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

[Shammu]

2nd Earthquake Strikes Tonga
Thursday, May 04, 2006

BANGKOK, Thailand — A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.0 strikes near the Pacific Island nation of Tonga, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The quake came a day after a 7.8-magnitude temblor struck near Tonga, prompting a tsunami warning to countries as far away as Fiji and New Zealand. The tsunami warning was canceled, but Tonga reported it never received a warning.

A tsunami warning was not issued Friday.

The U.S. Geological Survey said at least six aftershocks occurred near Tonga, while others were recorded near Fiji and Vanuatu. The strongest aftershock occurred at 12:25 a.m. local time at a depth of almost 24 miles.

It was located 85 miles east-northeast of Nuku'alofa and 1,310 miles northeast of Auckland, New Zealand.

Though a major tsunami never materialized after Thursday's quake, the communication failure raised troubling questions about the effectiveness of such alerts, which have come under global scrutiny since an earthquake-driven tsunami in the Indian Ocean nearly 18 months ago left at least 216,000 dead or missing.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, which issues the alerts, said Tonga — a 170-island archipelago about halfway between Australia and Tahiti — failed to receive the warnings because of a power failure. The cause wasn't known. Gerard Fryer, the center's acting director, said changes may be necessary.

(Story continues below)

 ADVERTISEMENTS
Advertise Here

"That's something they're going to look at, and we're going to have to work out an additional messaging scheme for them," Fryer said.

There were no reports of injuries from the magnitude-7.9 temblor, which struck about 95 miles south of Neiafu, Tonga, and 1,340 miles north-northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. Authorities lifted the tsunami warnings within two hours.

Tonga, with a population of about 108,000, is alerted through the World Meteorological Office, one of about a dozen ways the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issues alerts. If power failures are a concern, a satellite phone could be used to notify officials in the future, Fryer said.

The center, usually staffed by two scientists or a few at the most, said it doesn't have the manpower to contact Pacific nations individually to ensure its warning was received. Thursday's earthquake came just a week after the center upgraded to around-the-clock staffing.

"What we try to do is cover all the bases," said Barry Hirshorn, a geophysicist at the center. "The important base for us is to make sure our message gets out. If people don't get it, it's not worth anything, but we don't have people in every country who can help keep their sirens running and their power running. It's frustrating."

Any warning probably would have been too late for Tongans because the epicenter was so close. But Mali'u Takai, deputy director of Tonga's National Disaster Office, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the system that should have passed on an alert from the center had malfunctioned.

"Nobody got a warning through the emergency satellite system in our meteorological office," Takai said.

Within 16 minutes of the 4:26 a.m. earthquake, the Honolulu-based center began transmitting warnings that a possible tsunami could strike Fiji within two hours and then, an hour later, New Zealand.

The warning set off an alarm in the Fijan capital of Suva. But authorities apparently failed to inform citizens, many on tiny and remote islands with poor communications. At the Wakaya Club, a private luxury Fijian island resort where recent guests have included Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards, staff were alerted to the danger through satellite television news — but guests were never told.

In New Zealand, hundreds of residents on the country's east coast fled their homes after hearing media reports. But authorities did not issue a national civil defense warning, said Allen Walley, a spokesman for New Zealand's National Crisis Management Center, because "overseas media reports had incorrectly suggested a threat."

New Zealand coastal resident Philip Payne, manager of the Ocean Beach Motor Lodge, said he did not know about the threat until it had passed. But the lack of contact from Civil Defense has him worried because it would have been a major exercise to evacuate his 60 guests, along with his own family.

"We had no awareness whatsoever," Payne said. "I'm concerned. We certainly would have needed to be contacted by Civil Defense and told of where we could have evacuated our guests if necessary."

In Hawaii, 14 coastal schools in flood zones were closed as a precaution. Teachers and students were told to take the whole day off, but many didn't get word until they arrived at school.

In Tonga, Mary Fonua, a publisher in the capital, Nuku'alofa, said it was the most powerful quake she had felt in 27 years there. Shelves were seen overturned in bookstores. Power in the city was restored after two hours, but most phone lines were jammed by incoming calls.

The communication failure in Tonga lends greater urgency to a test of alert systems in 23 countries on both sides of the earthquake-prone Pacific that is scheduled to take place in two weeks. The Hawaii center, which falls under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, came under criticism for not reporting more aggressively on the tsunami in the Indian Ocean floor.

On Dec. 26, 2004, the most powerful earthquake in four decades — magnitude 9.0 — ripped apart the Indian Ocean floor off Indonesia's Sumatra island, displacing millions of tons of water and spawning giant waves that sped off in all directions.

