Prophecy, Drought, Earthquakes, Famine, Pestilence, War, and Strange Weather.

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Rockfall plumes draw attention to simmering volcano

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Rockfall at Mount St. Helens kicked up a dust plume Tuesday that rose above the rim of the volcano's crater, drawing attention in the region.

"It's a nice sunny day and we're having the first couple of rockfalls that we've had in a while that are putting little dust plumes over the crater rim," said U.S. Geological Survey geologist Seth Moran at the agency's Cascade Volcano Observatory here, about 50 miles south of the mountain that erupted to deadly effect in May 1980.

Seismic activity has continued at low levels, Moran said.

The white plume floating above the peak was raising concerns locally.

"When rockfalls go down they kick up a dust plume and people can see it - especially from Portland," Moran said.

Overcast weather had hidden the mountain for weeks.

"Any time you go through a pause" during which the mountain is not visible, people notice activity more when the peak comes back into view, Moran said.

Mount St. Helens rumbled back to life in September 2004 after years of quiet. In October a flow of molten rock reached the surface, marking a renewal of domebuilding activity that had stoppped in 1986.

The 1980 eruption killed 57 people, flattens forests and sent a river of hot mud and ash down the Toutle River Valley.

USGS and the University of Washington continue to monitor the mountain.

Scientists say a more explosive eruption, possibly dropping ash within a 10-mile radius of the crater, is possible at any time.

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5.2 earthquake recorded in Unimak Island region

 According to the Associated Press, residents in the Felt Pass area of Unimak Island got a jolt this morning before their morning coffee.

The Alaska Earthquake Information center says a magnitude 5.2 earthquake was recorded just after six o'clock this morning. The quake was centered about 72 miles southwest of False Pass, at a depth of about five miles.

Officials say the earthquake was felt in False Pass. That's a community of about 60 people located on the eastern shore of Unimak Island, about 650 miles southwest of Anchorage.

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 Quake jolts southwest of Iran
Tehran, Nov 23, IRNA

Iran-Quake
A tremor measuring 3.7 on the open-ended Richter scale hit the city of Chelgerd of Chaharmahal Bakhtiari Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Shahr-e Kord Seismological Center, affiliated to Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, the quake occurred at 12:57 hours local time (09:27 GMT).

The tremor was centered in an area located 49.67 degrees longitude and 32.59 degrees latitude, the report added.

There are no reports of any casualty or damages.

Quakes of varying magnitudes often occur in Iran, which is situated on some of the world's most active seismic fault lines.

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Massive quake hits eastern China

Saturday 26 November 2005, 10:06 Makka Time, 7:06 GMT

At least 12 people have died and more than 400 were injured when an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale struck east China's Jiangxi province.

Xinhua news agency, which cited the Ministry of Civil Affairs, gave the official toll as of 11.55am (0355 GMT), three hours after the quake on Saturday morning.

The data seemed to tally with numbers provided by local officials talking to AFP by telephone.

"Six people were killed in Jiujiang county," a local official earlier said. "Another 247 were injured, and 8,072 buildings were toppled."

An official in nearby Ruichang city said five people had been killed there, while 39 were injured.

One fatality was recorded near the city of Wuxue, in neighbouring Hubei province, an official there said.

"The earthquake this morning was quite scary," said a shopkeeper in Ruichang reached by telephone who would only give her surname as Zhou.

Milder trembling that she assumed was an aftershock was felt again around 1pm (0500 GMT), Zhou said.

Many people in Ruichang, which has a population of about 420,000 people, were staying outside for fear of more aftershocks, Zhou added.

Tents were set up outside the local hospital, she said.


Temperatures in the region were relatively mild, hovering around 10 degrees Celsius, weather reports said.

The quake measured 5.7 on the Richter scale and struck at 8.49am (0049 GMT), the China National Seismic Observation Network said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

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Earthquake kills at least seven in Iran
Sun Nov 27, 2005 2:09 PM GMT

By Alireza Ronaghi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and many more injured when an earthquake razed mud-brick villages on the Gulf island of Qeshm off Iran's south coast on Sunday, officials and state media said.

Iran's official news agency IRNA said the quake, with a magnitude of 5.9, shook southern Iran for about 10 to 15 seconds at 1:53 P.M. (10:23 a.m. British time) and the island's main hospital was full of injured people.

