Earthquakes
GEOFON Southeast Of Ryukyu Islands Mar 16 03:39 AM 5.3 10.0 MAP
EMSC Vanuatu Mar 16 03:32 AM 5.0 63.0 MAP
USGS Vanuatu Mar 16 03:32 AM 4.9 10.0 MAP
USGS Kuril Islands Mar 16 00:38 AM 5.4 28.4 MAP
GEOFON Kuril Islands Mar 16 00:38 AM 5.8 10.0 MAP
EMSC Kuril Islands Mar 16 00:38 AM 5.5 2.0 MAP
Magnitude 4.9 earthquake, ROTA REGION, N. MARIANA ISLANDS
UTC Date / Time Mar 15 21:37 PM
Depth 105 km GEO: Longitude 145.300 GEO: Latitude 14.080
Source
EMSC
Two Powerful Aftershocks Highlight Ongoing Reassessment of Japan Quake Risks
On Wednesday, a 6.8 magnitude quake hit Japan’s northern Hokkaido Island. It was followed hours later by a 6.1 magnitude tremor in the Chiba Prefecture, which is directly south of Tokyo and some 600 miles from the location of the earlier quake. Both are described as aftershocks from the March 11, 2011 Tohoku quake.
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=334627
Volcanic Activity
Cleveland Volcano Explodes For Third Time
Cleveland Volcano has exploded for the third time in just over a week. The latest eruption of the Aleutian volcano Tuesday afternoon was relatively small, according to a release from the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Scientists at the Observatory weren’t able detect an ash cloud associated with this event or either of the other two. There’s no real-time monitoring equipment on Cleveland.
None of the recent eruptions have interrupted air travel in the region.
Cleveland’s last major eruption in 2001 sent ash clouds as high as 39,000 feet. The volcano is on uninhabited Island, about 160 miles west of Unalaska.
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2012/03/14/cleveland-volcano-explodes-for-third-time/
Lamongan volcano (East Java, Indonesia):
signs of unrest, alert raised to yellow due to increased seismic activity
A new volcano in Indonesia, Lamongan volcano in Eastern Java, is showing signs of unrest: weak steaming from its active crater and increasing earthquakes were reported by Indonesian scientists.
Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano unleashes 9 low-level emissions
by The Extinction Protocol
March 15, 2012 – MEXICO – The National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred) reported that in the last hours, the volcano Popocatepetl has expelled nine low-intensity exhalations accompanied by emissions of water vapor and gas, and sometimes small amounts of ash. The body of the Ministry of the Interior (Interior Ministry) reported that the monitoring parameters remain without important changes. He explained that at night, a glow was observed in the crater of the volcano and that for now; there has been a constant emission of steam and gas. He said the advisory code remains yellow in color phase 2 and the likelihood of prevailing moderate exhalations, some with ash emissions, and sporadic bursts of low to moderate probability of emission of incandescent fragments could be expected within walking distance of the crater. The Cenapred called for authorities to continue the safety radius of 12 kilometers around the volcano. Civil Protection has been urged to maintain preventive procedures in place, according to their operational plans and that people should keep advised to the latest news bulletins. –Cronica (translated)
Storms and Flooding
In the Indian Ocean
Tropical cyclone 17s (Lua) was located approximately 375 nm northwest of Port Hedland, Australia.
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/
Severe Tropical Cyclone Lua to Hit Australia Coast tomorrow -
Lua has intensified to a powerful Category Three storm and is expected to lash the Pilbara coast with destructive winds in excess of 200km/h when it hits land tomorrow. Communities on the Pilbara and Kimberley coasts are on alert as the cyclone Lua, which currently has 185km/h gales at its centre, intensifies and moves towards land. Heavy rain and destructive winds are expected to hit the region and surrounding areas by late Friday or early Saturday. Lua was upgraded from a category 2 to a category 3 system early today. It is expected to cross the east Pilbara coast late Saturday morning or early afternoon. “Gales are currently being experienced in offshore Pilbara waters and are expected to develop in coastal areas between Whim Creek and Bidyadanga late Friday night. Very destructive winds with wind gusts in excess of 200km/h are likely to develop in coastal areas near the centre of the cyclone during Saturday…Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark with damaging waves and very dangerous flooding.”
