Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.1 Earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan.

5.1 Earthquake hits southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of the Kermedec Islands.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

7.9 Earthquake hits southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia.

There were no reports of deaths or damage to buildings from Wednesday night's 7.8 magnitude quake, which caused panic in the Sumatran island port of Padang as people tried to reach higher ground when a tsunami warning was issued. No tsunami occurred. Tsunami alerts were cancelled within two hours of the tremor.

5.6 Earthquake hits southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.6 Earthquake hits East Timor.

5.5 Earthquake hits East Timor.

5.4 Earthquake hits the southwest Indian ridge.

5.3 Earthquake hits Kyushu, Japan.

5.2 Earthquake hits near the coast of southern Peru.

5.2 Earthquake hits southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Japan - A snowstorm has claimed the life of one person in Obihiro city in Hokkaido, Japan. On Tuesday, at least 19 people were injured in traffic accidents in Hokkaido caused by low visibility amid the heavy snowfall. Hokkaido is expected to brace for its worst blizzard in years on Tuesday, and airlines and railways halted some operations.

Sumatra - Heavy rains since Friday (05/02) have caused severe landslides and flooding in several parts of West Sumatra, killing seven and forcing thousands to flee while also destroying key local infrastructure. The worst affected districts are Agam, South Solok, Lima Puluh Kota and Solok. On Monday, floods in various parts of the province reached up to one-and-a-half meters deep. At least 2,000 homes and 100 hectares of paddy fields in South Solok as well as 100 houses in Nagari Pangkalan subdistrict of Lima Puluh Kota were hit by the floods. In the latter subdistrict, one man was carried away by strong currents only to be found dead later on.

Peru - The authorities in Peru are sending the military to help areas affected by floods that have afflicted several parts of the country. Scientists blame El Niño, the warm ocean current, for the heavy rains that turned roads into rivers in Arequipa, setting cars adrift in the torrent. The southern province has been particularly badly hit; at least two people were reportedly killed. Local media reported that 3,000 people in the area had been left homeless, with 30,000 affected. The Andean nation has struggled for over a week to cope with violent weather that has also caused landslides and power cuts.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.6 Earthquake his southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Oman - A landslide in Tawi Al Nisf in Samayil province in Oman has claimed the life of a worker on Monday afternoon when a truck was hit by the debris that crashed down from a mountainside.

Sumatra, Indonesia - Torrential rain has caused landslides in parts of West and North Sumatra, cutting off access and disrupting economic activity. He said the heavy rain that had drenched the region in the past three days had triggered floods and landslides in a number of locations in the regency. At least 500 homes were engulfed by over 50 centimetres of floodwater and eight homes were reportedly damaged by a landslide on Sunday morning.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 Earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.

5.4 Earthquake hits off the west coast of northern Sumatra.

Wildfires

Illicit Sumatran Fires Bring Another Season of Smoke

A thick shroud of haze blanketed a wide area of Southeast Asia, mainly from illegal fires ignited to clear land on Sumatra.

The annual arrival of the smoke is said to be more acute this year due to an exceptionally dry season, enhanced by El Niño in the tropical Pacific.

Indonesian police say they have detected 14 hot spots in South Sumatra, some of which are in areas owned by plantation companies.

Other blazes were observed burning in national parks.

The resulting smoke blew into nearby Singapore and Malaysia during early September, causing unhealthful air quality.

Officials have distributed face masks to people who have to work outdoors near the sources of the smoke, some of which is being generated by peat fires beneath the surface.

Wildfires - California, USA

Firefighters in Central California on Thursday say the state's largest wildfire threatens to sweep through an ancient grove of Giant Sequoia trees considered to be a national treasure. Firefighters are clearing lines with bulldozers around the Grant Grove and putting up sprinklers. Although the trees can endure fire, some are stressed in the four-year drought and they're not taking any chances because the fast-moving flames are about five miles from the grove. It is named for the towering General Grant tree that stands 268 feet tall. There are dozens of Sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada, and some trees are 3,000 years old.

Lightning strikes on July 31 sparked the wildfire in the Kings Canyon National Park east of Fresno. It has charred 172 square miles and is less than one-third contained.

A wildfire in Northern California that exploded in size has destroyed six homes in Amador County as evacuations remain in place Thursday, Cal Fire officials said. Two outbuildings were also destroyed. It is about 20 percent contained and has spread to nearby Calaveras County.

About 12,000 people are still without power amid a heat wave, as several facilities and power lines were damaged by the fast-moving blaze. Power could be restored Thursday night.

In Tuolumne County near Yosemite National Park, a firefighter was injured and a home was destroyed when two fires combined in the Cedar Ridge area, state fire spokeswoman Lisa Williams said Wednesday.

Nearby, a wildfire above Yosemite Valley grew to 500 acres, sending plumes of smoke visible throughout the park. Trails on the north rim of Yosemite Valley south of the Tioga Road and east of Yosemite Creek are closed. The causes of the fires are under investigation.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.5 Earthquake hits off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.3 Earthquake hits off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.2 Earthquake hits Kamchatka, Russia.

5.2 Earthquake hits offshore Atacama, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of Sumbawa, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.6 Earthquake hits Myanmar.

5.5 Earthquake hits eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.

5.3 Earthquake hits Luzon in the Philippines.

5.3 Earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, and another

5.1 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

Quiet day for Earthquakes.

4.9 Earthquake hits off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.6 Earthquake hits the Ceram Sea.

5.6 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Tanimbar region, Indonesia.

5.5 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.5 Earthquake hits Kyushu, Japan.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits Nevada, USA.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Scotia Sea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

6.2; 6.1; 6.0; 5.3; three x 5.2; two x 5.1; two x 5.0; four x 4.9 and five x 4.8 Aftershocks hit the Santa Cruz Islands.

The death toll from the tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands following the powerful 8.0 Earthquake yesterday now stands at 15. Approximately 400 houses collapsed in five villages in the Solomon Islands. 80 properties were damaged on the west side of the Santa Cruz Islands where a 1.5 metre tsunami was reported. Due to the remoteness of the affected areas, reports of damage are still coming in.

5.6 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.2 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.1 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits south-east of the Loyalty Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Admiralty Island region.

5.0 Earthquake hits the northern Mid-atlantic ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Nias region, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

6.8 Earthquake hits Atacama, Chile. The earthquake shook offices, toppled supermarket shelves and broke windows on Wednesday in north-central Chile, where people fled some buildings in panic. However, no serious damage was reported.

6.2, 6.0, 5.6, 5.6, 5.4, 5.1, 5.0, 4.9 Earthquakes hit the Santa Cruz Islands.

6.0 Earthquake hits south eastern Alaska.

5.0 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.7 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.0 Earthquake hits south west of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Philippine Islands region.

4.9 Earthquake hits the Savu Sea, south of Indonesia.

Earthquakes

5.8 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Andaman Islands off India.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Virgin Islands region.

5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.

Earthquakes

5.1 Earthquake hits the New Britain region, Papua, New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tarapaca, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Sula, Indonesia.

4.9 Earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

5.2 Earthquake hits south-west of Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Talaud Islands, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits west of MacQuarrie Island.

5.0 Earthquake hits the southern mid-atlantic ridge.

Earthquakes

6.8 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.5 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.2 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits Sulawesi, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands, off Japan.