Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.2 Earthquake hits Chiapas, Mexico.
5.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.1 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits Oaxaca, Mexico.
Tropical Storms
In the Eastern Pacific:
Tropical depression Flossie is located about about 145 mi (230 km) NW of Hilo, Hawaii. All tropical storm warnings have been discontinued. Tropical storm force wind gusts were possible overnight. Locally gusty winds will likely continue on Tuesday over the central and Western Islands.
Forecasters say Tropical Storm Gil has formed in the Pacific, far off the southern tip of California.
Floods in Yorkshire, England.
Extremely heavy rains have caused flood damage in Calder Valley and Todmorden, West Yorkshire. Walsden, near Todmorden in West Yorkshire, England has been hit by up to 18in (46cm) of water.
The Environment Agency has issued a flood alert for the River Calder and its tributaries from Todmorden to Brighouse.
On the other side of the coin, the downpours have given relief from the heatwave that had been affecting the areas.
Other News:
Lightning strike in Dolakha, Nepal has claimed the life of one person and injured thirty six others.
Global warming endangers South American water supply
Chile and Argentina may face critical water storage issues due to rain-bearing westerly winds over South America's Patagonian Ice-Field to moving south as a result of global warming.
A reconstruction of past changes in the North and Central Patagonian Ice-field, which plays a vital role in the hydrology of the region, has revealed the ice field had suddenly contracted around 15,000 years ago after a southerly migration of westerly winds.
This migration of westerly winds towards the south pole has been observed again in modern times and is expected to continue under a warming climate, likely leading to further ice declines in this area affecting seasonal water storage.
"We found that precipitation brought to this region by Southern Hemisphere westerlies played an important role in the glaciation of the North Patagonian Ice-Fields," said Dr Chris Fogwill from the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. 
"Our research has shown this ice-field significantly reduced in size when those winds moved southwards."
The North Patagonian Ice-field is vital to maintain seasonal water storage capacity for Argentina and Chile.
"Worryingly, this study suggests the region may well be on a trajectory of irreversible change, which will have profound impacts on agriculture and the increasing dependency on hydroelectric power in Chile and Argentina," Dr Fogwill said.
New Explanations Sought for Dolphin Strandings
In waters from Florida to the Caribbean, dolphins are showing up stranded or entangled in fishing gear with an unusual problem: They can't hear.
A study has found that more than half of stranded bottlenose dolphins and more than a third of stranded rough-toothed dolphins had severe hearing loss. The animals' hearing impairment may have been a critical factor in their strandings. The causes of hearing loss in dolphins aren't always clear, but aging, shipping noise and side effects from antibiotics could play roles.
Whether the hearing loss is causing the dolphin strandings — for instance, by steering the marine mammals in the wrong direction or preventing them from finding food — remains an open question.
Wildfires - Australia
Firefighters continued to battle blazes across Mount Isa in Queensland yesterday with a significant fire threatening homes in Healy.
Novel Coronavirus in Saudi Arabia - Update
After a quiet period, WHO has been informed of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Saudi Arabia.
Dengue Fever in Honduras
Honduras’ government has declared a state of emergency due to a dengue fever outbreak that has killed 16 people and sickened 12,000.
Dengue causes high fever, joint pains and nausea. In severe cases, it can lead to internal bleeding, liver enlargement, circulatory shutdown and death.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.1 Earthquake hits southeast of the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of North island, New Zealand.
Tropical Storms
In the Eastern Pacific:
Flossie's Hawaiian adventure: Short, scattered and more powerful than many believed it would be at first.
National Weather Service officials say the tropical depression is expected to exit Hawaii on Tuesday as a weakened version of the storm that prompted school and court closures and an emergency declaration from Gov. Neil Abercrombie before hitting shore.
But hours after surfers caught waves on the Big Island and tourists sunbathed despite showers and overcast skies in Waikiki, Flossie made its mark on the state with widespread thunder and lightning, heavy rain and winds that knocked out power to thousands on several islands.
Projected path:
Other News:
Bad weather in Japan's Central Alps has claimed the lives of three South Korean climbers and left another missing. The bodies of the climbers were found on routes between Mt Hoken and Mt Hinokio today.
Floods in Maluku province in eastern Indonesia have claimed the lives of at least four people and left six missing. More than 1 000 people have been displaced.
Tornadoes in Milan, Italy have injured at least 12 people and damaged several buildings and vehicles. One tornado hit the Grezzago area destroying several cars and overturning trucks. A violent storm hit Vaprio, Trezzo and Grezzago (Milan).
A father and son from New Zealand are reported to be missing in an avalanche on K2, the second highest mountain in the world in Nepal. Rescue teams are waiting for the weather to clear.
A severe hailstorm hit the German village of Wassel in Sehnte Saturday evening. The hailstones were the size of tennis balls and damaged roofs, windows and numerous vehicles.
Many provinces in northern Vietnam are suffering from flooding and landslides caused by prolonged heavy rain.
Wildfires - USA
A wildfire raging in the Sierra National Forest in southern California since July 22 has burned through over 11,000 acres and continues on a path of destruction as firefighters continue attempts at containment.
Four wildfires are actively burning in western Montana and have led to some evacuations and road and trail closures, having scorched over 36 square miles.
Lightning late last week touched off dozens of fires in southwest Oregon near Glendale. Most of the small ones were contained, and some merged into larger fires that make up the Douglas Complex. Those fires have burned 21,000 acres, or nearly 33 square miles, and were just 2 percent contained as of Monday afternoon. Seventy-five houses have been evacuated and another 40 are on evacuation alert.
Train Collision in Switzerland.
At least 35 people have been injured, five of them seriously, in a collision between two trains in western Switzerland. The crash happened in Granges-pres-Marnand in Vaud canton, about 50km (30 miles) south-west of the capital, Bern.
This is the second major train accident in Europe in less than a week.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Shiveluch (Kamchatka): Activity has been elevated during the past days. Several explosions and / or dome collapse events have sent ash plumes to about 20,000 ft (6 km) elevation during the past days.
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): Activity remains high - explosions occur at more-than-usual frequency from the Showa crater. An eruption on 27 July produced an ash plume rising to 18,000 ft (5.7 km) altitude, i.e. an eruption plume about 4.5 km tall.
Karangetang (Siau Island, Sangihe Islands, Indonesia): VSI has decreased the alert level from 3 (Siaga, Alert) (since 8 August 2011) back to 2 (Waspada, watch). No lava emissions/ejections have been observed since 7 July and seismic activity has been decreasing over the past weeks. No hot spot is visible on satellite imagery.
Ambrym (Vanuatu): A seismic swarm at the volcano was detected on 26 July, but no evidence of unusual activity at the surface has been detected. The lava lakes inside Benbow and Marum remain active.
White Island (New Zealand): The seismic crisis ended on 28 July with no eruption. Degassing remains elevated and incandescence is still visible from the dome in the crater.
Tungurahua (Ecuador): During the past days, a further increase in activity of the volcano occurred, characterized by the generation of large explosions and a constant ash eruption column, and several small to big explosions that generated strong vibrations and rattled windows in villages near the volcano. An eruption at 07:23 (local time) on 28 July generated a small pyroclastic flow that affected the upper north and north east flank of the volcano. Constant ash emissions produce a an ash column of up to 1.5 km height, drifting westwards. Ash fell in the town of Mocha.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.5 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.3 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.
5.1 Earthquake hits Fiji.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.
New Theory on Major Earthquakes
A widely accepted theory about earthquakes has received a shakeup.
A team of geologists studying the San Andreas fault near Los Angeles found that bigger earthquakes aren't necessarily preceded by longer periods of inactivity on the fault. The going wisdom about earthquakes is that the longer a fault goes without a major earthquake, the bigger the quake will be when it finally strikes. The theory seems particularly apt for the San Andreas fault, which marks the boundary between two tectonic plates. As the Pacific plate moves northward relative to North America at about 4.5 cm per year, friction stops the fault from slipping. The longer that strain jacks up, the farther the plates will jolt when they finally let go and the larger the resulting earthquake will be. Or so the thinking went.
But a group found that the theory doesn't hold up for the segment of the fault near the southern California town of Wrightwood.
The team's analysis provided the most complete long-term record of activity for any fault in the world. And it contradicts the conventional wisdom: Shorter quiet periods of less than a century were generally followed by larger earthquakes, and longer periods of several hundred years preceded smaller quakes. Although this appears counterintuitive, the larger pattern is more logical. It appears that strain is not released entirely with each earthquake but continues to accumulate through four or five or more earthquake cycles. Finally, the strain is released by one big quake or a cluster of smaller shocks.