Remote Pardoo and Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park is in the path of the cyclone. There are fears the park will be damaged again, three years after it received a battering from Cyclone Laurence in 2009. “There’s all new trees, everything’s beautiful and green, and to see that destroyed again would be heartbreaking. We’ve prepared ourselves and we’ve got new buildings, which is the top rating you can get, but it’s all the work that’s gone into it to rebuild.” The iron-ore export port of Port Hedland is being evacuated and residents in the cyclone’s expected path have been urged to prepare their properties for dangerous weather and organise their emergency kits. Western Australia’s Fire and Emergency Services Authority has warned there may be significant flooding in the north Kimberley region and minor flooding in the east Kimberley area today. (map)
U.S.
A tornado touched down in southern Michigan Thursday, and there were reports of significant property damage, with the tornado damaging or demolishing more than 100 homes, downing trees and power lines, sparking fires and flooding neighborhood roads. Local news station footage showed flattened homes but there were no immediate reports of injuries. There was a lot of damage reported just outside the village of Dexter. March and April typically produce the most tornados in the US but this season has already been especially active. Two massive weather systems beginning late last month have spawned a spate of tornados that have ripped through the South and Midwest, flattening towns and killing dozens of people.
Australia
More NSW residents told to evacuate as waters rise. The Murrumbidgee River is expected to flood yet another Riverina town over the weekend with about 1000 people preparing to flee the deluge.
Record Breaking Temperatures
U.S. RECORD-BREAKING WARM WEATHERadvances beginning of growing season
Recent ABNORMALLY WARM weather has resulted in a very early start to the growing season across the Great Lakes Region and much of the central and eastern USA. The prolonged warm spell is the result of a very persistent jet stream configuration across North America that generally prevented cold, arctic-origin air masses from moving out of their high-latitude source regions southward into the central and eastern USA. This left the area under the influence of relatively mild Pacific-origin air masses. The current jet stream pattern, with deep troughing across the western USA and ridging across the east has accentuated the pattern. The result is record-breaking warmth brought northward from the Gulf States on southerly winds.
Characterizing the current warm spell as HIGHLY UNUSUAL IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT, both due to the magnitude of the warmth and due to its length. Recent temperatures have been running in the range of 20 to 30°F or more above normal. The warm weather has caused an earlier peak time for cherry blossoms as Washington, D.C. hit a RECORD-BREAKING 82 degrees on a late winter’s day Thursday. (map depicting forecast conditions across North America early next week)
Colorado
More RECORD-BREAKING WARMTH ahead for Denver. Colorado’s warm spell has a solid chance to leave its mark on the record book three times this week. The National Weather Service is predicting a high of 76 degrees today, which would eclipse the record high of 74 degrees for March.
Solar Activity
‘Deathstar’ like object spotted near sun
A NASA video of a dark, disc shaped object hovering near the sun has set off a wave of speculation online as amateur astronomers try to figure out what the object could be.
The video, taken from a NASA satellite and uploaded to Youtube by a man calling himself SunsFlare, shows a huge round object floating near the sun, with a large ‘twister tail’ extending from it.
The video shows the sun’s rays bursting out from the surface, but a large circular object remains black, with a dark ‘twister tail’ remaining connected to the sun.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/13175019/deathstar-like-object-spotted-near-sun/
Misc
Ice Age, Supervolcano Could Topple US Government
CONTRIBUTOR: TERRENCE AYM.
As more evidence mounts that the world is slipping faster into the next Ice Age, Washington insiders are scurrying to solidify their new power base for centralized government operations. Fears that the US…
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1894/477/NL/
White cliffs of Dover suffer large collapse
A large section of the white cliffs of Dover has collapsed into the English Channel between Langdon Cliffs and South Foreland Lighthouse.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17389616
Savanah Georgia region shaken by mystery ‘boom’ noise
“Earthquake “booms” have been reported for a long time, and they tend to occur more in the Northeastern US and along the East Coast. Of course, most “booms” that people hear or experience are actually some type of cultural noise, such as some type of explosion, a large vehicle going by, or sometimes a sonic boom, but there have been many reports of “booms” that cannot be explained by man-made sources. No one knows for sure, but scientists speculate that these “booms” are probably small shallow earthquakes that are too small to be recorded, but large enough to be felt by people nearby.
http://www2.wsav.com/news/2012/mar/15/mystery-boom-heard-felt-across-region-ar-3418171/
Rising Sea Levels Seen as Threat to Coastal U.S.
About 3.7 million Americans live within a few feet of high tide and risk being hit by more frequent coastal flooding in coming decades because of the sea level rise caused by global warming, according to new research.
