Strong Earthquake Hits Utah

Quake Measuring 5.1Mw Strike 8km ENE Randolph Utah

The quake was epicentered at 41.79°N,111.04°W and struck at a depth of about 1 km on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 23:59:38 UTC. The shallow depth at which the quake struck could mean that some building close to the epicenter may have sustained some structural damage.

GFZ Potsdam – Earthquake Bulletin

• Region: Utah
• Time: 2010-04-15 23:59:41.8 UTC
• Magnitude: 5.1
• Epicenter: 111.04°W 41.79°N
• Depth: 1 km [Fire Earth estimate]
• Status: automatic
• Distances [USGS/EHP]
  • 8 km (5 miles) ENE (57°) from Randolph, UT
  • 21 km (13 miles) NNE (13°) from Woodruff, UT
  • 23 km (14 miles) SE (127°) from Laketown, UT
  • 124 km (77 miles) NNE (32°) from Salt Lake City, UT

The quake occurred about 57 miles (92km) east of a magnitude 4.0event which struck the area also at a shallow depth on June 4, 2009.

Fire-Earth Moderators believe both of these quakes were caused by gas drilling activities.

Seismic Hazard Map

State boundaries in blue; county boundaries in green.  Sourec: USGS/EHP

Estimated Population Exposed to Earthquake Shaking. Sourec: USGS/EHP

Related Links:

• Magnitude 4.0 quake hits Utah near gas fields
• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

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UNEP ‘Sick Water’ Report: Corporate Trap

News Agency Comes to the Aid of UNEP

If you thought news agencies are supposed to report news, rather than protect the ‘Matrix,’ you’d be right, of course.

And your next thought ought to be: Where did they get their information  from?

Previously Fire-Earth briefly mentioned about the new UNEP report titled Sick Water? and pointed out the huge error made on the report’s ‘Joint Statement’ page, which was signed by Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP AND  Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director, UN-HABITAT .  The Blog commented:

UNEP must clarify why they made such a huge error, otherwise their report is not worth the billions of tons of sewage and waste that are being dumped in the world’s waterways each and every day of the year.

Header of the Joint Statement page in UNEP Sick Water?

Full Page. Click to enlarge.

Within hours of posting SICK WATER? on this blog, elements within Reuters news agency came to the aid of their party:

Top portion of Reuters report: Waste water kills millions of children, pollutes sea. Text may be subject to copyright.

Full Page. Click to enlarge.

Moderators searched through the 88-page UNEP report, but did not find any information to support what Reuters had suggested:

In a report entitled “Sick Water” for World Water Day, UNEP said the two million tonnes of waste, which contaminates over two billion tonnes of water daily, had left huge “dead zones” that choke coral reefs and fish.

This begs the following questions:

1. What is the source of information used by the Reuters reporters?

2. If the source was NOT UNEP, which clearly could NOT have been, why is Reuters using external information to paraphrase the inaccurate UNEP report, which is meant to be the authority on the issue?

Isn’t it true that UNEP intentionally provided inaccurate figures to discredit own report on behalf of its friends?

As for the Reuters report, NOT even remotely close!

Related Links:

• SICK WATER?
• British Govt Makes Another Straw Man

Chile Quake Aftermath: Day 5

There would be enough food and fuel for everyone, if they wait long enough: President Bachelet

Death Toll from the quake and tsunami is slowly inching up above 800, but the number of missing is grossly underestimated.

“There is enough food and therefore we must remain calm. There is also enough fuel, there is no risk of shortages … Be confident … Chile is going to stand on its feet again,” the outgoing president Bachelet blurted out on the nationally TV and radio.

Ms. Bachelet, described as  center-left, has again pleaded with Chileans  not only to stop looting, but cease hoarding supplies, too.

She doesn’t accept that her government’s response to one of the world’s largest earthquake was even more pathetic than the dysfunctional “government” of Haiti to their earthquake disaster in January.

Ms Bachelet has urged Chilean’s to help with relief efforts, like every good citizen should. But even Gen Pinochet knew an army cannot march on an empty stomach.