The authors caution that they don't know yet if the activity at the Wrightwood fault segment is typical of the entire San Andreas fault or of faults in general. But if it is, the research could change the way scientists estimate the probability of earthquakes.
Tropical Storms
In the Eastern Pacific:
Tropical storm Flossie was located about 320 mi (515 km) E of Hilo, Hawaii. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Hawaii County, Maui County -including the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe, and Oahu. Heavy rainfall was expected to begin as early as Monday morning over Hawaii County and Monday afternoon over Maui County, with heavy rain spreading to Oahu by Monday night. Flossie is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 6 to 10 inches over The Big Island and Maui County, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches possible, mainly windward.
Other News:
Heavy rains trigger landslides in which at least two people are missing in Shimane and Yamaguchi prefectures in western Japan.
Flooding near Charlotte in North Carolina, USA has claimed the lives of at least three people.
The EF-1 tornado brought 100 mph winds that uprooted large trees and damaged a barn Saturday evening near Troupsburg in upstate New York, USA.
Wildfires - Mallorca, Spain
A wildfire on the Island of Mallorca which started on Friday just east of the leisure port of Andratx has burned around 1,800 hectares, most of them of either pine forest or low-lying woodland.
About 700 people have been evacuated due to the fire in Es Grau, Ses Tanquetes and Estellenc.
About 370 firefighters, civil defense members and the military emergency unit are struggling to control the fire with the help of 24 planes and helicopters.
This is believed to the worst fire on Spanish Mallorca for 15 years.
Humans Not Natural Warriors
New studies of hunter-gatherer societies finds that warfare is not in human nature, but is a relatively new behavior that emerged from "civilized" cultures.
It is not in human nature for our species to make war, according to new research published in the journal Science.
Some scholars say that humankind inherited the inclination to wage war from its closest relative the chimpanzee, which exhibits a kind of war between groups.
But two researchers from Finland’s Abo Akademi University say that’s not the case and believe war developed with the rise of modern civilization, which caused conflicts over resources such as agriculture and livestock.
There is very little archeological evidence of war in our pre-civilized past.
So the researchers looked at modern-day hunter-gatherer people without livestock or the social class divisions that developed with the rise of civilization.
“When we looked at all the violent events about 55 percent of them involved one person killing another. That's not war,” said Fry. “When we looked at group conflicts, the typical pattern was feuds between families and revenge killings, which is not war either.”
Only a very small number of more organized killings comparable to war were found, and almost all of them were in one of the 21 groups studied.
The researchers conclude that some of the most “primitive” peoples on Earth were actually quite peaceful compared to modern, developed nations.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.1 Earthquke hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.
5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Tanimbar, Indonesia.
Tropical Storms
In the Atlantic:
Remnants of Dorian were located about 550 mi (890 km) E of the northern Leeward Islands. The last advisory on this system by the National Hurricane Center has been issued.
In the Eastern Pacific:
Tropical storm Flossie is located about 775 mi E of Hilo, Hawaii. A tropical storm watch has been issued for Hawaii and Maui counties. Heavy rainfall may begin as early as Monday morning over Hawaii County and Monday afternoon over Maui County. Tropical storm force winds are expected as early as Monday afternoon. Large surf will impact east facing shores possibly as early as Sunday afternoon with the largest surf expected on Monday
Other News:
Heavy rains for over 10 hours caused another landslide in China, this one in Liaoning Province which claimed the lives of at least six people.
Heavy rains caused floods in Sanaa, Yemen.
Floods and landslides in Gorontalo, Indonesia have claimed the lives of at least four people and left three others missing. Several buildings were damaged and about 600 families were displaced.
Heavy rain Friday night flooded cities in southern Utah, USA overnight, and the storms continued to batter the region Saturday.
Greenhouse Gas Pollution Greening World's Deserts
Increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels are causing deserts of the world to bloom with new green foliage, according to a new study. Randall Donohue, from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, used satellite observations from the past 30 years and found green foliage increased in arid regions during that period.
Higher levels of CO2 help the leaves during photosynthesis, the process by which green plants convert sunlight into sugar.
The increased greenhouse gas allows the plant to extract more carbon from the air, lose less water to the air or both, according to the study.
“While a CO2 effect on foliage response has long been speculated, until now it has been difficult to demonstrate,” said Donohue.
“Our work was able to tease-out the CO2 fertilization effect by using mathematical modeling together with satellite data adjusted to take out the observed effects of other influences such as precipitation, air temperature, the amount of light and land-use changes," said Donohue.
The findings were published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Satellite data shows the amount that foliage cover has changed around the world from 1982 to 2010.
Wildfires - USA
Two state highways are closed and more than 200 homes are under evacuation orders Saturday as at least three wildfires continue to spread ominously across Central Washington.
Nearly 1,200 fighters are battling the largest of the wildfires, which has grown to about 14 square miles near Goldendale. The fire along the top of Satus Pass is threatening about 180 homes, but none have been damaged.
Another fire in Chelan County that started Saturday has destroyed two buildings and forced the evacuation of about 60 homes and cabins along the Columbia River near Quincy.
Paralyzed Ravens and Crows in Canada
Ravens and crows in eastern British Columbia are being afflicted by a mysterious paralysis that has left at least dozens dead.
Wildlife rehabilitation expert Leona Green said the first reports of the mysterious avian ailment started coming in from around the Peace Region from Fort St. John to Tumbler Ridge in late May.
“They are all feathered out, there’s no wing damage and they seem quite bright, and if you feed them by hand they will eat,” Green told the Vancouver Sun. “But their legs are completely paralyzed and their claws are clubbed with no feeling from their spines to their legs.”
She added that without the use of their legs, they can’t launch themselves into flight.
It’s feared the birds are suffering from the effects of West Nile virus, of which they are especially susceptible.
University of B.C. professor Patrick Mooney, who specializes in biodiversity and urban birds, said the deaths of such birds can act as an early warning system that the virus — which also affects humans — has arrived.
Rabies in Taiwan
In recent weeks, rabies has emerged in Taiwan, around 80 wild Formosan ferret-badgers have been found dead and there has also been a case in which a man was bitten by a rabid Formosan ferret-badger.
These are all signs that rabies, which had been wiped out in Taiwan for more than 50 years, is spreading throughout the country.
Cyclospora Outbreak USA - Update
The multistate Cyclospora outbreak increased by 36 cases since yesterday's update to a total of 321 cases, according to the Centres for Disease Control.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week's hottest temperature was 124.0 degrees Fahrenheit (51.1 degrees Celsius) at Death Valley, California.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 105.5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 76.4 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.3 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.6 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.
5.4 Earthquake hits Guam.
5.1 Earthquake hits south of Java.
5.1 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.
5.0 Earthquake hits Vancouver Island, Canada.
Tropical Storms
In the Atlantic:
Dorian, the fourth named storm of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, was centred about 1,135 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands and was moving west-northwest at 22 miles per hour (35 km per hour). It had top sustained winds of 45 mph, the hurricane centre said.
Dorian posed no immediate threat to the Gulf of Mexico, where U.S. oil and gas operations are clustered.
The storm is becoming less organized and is forecast to be downgraded to a tropical depression on Sunday, the centre said. Computers models show Dorian will then continue to move west as a mass of thunderstorms and pass north of Puerto Rico on Monday.
In the Eastern Pacific:
As of 03:00 UTC Saturday, tropical storm Flossie was located 2070 km E of Hilo Hawaii. Hawaii authorities has issued an alert for "torrential" rains and dangerous flash floods early next week. Tropical storm Flossie has a 5 percent chance to grow into a hurricane.
Landslide in Gansu, China
Landslide caused by heavy rainfall in the Gansu province in China has claimed the lives of at least seven people and left fifteen others missing.
Gansu is the same area where very strong earthquake hit the area some days ago claiming the lives of at least 95 people.
Other News:
Ireland's Letterkenny General Hospital is under water prompting the declaration of a flood emergency.
A tornado struck Bothwell in Lanarkshire, Scotland yesterday afternoon leaving residents cowering in fear.
Wildfires - USA
Three wildfires are raging in Northwest Oregon amid a rash of lightning in the past 24 hours and more unstable weather in the forecast.
Firefighters are content to let a 1,200-acre wildfire in a central Wyoming forest burn.
A wildfire sparked by a lawnmower northeast Frenchtown, Missouri quickly spread to 720 acres displacing livestock and prompting some evacuations.
Cholera in Nigeria
An outbreak of a cholera epidemic has been reported in two local government areas of Ogun State, Pigeria. private and public hospitals across the Abeokuta metropolis have witnessed an increase in the number of patients on admission for the disease.