2nd Earthquake Strikes Tonga

[Shammu]

May 3, 2006

Massive lava 'fin' rises up in Mount St. Helen's crater

 By Bob Heye
and KATU.com Web Staff

MOUNT ST. HELENS - A spectacular new structure has formed inside the crater at Mount St. Helens, just in time for this weekend's opening of the Spirit Lake Highway.

A slab of rock the size of a football field is standing on end inside the crater.

The giant 'fin' is pushing upwards of four to five feet a day, but is not growing taller because it tends to crumble as it grows.

"Of course, the fin gets to about the height of a football field or so and then it starts to get unstable and we get rockfalls off the top of it, explained USGS Geologist Dan Dzurisin.

The fin joins another structure, nicknamed 'the whaleback,' as one of seven distinct structures that have grown and disintegrated since this eruption began in October 2004.

The growing fin is not the only thing changing inside the crater. While the fin is growing up, the dome is pushing outward at a rate of about a meter a day.

All of the changes have scientists anxious.

"It's been hard to get views," said Dzurisin. "It's been hard to keep track of what's going on. Now the weather's improving and we have an opportunity to go up there and study in a lot more detail what's going on."

If you would like to check out Mount St. Helens in person, the Spirit Lake Highway will reopen on Friday.

You will be able to head all the way up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, where it costs just $3 to get an up close view of the crater.

Massive lava 'fin' rises up in Mount St. Helen's crater

[Soldier4Christ]

If you would like to check out Mount St. Helens in person, the Spirit Lake Highway will reopen on Friday.

You will be able to head all the way up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, where it costs just $3 to get an up close view of the crater.

With all that activity that is not a very wise idea.

 

[nChrist]

With all that activity that is not a very wise idea.

 

      That's an amazing picture, but I'm thinking that I will be more than content to look at pictures from Oklahoma. I do have an older brother who lives about 60 miles South of there. I remember him telling me stories about the last eruption. Huge areas were effected in various ways.

I think this is just another reminder about how little we actually know about ALMIGHTY GOD'S CREATION. We should all be humbled, marvel at HIS works, and know that HE IS GOD, HIS WILL BE DONE!

Love in Christ,
Tom

Luke 12:28-31 NASB  "But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! "And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. "For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. "But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

[Shammu]

Brother I still have ash, I scraped off my car. When I was in Yakima, Washington, in May 18 1980. What started off as a week vacation, with Sambo's turned into a 2 week vacation.

[nChrist]

Dreamweaver,

Brother, I don't think I would want to be anywhere near one on a major eruption. If I remember correctly, many people had respiratory problems that lived 200 to 300 miles away. AND, I don't think they considered that a major eruption compared to what it could have been.

I've read that Yellowstone could effect a large portion of the entire country if there was a major eruption there. A lot of folks would be telling the truth if they were hollering that "the sky is falling". It's almost impossible to measure the power that's locked up in God's Creation.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 2:19-22 NASB  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

[Shammu]

Dreamweaver,

I've read that Yellowstone could effect a large portion of the entire country if there was a major eruption there. A lot of folks would be telling the truth if they were hollering that "the sky is falling". It's almost impossible to measure the power that's locked up in God's Creation.

Brother, I've been studing "what if Yellowstone erupted." It would effect the whole planet, yes the skies would darken, ashfall would cover the world, within a few days. Almost what the Bible describes. But I would doubt, nor worry about Yellowstone erupting. From my studies, Yellowstone isn't described (events that would happen) in the Bible. Unless it is the Great Eathquake described in the Bible, when Jesus steps back onto Mt. Olive, and splits the mt.

But I still don't see that happening brother.

[Shammu]

Rock Slab Growing at Mount St. Helens

By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE, Associated Press Writer Thu May 4, 11:01 PM ET

If the skies are clear as forecast, volcano watchers who turn out for the reopening of the Johnston Ridge Observatory on Friday will get a spectacular view of a hulking slab of rock that's rapidly growing in Mount St. Helens' crater.

It's jutting up from one of seven lobes of fresh volcanic rock that have been pushing their way through the surface of the crater since October 2004.

The fin-shaped mass is about 300 feet tall and growing 4 feet to 5 feet a day, though it occasionally loses height from rockfalls off its tip, said Dan Dzurisin, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey.

It began growing last November, steadily moving west and pushing rock and other debris out of its way as it goes.

Mount St. Helens has been quietly erupting since a flurry of tiny earthquakes began in late September 2004. Scientists initially mistook the quakes as rainwater seeping into the hot interior of the older lava dome.