Enter the EXTREME Right

If her government was really center-left, may good have mercy on Chileans because the ultra conservative president-elect, billionaire businessman Sebastian Pinera, can only be described as EXTREME right. To people like him, people are mere numbers on a balance sheet and the bottom line must always be black. Chile may be reentering the “dark ages” again.

More Aftershocks

Concepcion, Chile’s second largest and the closest major city to the epicenter of the M8.8 megaquake that struck on Saturday, was shaken by a swarm of strong aftershocks which  sent the locals scurrying to higher grounds fearing a new wave of tsunamis.

The capital Santiago was also shaken by at least two strong aftershocks on Wednesday.

Earthquake location map (10-degree Map Centered at 35°S,70°W) shows the approximate location of the M8.8 megaquake and 195 aftershock, many larger than M5.0 as 01:00UTC (GMT) on March 4, 2010.  Source: USGS/EHP.

Dead and Missing

The number of dead was reported as 813 by late Wednesday, but there are probably as many as 1,000 people still unaccounted for especially in the coastal villages that were completely obliterated by the three large tsunami waves (which the government had said won’t happen).

As many as 500 people are unaccounted for in Constitucion, one of several fishing  villages which were almost entirely wiped out.

Curfew

Concepcion is currently under an 18-hour curfew enforced by as many as 17,000 troops (3,000 more than the number reported by the media) as well as the local police force. But with so many buildings destroyed or damaged, and residents  refusing to enter their homes in case of a collapse, this curfew must be a very strange one.

Basic Necessities at  Extortionate Prices

A few shops have opened in Concepcion, but foodstuffs are sold at extortionate price, inflated by 300 percent.

Related Links:

• Chilean Quake Shortened the Earth Days?
• Chile Earthquake: Disaster to Tragedy
• Chile Earthquake: Topographic Map
• Chile quake Update 3 (March 2)
• Chile Earthquake Update 2 (Mar 1)

• Santiago, Chile: Satellite Images
• Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Update 1 (28 Feb)
• Destructive Tsunami Generated by Chile Quake
• Chile 8.8 Megaquake Strikes Offshore Maule
• Earth undergoing significant geophysical disturbances

• Recent Earthquakes ≥ 6.0 Mw
• Powerful Quake Strikes Chile [November 13, 2009]
• The Largest Earthquake

Mayon Volcano Update [1 January 2010]

Could Blue Moon Trigger Mayon Explosion?

State vulcanologists believe full moon could trigger Mayon explosion

Resident volcanologists at Phivolcs said a major eruption could occur based on the volcano’s behavior and the the full moon working as triggering mechanism to cause the restive volcano to explode.

According to their theory,  the gravitational pull of the full moon as it gets closer to Earth could cause a large increase in the rate of ascent of magma up and out of the volcano.

The Moon glows by light it reflects from the Sun and is frequently the brightest object in the night sky. The Moon orbits the Earth about once a month (moon-th) from about 1 light second away. The above-pictured Full Moon occurs when the Moon is nearly opposite to the Sun in its orbit.   Credit: Lick Observatory.

How They Paint the Moon Blue

Most years have twelve full moons occurring monthly; however, each solar calendar year has an additional eleven days compared with the lunar year. The extra days add up to a 13th full moon called a “blue moon” about 7 times in the 19-year Metonic cycle, which translates into one blue moon every two or three years.

Other highlights from the news, eye-witness accounts, official and unofficial reports on Mayon’s status during  the past 24 hours:

• 28 volcanic earthquakes recorded
• 91 rockfall events
• Some steam emitted
• Lava still flowing
• SO2 emissions down to daily average of 1,255 tons
• Phivolcs may lower alert level from 4 to 3, if no significant events occur in the next few days

Human Angle:

• A power blackout was enforced in the danger zone around Mt Mayon on Thursday, to discourage residents from returning to their homes.
• The water supply is due to be turned off Friday, as state volcanologists warned that the full moon  could trigger a major explosion today.
• A military spokesman said many residents were using  “backdoor” routes to return to their homes for the New Year’s festivities.
• About two dozen tourists were reportedly arrested as they entered the danger zone.
• Local police and military have been ordered to carry out house-to-house searches and arrest any residents that might still be in the danger zone.
• Aid organizations are plan to evacuate about 4,000 animals to areas outside Mayon danger zone, ABC said.

