Tag Archives: volcanoes

EUropean Volcanic Action

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Active volcanism found under the heart of northwest Europe

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Researchers have found new hints of active volcanism near some of the most populated areas of Europe. The study obtained GPS monitoring data from antennae across western Europe to monitor subtle movements in the Earth’s surface believed to be caused by an increasing subsurface mantle plume.

The Eifel region is situated roughly between the cities of Aachen, Trier, and Koblenz, in west-central Germany. It is home to many early volcanic features, including the circular lakes called maars.

These are the remains of violent volcanic explosions, like the one which created Laacher See– the largest lake in the area. The eruption that produced this is believed to have happened some 13 000 years ago, with similar explosive strength to the catastrophic 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption.

The mantle plume that possibly triggered this historic activity is thought to be still present, spreading up to 400 km (250 miles) down into the earth. However, it is unknown whether it is still active or not.

“Most scientists had assumed that volcanic activity in the Eifel was a thing of the past,” said lead author, professor Corne Kreemer. “But connecting the dots, it seems clear that something is brewing underneath the heart of northwest Europe.”

eifel-germany-june-10-2020-2

Eifel scenery. Image credit: Walter Koch/Wikimedia

In the new study, the research team who are based at the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of California, Los Angeles used information from thousands of commercial and state-owned GPS antennae all over western Europe to monitor how the ground is moving vertically and horizontally as the Earth’s crust is stretched, sheared, and pushed.

The findings revealed that the region’s land surface is moving in an upward and downward direction over a huge area centered on the Eifel, and areas including Luxembourg, eastern Belgium, and the southernmost province of the Netherlands, Limburg.

“The Eifel area is the only region in the study where the ground motion appeared significantly greater than expected,” Kreemer stated. “The results indicate that a rising plume could explain the observed patterns and rate of ground movement.”

The new results support a previous study that found seismic evidence of magma moving underneath the Laacher See– both studies indicate that the Eifel area has an active volcanic system.

“This does not mean that an explosion or earthquake is imminent, or even possible again in this area,” the researchers noted.

“We and other scientists plan to continue monitoring the area using a variety of geophysical and geochemical techniques, in order to better understand and quantify any potential risks.”

Reference

“Geodetic evidence for a buoyant mantle plume beneath the Eifel volcanic area, NW Europe” – Geophysical Journal International – Kreemer, C. et al. – DOI: 10.1093/gji/ggaa227

Abstract

The volcanism of the Eifel volcanic field (EVF), in west-central Germany, is often considered an example of hotspot volcanism given its geochemical signature and the putative mantle plume imaged underneath. EVF’s setting in a stable continental area provides a rare natural laboratory to image surface deformation and test the hypothesis of there being a thermally buoyant plume. Here we use Global Positioning System (GPS) data to robustly image vertical land motion (VLM) and horizontal strain rates over most of intraplate Europe. We find a spatially coherent positive VLM anomaly over an area much larger than the EVF and with a maximum uplift of ∼1 mm yr−1 at the EVF (when corrected for glacial isostatic adjustment). This rate is considerably higher than averaged over the Late-Quaternary. Over the same area that uplifts, we find significant horizontal extension surrounded by a radial pattern of shortening, a superposition that strongly suggests a common dynamic cause. Besides the Eifel, no other area in NW Europe shows significant positive VLM coupled with extensional strain rates, except for the much broader region of glacial isostatic adjustment. We refer to this 3-D deformation anomaly as the Eifel Anomaly. We also find an extensional strain rate anomaly near the Massif Central volcanic field surrounded by radial shortening, but we do not detect a significant positive VLM signal there. The fact that the Eifel Anomaly is located above the Eifel plume suggests that the plume causes the anomaly. Indeed, we show that buoyancy forces induced by the plume at the bottom of the lithosphere can explain this remarkable surface deformation. Plume-induced deformation can also explain the relatively high rate of regional seismicity, particularly along the Lower Rhine Embayment.

