Large Sinkhole Appears in Derbyshire, England

50-Meter wide sinkhole opens up in the village of Foolow, the Peak District, England

“It’s quite a large hole and it’s getting bigger all the time. It’s probably increased by about 10% since it opened up [on December 25,]” said Mark Nobel, a member of Derbyshire Caving Association.

A large sinkhole appeared in the village of Foolow, the Peak District, Derbyshire, England. Mr Noble and his wife Wendy discovered the giant hole during a walk on Christmas Day. Credit: Mark Noble

A video clip of the sinkhole is posted at http://www.itv.com/news/

Chaparrastique Spews More Ash, Volcanic Gases

Chaparrastique Volcano in Eastern El Salvador is Still Spewing Ash and Volcanic Gases

Up to 5,000 people live near the volcano, and the authorities have so far evacuated more than 1,600 to emergency shelters, but many have refused to leave their homes on the volcano slopes.

“The Chaparrastique volcano is still producing gases combined with small emissions of ash, which is normal after an eruption,” said  El Salvador’s environment ministry.

The 2,130-m high volcano,  El Salvador’s third highest, ejected columns of smoke and ash up to 5km above the summit on Sunday

Chaparrastique, aka San Miguel volcano, located about 15km SW of San Miguel city (population: 180,000), and about 140 km east of San Salvador, the capital, showed signs of increased activity on December 13.

The eruption has so far deposited more than 10cm of ash in the nearby areas within the coffee-producing region, according to reports.

Latest image of Chaparistique Eruption. Source: El-Salvador.com

 Chaparistique eruption deposits volcanic ash on coffee plants. Source: El-Salvador.com

El Salvador

El Salvador sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, close to Middle America Trench, and is subject to significant tectonic movement, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. The tiny country (population: 6.3 million) is home to at least 23 volcanoes.

Middle America Trench

A major subduction zone known for many large earthquakes, the Middle America Trench is a 2,800-km long oceanic trench in the eastern Pacific Ocean, extending from central Mexico to Costa Rica. The trench is the boundary between five tectonic plates, including the Caribbean, Cocos (and Rivera), Nazca, the North American and the South American plates.

Related Links

• Chaparrastique Eruption Forces Mass Evacuations in El Salvador  December 30, 2013

• M6.5 Quake Strikes Guatemala September 7, 2013
• Ubinas Volcano Erupts 6 Times in 60 Hours September 5, 2013
• Hundreds Evacuated as Ecuador’s Tungurahua Erupts July 16, 2013
• El Hierro Island Experiencing Intense Seismicity, Inflation March 31, 2013

• Fuego Volcano Erupts: September 13, 2012
• San Cristóbal Eruption Forces Mass Evacuation Posted September 9, 2012
• Powerful Earthquake Strikes NW Costa Rica Posted September 6, 2012
• Pacaya Erupts, Covers Guatemala City with Ash May 28, 2010

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

U.S. Earthquakes 24 Hrs

U.S. Earthquakes  24 Hrs to 02:30UTC – December 31, 2013

Of the 28 earthquakes measuring magnitude 2.5+ that have occurred globally in the past 24 hours, 6 have struck the Lower 48, including 2 in Oklahoma, as of posting.

Of the 171 earthquakes (all magnitudes) that have struck the globe in the past 24 hours, 102 have occurred in the Contiguous U.S., mostly in California, 39 in Alaska and 3 in Hawaii, as of posting, with the most significant quake measuring 3.7Mw, striking 4km SSW of Idyllwild, California at a depth of 19.4km (Also M3.8 event occurred 35km SW of Anchor Point, Alaska at a depth of 83.2km). Source: USGS/EHP.

Related Links

• Significant Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma December 29, 2013
• Shallow Quakes Continue to Rattle AL, OK, TX, WY, WA, MT, NV, CA December 9, 2013
• M3.6 Quake Strikes Azle, Texas December 9, 2013
• M4.5 Quake Strikes NE Edmond Oil and Gas Field, Oklahoma December 8, 2013
• 41 Earthquakes Strike Oklahoma in November  December 1, 2013
• Earthquake No. 19 Strikes N. Texas November 29, 2013
• Two More Quakes Strike North Texas November 29, 2013
• Oil Drilling Likely Caused Texas Earthquake Posted on May 17, 2009
• M3.3 Quake Strikes Azle, Texas Posted on November 25, 2013
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Significant Quake Strikes Ibaraki, Japan

M5.4 Earthquake Strikes Near Ibaraki,  Japan

The event was centered near 36.7ºN, 140.7ºE and occurred at a depth of 10km. The quake was followed by several aftershocks, with the largest measuring 3.6Mw, as of posting.

EQ Details [USGS/EHP]

• Magnitude: 5.1Mw
• Event Time: 2013-12-31 01:03:00 UTC
• Location: 36.789°N 140.591°E depth=9.9km (6.2mi)
• Nearby Cities:
  • 13km (8mi) NW of Takahagi, Japan
  • 14km (9mi) W of Kitaibaraki, Japan
  • 21km (13mi) NNW of Hitachi, Japan
  • 21km (13mi) E of Daigo, Japan
  • 146km (91mi) NNE of Tokyo, Japan

Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP

EQ Details [JMA]
Magnitude: 5.4Mw
Event Time: 2013-12-31 01:03:00 UTC
Location: 36.7°N 140.7°E depth=10km
Region:  Ibaraki-ken Hokubu

Earthquake Location Map.  Maximum intensity of 5 on Japan’s 1-7 scale recorded near epicenter. Source: Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

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