Mayon Volcano Bulletin 19 released by PHIVOLCS on 1 January 2010

The seismic monitoring network around the volcano detected 28 volcanic earthquakes and 91 rockfall events related to the detachment of lava fragments at the volcano’s upper slopes during the past 24-hour observation period. No ash explosion was observed. Weak to moderate emission of white steam at the summit crater was seen during cloud breaks from 7:29 AM – 8:30 AM and from 5:25 PM to 5:40 PM yesterday. Flowing lava and intermittent rolling incandescent lava fragments were observed last night. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) emission rate was measured at an average of 1,255 tons/day.

Alert Level 4 is still being maintained but if no significant events should occur during the next few days, PHIVOLCS-DOST shall consider the possibility of lowering down the alert level from 4 to 3. PHIVOLCS-DOST still strongly reiterates that the Extended Danger Zone (EDZ) from the summit of 8-km on the southern sector of the volcano and 7-km on the northern sector should be free from human activity. Active river channels and those perennially identified as lahar prone in the southern sector should also be avoided especially during bad weather conditions or when there is heavy and prolonged rainfall. In addition, Civil Aviation Authorities must advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ejected ash and volcanic fragments from sudden explosions may pose hazards to aircrafts. PHIVOLCS-DOST is closely monitoring Mayon Volcano’s activity and any new significant development will be immediately posted to all concerned.

For previous entries, additional information, photos and links to Mayon Volcano see links below:

• Mayon Pipes Down, for Now

• Mayon Calmer, But it Could Be the Lull Before the Storm

• The Raging Lava Mill

Related Links:

• Mayon Volcano Links Page [Recent Posts, Photos, Videos and Comments]
  
• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

El Niño Update [30 Nov 2009]

ENSO Cycle: Recent Evolution, Current Status and Predictions

The following UPDATE is prepared by

Climate Prediction Center / NCEP –  30 November 2009

The latest weekly SST departures are:

• Niño 4   ~  1.6ºC
• Niño 3.4  ~  1.7ºC
• Niño 3 ~ 1.3ºC
• Niño 1+2 ~ 0.2ºC

El Niño Map. [SOURCE: NOAA/ Climate Prediction Center / NCEP]

SST Departures (°C) in the Tropical Pacific During the Last 4 Weeks
During the last 4-weeks, SSTs were at least 1.0°C above average across much of the equatorial Pacific and more than 2.0°C above average between 180°and 130°W.

[SOURCE: NOAA/ Climate Prediction Center / NCEP]

Global SST Departures (°C)
During the last four weeks, equatorial SSTs were above-average across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Also, above-average SSTs covered large areas of the Northern Hemisphere subtropics.

[SOURCE: NOAA/ Climate Prediction Center / NCEP]

Weekly SST Departures (°C) for the Last Four Weeks

• During the last four weeks, positive SST anomalies persisted across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.
• During the last 30 days, equatorial SST anomalies increased in some parts across the eastern Pacific.

|

Tropical OLR and Wind Anomalies During the Last 30 Days

TOP: Positive OLR anomalies (suppressed convection and precipitation, red shading) were present over Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. Negative OLR anomalies (enhanced convection and precipitation, blue shading) were located over the western tropical Pacific Ocean just southeast of Papua New Guinea.
Middle: Low-level (850-hPa) westerly anomalies remained over the east-central equatorial Pacific.
Above: Upper-level (200-hPa) easterly anomalies were observed across the eastern equatorial Pacific. An anticycloniccouplet was evident in the subtropics of both hemispheres, which is consistent with El Niño.