Featured image credit: Walter Koch/Wikimedia

from:     https://watchers.news/2020/06/12/active-volcanism-found-under-the-heart-of-northwest-europe/

2018 Disaster Stats

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2018 natural disasters statistics: volcanic activity resulted in more deaths than previous 18 years combined

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Image credit: CRED

There were 281 climate-related and geophysical events recorded in the EM-DAT (International Disaster Database) in 2018. These caused deaths of 10 733 people and affected 61 million people across the world. There were a number of major disasters in certain regions, however, there were no mega-disasters which inflate yearly averages, such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) who manages EM-DAT said. Earthquakes and tsunamis accounted for the majority of the 10 373 lives lost.

Notable features of the year were intense seismic activity in Indonesia, a string of disasters in Japan, floods in India, and a very eventful year in volcanic activity (which resulted in more deaths than have occurred in the previous 18 years combined) and wildfires. These events continued to occupy headlines, CRED said.

An ongoing trend of lower death tolls from previous years continued into 2018, potentially demonstrating the efficacy of improved standards of living and disaster management. However, it is critical to avoid complacency towards major gaps in data collection and reporting and resilience, particularly for climate-related disasters, which are forecasted to increase in both frequency and intensity.

Globally, Indonesia recorded nearly half the total deaths from disasters in 2018, while India recorded nearly half the total number of individuals affected. The following data are events recorded in EM-DAT.  As estimations become more accurate over time, figures will be adjusted, particularly for economic losses.

The original file posted by CRED can be found at the following link.

Earthquakes and tsunamis (20 events) 

Earthquakes and tsunamis have been the deadliest disaster in the 21st century and this trend continued in 2018. The concentration of the damage was in South-East Asia and Melanesia, specifically in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea respectively.

In the early months of the year, a string of earthquakes in Papua New Guinea left 181 dead, and affected over half a million people, many of whom lived in remote highlands which were difficult to reach by aid and rescue operations.

In Indonesia, the island of Lombok suffered multiple earthquakes, the deadliest being on August 5th, which killed 564 people. On September 28th, an earthquake triggered mudflows and a tsunami on the island of Sulawesi killing 3 400 people, making it the deadliest disaster of 2018.

Storms (84 events)

Every year, storms impact millions of people, and create billions of dollars (USD) in damage; 2018 was the same.

Two major storms struck the United States, while in Asia, China, India, Japan, and the Philippines faced extensive damage from multiple storms.

It is anticipated that storms, particularly due to hurricanes Florence (14 billion USD) and Michael (16 billion USD) and typhoon Jebi (12.5 billion USD), will be the costliest type of disaster of 2018.

EM-DAT is awaiting final data on the economic damage from these events.

Floods (108 events)

Overall, floods have affected more people than any other type of natural hazard in the 21st century, including 2018. Overall, there was a respite from floods in 2018, with Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam, which often face relentless floods reporting fewer events this year. However, major floods were reported in other countries.

In Somalia, which is already suffering from an ongoing conflict, over 700 000 people were affected by flooding, while in Nigeria, flooding cost 300 lives and impacted nearly four million people.

In Japan, heavy rains triggered the deadliest floods since 1982, killing 230 people.

The August flooding of India’s Kerala state was by far the largest flood event of the year, with 504 dead, and two-thirds of the state’s residents affected (over 23 million people).

Currently, CRED is undertaking an epidemiological study in this region to investigate the impacts of the flooding on gender and disease.

Volcanic activity (7 events)

Volcanic activity rarely makes headlines, and has had minimal impacts since the turn of the century; however, in 2018 this natural hazard resulted in more deaths than have occurred in the previous 18 years combined.

In June, the Volcán de Fuego Eruption in Guatemala killed over 400 people and affected over 1.7 million, while late in December, the eruption of Anak Krakatau in Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed over 400 people on the islands of Sumatra and Java.

Droughts and extreme temperatures (39 events)

The direct impact of climate change on human populations will increasingly be felt through catastrophic phenomena, such as drought and extreme temperatures. The human repercussions of these events, as experienced by the EM-DAT team, are typically poorly reported, especially from low-income countries.

This is partly due to methodological difficulties in registering deaths and the severe consequences caused by droughts and extreme temperatures.

In 2018, three million people were affected by an ongoing drought in Kenya, while Afghanistan suffered a major drought that impacted 2.2 million people, causing the internal displacement of thousands.

In Central America droughts affected over 2.5 million people in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, which coincided with international migration patterns. Across Europe, a hot and dry summer caused heatwaves and drought conditions that affected farmers and health systems in numerous countries.