"The earthquake was really strong and people poured into the streets in panic. My husband immediately rushed off to one of the stricken villages," said Sara Sadeqi, 22, a housewife in Qeshm City, the island's capital.

Mohsen Kazemi from Iran's Red Crescent relief agency told Reuters all of the seven came from the villages of Tonban, Gavarzin, Khaledin and Gourian.

Tahereh Irankhah, a volunteer with the Red Crescent in Qeshm, said the situation at the hospital was desperate.

"The number of people injured is very high, and people are in the corridors. We need tents and blankets," she said.

State media said there were three strong aftershocks.

PALM FORESTS

Qeshm is the biggest island in the Gulf and is a free-trade zone in southern Hormuzgan province with a population of about 120,000.

It is famed for its palm forests and its beaches are much loved by tourists and nesting sea turtles.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was of 6.1 magnitude, and placed it about 58 km (36 miles) southwest of the Gulf port of Bandar Abbas.

The tremor was the first fatal quake in Iran since February when more than 600 people died in a magnitude 6.4 tremor, centred on the town of Zarand about 700 km (440 miles) southeast of Tehran.

That quake revived painful memories of the devastating 6.8-magnitude quake in 2003 that killed 31,000 people in the desert citadel city of Bam, 1,000 km (600 miles) southeast of Tehran.

Sunday's tremor was also in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, prompting many people to evacuate buildings.

Witnesses in high-rise buildings said they felt the ground shake for about a minute. Many residents left their buildings and waited on the streets.

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Earthquake shakes Turkey's Malatya province


   ANKARA, Nov 26 (Xinhuanet) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale shook Turkey's central province of Malatya on Saturday.

   No casualty was reported.

   Semi-official Anatolia News Agency quoted officials of an observatory center as saying that the quake occurred at 17:56 p.m.(1556 GMT) and that the epicenter of the quake was at the Poturge town of Malatya.

   Malatya Governor Osman Derya Kadioglu was quoted as saying that there were no reports of any casualties or damage after the quake which was felt in Malatya and surrounding provinces.  


   Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey. A strong quake hit western Turkey in 1999, leaving more than 18,000 people dead.

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Comoros Volcano Spews Ash Over Capital
MORONI - A volcano spewed ash in its second eruption this year in the Indian Ocean Comoros islands, sending hundreds of villagers fleeing in fear the mountain could unleash a river of lava, witnesses said.

Mount Karthala, a 2,361-metre (7,746-feet) volcano, sent clouds of ash and sparks flying late on Thursday, leaving the capital Moroni and other villages on the main island of Grande Comore covered in grey.

Witnesses said the ground continued to rumble on Friday.

A number of villagers who live close to Karthala fled on foot and by car, while authorities put disaster plans into place and urged the public to remain calm.

Karthala erupted in April, forcing thousands to flee in fear of poisonous gas and a possible magma flow. It was the first eruption in more than a decade on the archipelago nation, 300 km (190 miles) off the coast of east Africa.

"For the last 10 days, the volcano has been showing worrying signs, but in the last week the activity has risen. This phenomenon of rising activity is not predictable," said Hamidou Soule, a vulcanologist with the National Centre for Documentation and Scientific Research.

The centimetre-thick layer of ash made breathing difficult for thousands who had no means of protection beyond wrapping scarves around their faces.

The islands have largely escaped major destruction from the volcano, but has had several close calls. In 1991, the last eruption before April, Karthala threw boulders for several kilometres but caused no injuries.

A torrent of molten rock coursed down a fissure on the side of the mountain in April 1977, destroying 300 homes in the village of Singani, but again, residents escaped to safety.

In 1903, noxious fumes seeped from cracks and suffocated 17 people.

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Snowstorm Knocks Out Power Across Plains

Snowstorm Slams Across the Plains Knocking Out Power for Thousands and Closing Roads

BISMARCK, N.D. Nov 29, 2005 — Broad areas of the Dakotas remained shut down Tuesday by the Plains' first blizzard of the season, with highways closed by blowing, drifting snow and thousands of people without electricity as temperatures hit the low teens.

Five deaths had been blamed on slippery roads in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. A sixth person was killed by a tornado spun off by the huge storm system in Arkansas.

Travelers trying to get home after Thanksgiving had been stranded in hotels, truck stops and churches across the Plains.