Atmospheric Circulation over the North Pacific & North America During the Last 60 Days
During October, a nearly zonal pattern of below-average heights over the mid-latitudes was observed with an anomalous ridge over Alaska and the higher latitudes. This pattern contributed to below-average temperatures across Canada and much of the U.S. During November, the anomalous zonal pattern of below-average heights at mid-latitudes had been replaced by strong anomalous ridges across the N. Pacific and much of N. America with below-average heights across Alaska. This pattern has led to above-average temperatures across much of Canada and the United Statesand below-average temperatures in Alaska.

Intraseasonal Variability

• Intraseasonal variability in the atmosphere (wind and pressure), which is often related to the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), can significantly impact surface and subsurface conditions across the Pacific Ocean.

• Related to this activity
  • Significant weakening of the low-level easterly winds usually initiates an eastward-propagating oceanic Kelvin wave.
  • Several Kelvin waves have occurred during the last year (see next slide).

Summary

• El Niño is present across the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
• Sea surface temperatures (SST) are at least 1.0ºC-2.0ºC above-average across much of the central and east-central equatorial Pacific.
• Based on current observations and dynamical model forecasts, El Niño is expected to last through at least the Northern Hemisphere winter2009-10.

Information and images on this page are sourced from Climate Prediction Center/NCEP/NOAA. Edited by FEWW

Related Links:

• UK Flooding
• Speaking of El Niño, OLR Anomalies in Australia
• El Niño Update [16 Nov 2009]

• Recognizing El Niño
• El Niño and La Niña: Tracing the Dance of Ocean and Atmosphere
• TAO Diagrams
• El Niño Forecasts

El Niño Updates:

• El Niño Update [23 Nov 2009]
• El Niño Update [16 Nov 2009]
• El Niño Update [10 Nov 2009]
• El Niño Update [2 Nov 2009]
• El Niño [Main Page and Links Archive]

Alaska Earthquake Forecast: Update 3

See:

Alaska Earthquake Forecast: Update 2

New estimate for Alska earthquke forecast

• NEW Magnitude: 8.4 ~ 9.2
• Probability of occurrence: 0.8
• Estimated date of occurrence: November 19, 2009
  
• Date uncertainty: +/- 90 days.
• NEW Estimated Location: 60°56’37.03″N 150°12’7.37″W
• Location uncertainty: Radius of about 35 km from the estimated epicenter
  • About 70.4 km NNW of the previous estimate.
    
• NEW Estimated depth: 12km [+/-3.2km]

Warning: California Is Being Mojavefied!

Moderators have previously warned the readers about the real possibility of California being “Mojavefied,” i.e, undergoing a rapid process of desertification, with the critical phase occurring by as early as 2011.

The following facts, including the new snow survey, supports our analysis:

California faces historic drought, snow survey says

California Facts:

• California is facing one of the worst droughts in its history! Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said.
  

• The ‘Golden State’ produces about 53 percent of the United States’ vegetables and fruit

• California is now in its third year of drought;  its main system which supplies water to cities and farms may only be able to fulfill 15 percent of requests, Reuters reported scientists as saying.

• The Sierra snowpack this year is carrying just over one half of California’s water supply.

• The Sierra has only received about one third of its anticipated annual snowfall during its wettest period.

“California is headed toward one of the worst water crises in its history, underscoring the need to upgrade our water infrastructure by increasing water storage, improving conveyance, protecting the (Sacramento) Delta’s ecosystem and promoting greater water conservation,” Schwarzenegger said.

“We may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history,” said Water Resources Director Lester Snow.

The period December through January is normally the wettest in California, however, the Sierra has only received about one third of its anticipated annual snowfall.

“A third of normal is devastating,” said Elissa Lynn, a state meteorologist. “January is the biggest month for precipitation in the Sierra.”

“Climate change does indicate the possibility of more frequent droughts,” said Lynn, “but it’s hard to tell over a short time span.”