Due to the privileged economic situation of many European countries, there are reduced impacts from persistent heat exposure and water shortages on the population.

With the growing impact of climate change, particularly in lower and lower-middle income countries, it is critical to improve the reporting on the human impact of droughts and extreme temperatures.

Wildfires (9 events)

Across the world, the trend of devastating wildfires continued from 2017 into 2018. In 2018, the Attica Fires in Greece, killed an estimated 126 people, making it the deadliest wildfire recorded in Europe within EM-DAT records, both this current and previous century.

In the United States, the California wildfire season was the deadliest and costliest on record, with Camp Fire killing 88 people, the highest wildfire death toll in the country since the 1920s, and causing an estimated 16.5 billion USD in damage, the costliest wildfire event on record.

For the statistics, go to the source:    https://watchers.news/2019/01/25/2018-natural-disasters-statistics-cred/

THe Future Volcanoes of New Hampshire

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New England Might Not Be Volcano-Free Forever

Mt. Washington in the White Mountains of New HampshireJose Azel/Getty Images
Last week I ran across a fairly provocatively-titled article on Gizmodo that claimed that New Hampshire might have a volcanic future. At first glance, you might think that is click-bait nonsense, but that is far from it. At some point in the geologic future—maybe millions to hundreds of millions of years from now—volcanoes will erupt across eastern North America. It is likely inevitable. However, until recently, we haven’t had any geologic evidence of what might (and I emphasize might) be the first sparks that could someday lead to a newly volcanic New England.

Now, New Hampshire and all of the northeastern United States has been a very volcanically quiet place for a long time—and by that, I mean we likely haven’t had a whiff of volcanism in over 100 million years (contrary to some apocryphal reports of volcanoes in the 1800s). That’s because all of New England is on what is called a “passive margin” of the North American continent. There is really nothing geologically exciting in terms of volcanoes or earthquakes along the whole east coast.

Compare that to the “active margin” on the west coast, where you have the Cascade volcanoes, faults, earthquakes—the whole lot. That’s because on the west coast, North America is directly interacting with other tectonic plates, namely the Pacific, Gorda, and Juan de Fuca plates. These plates are either grinding against North America to make the San Andreas fault zone or plunging underneath the continent to create the Cascadia subduction zone.

Over on the east coast, you need to travel all the way to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean before you find another tectonic plate. That boundary between North America and Europe is a spreading ridge, where a new plate is created, moving the two continents further apart. The boundary is thousands of miles from the eastern seaboard of the continent, so it really plays no role in geologic activity along the passive eastern margin.

However, this will not always be the case. Although the Atlantic Ocean is geologically young and still actively spreading, it will start to close again at some point. Our current continental configuration on Earth is one where the continental plates are all fairly spread apart, but that is only one part of a tectonic cycle—the Wilson Cycle—in which massive supercontinents break into dispersed continents and assemble again. So, although North and South America are moving away from Europe and Africa today, at some point they will start to converge again.

Subduction Isn’t That Subdued

Why might that happen? Well, mostly likely it would be the initiation of a new subduction zone on one or both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Remember, in a subduction zone, the dense oceanic plate (the floor of the Atlantic) will sink down underneath the more buoyant continent. Then we’ll start seeing the earthquakes and volcanoes associated with subduction.

Of course, one of the biggest questions in tectonics today is what causes subduction to start. We’ve never seen it happen—the process likely takes millions of years. Exactly why a perfectly happy stable continental margin (like we have on the east coast of North America) suddenly starts to see the oceanic plate founder and subduction begin is the realm of arm-waving and speculation.

A theory on one end of the spectrum is that the oceanic plate—which is already more dense than the continental plate—will become so cold and dense that it starts to sink back into the mantle, detaching itself from the continent along weak points. The other end might be that the edge of the continent becomes hotter and thinner and eventually breaks off from the oceanic slab. There have even been some studies that propose mechanisms to support a purely tectonic stress origin to subduction and suggest that we’re seeing very early signs of new subduction along the European margin (though those conclusions are highly controversial).