The storm was heading toward the Great Lakes on Tuesday after dumping snow as far south as the Texas Panhandle. As much as 20 inches of snow fell at Kennebec, S.D., while Chamberlain, S.D., was choked by drifts up to 8 feet high.

The snow, ice up to 5 inches thick and wind gusting to 70 mph had snapped power lines.

Utility officials estimated that 50,000 customers were blacked out across eastern South Dakota on Tuesday, and many communities in North Dakota also had no electricity. The morning's low at Grand Forks, N.D., was 14 degrees.

Power companies in North Dakota said it could take days to restore power because the storm tore down major transmission lines.

Firefighters in Fairmount, N.D., offered the town's roughly 400 residents rides to the community center, which has a backup generator, but the blackout also shut down the town's pumps.

"We still have water but it's getting pretty low here," Fairmount Fire Chief Dave Jacobson said.

Utility crews were out early Tuesday working to restore electricity in northwestern Minnesota.

"Bless 'em, they're just the cavalry," said Chris Kling, a spokeswoman for Otter Tail Power Co.

At Hankinson, N.D., people took refuge at the Dakota Magic Casino, which also has its own generator, said customer service representative Cheri Braun. "Our hotel can't hold any more," she said.

Interstate 94 remained shut Tuesday by poor visibility and icy pavement for about 100 miles across eastern North Dakota from Fargo to Jamestown, and I-29 was barricaded from Fargo to Watertown, S.D., a stretch of about 140 miles. About 200 miles of east-west I-90 remained closed across central South Dakota from Mitchell to Kadoka.

Farther south, however, Colorado and Kansas had reopened more than 400 miles of eastbound I-70 between Denver and Salina, Kan., after two days. To the east, Minnesota had reopened I-94 east of the North Dakota line.

Almost 1,000 people spent Sunday night in shelters along I-70 in Kansas, including more than 200 on cots and exercise mats at Fort Hays State University in Hays, officials said.

Among those at Fort Hays State were Mike and Ilona Dorsey, returning to Denver after visiting relatives in Topeka.

"We stopped at every town from Colby to here and couldn't get a hotel," Dorsey told The Hays Daily News. "Everything was filled."

Numerous other highways also remained closed in the Dakotas, as well as eastern Colorado and northwest Kansas.

The same storm whipped up tornadoes that destroyed at least eight homes in Arkansas on Sunday and damaged more than 30 homes at Fort Riley, Kan.

The storm was retaining most of its clout as it headed toward the Great Lakes, said National Weather Service meteorologist Fred Stasser of Goodland, Kan.

"I would imagine they're going to get some of the same sort of deal," he said.

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 Tropical storm batters Canaries
A tropical storm has lashed the Canary Islands, killing at least seven people and leaving a trail of destruction.

Many people are still without electricity, while some roads have been blocked by fallen trees and landslides.

At least six African migrants drowned when waves engulfed their makeshift boat. A man also died after being blown off his roof on Fuerteventura.

Winds gusted at up to 200 km/h (124 miles per hour) in parts of Tenerife, disrupting public services.

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Tropical Storm Epsilon Forms in Atlantic


Tuesday November 29, 2005 3:31 PM

MIAMI (AP) - Tropical Storm Epsilon formed Tuesday in the central Atlantic, where it was a threat only to shipping, forecasters said.

The 26th named storm of the busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record was expected to be absorbed by other weather systems and shouldn't affect land, said Jennifer Pralgo, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

At 10 a.m. EST, Epsilon had top sustained wind of about 45 mph. It was centered about 845 miles east of Bermuda and about 1,395 miles west of the Azores Islands. It was moving west near 8 mph and was expected to continue that movement for at least 24 hours.

The six-month Atlantic hurricane season ends Wednesday, but forecasters warn that tropical storms and hurricanes can develop in December.

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Experts: Next Hurricane Season Likely to be as Active
By VOA News
30 November 2005

The busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record ends Wednesday, but forecasters say next year's season could be just as active.

Since the season began June 1, a record 26 storms have achieved wind speeds high enough to be classified as tropical storms.  The latest, tropical storm Epsilon, formed in the Atlantic Tuesday.  Thirteen of those 26 reached hurricane force.

Three hurricanes: Katrina, Rita and Wilma -- temporarily became Category Five storms, featuring winds of at least 249 kilometers per hour.  All three weakened before making landfall.