But it soon became clear that magma was on the move, confirmed by the emergence of fire-red lava between the old lava dome and the south crater rim a few weeks after the seismic activity began.

The volcano has continued pumping out lava ever since. Eventually, scientists expect the volcano will rebuild its conical peak that was obliterated in the May 18, 1980, eruption that killed 57 people.

The current growth of the new lava dome has been accompanied by low seismicity rates, low emissions of steam and volcanic gases and minor production of ash, the USGS said.

"Given the way things are going now, there's no hint of any sort of catastrophic eruptions," USGS geologist Tom Pierson said. "At any time, however, things can change."

Scientists flew a helicopter into the crater late last week to adjust equipment and take photographs that will likely be used to determine just how much the new lava dome has grown the last several months.

Their latest measurements, taken in December, showed that the new lava dome was about 96 million cubic yards in volume — enough to fill a football field with a stack of rock 10 1/2 miles high, Pierson said.

Scientists know the new dome is now larger than the old dome, a mass that's about 97 million cubic yards in volume that formed from a series of eruptions from 1980-1986.

"The 1980 dome frankly does not look very impressive anymore," Dzurisin said. "It's starting to disappear."

The Johnston Ridge Observatory, which closes down every winter, is the closest observatory to the 8,364-foot peak. It sits about five miles north of the mountain and offers the closest views of the volcano's horseshoe-shaped crater.

Johnston Ridge was named after David A. Johnston, a volcanologist killed in the 1980 eruption.

Rock Slab Growing at Mount St. Helens

[Shammu]

As of the 4th of May, the Global Volcanism Network (GVN) reported that on 28 April, CVGHM observed a lava flow from Merapi traveling ~1.5 km SW to the Lamat River. On the 28th, seismicity was dominated by multiphase earthquakes. Signals from landslides, rockfalls, and low-frequency events were also recorded. According to news reports, around 27 April nearly 2,000 villagers were evacuated from Sidorejo and Tegalmulyo villages on the volcano's flanks. On the 27th, small amounts of ash fell in Gemer village about 5 km from Merapi's summit. Merapi remained at Alert Level 3 (on a scale of 1-4).

Merapi, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, lies in one of the world's most densely populated areas and dominates the landscape immediately north of the major city of Yogyakarta. Merapi is the youngest and southernmost of a volcanic chain extending NNW to Ungaran volcano. Growth of Old Merapi volcano beginning during the Pleistocene ended with major edifice collapse perhaps about 2000 years ago, leaving a large arcuate scarp cutting the eroded older Batulawang volcano. Subsequently growth of the steep-sided Young Merapi edifice, its upper part unvegetated due to frequent eruptive activity, began SW of the earlier collapse scarp. Pyroclastic flows and lahars accompanying growth and collapse of the steep-sided active summit lava dome have devastated cultivated lands on the volcano's western-to-southern flanks and caused many fatalities during historical time. The volcano is the object of extensive monitoring efforts by the Merapi Volcano Observatory of the Volcanological Survey of Indonesia.

The Current Colour Code for Merapi is currently at ALERT LEVEL 3.

There is only one code higher then this, that would be RED.

[Shammu]

Brother Tom, here is some more information on Yellowstone park.

As of the 4th of May, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), reported that during the month of April 2006, 137 earthquakes were located in the Yellowstone region. The largest of these shocks was a magnitude 2.3 on April 4, 2006 at 1613 MDT, located about 16 miles south of West Thumb, Wyoming. No earthquakes in this period were reportedly felt.

With respect to ground deformation, during January through April of 2006, continuous GPS data show that most of the Yellowstone caldera continued moving upward at the same relative rates as the past year. The maximum measured ground uplift over the past 19 months is ~8 cm at both the Yellowstone Lake and White Lake GPS stations. The general uplift of the Yellowstone caldera is scientifically interesting and will continue to be monitored closely by YVO staff.

The colour code at Yellowstone is currently at GREEN.

[nChrist]

Dreamweaver,

Brother, I appreciate the information on Yellowstone. I wasn't thinking of it in terms of Bible Prophecy, rather just an example of the awesome power of nature, God's Creation. Our bombs aren't really much in comparison to the power that God has locked up in creation. My main thoughts regarded how man should be humble and face down in reverence to the AWESOME ALMIGHTY GOD we serve. For Christians who love HIM, these are good thoughts. For the forces of evil, ALMIGHTY GOD will humble them all.