But let’s head back to New Hampshire. A new study in Geophysical Research Letters by Menke and others examined something that geologists have noticed under New England for a few decades. A zone in the mantle—400 kilometers across and lies 200 kilometers beneath our feet—is anomalously warm. It might be as much as 700°C hotter than much of the mantle surrounding it. Early speculation was that this area, known as the North Appalachian Anomaly, was the remnant of a mantle plume (like the hotspot under Hawaii) that North America passed over 130-100 million years ago.

Menke and others used seismic waves generated by large earthquakes to examine and model the geometry of the North Appalachian Anomaly. They found that it really doesn’t line up well with the path of the hotspot; the anomaly is much more confined and circular in shape than originally thought. This evidence suggested to to them that the anomaly is not a remnant but its own, new(ish) feature of hot mantle.

Oddly, springs in New England have elevated helium-3, an isotope of helium associated with places with active magmatism. Menke and others propose that the coincidence of the North Appalachian Anomaly and this elevated helium-3 support a hypothesis that the anomaly is really a place where the mantle under New England is convecting upwards and melting, creating this region of warmer material. Remember, the mantle is not solid or molten, but rather a plastic zone that can move and melt. Possibly, the movement of North America has created eddies in the mantle, like a boat passing through the sea. So under New England (and some others parts of eastern North America), the mantle is rising and making things hotter under the continent.

Now, the big speculative jump here is from this evidence to the idea that maybe new volcanism will start in New England. Menke and others’ main conclusion is that the North Appalachian Anomaly is not the old remnant of a hotspot. In fact, they suggest that things under that part of North America may never get hot enough to create much new molten rock. “An intriguing alternate possibility,” they write, “is that the NAA is an incipient feature that will lead to a new magmatic event in a few million years.” A volcanic New Hampshire is well down the list of possibilities. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

However, all this talk of warmer bits of mantle and eddies along the eastern margin of North America got me wondering: Maybe these eddies are what can lead to new subduction? Heat can thermally eat away at the edge of a continent until you cause that break between the continent and ocean. An even more distant possibility is that this is a common process that eventually, millions of years or more down the road, creates a New England volcanic arc, starting the Atlantic Ocean toward its demise. This is some of the most exciting stuff in geosciences today: We can use these bits of pure research to better understand how the planet will evolve in the near and far future—and whether some day we might be talking about the great volcanoes of Concord and Nashua.

from:     https://www.wired.com/2016/12/new-england-might-not-volcano-free-forever/

Central America VOlcanic Eruptions

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New eruptions at Costa Rica’s Turrialba and Guatemala’s Fuego

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New eruptions at Costa Rica's Turrialba and Guatemala's Fuego

A new eruption of Costa Rica’s Turrialba volcano took place at 03:37 UTC on June 25 (22:15 on June 24, local time). Dense fog is preventing estimation of volcanic cloud height. At the same time, volcanic ash produced by the fresh eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano is reaching 4.9 km (16 000 feet) above sea level.

Tremors under Turrialba started increasing at 02:05 UTC and reached maximum at 02:40 UTC. This seismicity was accompanied by the occasional passive emission of ash. At the time, the direction of the wind was WNW.

A strong smell of sulfur was reported in Escazú (San Jose) and San Isidro De Heredia (Heredia), OVISICORI reported.

At 03:37 UTC (21:37 local time), the tremors further increased, RSN said. They were accompanied by the constant emission of ash. This time, winds direction was SW, Dr. Mauricio M. Mora said.

At the time of the RSN’s last report (05:00 UTC), ash was still coming out of the volcano.

This thermal image was recorded between 03:35 UTC and 03:51 UTC on June 25:

Meanwhile, Guatemala’s Fuego volcano is also erupting. At 04:45 UTC on June 25, volcanic ash cloud was near 4.9 km (16 000 feet) above sea level, the Washington VAAC reported. INSIVUMEH reported movement toward the WSW-SW, extending roughly 18.5 km (11.5 miles) from the summit.

Volcanic ash is seen in multi-spectral imagery, but it is difficult to see its complete view.

In a special bulletin issued at 04:40 UTC (22:40 local time), INSIVUMEH said the activity at the volcano is increasing. “Over the last 22 hours, Fuego volcano observatory reported increased number of explosions, constant rumblings, and strong shock waves. The seismic station FG3 recorded increased tremor and constant explosions.”

Two lava flows were observed on the southeast flank flowing into Las Lajas and El Jute drainages. They were about 2 km (1.2 miles) in length.