Drought Worsens in Cameroon
Prolonged drought in northern Cameroon, an aspect of the changing climate that is affecting the whole Sahel region, has reduced food output, pushed up prices and increased the severity and prevalence of malnutrition among children. The farm yields are insufficient, making it difficult to feed the children throughout the year. The food support locals get from the health centre is not enough either.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Ketoi (Kurile Islands, Russia): SVERT raised the alert level to yellow after a weak thermal anomaly has been detected on satellite data at the summit of the volcano. No other details about possible activity are currently known.
White Island (New Zealand): Following increased tremor including numerous earthquakes, and increased gas-steam emissions from the crater lake, the alert level of the volcano was raised to yellow again. According to Brad Scott of GNS Science, the crater produced "audible jets of gas" and "broader expanding bubbles of dark lake sediments and debris" throwing material 20-30 meters into the air.
Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): From AVO's weekly activity update: "Nearly continuous, gradually fluctuating volcanic tremor and occasional explosions have been observed in seismic data from Veniaminof Volcano throughout the past week. Elevated surface temperatures at the intracaldera cone also have been observed in satellite data throughout the past week. When viewing conditions permit, incandescence at the cone has been observed in night-time web camera views. Day time web camera views also showed that low-level ash and steam emissions have continued throughout the week. A pilot report from 8:00 AM AKDT July 25 described an ash plume to 200-300 feet above the erupting cone and dispersing 15 miles to the south and a "river of lava" flowing from the intracaldera cone.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The rate of small emissions of steam-gas and sometimes ash has risen to more than 3 per hour again, and CENAPRED recorded 150 minutes of low and high frequency tremor.
Santa MarÃa / Santiaguito (Guatemala): No significant changes in activity have occurred. A moderate explosion was observed yesterday morning, producing an ash plume about 500 m high. Some avalanches occurred at the lava flows on the southern slope of the dome.
Fuego (Guatemala): INSIVUMEH reports weak strombolian activity ejecting incandescent blocks to up to 100 m and producing small ash plumes about 200 m high, as well as continued lava effusion feeding a flow on the southern side of about 100 m length.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.1 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
No tsunami warning was issued.
5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.
5.0 Earthquake hits southern Peru.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands off New Zealand.
5.0 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
Tropical Storms
In the Atlantic:
Tropical storm Dorian is located about 1550 mi (2500 km) E of the northern Leeward Islands. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast through late Saturday. Dorian is moving in the direction of Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Cuba and Florida.
In the Eastern Pacific:
Tropical Storm Flossie is located about 1355 mi (2185 km) WSW of the southern tip of Baja, California. Moving westward towards Hawaii - 1940 mi (3125 km) E of Honolulu.
Strong storms in southern Kansas
Hail as large as baseballs was reported in east Hutchinson on Tuesday night. Winds estimated as high as 100 miles an hour were reported in southern Reno County near Pretty Prairie. The town itself was hit hard by hail and strong winds, knocking down trees and blocking streets.
Other News:
Heavy rains and thunderstorms have caused flooding in Dublin, Ireland leaving thousands of homes without power.
The Maluku dam in Indonesia collapsed and claimed life of at least one person and injured thirty two others. Around 5,200 people have been evacuated from a village near Ambon. More than 400 mm of rain was recorded in 24h locally which caused the dam to break.
Environment Canada has confirmed a tornado touched down in southern Manitoba on Wednesday. Wednesday's tornado is the third one in southern Manitoba since July 18, when a twister went through Sioux Valley First Nation and damaged homes and trees and sent two people to hospital. The other happened on July 21 but caused no damage, touching down in a field between the communities of Deloraine and Boissevain.
Arctic Cyclone Tears Up Sea Ice
Arctic scientists are watching in awe this week as a raging summer cyclone tears up what could become a record amount of rotting northern sea ice.
Arctic cyclones are driven by low-pressure systems in which winds of up to 100 km/h blow counter-clockwise in a spiral more than 1,000 kilometres across. They occur in both winter and summer, but are usually stronger in winter. Cyclones are not unusual in the Arctic, but seem to be changing in recent years. "These cyclones are not getting more frequent, but they are getting deeper -- which means stronger."
And they're getting harder on sea ice, which they break up through wave action associated with high winds and through rainfall, which darkens the ice and makes it absorb more solar energy. The storms also bring up water from the depths, which is actually warmer than surface water.
Cyclones can destroy large amounts of ice very quickly. "In 2009, we actually documented one of these events in which large, multi-year ice floes - Manhattan-sized - broke up in a matter of minutes." Last year, a particularly powerful cyclone is thought to have wiped out 800,000 square kilometres of ice. That contributed to record low sea-ice levels at the end of the 2012 melt year.
This year's storm over the Beaufort Sea formed about mid-week and is expected to die out on the weekend. It isn't as strong as last year's, but the ice is thinner and weaker. As well, the ice has already been pummelled by earlier storms. "The effects of (the storm) are nowhere near what we saw last August. But because the ice is thinner and it's already been pre-conditioned, and because there's less volume, it's much more vulnerable to impacts from this sort of thing."
The ice is getting so weak that new categories have had to be created for it. "We have a whole new class of sea ice in the Arctic, which we're calling 'decayed ice. We started seeing it in 2009. It's extremely weak." Changing sea-ice cover is increasingly being linked to southern weather patterns. The jet stream, which strongly influences weather at mid-latitudes, is driven by temperature differences between the Arctic and the equator, a difference that shrinks with the sea ice. Ice coverage is slightly about last year's record low but still well below the 30-year average.
Much remains unknown about the role of Arctic cyclones in the annual freeze-thaw cycle. Back when the sea was thick and lasted for years, cyclones tended to spread the ice out and actually increase its extent. Now, when ice gets spread out, it simply breaks up and disappears. "As our ice cover has thinned, some of our old rules are changing...This year has been very stormy. The month of August is definitely one to watch in the Arctic."
Legionnaires’ disease outbreak claims 2 more lives
Two more people have died from Legionnaires’ disease at a Reynoldsburg, Ohio, USA retirement community, bringing total deaths to four and those sickened to 35.
CDC Warns Of Rare Parasite Outbreak - USA
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials are warning about potentially tainted produce that may have caused sickness in over 250 people across several US states.
The produce, which would have been shipped across state lines, is believed to have been contaminated with a rare parasite known as cyclospora. Almost 120 people have reportedly tested positive for the rare protozoan in Iowa, an additional 65 tested positive in Texas and another 68 in Nebraska, according to state officials. Several other cases have been reported in Wisconsin, Illinois and Kansas, although the Illinois case may yet be traced back to Iowa.
Officials have yet to formally identify a source for the illnesses. Cyclospora are not known to thrive in the US – making the possibility that imported produce may be the culprit highly likely.
Fish Die From Oxygen Starvation in England
A large amount of fish found dead in the lower Lea river and surrounding waterways were starved of oxygen.
The fish were spotted at various locations along the river, including Springfield Marina and Lea Bridge Weir pool in Walthamstow.
Recent hot weather reduced oxygen levels in the river, the Environment Agency said.
And storms on Monday night, which swept toxins from nearby roads into the river, meant oxygen levels were further depleted.
Fisheries officers from the agency worked through the night carrying out work to return levels to normal by running water through locks and pumping oxygen into the water at Three Mills Boatyard.
The agency reported that oxygen levels have risen around 25 per cent in the area, creating a refuge for fish including bream, perch, pike and roach.
New Zealand Drought
The 2012-13 drought has been confirmed as the worst in nearly 70 years for large parts of the country.
An assessment published today said the dry conditions had been unusually widespread, with a severity similar to that of 1945-46.
Although drought conditions had dissipated with the onset of winter, and many farms had started to recover following good autumn conditions, the economic and social impact of the drought continued to be felt around the country. Recent snow made it harder for farmers to see themselves through the winter and manage feed supply and pastures.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Activity has been at relatively low to moderate levels recently. Explosions of small to medium size occur regularly from the "usual" (mainly the eastern and western) vents.
Tolbachik (Kamchatka): KVERT reports no changes in the ongoing mainly effusive eruption; tremor has remained stable (3.3 mcm/s). No significant changes were reported for either of the other currently erupting / restless Kamchatkan volcanoes:
Chirinkotan (Northern Kurils): A thermal hot spot and steam plume remain visible on satellite images (when there is no cloud cover), indicating that some activity continues at the remote volcano.
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The IAVECI 2013 conference over, activity has dropped a bit, it seems. The volcano still has a few vulcanian explosions per day, but smaller in size, and phases of near-continuous ash emissions have become a bit weaker and shorter when observed last night.
