Global Disasters/ Significant Events Headlines – 31 March 2013

Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline leaks 10,000 barrels of Canadian oil in Arkansas

More than 10,000 barrels of Canadian Wabasca heavy crude oil, described as “oil sands,” has leaked from Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline in Mayflower city, Arkansas.

The incident is categorized as a “major spill” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and 22 homes near the rupture point have been evacuated.

Exxon has shut down the pipeline, which can carry more than 90,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Pakota, Illinois, to Nederland, Texas, said a report.

“The Arkansas spill was the second incident this week where Canadian crude has spilled in the United States. On Wednesday, a train carrying Canadian crude derailed in Minnesota, spilling 15,000 gallons of oil.”

U.K. reports coldest Easter Sunday on record

Easter Sunday was the coldest Easter day on record, with the lowest temperature dipping to -12.5ºC (9.5ºF) in Braemar, in the Scottish Highlands, said a report.

Average U.K. temperatures for this time of year are between 10ºC and 13ºC, said the UK Met Office, adding that the entire month of March has been provisionally declared the coldest since 1962.

Report on Brisbane’s Wivenhoe Dam locked out for 30 years

“THOUSANDS of internal documents obtained during investigations by Queensland’s $15 million public inquiry into floods and the operation of Brisbane’s Wivenhoe Dam are being withheld from public access and scrutiny for 30 years by the state government.”

Deadly floods wreak havoc in Mauritius capital Port Louis

At least 10 people have died after a sudden extreme rain event triggered flash flooding in the Mauritian capital Port Louis (population: ~ 150,000), officials have said.

Some 152mm (6in) of rain fell in less than an hour, causing chaos in the city, reports said.

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DISASTER CALENDAR – March 31, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,077 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,077 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

El Hierro Island Experiencing Intense Seismicity, Inflation

El Hierro moving east, experiencing uplift amid intense seismic activity

Intense seismicity and inflation at El Hierro suggest magma is intruding underneath the tiny volcanic island, the smallest of Canary Islands, located  in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa (population ~ 10,000).

• Sharp increase in seismic activity in and around the tiny island (Area: ~ 278 km²) began on March 18, with the largest quake measuring 4.7 on Richter scale, which occurred on Friday.
• The majority of tremors are occurring at a depth of between 12 and 15 km.
• The latest geological activities have caused the island to move east and forced the ground to rise by 11 cm at Punta de Orchilla on the western tip of the island.

Map of El Hierro with recent quake epicenters

Image Credit: AVCAN. AVCAN.ORG was developed by Victor Tapia. Original idea, administration and all rights by Fernando Raja

Histogram of the recent earthquakes at El Hierro 18 -31 March, 2013. Note sharp increase in seismic activity since March 18, 2013. Image credit: AVCAN.

Latest Earthquake at El Hierro. Image credit: AVCAN.

Global Volcano Watch (Source: AVO; HVO; GVP)

New Activity/Unrest:

• Fuego, Guatemala (Lava fountains rising to 400 m above the crater reported on 20 March, causing 1.5 km long lava stream in the Ceniza drainage).
• Hekla, Southern Iceland
• Tungurahua, Ecuador

Ongoing Activity:

U.S. Volcanoes

• Kilauea, Hawaii  (Hawaii) – Code ORANGE – WATCH
• Cleveland Volcano (Alaska) – Code YELLOW – ADVISORY

Kamchatka Peninsula

• Gorely – Code YELLOW
• Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) – Code ORANGE
• Kizimen, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) –  Code ORANGE
• Tolbachik, Central Kamchatka (Russia)  Code ORANGE
• Bezymianny – Code YELLOW
• Sheveluch Central Kamchatka (Russia) – Code ORANGE

Indonesia

• Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia)
• Lokon-Empung, Sulawesi
• Paluweh, Lesser Sunda Islands (Indonesia)

Kurile Islands

• Snow – Code YELLOW
• Ivan Grozny – Code YELLOW

Other Volcanoes

• Bagana, Bougainville (PNG)
• Popocatépetl, México
• Sakura-jima, Kyushu (Japan)
• Santa María, Guatemala

Total: 21 volcanoes

Recent Volcano News

• Plosky Tolbachik Volcano Erupts March 5, 2013
• How Many Volcanoes Firing? March 7, 2013