“At the time, this eruption is effusive in nature, however, there is a chance it could increase in the coming hours, with the possibility of pyroclastic flows, mainly on the southeast and southern flank,” INSIVUMEH said.

Geological summary

Turrialba

Turrialba, the easternmost of Costa Rica’s Holocene volcanoes, is a large vegetated basaltic-to-dacitic stratovolcano located across a broad saddle NE of Irazú volcano overlooking the city of Cartago. The massive 3340-m-high Turrialba is exceeded in height only by Irazú, covers an area of 500 sq km, and is one of Costa Rica’s most voluminous volcanoes.

Three well-defined craters occur at the upper SW end of a broad 800 x 2200 m summit depression that is breached to the NE. Most activity originated from the summit vent complex, but two pyroclastic cones are located on the SW flank. Five major explosive eruptions have occurred during the past 3500 years. A series of explosive eruptions during the 19th century were sometimes accompanied by pyroclastic flows. Fumarolic activity continues at the central and SW summit craters. (GVP)

Fuego

Volcán Fuego, one of Central America’s most active volcanoes, is one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking Guatemala’s former capital, Antigua. The scarp of an older edifice, Meseta, lies between 3 763 m (12 345.8 feet high Fuego and its twin volcano to the north, Acatenango. Construction of Meseta dates back to about 230 000 years and continued until the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. The collapse of Meseta may have produced the massive Escuintla debris-avalanche deposit, which extends about 50 km (31 miles) onto the Pacific coastal plain.

The growth of the modern Fuego volcano followed, continuing the southward migration of volcanism that began at Acatenango. In contrast to the mostly andesitic Acatenango, eruptions at Fuego have become more mafic with time, and most historical activity has produced basaltic rocks. Frequent vigorous historical eruptions have been recorded since the onset of the Spanish era in 1524 ,and have produced major ashfalls, along with occasional pyroclastic flows and lava flows. (GVP)

Featured image credit: RSN

from:    http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2016/06/25/new-eruptions-at-costa-rica-turrialba-and-guatemala-fuego-volcano/

Rare Nevada Earthquake

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12/11/2015 — Earthquake strikes Volcanoes next to famous AREA 51 base in Nevada

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A rare M3.1 earthquake has struck the volcanoes next to the famous “AREA 51” base in Southern Nevada.

three volcanoes struck in 12 hours time dec 11 2015
Above: Past 12 hours of earthquakes (up to 930am CT December 11 2015) , showing M2.7 and greater in the United States. The epicenters of the events show the only locations to experience any noteworthy movement are three dormant volcanic fields.

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Do not confuse this with a “UFO crash” (lol!) or a bombing range test — the depth of the earthquake was at over 8km / 5 miles below the surface.

This movement at the ancient volcanic complex next to Area 51 is part of a much larger seismic event underway (currently) on the West coast of the United States.

area 51 earthquake volcano dec 11 2015
Above: Google Earth search of the USGS earthquake coordinates shows the M3.1 earthquake striking between the long dormant AREA 51 volcanic fields at a depth of over 5 miles.

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In addition to the long dormant (extinct) volcanoes next to Area 51 showing activity, we see that the ONLY other locations to have M3.0+ activity are other volcanic locations to the North and South.

The swarm of earthquakes to the North struck Challis Idaho, which is the Westernmost portion of the Yellowstone Magma chamber, and a location where a man was almost killed in geothermal activity a few months ago.

Challis, ID is also the location where the USGS went to install new monitoring equipment after a M5.0+ earthquake struck the location 2 years ago.

4.9 yellowstone idaho earthquake april 12 2014

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To the South of the Area 51 earthquake location , Cerro Prieto volcano showed up with an earthquake swarm as well, topping out at M3.1 in power.

This dormant volcano was forecast to show movement in the most recent earthquake forecast video issued on December 8, 2015.

cerro prieto earthquake forecast dec 11 2015

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See the forecast calling for Cerro Prieto volcano to show movement here:

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Overall, this seismic unrest at the dormant volcanoes along the West coast was expected.

The locations which are showing movement were all named out in the above forecast video, literally called out each location by name , Central Idaho (Challis), California border (Cerro Prieto), and Western Nevada near the California border.