Lokon-Empung (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): An explosion occurred Monday (22 July) morning at 05:06 local time, producing an ash plume of about 1200 m height.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Emissions have been up to 2 per hour on average, but remained very small. A volcano-tectonic magnitude 2.3 quake occurred at 00:47 (local time) yesterday.
Santa MarÃa / Santiaguito (Guatemala): The lava dome has been very calm during the past day. No explosions and no movement at the previously active lava flow (on the southern slope) were observed.
Pacaya (Guatemala): Seismic and surface activity have increased during the past days, characterized by the appearance of continuous tremor and more frequent strombolian explosions, the latest special bulletin of INSIVUMEH notes. This suggests a batch of fresh magma is currently rising. The Guatemalan scientists think that it is likely that strombolian activity will increase and perhaps a lava flow will appear on the flanks of the volcano in the coming days.
Fuego (Guatemala): Activity has remained low. INSIVUMEH reports only few and weak explosions (producing ash plumes up to 400 m height) and the active lava flow decreased to 50 m length.
Telica (Nicaragua): Seismic activity has decreased a bit, although small earthquakes are still frequent.
Galeras (Colombia): A magnitude 3.2 earthquake occurred under the volcano yesterday morning. The quake was felt by some nearby residents.
Reventador (Ecuador): Activity remains at high levels, characterized by small explosions and the likely effusion of lava flows. Unfortunately, near-constant cloud cover makes direct observations difficult.
Tungurahua (Ecuador): An increase in activity has occurred since yesterday. For 24 July, IGPEN reports an eruption column of steam and ash reaching 5 km above the crater drifting into westerly directions. During the past night, a further rise in activity has likely occurred, as the increasing tremor signal suggests. Weak to moderate explosion sounds could be heard overnight and ash fall was reported from El Manzano, Choglontus, Puela, Cahuaji, and in the sectors of Cevallos, Quero and Mocha.
Sabancaya (Peru): Seismic activity has picked up. A number of earthquakes in the magnitude 2-3 range have appeared recently.
Heard (Australia, Southern Indian Ocean): A single hot spot is again visible at the summit crater. It is not known what activity exactly occurs there, but it could be that there is a small lava lake or strombolian-type activity from the crater at Dawson Peak.
Spain Train Crash kills 78
At least 78 people have been killed in the passenger train derailment in north-western Spain on Wednesday. More than 140 were hurt, 36 seriously, after all eight carriages of the Madrid to Ferrol train came off the tracks near Santiago de Compostela.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.6 Earthquake hits the Andreanof Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
5.2 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.
5.1 Earthquake hits Taiwan.
5.0 Earthquake hits Taiwan.
Tropical Storm Dorian forms in the Atlantic and is located about 615 mi (990 km) W of the Cape Verde Islands. It currently appears that Dorian will be a potential threat to the Bahama Islands, Bermuda, and the U.S. East Coast next week.
Huge landslide in Sichuan province, China.
More than 1,400 people have been evacuated following the landslide which swept away 28 houses and 6.6 hectares of farmland in the Caopo Township. Video.
Arctic Methane an 'Economic Time Bomb'.
Increasing temperatures in the Arctic region are reducing sea ice cover and increasing the possibility of methane leaching from the sea bed. Scientists say that the release of large amounts of methane from thawing permafrost in the Arctic could have huge economic impacts for the world.
The researchers estimate that the climate effects of the release of this gas could cost $60 trillion (£39 trillion), roughly the size of the global economy in 2012. The impacts are most likely to be felt in developing countries they say. Scientists have had concerns about the impact of rising temperatures on permafrost for many years. Large amounts of methane are concentrated in the frozen Arctic tundra but are also found as semi-solid gas hydrates under the sea. Previous work has shown that the diminishing ice cover in the East Siberian sea is allowing the waters to warm and the methane to leach out. Scientists have found plumes of the gas up to a kilometre in diameter rising from these waters.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, even though it lasts less than a decade in the atmosphere. the researchers examined the impact of the release of 50-gigatonnes of methane over a decade. They worked out that this would increase climate impacts such as flooding, sea level rise, damage to agriculture and human health to the tune of $60 trillion. "That's an economic time bomb that at this stage has not been recognised on the world stage. We think its incredibly important for world leaders to really discuss what are the implications of this methane release and what could we indeed do about it to hopefully prevent the whole burst from happening."
The researchers say their study is in marked contrast to other, more upbeat assessments of the economic benefits of warming in the Arctic region. It is thought that up to 30% of the world's undiscovered gas and 13% of undiscovered oil lie in the waters. Transport companies are looking to send increasing numbers of ships through these fast melting seas. Investment in the Arctic could reach $100bn within ten years.
But according to the new work, these benefits would be a fraction of the likely costs of a large scale methane emission. The authors say a release of methane on this scale could bring forward the date when global temperatures increase by 2C by between 15 and 35 years. New research suggests that permafrost is also melting in Antarctica. Scientists have found that ground ice in the McMurdo Dry Valley Regions has accelerated consistently between 2001 and 2012, rising to about ten times the historical average. The researchers say that rising temperatures do not account for this increased melting but is due to an increase in sunlight caused by changes in weather patterns.
"We are looking at a big effect, a possibly catastrophic effect on global climate that's a consequence of this extremely fast sea ice retreat that's been happening in recent years." Some scientists have cautioned that not enough is known about the likelihood of such a rapid release of methane. Even though it has been detected for a number of years, it has as yet not been found in the atmosphere in large amounts. But the evidence is growing. "We are seeing increasing methane in the atmosphere. When you look at satellite imagery, for instance the Metop satellite, that's gone up significantly in the last three years and the place where the increase is happening most is over the Arctic."
The authors say that the impacts of the extra methane would be felt most in developing countries which are more vulnerable to rising waters, flooding and the agricultural and health impacts of rising temperatures.
Dead Eels in China
Tens of thousands of dead eels have washed ashore in China over the past few weeks.
The eel is just the latest animal to die en masse in China's waters. In March, thousands of dead pigs were dumped by farmers into the Hangpu River in Shanghai, and hundreds of dead ducks and fish have also turned up in Chinese waterways.
Although no one knows the cause yet, some suspect the China National Offshore Oil Company may be responsible. That company is doubling its crude oil production.
But the company and local administrators say the eels died of natural causes. The company says ocean currents brought a confluence of low temperatures, low oxygen and high salt content that killed off the eels.
Heat Alert in Hungary
Hot, dry weather will arrive in the Carpathian Basin this weekend, with around 40C possible in western Hungary Sunday. The National Medical Office has issued a second-degree heat alert.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Raung (East Java): Mild strombolian activity is taking place from the intra-crater cone.
Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): AVO posted a picture showing the erupting intra-caldera cone emitting a lava flow and producing mild strombolian explosions.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Following the relatively calm phase over the past week, CENAPRED lowered the alert level back to Yellow phase 2 (from 3).
North Pole Now a Lake
Instead of snow and ice whirling on the wind, a foot-deep aquamarine lake now sloshes around a webcam stationed at the North Pole. The meltwater lake started forming July 13, following two weeks of warm weather in the high Arctic. In early July, temperatures were 2 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 3 degrees Celsius) higher than average over much of the Arctic Ocean, according to the National Snow & Ice Data Centre.
Meltwater ponds sprout more easily on young, thin ice, which now accounts for more than half of the Arctic's sea ice. The ponds link up across the smooth surface of the ice, creating a network that traps heat from the sun. Thick and wrinkly multi-year ice, which has survived more than one freeze-thaw season, is less likely sport a polka-dot network of ponds because of its rough, uneven surface.
July is the melting month in the Arctic, when sea ice shrinks fastest. An Arctic cyclone, which can rival a hurricane in strength, is forecast for this week, which will further fracture the ice and churn up warm ocean water, hastening the summer melt. The Arctic hit a record low summer ice melt last year on Sept. 16, 2012, the smallest recorded since satellites began tracking the Arctic ice in the 1970s.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.6 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Komandorskiye Ostrova region, Russia.
Flooding and Lightning Across Britain and Scotland
Heavy rain has caused flooding across parts of Nottinghamshire. About 2.6in (68mm) of rain fell in the space of 30 minutes on Tuesday evening, causing disruption to roads and public transport services. Many homes have been damaged and flood warnings were in place on the River Leen in Bulwell, following the thunderstorms.
Lightning damaged several buildings including a historic church near Bury, Greater Manchester. Lightning also damaged a signalling system in Manchester Piccadilly station.
Lightning strikes affecting signals disrupted train services in Scotland.
Flash flooding affected several roads in south Worcestershire.
However heavy rains have ended the three-week heatwave in the UK.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for heavy rains across England, Wales and Scotland.