A La Nina has pushed down the ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, which has meant less precipitation in Northern California. The precipitation didn’t slow down until about early April last year, which was also a La Nina year.

“This could be a crisis situation,” said Lynn. “In addition to conservation and rationing we could be paying higher prices for produce.” Lynn said that some farmers have left fields unplanted based on expected lack of water.

“Twenty-five local water agencies are already mandating rationing. The state Department of Water Resources is arranging water transfers through its Drought Water Bank program and expects to release a full snowpack runoff forecast in two weeks.” Reuters said.

Next on EDRO : How Climate Change and Food Shortages Will Lead to Large Scale Riots in the United States

Related Links:

• California ‘Mojavefied’ by 2011?
• Land degradation threatens 1.5 billion people
• Topsoil
  
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Schwarzenegger Proclaims Water Emergency in Nine Counties
• Drought

California Out of Cash by February 2009

California will run out of cash in two months: State Controller

Please, will all the contractors, state employees and anyone else who have ripped off the state return their loot?

As a French investment manager who put $1.4bn into Madoff’s Ponzi scheme commits suicide in New York, California State Controller sounds the bankruptcy alarm bells in Sacramento.

New York

The body of Thierry Magon de La Villehuchet, 65, a co-founder and chief executive officer of Access International Advisors, was found today. The company raised money mainly from wealthy European investors. Madoff was arrested on Dec. 11 for allegedly running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. Image: Source. Image may be subject to copyright.

Sacramento

California State Controller John Chiang in a letter to the governor and Legislature said Monday: “There will be no shelter from the storm as the state’s cash position will remain negative throughout the remainder of the fiscal year.”

California is facing a $41 billion budget deficit.

“Cash-preserving options no doubt will have the unintended effect of deepening and prolonging the recession that has crippled our state’s economy,” Chiang warned. The state’s Pooled Money Investment Board has already pulled the plug on $3.8 billion in loans to finance about 2,000 infrastructure projects.

Chiang says he wants to make sure the state won’t have to default because that could further damage the state’s credit rating.

California may have to issue billions of dollars worth of IOUs to anyone owed money, however, even that may not be a viable long-term option, Chiang says.

“Given the current financial instability of the banking industry, it is highly unlikely that the banks, if they accept the IOUs at all, will be able to do so for any sustained period of time,” Chiang said.

Schwarzenegger with his wife Maria Shriver at the 2007 Special Olympics in Shanghai, China.

Schwarzenegger and his family currently live in their 11,000-square-foot (1 022 m²) home in Brentwood. The family owns vacation homes in Sun Valley, Idaho and Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Schwarzenegger does not have a home in Sacramento. However, whenever he is in the state capital, he lives in the Hyatt Regency hotel suite. The suite costs about $65,000 a year. Source

Related News Links:

• California controller says state’s running out of cash
• Where did all of Bernard Madoff’s money go?

Related Links:

• California Wildfires
• California ‘Mojavefied’ by 2011?

Global Biosecurity Threat

See Main Entry:

Global Biosecurity Threat: New Zealand Light Brown Apple Moth

Powerful Quake, Strong Aftershocks Hit China’s W. Xizang

Earthquake UPDATE

USGS has reported an earthquake cluster striking Western Xizang area. The 6.7 Mainshock which struck about 225 km (140 miles) NE of Jumla, Nepal on August 25, 2008, was followed by at least five powerful aftershocks measuring magnitude 5 or higher.

A Note of Interest

The mainshock, which struck the area on August 25 at 09:21:59 PM (time at epicenter), was located at 30.893°N, 83.614°E. Those coordinates put the epicenter in the eastern section of Palung Co lake in  the western Xizang province, Tibet Autonomous Region (China).

An examination of the images of Palung Co reveals that the lake, especially its southern section formation, is a large caldera formed either by multiple caldera collapse events or by a large lateral sector collapse. See Google Earth [30° 49’N, 83° 34’E] for visual confirmation.

The discovery gives rise to a number of interesting questions including the date for last eruption in the-now-sunken calderas, and the probability of renewed volcanic eruptions occurring as a result of the powerful seismic activity in the area.