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Information on the AREA 51 earthquake from the USGS:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nn00522233#scientific_origin:nn_nn00522233

from:    http://dutchsinse.com/

Japan Volcano Alert

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8/15/2015 — ANOTHER Large earthquake in the West Pacific — M6.7 strikes Soloman Islands — Japan on Volcano ALERT


A large M6.7 earthquake has struck the West Pacific in the Soloman Islands East of Papua New Guinea.

This events marks the THIRD large earthquake to strike the Soloman Islands this week.

6.7m earthquake papua new guinea soloman islands aug 15 2015

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The Soloman Islands were specifically forecast to see large earthquake activity this week (after several weeks of relative silence).

The earthquake forecast for the Soloman Islands was issued on August 8, 2015 — issued for a 7 day time period to watch the region.

In the past 7 days, three different large earthquakes struck the warned area.  See the full earthquake forecast video here:

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In addition to seeing the large earthquake activity in the Soloman islands, the other area which was warned in the earthquake forecast  (South Japan) is now under alert / evacuations due to thousands of earthquakes near Sakurajima Volcano, with an impending very large eruption now possible.

The nearby Sendai Nuclear power plant is also under serious warning, locals evacuating, and “massive tectonic deformation” currently taking place (August 15):

from:    http://dutchsinse.com/

North American Craton Movement

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6/14/2015 — Whole North American Craton moves in 24 hours time + New Madrid earthquake swarm

 

The whole of the North American Craton was displaced over the past 24 hours (up to 845am CDT June 14, 2015).

The graphic below speaks for itself, showing a 4.0M fracking earthquake along the NW edge of the plate in Alberta Canada, followed by earthquakes further South , 50 miles East of Mount Adams + Mount Rainier Volcanoes in Washington State, and at Clear Lake Volcano in Northern California.

In addition to the earthquakes at multiple volcanoes, we see a new swarm has developed at the Oklahoma fracking operations, and a more rare earthquake swarm developing along the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ).

craton earthquakes june 14 2015a
Past 24 hours of 2.5M+ earthquakes in North America shows the edge of the craton being displaced from the NW to the South + Southeast. Beginning with a 4.0M earthquake, followed by movement to the South at dormant volcanoes, and then further southeast at fracking operations in Oklahoma, then causing craton movement along the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

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In the most recent earthquake forecast, I fully discussed the activity to expect along the craton edge, and explain how the earthquakes are transferring along the “edge” of the unsubducted plate.

The movement seems to be happening in a pattern extending from the Northwest to the Southeast, producing noteworthy earthquakes along the boundaries between older, and younger plate regions.

See the earthquake forecast here:

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Below is a past example of craton movement caused by West coast earthquake activity.

The screenshots below show earthquakes on the West coast preceded midwest earthquake activity by a few days (or less), and eventually caused a New Madrid Seismic Zone Earthquake following the pressure transfer as it passed EASTWARD.

As the pressure transferred East, it released at “weak points” producing earthquakes at dormant Volcanoes along the West coast, also produced activity at the Fracking operations in Colorado + Oklahoma, finally terminating with a single event along the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

This graphic is from May 1, 2015.

california cluster craton earthquakes may 1 2015

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from:    http://dutchsinse.com/

North Pole Earthquake

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6/01/2015 — Rare NORTH POLE Earthquake — 5.2 magnitude strikes near new undersea volcano

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A very rare, and most likely volcanic related earthquake has struck near the exact NORTH POLE of the planet.

north pole earthquake june 1 2015

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Upon inspection using Google Earth, the earthquake epicenter is located near an undersea volcano which was discovered in 1999.. currently called “UNNAMED” by the USGS.

north pole earthquake june 1 2015a

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This earthquake is listed on the USGS as “North of Svalbard” with NO PICTURE of the North pole, instead they’re showing Europe.

Of course they’re not going to show the North pole, since this would raise everyone’s suspicions about earthquake activity picking up, being that this earthquake was less than 270 miles from the exact geographic polar North of the planet, people might start to ask questions the USGS doesn’t want to answer right now.

Questions might get asked like, “why are you not warning people that there is increased seismic unrest taking place, and that people should be preparing for larger coming movement?!”

usgs north pole fail earthquake june 1 2015

This is an extremely rare event, and it follows multiple other rare seismic events over the past 1-2 weeks.

