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El Salvador Landslides and Lahars
March 9, 2010 | NASA Earth Observatory

“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.

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Earthquakes
Cities at Risk: Earthquakes and Poorly-Constructed Buildings
February 24, 2010 | New York Times

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.

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Activity at Turrialba Volcano
January 28, 2010 | Earth Observatory

“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.

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Lake Atitlan: Harmful Algal Bloom
December 10, 2009 | NASA Earth Observatory

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.

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Nicaragua Geothermal
November 1, 2009 | UPI.com

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.

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Free Printable State Maps
September 11, 2009 | Waterproof-Paper.com

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.

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Guatemala
Jade Reveals Motagua Fault Activity
August 7, 2009 | American Museum of Natural History

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.

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Panama
Finding Fossils in the Panama Canal
July 8, 2009 | The New York Times

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.

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Panama
Horse Fossil in Panama Canal
June 19, 2009 | Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

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.

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Honduras Earthquake – Faults and Plate Boundaries
May 29, 2009 | Earth Observatory

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.

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7.1 Earthquake: Gulf of Honduras
May 28, 2009 | USGS

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.

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Guatemala Earthquake: 6.2 Magnitude
May 4, 2009 | USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

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.

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Santa Maria Volcano
Volcanic Eruptions in Guatemala
April 7, 2009 | Magma Cum Laude

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.

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Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula
February 28, 2009 | EARTH Magazine

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.

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Guatemala
Guatemala Landslide Satellite Image
January 16, 2009 | Earth Observatory

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.

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Guatemala Landslide Video
January 10, 2009 | Dave's Landslide Blog

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.

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Costa Rica
Costa Rica Earthquake – 6.1
January 8, 2009 | USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

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.

The Associated Press reports building damage and one fatality.

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Guatemala
Landslide in Guatemala
January 6, 2009 | EARTH Magazine

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.

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El Salvador earthquake
El Salvador Earthquake
November 15, 2008 | USGS

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.

Related stories.
Chiapas Mexico earthquake
Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake: Mexico
October 16, 2008 | USGS

USGS reports that a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred at 2:41 local time offshore of Chiapas, Mexico, near the Mexico-Guatemala border.

Early news from the Associated Press says that there were no reports of injuries or damage.

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Panama
Fossils Found in Panama Canal
July 19, 2008 | Reuters

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.

Related stories.
coffee beans
Mixing Coffee with Volcanoes
June 7, 2008 | FlexNews

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.

Related stories.
Belize Map
Two Tropical Storms Hit Belize
June 4, 2008 | CNN

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.

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Guatemala
Guatemala Earthquake
May 27, 2008 | USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

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.

Related stories.
Hurricane Katrina
Photos: World’s Deadliest Storms
May 15, 2008 | MSNBC

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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