Less Ice Equals More Seal Strandings on US Coast
Harp seals mate and rear their young on the sea ice off the east coast of Canada in the spring and move north as the weather warms. But increasing numbers of seals are ending up stranded along the U.S. East Coast, as far south as the Carolinas, far away from where they should be at this time of year.
Drought in China
A drought since early July has left 384,000 people short of drinking water in central China's Hunan Province, the provincial drought relief headquarters reported on Tuesday.
SA Rhino Poaching Toll Hits 500
More than 500 South African rhinos have been killed this year, official figures showed Wednesday, amid strong demand for horns on the Asian black market.
"As of yesterday (Tuesday), a total of 515 rhino have been killed so far this year," said the environment ministry.
The lucrative Asian black market for rhino horn has driven a boom in poaching in South Africa, which has the largest rhino population in the world.
Many of the killings are thought to be perpetrated by poachers from global syndicates.
Wildfires USA
Several wildfires are burning in Wyoming. Two fires are burning in the Shoshone National Forest and another in the Medicine Bow National Forest. A fire southwest of Lander has burned about 1,200 acres of trees, grass and sagebrush.
Ten wildfires are burning in Idaho, according to federal officials, the largest of which: The 6,124-acre Papoose fire, burning about 40 miles west of Salmon; the 2,797-acre Pine Creek fire, about 15 miles northeast of Boise and the 3,060-acre Ridge fire burning about 15 miles north of Lowman.
A new central Oregon wildfire that quickly grew to cover half a square mile has prompted the evacuation of about 120 homes in several subdivisions.
A lightning-caused fire is burning on an estimated 1,600 acres, about 40 miles northwest of Meeker.
In California, a pair of brush fires started burning Tuesday morning near southbound Interstate 5 in the Fort Tejon area.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Tolbachik (Kamchatka): There are no signs of the eruption ending soon. Although an overall weakly decreasing trend is visible over the past months, tremor levels reported by KVERT remained stable during the past week and lava continues to be erupted form the southern fissure, feeding a vast flow field mainly SE of the volcano.
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): Activity remains elevated. During most of the time, the volcano produces (usually silent) near-continuous ash puffs that reach varying heights of a few hundred meters, as well as intermittent vulcanian explosions with plume heights often exceeding 3 km. Often, the plumes from this activity merge into a continuous one that has been drifting into easterly directions where light to moderate ash fall occurs. The eastern sector of the volcano is covered by up to several cm of fresh ash from the activity during the recent weeks.
Merapi (Central Java): A small explosive eruption occurred from the volcano yesterday (22 July) morning between 04:22 and 05:35 local time. It produced a dark ash plume rising about 1000 m and ash fall in the villages of Klaten (SE of the volcano) and Sleman (SW).
White Island (New Zealand): The "drumbeat" earthquake activity, which could be caused by pulsating steam and gas emissions from a narrow conduit continues. Over the past days, the intensity of seismic activity has risen, but dropped again a bit at the moment.
Veniaminof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): AVO reports no changes in activity: continuous low-level volcanic tremor, elevated surface temperatures at the intracaldera cone, visible glow and low-level ash and steam plumes indicate that lava flows continue to be erupted, along with mild strombolian activity.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has been low during the past days. Emissions of steam, gas and only sometimes small amounts of ash occurred at rates fluctuating between 0-3 per hour and plumes reached a maximum of about 1 km above the crater.
Turrialba (Costa Rica): The seismic crisis continues with a swarm of volcanic-tectonic quakes as well as periods of low-frequency tremor and possible small explosion signals (which could suggest small phreatic eruptions). OVSICORI wrote that on 18 July, over 1000 earthquakes were recorded on a single day.
Reventador (Ecuador): Small to moderate explosions and (probably) the effusion of a lava flow on the NE side of the cone continue. Seismic activity is high.
Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity remains high. The volcano produces intermittent explosions and near continuous strombolian explosions and ash emissions that produce an eruption column reaching up to 1.5 km above the crater. Easterly winds drift the ash mainly to the west and SE, where light ash fall occurred in Cahuajà and Choglontus.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.3 Earthquake hits eastern Honshu, Japan.
5.2 Earthquake hits north of Ascension Island.
5.1 Earthquake hits north of Ascension Island.
5.0 Earthquake hits the South Indian Ocean.
5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Bio-Bio, Chile.
5.0 Earthquake hits Atacama, Chile.
5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Sangihe, Indonesia.
The death toll from yesterday's earthquakes in Gansu, China has reached 94 with 1 001 people injured and only one person missing.
Arctic Cyclone
Over the next few days a large cyclone (low pressure system) will form over the Arctic Ocean, which will start to cause drastic changes in the sea ice in the area. This system strengthen winds to anywhere from 75-100 km/h over the ocean on Wednesday night into Thursday which will start to shift the ice in the area.
Last August a similar system developed in the area which destroyed 800,000 square km of ice. This system looks even stronger than last year's, and much of the ice in the area is thinner first year ice, so there could be drastic changes in the Arctic sea ice over the next week or so.
Flooding in the Koreas
Flooding in South Korea has claimed the lives of at least four people. Heavy rainfall has caused flooding and mudslides in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province.
Flood waters also swept away over 40 vehicles in a parking lot in the Tan Stream.
In neighbouring North Korea, floods have left 8 dead or missing. According to the Korean Central News Agency, floods in North Korea have caused huge flood damage in the central part of the country leading to five more deaths and three more people still missing. The floods have damaged more than 6,060 dwelling houses.
NewsBytes:
Mudslides in Shaanxi province in China have claimed seven lives and injured four others after heavy rainfall.
A lightning strike in Harrisonburg, USA has injured at least three people. The three people were in a tree when the lightning struck.
New Antarctic Evidence Reveals Past Melting
One of the wild cards in estimating future sea level rise from global warming is the enormous East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which holds more freshwater in its icy expanse than the whole of Greenland.
Some climate models predict the giant ice sheet will undergo relatively little change as the planet warms in coming decades, while others forecast significant melting. Now, a new study suggests parts of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet underwent significant melting during the Pliocene, a recent geologic epoch when climate conditions were similar to those of today.
Scientists previously considered the East Antarctic Ice Sheet to be more stable than the much smaller ice sheets in West Antarctica and Greenland, even though very few studies of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet have been carried out. New work now shows that the East Antarctic Ice Sheet has been much more sensitive to climate change in the past than previously realized.
During the Pliocene epoch between 5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago, geologic evidence indicates atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide were similar to modern levels of 400 parts per million (meaning that for every million air particles, 400 of them are carbon dioxide molecules) and global temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees Celsius (about 3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than they are now. Sea levels stood about 66 feet (20 meters) higher, according to ancient preserved shorelines.
To raise sea level that much, all of Greenland and West Antarctica had to be ice-free and parts of East Antarctica may have melted, modeling studies show. (The Antarctic ice sheet first started forming 34 million years ago.)
Researchers looked for evidence of past ice melting by drilling into deep-sea sediments offshore of East Antarctica. The ancient mud contains a unique geochemical fingerprint that matches bedrock in the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, which is now thickly covered with ice. The sediments were deposited between about 5 million to 3 million years ago, indicating the ice sheet retreated several hundred kilometres (about 200 miles) inland, exposing the bedrock. Erosion carried the sediments offshore.
The findings were published July 21 in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Cholera in Burundi
17 people have died in what has been described as a cholera epidemic in Burundi.
Anthrax Outbreak in Ghana
Veterinary officers in the Builsa North district in the Upper East region in Ghana have placed a ban on the slaughtering of animals in the area following the latest outbreak of anthrax.
Some residents are reported to have contracted the disease, after eating the meat of infected animals.
69 animals who contracted the disease have died so far.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Kizimen (Kamchatka): A rock spine that had been growing at the summit of the active lava dome has collapsed, producing pyroclastic flows and an ash plume rising to 20,000 ft (6 km) altitude.
Shiveluch (Kamchatka): An explosion and/or partial dome collapse produced an ash plume rising to 15,000 ft (4.7 km) last night and drifting east (Tokyo VAAC).
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): A strong vulcanian explosion occurred last night at 11:02 GMT (20:02 local time), following several hours of near complete calm at the volcano. A loud cannon-shot bang accompanied the explosion, which generated a large mushroom cloud that reached 12,000 ft (3.7 km) altitude and engulfed the NE half of the Sakurajima peninsula and was followed by several smaller ones within about half an hour. The volcano and much of the surrounding areas remained under the ash plume for several hours until it started to clear up again. In the hours after the explosion, the Showa crater continued to emit ash plumes in often near-continuous pulses, sometimes reaching several 100 m height, but with no visible incandescence or audible sounds.
Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): An small SO2 plume is seen on satellite images drifting from Bagana volcano. This suggests continuing activity.
Merapi (Central Java): Merapi volcano, on the island if Java, Indonesia produced a moderate emission of ash earlier today. Locals reported an eruption of dark red material to a height of 1 km was reported. Rainfall that was occurring at the time, mixed with the ash to create a heavy mud that forced locals to evacuate the slopes of the volcano.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The volcano has quieted down and produces only smaller emissions of mainly steam and gas at rates of 1-2 per hour.
Santa MarÃa / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity remains low with no significant changes. Few explosions occur, but the lava flow on the southern slope of the Caliente dome remains weakly active.
Pacaya (Guatemala): Activity has dropped at bit apparently. Although the seismic signal suggests that small strombolian-type explosions still seem to continue, INSIVUMEH reported only degassing and no sounds of explosions heard.
Fuego (Guatemala): There are no significant changes in activity, which remains weak (8 small to moderate explosions during 20-21 July) and mainly effusive; the lava flow on the southern side was about 300 m long and produced small avalanches of blocks towards the Taniluya canyon.
Tungurahua (Ecuador): An increase of activity occurred yesterday. IGPEN recorded 3 strong pulses of volcanic tremor since midnight 20-21 July (local time), which were accompanied by strombolian activity and strong explosions that produced loud roars, heavy gunfire sounds, and vibrations that rattled floors, windows and doors of houses in areas nearby. Some were heard even in the Tungurahua Volcano Observatory (OVT), located 14 km north of the volcano. The largest explosion yesterday at 14h18 (local time) generated an eruption column of 5 km height moving east.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.3 Earthquake hits the Prince Edward Islands.
6.0 Earthquake hits Gansu, China.
Early reports of at least 75 dead with 14 people reported to be missing. The Earthquake has injured at least 584 people. More than 21,000 buildings in eight different towns have been damaged.
5.6 Earthquake hits Gansu, China.
5.4 Earthquake hits Santa Cruz, Argentina.
5.4 Earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.3 Earthquake hits the South Shetland Islands.
5.2 Earthquake hits eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
5.1 Earthquake hrs near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
NewsBytes:
Landslides across Nepal have claimed the lives of at least seven people and injured six others in the last 24 hours. Landslides have been reported in the Palpa, Myagdi, Syangja and Dolakha districts in Nepal.
A Landslide in Shangnan, China has claimed the life of at least one person and injured eighteen tourists.
Floods in Punjab, Pakistan caused by heavy rainfall have claimed the lives of at least three people and injured nine others.
More rains bring floods and washed out roads to South Carolina, USA. A summer of rain has left its mark on South Carolina, undermining dozens of roads, flooding neighbourhoods from the mountains to the coast, and ruining the South Carolina Botanical Gardens.
Wildfires USA
The Warm Spring wildfire more than 15 square miles large forced the evacuation of an Oregon resort over the weekend and caused road closures.
Firefighters are trying to corral a lightning-caused wildfire in Elko County, Nevada that prompted residents of some 30 homes to flee their homes.
Update - A DC-10 jet fire retardant bomber flew into Idaho as part of an aggressive early attack on the pair of wildfires that have forced evacuations at two campgrounds and a Boy Scout camp in Boise County.
Update - Firefighters worked Saturday to get the upper hand on the mountain wildfire in Southern California that forced the evacuation of thousands and destroyed a number of homes and vehicles. The fire is now 49% contained.
Novel Coronavirus - Saudi Arabia - Update
WHO has been informed of two additional laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Saudi Arabia.
Bird Flu - China - Update
The National Health and Family Planning Commission, China notified WHO of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus. This is the first new confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) since 29 May 2013.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The volcano continues to produce relatively frequent and strong ash-rich explosions, but activity has decreased a bit compared to previous days. During last night, it had long-lasting (up to 1-2 hours) phases of continuous ash emissions of various intensity, with dense plumes up to about 500 m height, but completely silent and with no visible incandescence. During other phases, it was emitting a small plume of vapour with some dilute ash. Explosions occurred at intervals of 1-10 hours, producing large ash plumes, but ejecting relatively few bombs. Small lightnings could be seen in the eruption plumes.
Reventador (Ecuador): Effusive and explosive activity at the surface as well as seismicity have continued to increase. A lava flow is traveling from the summit crater on the southern side towards the SE flank and there are numerous small explosions which create ash plumes of up to about 1 km height. In its latest special report, IGPEN summarizes the evolution since 12 July as follows:
Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity both at the surface and internal remains at moderately high levels. Since the large vent-clearing vulcanian explosion on 14 July, the volcano has been producing strong strombolian activity and near-continuous ash emissions. This is accompanied by numerous long-period (LP) earthquakes and an elevated output of SO2 (3000 tonnes per day), as well as inflation at the northern flank in combination with weaker deflation of an area SW of the volcano (where the source of the magma might be located at about 2 km depth).
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.9 Earthquake hits the Cook Strait, New Zealand.
The minute-long earthquake has shaken Wellinton, halting trains and damaging Wellington's parliament building. It smashed windows, knocked stock off shop shelves and burst some water pipes, but there have been no reports of serious casualties. The earthquake had caused power cuts in the city suburbs and prompted the temporary closure of its airport. The Earthquake was also felt in Auckland. There was no risk of a tsunami.
5.8 Earthquake hits the Cook Strait, New Zealand.
5.4 Earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.1 Earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Biak region, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits central Italy.
NewsBytes:
A tornado hit northern Ohio, USA and tore through the Ursuline College campus early Saturday, demolishing the gymnasium, damaging at least three other buildings, uprooting and snapping trees and strewing debris over a wide area.
Flooding in Chihuahua, Mexico has claimed life of a person and closed an International Airport. Heavy rains caused the Cacahuateles and Nogales Rivers to overflow which flooded the Chihuahua International Airport in Northern Mexico. Chihuahua has received the rainfall in three hours equivalent to an entire year causing huge flood damage.
'Brown Ocean' Can Fuel Inland Tropical Cyclones
Before making landfall, tropical storms gather power from the warm waters of the ocean. When storms move over land, they normally lose power. A handful of tropical storms and hurricanes have defied the odds and strengthened over land. Now researchers believe they have a better understanding why this occurs.
Tropical systems are expected to weaken while interacting with land, but if conditions are ideal, a land mass can feed these entities and act as a "brown ocean." A recently released study, funded by NASA and conducted by Drs. Theresa Andersen and Marshall Shepherd of the University of Georgia has found that abundant soil moisture can continue to feed a tropical storm or hurricane long after it has left the warm waters of an ocean.
US Jets Drop Bombs on Great Barrier Reef
US fighter jets dropped inert bombs on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's coast during a training exercise that went wrong, it has emerged.
The two planes jettisoned four bombs in more than 50m (165 ft) of water, away from coral, to minimise damage to the World Heritage Site, the US navy said.
The two jets had been instructed to target the bombing range on Townshend Island.
However, the mission was aborted when hazards were reported in the area.
The planes then dropped the bombs in the marine park off the coast of Queensland. None of the devices exploded.
Drought in USA
Drought Conditions Expand Across Inland Northwest. Federal agencies have expanded how much of the Northwest they think is suffering from drought. An updated map released Thursday shows 88 percent of Idaho's territory is now categorized in moderate to severe drought.
Just over half of Oregon is similarly parched. Washington state is faring better.
Montana - Drought conditions still a risk in most of the state. Montanans can expect a mixed bag of water supply and moisture conditions as summer wears on.
Drought Deepens in Arkansas - The drought is worsening in parts of Arkansas, including counties in the northern part of the state, considered to be under moderate to severe drought.
While the country's drought conditions are significantly better than last year, the latest “Drought Monitor” shows that drought is tightening its grip in parched states, especially the dry Southwest.
Wildfires USA
The wildfire in southern California 100 miles from Los Angeles is now 49% contained and with 42 square miles burned, evacuation orders remain. Firefighters worked Saturday to get the upper hand on the mountain wildfire in Southern California that forced the evacuation of thousands and destroyed a number of homes and vehicles. Thunderstorms pose a threat in battling the blaze.
In Idaho wildfires continue to torch wilderness. The Ridge Fire, about 15 miles north of Lowman, continued burning into the weekend and remains about 850 acres in size. Several smaller fires also burn in Boise county.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.5 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.4 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
NewsBytes:
Floods and landslides in Kailali and Dolakha districts in Nepal have displaced more than 2,000 families and completely destroyed at least 50 houses. Almost 90 percent of Dhangadhi is waterlogged, closing schools, shops and transport services.
