“Although El Salvador’s Volcán San Vicente has not erupted in the past 1,700 years, the mountain is still a hazard. In November 2009, dozens of people living near the volcano, also known as Chichontepec, lost their lives after torrential rains saturated the steep hillsides and unleashed numerous landslides. The landslides triggered lahars—avalanches of mud, boulders, and uprooted trees—that poured down ravines and engulfed small agricultural towns located to the north and northwest of the volcano.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
A world map on the New York Times website shows the location of high-population cities in earthquake-prone areas where a large number of people live in poorly constructed buildings. Although the analysis predates the 2010 Haiti earthquake it still contains important information.
“Turrialba volcano, located in central Costa Rica, emits a translucent plume of volcanic gases in this natural-color satellite image. According to the Red Sismológica Nacional (Costa Rican National Seismological Network) activity at the volcano increased markedly on January 4, 2010. Strong, long-lasting volcanic tremors were accompanied by gas plumes over the volcano, and emissions of ash began on January 5th. ” Quoted from the Earth Observatory press release.
NASA’s Earth Observatory has a satellite image of a harmful algal bloom swirling over the surface of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. The bloom is thought to be in response to sewage contamination, deforestation runoff and agricultural runoff.
Nicaragua is thought to have more geothermal energy potential than any other country in Central America. Two Canadian companies are helping the country increase its geothermal capabilities.
Here is a website where you can download and print an unlimited number of state maps for students. For all fifty US states there are county maps, cities maps and outline maps.
Geologists have discovered some jade deposits in Guatemala that reveal past activity at the Motagua Fault. It appears that the North American and Caribbean plates have collided at least twice.
This article from The New York Times discusses the widening of the Panama Canal. It is a great opportunity for scientists to find fossils and study the unique plate tectonics there.
The fossilized teeth of a three-toed horse, Anchitherium clarencei, have been found in the Panama Canal. Excavations at the canal are providing scientists with the opportunity to examine fresh outcrops and gain new insights about the area.
Earth Observatory has a map that details the plate boundaries and associated faults in the area of this week’s earthquake in the Gulf of Honduras. These features are superimposed on an image that shows the topography and bathymetry of the area.
USGS reports a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the Gulf of Honduras. It occurred at 3:24 AM local time on Thursday, May 28, 2009 along a transform fault between the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate. A tsunami is not expected. An early news report of at least one death and building damage can be seen at Yahoo! News.
A 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred about 40 miles west of Guatemala City, Guatemala on Sunday morning at 11:21 AM local time. There were no news reports of major damage or death.
Jessica Ball has a blog post about volcanoes in Guatemala with lots of photos from her recent trip there. Did you know that Guatemala’s Santa María volcano had a lava dome collapse in 1929 that killed thousands of people? Lava domes are a very dangerous feature of some stratovolcanoes, and are an important focus of volcano hazards studies.
In this article from EARTH Magazine, Nate Burgess writes about a visit to the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. He made the trip to participate in the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle program, which helps sustain sea turtle populations.
NASA has a new satellite image of the landslide that occurred in northern Guatemala last week. At its source, the landslide is about 1/2 km (1/3 mile) wide.
Here is a YouTube video of a recent landslide in Guatemala. I saw this first at Dave’s Landslide blog, where you can see photos and read some very interesting commentary on this and many other slides.
A 6.1 Magnitude earthquake occurred about 20 miles northwest of San Jose, Costa Rica at 1:29 PM local time. USGS intensity estimates and citizen reports to USGS “Did you feel it?” are up to VII intensity.
A landslide occurred in the Polochic fault zone in northern Guatemala, killing 33 people and leaving up to 60 others missing. The area is prone to earthquakes and landslides.
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake occurred off of the Pacific coast of El Salvador at a depth of about 64 miles. The USGS population exposure maps shows that about a million people felt MMI V shaking. News reports from Reuters and the Associated Press say that no injuries or major damage have yet been reported.
Hundreds of animal fossils have been unearthed by people working to widen the Panama Canal. The fossils may provide clues as to how and when North and South America were joined.
In San Salvador, eruptions of Ilamatepec volcano have wiped out coffee crops and at the same time produced exceptionally fertile soil. This might be a great year for coffee if the volcano cooperates.
The first two named tropical storms of the 2008 season have caused damage in Central America. Tropical Storm Alma was followed hours later by Tropical Storm Arthur on Monday, causing several casualties and flooding.
USGS reports a magnitude 5.9 earthquake off of the southwest coast of Guatemala. It occurred at 6:28 AM local time about 65 miles SSW of Guatemala City and 85 miles SSE of Quezaltenango. Near the epicenter USGS reports estimated intensities of VI in Puerto San Jose and Iztapa.
View a photo slideshow of some of the world’s most destructive storms since 1970. Included are: Cyclone Nargis, Cyclone Sidr, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Mitch, Tropical Storm Thelma, Super Typhoon Nina, and the Bhola Cyclone, among others.
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Hobart King
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