Images: USGS

Quake Magnitude: 6.7
Date & Time:

• Monday, August 25, 2008 at 13:21:59 UTC
• Monday, August 25, 2008 at 09:21:59 PM at epicenter

Location: 30.893°N, 83.614°E
Depth: 12 km (7.5 miles) set by location program
Region: WESTERN XIZANG
Distances:

• 225 km (140 miles) NE of Jumla, Nepal
• 295 km (185 miles) N of Pokhara, Nepal
• 370 km (230 miles) NNE of Nepalganj, Nepal
• 390 km (245 miles) NNW of KATHMANDU, Nepal

Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 7.9 km (4.9 miles); depth fixed by location program (Source of data: USGS)

Fires in Indonesia

Dry season intensifies Indonesian fires!

During the May-October dry season, fire often smolders through Indonesia’s tropical forests. Most of the fire is deliberate, set for logging or to clear land for crops or plantations, and more than plants are consumed in the flames. Rich with biomass, the peaty soil burns too, producing intensely smoky fires. On bad days, smoke billows off of the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, blanketing major shipping lanes and neighboring countries Singapore and Malaysia.  More…

NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using fire data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team, and TRMM rainfall data from the TRMM Science Data and Information System at Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Holli Riebeek.

Magnitude 5.4 Quake Hits Los Angeles Area

“A Conspiracy Against the Public”: For reasons unknown to Moderators, Google has blocked this post.

A Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Struck Greater Los Angeles Area, California

Earthquake Details [Source: USGS]

Magnitude: 5.4
Date-Time:

• Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 18:42:15 UTC
• Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 11:42:15 AM at epicenter

Location: 33.955°N, 117.765°W
Depth: 13.6 km (8.5 miles)
Region: GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA
Distances:

• 4 km (3 miles) WSW (240°) from Chino Hills, CA
• 7 km (4 miles) SE (135°) from Diamond Bar, CA
• 8 km (5 miles) NNE (16°) from Yorba Linda, CA
• 12 km (7 miles) S (184°) from Pomona, CA
• 46 km (28 miles) ESE (104°) from Los Angeles Civic Center, CA

Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 0.3 km (0.2 miles); depth +/- 0.6 km (0.4 miles)

Damage Reports

There are reports of a few injuries and minor damage in the area. The two nuclear plants in the area, San Onofre nuclear station, between Los Angeles and San Diego, and the Diablo Canyon plant, northeast of Los Angeles, seem to have been spared, according to utility officials.

A worker cleans up shattered glass at Pomona City Hall. July 29, 2008 – Photo (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times). Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver

Mt. Kurikoma Coughs, Still Comatose!

The Year of Volcanoes, Too?

Steam, hot volcanic plumes rise near Mt. Kurikoma

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces personnel observed Monday hot volcanic plumes about seven kilometers southwest of the summit of Mt. Kurikoma, a 1,627-meter-high volcano located on the border of Miyagi, Iwate and Akita prefectures, Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Aerial observation from a helicopter showed plumes rising from several spots near both Hanayama in Kurihara, and Yu no Hama hot-spring spa.

Sadato Ueki of Tohoku University’s Research Center for the Prediction of Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions said the plumes might be volcanic gases rising to the surface, or steam coming from underground hot water channels whose course was diverted by the powerful Mw 6.8 quake Saturday. The Iwate quake struck about 22km NW of the Mt. Kurikoma summit.

“There’s a possibility that volcanic gases that had been confined below ground are gushing out through fissures in the mountain created by the earthquake,” he said. However, he ruled out increased volcanic activity on Mt. Kurikoma, because the plumes were very far from the volcano’s summit.

Kurikoma volcano last erupted in 1950.

MT. KURIKOMA is a dormant stratovolcano stretching across three prefectures (states) of Miyagi, Iwate and Akita, standing high at an altitude of 1,627.7m.