A tornado in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA has injured at least three people.
Heavy storms have hit southeast Michigan, USA with winds of 60 m.p.h. Around 105,000 people have lost power. A hailstorm also hit Brownstown Township.
A tropical wave passing over Puerto Rico has caused heavy flooding in Puerto Rico
A landslide in Turkey has claimed the lives of five people and injured 12 others.
Landslide buried six houses in Turkey near the town of Dortyol in the border province of Hatay.
Lightning strike in France has claimed the life of one person and injured one other near Saint Tropez on the Riviera.
Storms in Ontario and Quebec regions in central Canada have claimed the life of a woman and injured two others.
Pollution Shortens Life-Expectancy - China
Chinese living in heavily polluted northern areas of the country have their lives cut by an average of 5.5 years by airborne toxins compared to those living in the relatively cleaner south of the country.
A report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that the widespread use of coal in the north is the main cause of the shorter life spans.
Using official data from Chinese sources, an American, an Israeli and two Chinese scholars found that decades of burning coal have led to more deaths from cardio-respiratory diseases for people living north of the Huai River, which is considered the dividing line between northern and southern China.
The use of coal in central heating systems in colder northern climes is the main reason for the high emissions.
Coal has also been used to feed the explosive growth of heavy industry there.
In the aftermath of China’s Maoist revolution, the government began giving free coal for boilers so people could keep warm during the north’s cold winters. That policy is still in place.
More Bushfires on Fiji
Fifteen more bushfires were recorded over the past five days in the Western Division on Fiji, bringing the total over the past six months to 135. Many of the bushfires were intentionally set and have led to the destruction of sugarcane farms in the Western Division and in other parts of the country.
Wildfires USA
Two large wildfires sparked in the Boise National Forest this week. Idaho State officials say both are burning at high elevation and pose considerable risk to firefighters.
The wildfires in southern California 100 miles from Los Angeles have grown to more than 25 000 acres and are still far from containment.
Wildfires in Britain
Devastating wildfires have ripped through parts of the country as the longest heatwave for seven years spread across Britain and forecasters warned temperatures could climb as high as 35C.
Mountain blazes tore across the south Wales valleys while flames devastated swathes of Tentsmuir Forest in north-east Fife, Scotland, on Thursday night, and London experienced its worst grass fires since 2006.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.5 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.5 Earthquake hits the Cook Strait, New Zealand.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits Sumbawa, Indonesia.
Fracking Appears to Cause Quakes - USA
The deep injection into the ground of wastewater byproducts from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has caused a significant increase in U.S. earthquakes since the practice has recently become more widespread.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that there were more than 300 earthquakes above magnitude 3.0 from 2010 to 2012, which is a five-fold increase from the average number of 21 tremors per year measured from 1967 to 2000.
There are now more than 30,000 deep disposal wells in the country, typically injecting leftover fluids from fracking wells used for natural gas extraction.
And while the actual practice of fracking has not been found to cause any significant seismic events, the far deeper injecting of wastewater from the practice has.
Sometimes the water is blasted into deep, dormant faults. USGS geologist William Ellsworth says that even faults that have not moved for millions of years can be made to slip if conditions are right.
But he points out that only a few of the approximately 30,000 wastewater wells appear to have caused the increase in tremors.
Columbia University scientists caution that powerful earthquakes thousands of miles away can trigger swarms of minor quakes near injection wells as the arriving seismic waves help release the local built-up pressure.
Landslide in Colombia
Landslide in Colombia has claimed the lives of at least six people, injured 10 and left 26 others missing.
The landslide buried two buses, an ambulance and a tanker truck around 6 a.m. local time on a highway in southwest Colombia. The landslide washed away some 25,000 cubic meters of dirt and rubble.
NewsBytes:
At least 13 people are reported to have been injured in different lightning strikes in Colorado and Montana, USA.
Tropical storm Cimaron made landfall in Fujian Province in China on Thursday night with heavy rain and strong gales in Zhangpu County in the city of Zhangzhou
Heavy rain and floods have claimed the lives of at least nine people and displaced thousands of people in the Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh regions in India.
Russia Blocks Bid to Protect Antarctic Waters
Russia shot down a bid to create vast marine sanctuaries in Antarctica's waters, rousing dismay among environmental groups.
Delegations from 24 countries and the European Union met in Germany this week to decide whether to adopt two proposals to designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) around the frozen continent. But Russia, with some support from Ukraine, questioned the legal authority of the group to establish such reserves.
The MPAs would restrict fishing in certain areas and are designed to preserve habitats for iconic species, like whales and emperor penguins, and maintain sustainable stocks of commercially valuable fish in Antarctica's fragile waters. One proposed MPA, submitted by the United States and New Zealand, would cover 2.3 million square kilometres of the Ross Sea; the other, put forth by Australia, France and the European Union, would create a group of seven protected areas in East Antarctica.
Both proposals had been submitted last October at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). When member nations failed to reach a consensus then, they called for this week's special meeting in Germany. The delegates will take up the issue again at the next annual meeting, in Hobart, Tasmania.
Global Hottest and Coldest Temperatures
The week's hottest temperature was 121.0 degrees Fahrenheit (49.5 degrees Celsius) at Death Valley, California.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 104.4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 75.8 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Heat Wave on US East Coast.
The U.S. East Coast is sweating through a lingering heat wave this week. The sweltering heat and humidity have combined to keep temperatures hot even at night.
Heat waves are marked by at least three consecutive days of temperatures of at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
Drought in Namibia
Northern Namibia is experiencing its worst drought in 30 years. Namibia, sub-saharan Africa's driest country, is suffering its worst drought in a generation, with more than 100,000 children at risk of malnutrition. Drought has caused shortages of food and water mainly in Kavango, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Kunene.
Wildfires USA
California
A fast-growing wildfire in the San Jacinto Mountains of southern California has forced the evacuation of 6000 people and hundreds of homes. No injuries have yet been reported, and authorities say so far only 15% of the blaze has been contained.
Novel Coronavirus - Saudi Arabia - Update
WHO has been informed of six additional laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Of these, two cases have been reported from Saudi Arabia and four from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Churchill (United States, Eastern Alaska): A seismic swarm with magnitudes up to 3.5 has been occurring in the Wrangell Arc about 40 km NE of Mt. Churchill volcano during the past few days. The intensity and frequency of the quakes has calmed down yesterday. While some few of the quakes are near the volcano, most are not, and the swarm is probably not linked to the volcanic system of Mt Churchill volcano.
Long Valley (California): Normal seismic activity with numerous tiny earthquakes continues to occur at the southern and western parts of the caldera as well as under Mammoth mountain. There are no signs of a possible eruption in a near future.
Colima (Western Mexico): Although the volcano is no longer making much news, a lava flow continues to effuse as a viscous flow on the upper eastern flank of the volcano.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has been comparably low with an average of 1-2 emissions of steam and gas, sometimes some ash, per hour during the past days. The strong explosion from 12 July has effectively destroyed the new lava dome, an aerial inspection via helicopter on 15 July showed. In the past 24 hours, a number of volcanic-tectonic quakes have appeared, which could indicate that a new batch of magma is currently intruding, and lead to another phase of increased activity soon. The alert level remains unchanged at Yellow Phase 3.
Santa MarÃa / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Not much has changed in the generally weak activity. Occasional explosions, sometimes moderately large, occur at irregular intervals. One yesterday morning at 05:59 local time produced an ash plume of 700 m height and ash fall in areas to the SW. The lava flow on the southern flank of the dome remains active and produces small rock avalanches.
Pacaya (Guatemala): Mild strombolian activity from the Mackenney crater continues.
Fuego (Guatemala): The lava flow on the southern side has remained active and was about 250 m long this morning, producing near-constant rockfalls towards the Taniluya canyon. At the summit, there are occasional strombolian explosions with incandescent material ejected to 100-125 m height above the crater.
Telica (Nicaragua): The swarm of small earthquakes continues with little changes over the past days.
San Cristobal (Nicaragua): Some elevated seismicity was recorded at the volcano during recent days and continues. This includes phases of harmonic tremor and long-period events.
Turrialba (Costa Rica): The seismic swarm continues but has decreased in strength during the past day.
Tungurahua (Ecuador): After the strong vulcanian explosion on 14 July, the volcano calmed down first, but resumed activity on 16 July which has been characterized by ash venting and small to moderate explosions and is continuing. This activity was accompanied by the appearance of tremor and long-period earthquakes indicative of fluid movements. In addition, inflation is measured at the NW flank, suggesting that more magma is rising, and could lead to new powerful explosions similar to the one from last Sunday.