Over the past week alone, we saw a large unexpected blast from Shindake volcano off the coast of Japan, we saw a large unexpected blast from Wolf Volcano in the Galapagos, there was a large 8.5M earthquake (7.8 magnitude revised) which struck at a very deep level, a large 6.8M earthquake struck Alaska, another large earthquake struck off the coast of Oregon, also there was movement along the New Madrid seismic zone, and multiple dormant volcanoes showed earthquake activity in the United States.

 

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Information on this North Pole Earthquake from the USGS:

M5.2 – North of Svalbard

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20002l0w#scientific_origin:us_us20002l0w

Magnitude / uncertainty 5.2 mb± 0.0
Location / uncertainty 86.123°N 31.961°E± 8.7 km
Depth / uncertainty 10.0 km± 1.9
Origin Time
Number of Stations –
Number of Phases 78
Minimum Distance 846.80 km (7.61°)
Travel Time Residual 1.19 sec
Azimuthal Gap 26°
FE Region North of Svalbard (641)

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from:    http://dutchsinse.com/page/3/

Currently 40 Volcanoes Erupting

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40 Volcanoes Are Erupting Right Now, And 34 Of Them Are Along The Ring Of Fire

By Michael Snyder

You may not have noticed, but our planet is becoming increasingly unstable.  According to Volcano Discovery, 40 volcanoes around the globe are erupting right now, and only 6 of them are not along the Ring of Fire.  If that sounds like a very high number to you, that is because it is a very high number.

As I have written about previously, there were a total of 3,542 volcanic eruptions during the entire 20th century.  When you divide that number by 100, that gives you an average of about 35 volcanic eruptions per year.  So the number of volcanoes that are erupting right now is well above the 20th century’s average for an entire calendar year.

And of course we are witnessing a tremendous amount of earthquake activity as well.  Nepal was just hit by the worst earthquake that it had seen in 80 years, and scientists are telling us that the Himalayas actually dropped by an astounding 3 feet as a result of that one earthquake.  How much more does our planet have to shake before people start paying attention?

Of course the things that we have been seeing lately are part of a much larger long-term trend.  Seismic activity appears to have been getting stronger over the past few decades, and now things really seem to be accelerating.  The following is how one news source recently summarized what we have been witnessing…

If it seems like earthquakes and erupting volcanoes are happening more frequently, that’s because they are. Looking at global magnitude six (M6) or greater from 1980 to 1989 there was an average of 108.5 earthquakes per year, from 2000 to 2009 the planet averaged 160.9 earthquakes per year: that is a 38.9% increase of M6+ earthquakes in recent years. Unrest also seems to be growing among the world’s super-volcanoes.

Iceland (which is home to some of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet), Santorini in Greece, Uturuncu in Bolivia, the Yellowstone and Long Valley calderas in the U.S., Laguna del Maule in Chile, Italy’s Campi Flegrei – almost all of the world’s active super-volcanic systems are now exhibiting some signs of inflation, an early indication that pressure is building in these volcanic systems.

But of course most Americans are never going to care about any of this until it starts affecting them personally.

Well, perhaps they should start paying attention to the warning signs.  In recent weeks we have seen significant earthquakes in Michigan, Texas, Mississippi, California, Idaho and Washington.  In addition, it is being reported that pressure is building in dormant volcanoes in Arizona and California.  Just because we have not had a killer earthquake or a large volcanic eruption in the U.S. in recent years does not mean that it will always be that way.  Right now the entire planet appears to be waking up, and this especially seems to be true of the Ring of Fire.

If you are not familiar with the Ring of Fire, just imagine a giant ring that runs around the outer perimeter of the Pacific Ocean.  Approximately 90 percent of all earthquakes and approximately 75 percent of all volcanic eruptions occur within this area, and the entire west coast of North America is considered to be part of the Ring of Fire.

For so long, the west coast has been incredibly blessed not to have experienced a major seismic event.  But scientists tell us that it is only a matter of time.

And right now, just about every other part of the Ring of Fire is shaking violently.

For example, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake just hit Japan on Wednesday…

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake that shook northeast Japan on Wednesday was an aftershock of the devastating 2011 quake that triggered a massive tsunami and nuclear power plant meltdown.

