres said.

Nonsense, say residents who point out they’ve lived for decades without incident.

Carl Womer, 88, whose late wife, Helen, was the leader of a faction that fiercely resisted the government buyout, disagrees the fire poses any threat.

“What mine fire?” Mr. Womer asked dismissively as he hosed down his front porch, preparing, he said, for a Memorial Day picnic. “If you go up and see a fire, you come back and tell me.”

Author and journalist David DeKok, who has been writing about Centralia for more than 30 years, said that while he believes Mr. Womer’s house is too close to the fire to safely live there, Mr. Hynoski and his neighbors are far enough away.

“I don’t think there’s any great public safety problem in letting those people stay there,” said Mr. DeKok, author of “Fire Underground,” a book on the town.

Many former residents, meanwhile, prefer to talk about the good times, their nostalgia taking on a decidedly golden hue.

“I loved it. I always liked Centralia from the time I was old enough to understand what it was,” said Mary Chapman, 72, who left in 1986 but returns once a month to the social club at the Centralia fire company.

“If you came out of your house and you couldn’t get your car started, the neighbor would come out and he’d help you. You didn’t even have to ask,” Ms. Chapman continued. “Of course the neighbors knew your business, but they also were there to help you, too.”

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[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes ‘FAIR USE’ of any such copyrighted material.]