Experts say Katrina was responsible for the deaths of some 1,300 people as well as tens of billions of dollars' worth of property damage.  It wiped out some Gulf Coast towns and left at least 80 percent of New Orleans under water.

Some experts say this year's severe storm activity is part of an active cycle that will last more than a decade.  Others contend it is the result of global warming.

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Epsilon becomes 14th hurricane of Atlantic season
Fri Dec 2, 2005 9:58 AM ET

MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Epsilon strengthened into the 14th hurricane of a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season on Friday, but was not expected to retain that intensity for long, nor to threaten land, U.S. forecasters said.

Hurricane Epsilon's maximum sustained winds reached 75 mph (120 kph) by 10 a.m. EST, just 1 mph over the threshold at which tropical storms are categorized as hurricanes, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was 1,220 miles west of Portugal's Azores islands and accelerating toward the northeast, away from the wealthy mid-Atlantic British territory of Bermuda, at 14 mph (22 kph).

While the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially ended on Wednesday, the Miami-based hurricane center said it was not unprecedented to see a hurricane in December in that part of the Atlantic, where the waters tend to be too cool for storms to intensify greatly.

Epsilon appeared to be traveling along a narrow ridge of warm water and was expected to start weakening steadily within 12 to 18 hours after hitting much cooler waters.

Like its four predecessors, Epsilon was named for a letter in the Greek alphabet after the official list of storm names for 2005 was exhausted.

This season has gone into the record books for the most storms and the most hurricanes. The highest number of hurricanes previously on record was 12 in 1969 and the highest number of named storms was 21 in 1933.

It also had the most Category 5 storms -- the top rank on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity -- including Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and killed more than 1,200 people in Louisiana and Mississippi.

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Strong earthquake shakes northern Japan
Tokyo, Japan

A large earthquake measuring 6,4 on the Richter scale hit northern Japan late on Friday.

The northern region of Tohoku felt "a strong jolt" from the quake, which happened at 10.13pm local time, according to the meteorological agency.

The quake was located off the Pacific coast of northern Miyagi prefecture, roughly 350km north-east of Tokyo.

The quake happened 40km underground, the agency said, adding that there was no tsunami warning.

A spokesperson for the Miyagi police said there were no reports of damage or casualties.

The areas around Miyagi frequently experience large earthquakes, and experts fear a big one could hit the region in the near future.

The area was hit by a 7,2-magnitude quake in August, which shut down traffic but caused little other damage.

Friday's quake was also felt strongly in the centre of Tokyo, shaking high-rise buildings designed to withstand powerful tremors.

The quake followed a moderate earthquake measuring 4,3 on the Richter scale that hit central Japan.

The first tremor struck at 9.54pm about 50km underground in Saitama prefecture, just north of Tokyo, the agency said.

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6.0-intensity earthquake shakes Pagan

By Ferdie Dela Torre
Reporter

Friday, December 02, 2005

A 6.0-intensity earthquake occurred 249 kilometers north of Pagan, but Anatahan Volcano's seismicity remains at background levels, according to the latest volcanic activity report from the Emergency Management Office and the U.S. Geological Survey.

EMO and USGS said the 6.0 tremblor occurred at a depth of 46 km. on Tuesday at 2:41am.

Citing a report from the National Earthquake Information Center, the two agencies reported another tremblor with a magnitude of 4.8 located 188 kilometers south east of Pagan at a depth of 57 kilometers on Saturday at 5:07pm.

Sporadic earthquake activity also recorded to have appeared on the Sarigan seismometer.

EMO said satellite imagery has not shown visible ash emissions since Sept. 3, 2005.

Two weeks ago, a 5.8 intensity tremblor occurred 160 miles north of Uracas.

In April 2005, Anatahan Volcano spewed out ash to 50,000 feet in its strongest historical eruption.

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 Earthquake Jolts North Sumatra, Indonesia   
      
An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale rocked Indonesia's North Sumatra province on Friday, but there were still no reports on fatalities or damage caused by the quake.

The quake took place at 10:08 a.m. local time with its epicenter at about 3.5 degrees northern latitude and 94.5 degrees eastern longitude, Antara news agency quoted the head of Tanjung Perak Surabaya Maritime Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) Eddy Waluyo as saying.

Indonesia is located on the Pacific Rim of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes highly volcanic and seismic activity.