“We consider this morning’s earthquake to be an aftershock of the 2011 Northeastern Pacific Earthquake,” said Yohei Hasegawa, an official at the Japanese meteorological agency.

The temblor, which struck just after 6 a.m. local time (5 p.m. ET Tuesday), was sparked by the Pacific tectonic plate “subducting,” or moving under, the main land plate, he added.

Hasegawa warned that more tremors may be on the way.

One Japanese expert is warning that Japan “might have entered an era of great earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,” and considering the immense devastation that the great earthquake and tsunami of 2011 caused, that is a very sobering assessment.

Meanwhile, a series of very strong earthquakes have struck Papua New Guinea recently as well.  The following comes from the Washington Post…

A powerful earthquake rattled Papua New Guinea on Thursday, the fourth strong quake to hit the South Pacific island nation in a week. The temblor prompted officials to issue a local tsunami warning, but it was lifted shortly afterward with no reports of damage.

The 7.1-magnitude quake struck about 150 kilometers (94 miles) southwest of the town of Panguna on Bougainville Island at a depth of 23 kilometers (14 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Once again, just because things have always been a certain way does not mean that they will always be that way.

As Americans, we are not accustomed to being concerned about major earthquakes and massive volcanic eruptions, but that could soon change in a big way.

The truth is that our planet and our sun are changing in ways that are unpredictable and that our scientists don’t completely understand.

For example, a recent LiveScience article discussed the fact that scientists are deeply puzzled by the fact that the magnetic field of our planet is getting weaker 10 times faster than previously believed…

Scientists already know that magnetic north shifts. Once every few hundred thousand years the magnetic poles flip so that a compass would point south instead of north. While changes in magnetic field strength are part of this normal flipping cycle, data from Swarm have shown the field is starting to weaken faster than in the past. Previously, researchers estimated the field was weakening about 5 percent per century, but the new data revealed the field is actually weakening at 5 percent per decade, or 10 times faster than thought. As such, rather than the full flip occurring in about 2,000 years, as was predicted, the new data suggest it could happen sooner.

And in a previous article, I discussed how one scientist has discovered that activity on the sun is declining at a faster pace “than at any time in the last 9300 years” right now.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers for why these things are happening, but clearly some very unusual things are taking place.

So what do you think?

Do you believe that you know why our planet and our sun are experiencing such dramatic changes?

Please feel free to add to the discussion by posting a comment below…

This article first appeared here at the Economic Collapse Blog.  Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter here.

 

from:    http://www.activistpost.com/2015/05/40-volcanoes-are-erupting-right-now-and.html

Lava Buries TOwns in Cape Verde Islands

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Lava Flows from Fogo in the Cape Verde Islands Bury Two Towns

Monitoring lava flows from the Fogo eruption as they inundate towns within the caldera. Photo by INVOLCAN, used by permission.

It is clear now that the ongoing eruption at Fogo in the Cape Verde Islands is not sparing the towns in the Cha de Caldieras area. There had been some indications that the eruption was slowing and that the town of Portello and Bangaeira could be saved, but as of December 8, it appears that much of the settlement is being overrun by lava flows and the lava continues to flow at close to 300 meters per day.

The eruption regained vigor over the weekend, and the security teams near the volcano had to withdraw to safe distances. Close to 90 percent of the town is now covered by the lava from the new eruption (compare this to the lava during the recent Pahoa crisis in Hawai’i, which received many, many times more coverage in the mainstream media). Right now, close to 1,200 people who had to evacuate likely do not have a home to which to return. Even if their home survived, much of the infrastructure for these communities has been decimated as well. Not surprisingly, online charities have sprung up to help the people permanently displaced by the Fogo eruption.

INVOLCAN filmed some stunning moments of lava flows moving through the towns (see above) and new images from Google Earth show the extent of lava flow inundation on the area (“alacance” on the linked image). Volcanologists following the eruption have said that the current activity could last as long as the 1995 eruption that lasted 56 days, so we could see many more weeks of lava flows within the Fogo caldera, creating a massive humanitarian crisis for such a small, isolated island.

Lava flows from the Fogo eruption covering the towns of Portello and Bangaeira. Photo by INVOLCAN, used by permission.