I was just thinking that men or nations might boast of having a nuclear bomb, but ALMIGHTY GOD has galaxies that HE could toss around like a ping-pong ball. Then comes the ultimate reality, all men and nations will be humbled before GOD at HIS appointed time. Our fear of HIM is mixed with the love we have for our Heavenly FATHER in the sure promises HE has given us for eternity. In contrast, the forces of evil will fear HIM in horror with the sure knowledge of eternal damnation to the fires of hell.

As Christians, we can count the promises of GOD as if they have already been done:

1 - HIS love for us is beyond our ability to measure.
2 - Oh, the depth of HIS riches......
3 - No power can pluck us from HIS Hands.
4 - HIS ways are past finding out.
5 - HE has prepared mansions for us.
6 - There won't be any need for the light of the sun, we will live in the LIGHT OF THE LAMB for eternity.

Thanks be unto GOD for HIS unspeakable GIFT!, JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour forever!

Love In Christ,
Tom

John 17:11 NASB  "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.

[airIam2worship]

Amen BEPs and just think how many people are afraid of neuclear war, that is like a puff of air compared to God's awesome mighty power.

[Shammu]

May 06, 2006

Lethal volcano starts to grow with rising rock

A hulking, fin-shaped slab of rock, is rapidly emerging from the crater of Mount St Helens, jutting from one of seven lobes of fresh volcanic rock that have been forcing their way through the surface since October 2004.

The rocks are visible from an observatory site that reopened yesterday in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. Scientists believe that the volcano will rebuild the conical peak that was obliterated in the eruption of May 18, 1980, which killed 57 people.

The slab is about 91m (300ft) tall and is growing as much as 1.5m (5ft) a day, Dan Dzurisin, of the US Geological Survey, said. It started growing in November and is steadily moving west, pushing rock and other debris out of its way as it goes.

Mount St Helens has been quietly erupting since a flurry of tiny earthquakes began in September 2004. It became clear that magma was on the move, confirmed by the emergence of fire-red lava after the seismic activity began. The volcano has continued to pump out lava.

“Given the way things are going now, there’s no hint of any sort of catastrophic eruptions,” Tom Pierson, of the survey, said. “At any time, however, things can change.” (AP)

Lethal volcano starts to grow with rising rock

[Soldier4Christ]

Scores hurt, houses damaged as strong quake hits southern Iran

 At least 80 people were hurt and many homes damaged when a strong earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted the town of Zarand in southern Iran's Kerman province.

"Twenty people have been hospitalised, and 60 were treated as outpatients," Zarand's governor, Hasan Rahmani, told state television Sunday.

 The quake struck the area at 9:50 am (0620 GMT). State television also cited fears than miners in the area could be trapped underground. The province has a number of copper, iron and coal mines.

"The walls of many houses have been seriously damaged and it is anticipated that more than 60 percent of Zarand homes will no longer be inhabitable," official radio quoted a local official as saying.

Iran is an earthquake-prone area. The worst quake in recent times hit Bam, also in Kerman province, in December 2003, killing 31,000 people.

In late March, a powerful earthquake hit western Iran, killing at least 70 people and leaving thousands homeless.

In February 2005, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale killed more than 600 in Zarand.

[Soldier4Christ]

India gripped by deadly heatwave

Blistering heat and power cuts have combined to cause the deaths of at least 28 people in the past week across northern India, officials said.

In Uttar Pradesh state, 18 people died as summer temperatures climbed above 42C (107.6 F ), said Rajkumar Singh, a police official in Lucknow, the state capital.

Ten people have died from sunstroke in the eastern coastal state of Orissa, said Manmohan Samal, a state minister.

Angry protests have taken place against the power cuts, and three people were arrested after two government vehicles were set on fire in Uttar Pradesh.

Power cuts in the capital, Delhi, have lasted up to 10 hours and in rural areas of the country people are receiving as little as two hours electricity a day.

City officials have called on residents of the capital to use just one air conditioner as temperatures push into the mid-40s celsius.

"You know how crazy the idea of turning off air-conditioners is  - how hot it is here? You could roast a leg of lamb in this heat,"  said actor Roshan Seth, a Delhi resident and urban activist.

The city government had ordered shops to close at 7:30pm in an attempt to conserve electricity but was forced to withdraw them after traders protested.

Rampant power theft and India's underdeveloped power infrastructure have been blamed for the power shortages.

In the past 10 years demand for power has increased by 12%, whereas power generation has increased by just 5.5%.

A $2.9 billion power plant is set to open in Maharashta, India's wealthiest state – but 47 planned plants in the country are behind schedule.