Sabancaya (Peru): A strong seismic swarm has occurred during the past days under the volcano, culminating in a magnitude 5.9 earthquake on 16 July. The swarm consisted almost entirely of volcanic-tectonic quakes, that relate to rock fracturing due to rapid pressure changes and might be caused by an intrusion of magma. IGP reports that up to 1500 earthquakes were recorded per day. At the moment, the swarm still continues, but is decreasing. No changes of activity have been noticed at the surface. The number of long-period quakes (thought to correspond to internal movements of magma, gasses and other fluids) has remained low.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Fox Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
Tropical Storm Cimaron
Tropical storm Cimaron was located approximately 174 nm eastward of Hong Kong.
NewsBytes:
Severe weather with strong winds have downed trees across parts of South Australia. More than 28,000 homes and businesses in South Australia have lost power in high winds.
Flooding in Laghman province in Afghanistan has injured at least two people after two hours continuous rainfall damaged dozens of homes.
About 500 lightning strikes in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho overnight. Several small wildfires were reported from the dry lightning.
New Moon Discovered - Neptune
A never-before-seen moon has been spotted in orbit around Neptune. A scientist using NASA and the European Space Agency's Hubble Space Telescope found the tiny moon — called S/2004 N 1.
The newly discovered satellite is Neptune's smallest known moon and is just 12 miles (19 kilometers) wide.
Heatwave in England
Health warnings have been issued as heatwave conditions are reached in London and the South East. The Met Office issued a "Level 3" warning on the hottest day of the year, with temperatures hitting 32C (89.6F) at Northolt, west London. Level 3 is one notch below the most serious warning in the Met Office's heat-health watch system. The warning alerts healthcare services to help those in high-risk groups such as the elderly and young children.
Two similar heatwave warnings were issued last week in Yorkshire and the Humber, and in south-west England after road surfaces melted and tracks buckled in the heat.
Doctors in Wales say the number of people suffering sunstroke, sunburn and heatwave-related injuries is stretching hospital emergency departments. In north-east England it was 28C, in Wales 30C and in London 32C. The night-time trigger temperatures vary from 15C to 18C.
Wildfires USA
California
The fast-growing wildfire in the mountains of Southern California forced the evacuation on Wednesday of the popular resort community of Idyllwild after flames engulfed seven homes and numerous other buildings.
By late Wednesday, the fire had charred more than 19,000 acres (7,700 hectares) of drought-parched chaparral and timber, much of it in steep, remote wilderness terrain inside the San Bernardino National Forest. That was more than double the acreage reported burned a day earlier by the so-called Mountain Fire.
With nearly 3,000 firefighters, 17 water-dropping helicopters and 10 air tankers assigned to it, the blaze ranked as one of the most severe of some 16 large, wildfires that crews were battling to contain in several western states. As of Wednesday evening, firefighters had managed to carve containment lines around 15 percent of its perimeter.
Roughly 100 homes in a handful of small communities near Idyllwild and Palm Springs were ordered evacuated during the first two days of the blaze and early on Wednesday. Evacuation orders were expanded Wednesday evening to Idyllwild itself, along with part of the adjacent, smaller community of Fern Valley and all parks and campgrounds in the vicinity.
No injuries have been reported, but authorities say seven residences, including three mobile homes, have been destroyed, along with one commercial structure, more than a dozen outbuildings and several vehicles.
Novel Coronavirus - Saudi Arabia - Update
An Emergency Committee convened by WHO’s Director-General under the International Health Regulations (IHR) to assess the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome – coronavirus (MERS-CoV) situation today unanimously decided that conditions for a public health emergency of international concern have not yet been met.
Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak in Milwaukee Co, USA
Health officials are investigating an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that has sickened 20 people in Milwaukee County.
No deaths have been reported. But four of the Milwaukee patients are still hospitalized.
The disease takes its name from an outbreak at a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion in 1976. Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by a bacterium known as legionella. The disease does not spread person to person. People get sick by inhaling the bacterium.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Reventador (Ecuador): The IG reported that in the last few days, increased seismic activity indicative of increased eruptions has been noticed at the volcano. Seismic data also indicated the presence of a lava flow travelling down the SW slope of Reventador's intracaldera cone.
Nyamuragira volcano (DRCongo) activity update: steaming/degassing from pit inside summit caldera. Recent NASA satellite images from 11 June 2013 show a thick steam and gas plume rising from a pit crater in the summit caldera of Nyamuragira volcano. No evidence of lava close to the surface was found, while the lava lake in neighboring Nyiragongo remains well active and visible on the same images. Nyamuragira's plume was rich in water vapor — which condenses rapidly in the humid tropical air — and sulfur dioxide, which lends a blue tint in natural-color satellite imagery. Carbon dioxide, fluorine, and chlorine gas are also found in Nyamuragira lavas and likely present in the gas plume. Located near the eastern boundary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nyamuragira is one of Africa’s most active volcanoes. If degassing magma was near the surface, then the intense heat would cause a bright red glow in shortwave infrared light. No such glow is visible atop Nyamuragira, but it is present on neighboring Nyiragongo Volcano, which has featured a lava lake for more than a decade.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.0 Earthquake hits southern Peru.
5.7 Earthquake hits the south Shetland Islands.
5.5 Earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan.
5.3 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
5.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits near the south coast of Papua, Indonesia.
Wildfires USA
California
A wildfire in mountains west of Palm Springs burned seven homes and led to the evacuation of dozens more. Several vehicles were also burned.
The wildfire started Monday between Palm Springs and Hemet, near the rural Riverside County community of Mountain Centre, and a day later had surged to about 14 square miles.
More than 2,200 firefighters and 25 aircraft had the blaze 10 percent contained.
It was mostly moving east toward the desert and away from small communities of homes, summer cabins and ranches in the San Jacinto mountains. But a shift in the wind could easily sweep it back toward homes.
Washington State
Fire crews are working to contain a wildfires near Lyle and Okanogan, Washington.
The B & O Fire, which is being pushed by gusty winds in north-central Washington., has burned across more than 3 square miles, or about 2,000 acres, between Okanogan and Malott, south of Omak.
The fire has closed some roads, including a 2-mile stretch of Highway 20 and B&O Road to the Methow Valley.
An official with the Okanogan County Emergency Management department says nearly 5,000 customers are without power because of burnt power lines. It is expected residents and business owners could be without power for more than 24 hours.
The Washington state Department of Natural Resources says two helicopters are dropping water on the fire, along with a single-engine air tanker. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Meanwhile Washington DNR says that one home was lost and a crew of 70 are working to contain an approximately 100 acre fire. The fire is currently 60 percent contained and was likely started by humans.
Tropical Storm Cimaron
The Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan has issued a sea warning for Tropical Storm Cimaron, the eighth storm of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season, warning boats operating on the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines to be on alert.
NewsBytes:
A landslide in a coal mine in Bulgaria has claimed lives of at least two people and left others two missing.
Floods have killed 26 people in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region this month.
CDC Travel Warnings
People planning to travel domestically or abroad are advised to take precautions against insect-borne and viral diseases after several cases of scrub typhus were reported in Taiwan, while Southeast Asia, Europe and England are experiencing outbreaks of dengue fever and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) respectively, the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The CDC said that as of Monday, there have been 147 confirmed cases of scrub typhus in Taiwan this year, one of which was fatal. Scrub typhus is endemic to tropical and subtropical regions and is transmitted through the bite of chiggers — scrub mite larvae — carrying the Orientia tsutsugamushi parasite.
The CDC added that while the mortality rate of the diseases is less than 5 percent if treated promptly, the probability can go up to 60 percent if the infected person fails to seek medical assistance.
For travellers going to Southeast Asia, the CDC warned them to be aware of the serious outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever currently afflicting the region. It said that the epidemic this year is so far proving to be a lot worse than those seen in the previous years.
The CDC also urged caution for those visiting Europe as the region is experiencing a rubella outbreak exacerbated by low vaccine coverage and England is suffering the largest measles outbreak of the past decade.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Kizimen (Kamchatka): Ash plumes were observed drifting 20 nautical miles NW from Batu Tara. On 15 - 16 July, small incandescent rock avalanches were noted from Kizimen. Lava Dome growth was at low levels.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
7.3 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands. The South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited and lie in the Southern Atlantic off the coast of Argentina.
5.9 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.
5.8 Earthquake hits Tonga.
5.4 Earthquake hits Taiwan.
5.3 Earthquake hits Taiwan.
5.3 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.2 Earthquake hits central Peru.
5.2 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Dominican Republic.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Jan Mayen Islands.