Kurikoma volcano seen from the SSE with its summit at the right-center, the satellitic cone of Daichimori on the left, and Higashi-Kurikoma on the right. On the opposite side of the volcano, the summit is cut by a 4-km-wide caldera breached to the north that is partially filled by the Tsurugi-dake central cone, once mined for sulfur. (Caption: Source) Image Copyright: Shingo Takeuchi (Japanese Quaternary Volcanoes database, RIODB, http://www.aist.go.jp/RIODB/strata/VOL_JP/index.htm). See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Coordinates: 38° 57′ 0″ N, 140° 46′ 48″ E
Decimal: 38.95°, 140.78°

Related Links:

• 2008: Year of the Expected Unknowns!
• Will 2008 be year of the tornadoes, too?
• 2008: Year of the Fire

• Volcanoes
• Philippines Taal Volcano Could Erupt Anytime!
• Volcanoes, Santorini Eruption and Crops Failure in China

The Climate Change Crusades

Are YOU a Climate Change Crusader?
How Do YOU Fight Climate Change?
Should YOU Crusade Against the Climate Change, or just STOP heating the globe?

A Shrinking World Series

Make No Mistake: Nature Always Has the Last Word!

Midwest Flood Update:

A dam near the Wisconsin Dells resort area broke on Monday, causing mudslides that swept away homes, as torrential rains caused more flooding across the U.S. Midwest.

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency in 30 counties in the south of the state. In Iowa, where 33 counties were flooded, and Indiana, where flooding forced hundreds of people to evacuate homes in the central and western parts of the state, similar declarations have been made. Parts of Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota have been affected by flooding.

“This is an area that’s been bombarded with rain over the weekend, anywhere from 5 to 10 inches, and you’re dealing with saturated soils. So any rain that falls becomes run-off,” the National Weather Service’s Pat Slattery said.

OUCH! Too Close to the bank! Like the Kubeniks and the Pekars (see image caption), rivers are “living” creatures; they need room to complete their cycle of life!

The homes of the Kubeniks (R) and the Pekars are damaged after a dam broke at man-made Lake Delton, Wisconsin June 9 2008. REUTERS/Allen Fredrickson. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice.

“Flood damage estimated in the tens of millions of dollars were being added to recent storm damage in Iowa, including a tornado that flattened the town of Parkersburg two weeks ago.” Reuters reported.

In Iowa:

• The water treatment plant in Mason City was swamped by the Winnebago River.
• Three of four bridges in the town of Charles City were swept away by flooding of the Cedar River.
• The town of New Hartford was evacuated.

Corn and soybean fields were submerged under the floodwater in Midwestern states. Iowa and Illinois account for about 35% of U.S. corn and soybeans, usually the world’s largest harvests of those crops. However, the prospects of a bumper crop year were further eroded, following a wet spring that had already delayed planting. (Source)

Related Video:

• Home washed away in floods [like a matchbox!]

Related Links:

• US Tornado Brief
• UN Hypocrisy: Kick the CO2 Habit!
• Will California turn to desert by 2011?

• Italy: Submerged in Floodwaters, Sinking in Garbage

• Failing Ecosystems
• State of the World
• Future Scenarios
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
  
• Nuking Earth for Lifestyle

• Giga Trends
• World Problems: The Root Cause Matrix
• Tipping Point
• Topsoil
• Drying Aquifers, Sinking Cities

• The Economy
• Energy
• Food Security
• Future in the Making: A Shrinking World

• Flood Puts City in Iowa ‘at God’s Mercy’ Iowa, June 12, 2008
  

The World’s one harvest from starvation!

Anguished Cries of China Quake Nurse

The Post has been moved to:

The Anguished Cries of China Quake Nurse

New Zealand Emergency Health Warnings

Emergency warning to tourists visiting New Zealand, reports of tourists murdered or killed and regular health bulletins have moved to:

NZ: Plumbing the Depth of Depravity

http://newzeelend.wordpress.com/

UPDATE

Click link below for UPDATE:

>
Yet Another Victim of New Zealand Tourism