Hurricane Rick is a Category 5 storm off the west coast of Mexico. It is expected to weaken slightly but still be a powerful storm when it makes landfall on the Baja California Coast early Wednesday morning.
Petroglyphs, sometimes known as “rock art,” are images cut into or scribed onto a stone surface by people. They are often produced as a form or art or communication. This photo gallery features petroglyphs from worldwide locations including: Arizona, British Columbia, California, Chile, Hawaii, India, Mexico, Namibia, Nevada, New Mexico, Norway, Ontario, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Utah, Virgin Islands, Washington.
Hurricane Jimena is approaching the Baja California Peninsula as a dangerous Category four hurricane. It is expected to weaken slightly as it approaches landfall.
Early in the day on Tuesday Hurricane Jimena is expected to make landfall on the west side of the Baja Peninsula. The National Hurricane Information Center calls Jimena “an extremely dangerous category four hurricane“.
At 9:00 AM PST Hurricane Jimena was a category four hurricane with sustained wind of 135 miles per hour and higher gusts. It is moving northwest off the coast of Mexico and is expected to arrive at the southern end of the Baja Peninsula early Tuesday morning and move parallel to the peninsula. Jimena is expected to strengthen over the next 24 hours.
New ordinances now prohibit stores in Mexico City from using non-biodegradable plastic bags. Some other cities around the world have also adopted restrictions on the bags.
Hurricane Felicia is a Category 3 hurricane moving northwestward in the eastern Pacific Ocean towards Hawaii. The National Hurricane Center believes that Felicia will merge with Tropical Storm Enrique and strengthen.
Four earthquakes – one of 6.9 magnitude – have shaken the Gulf of California and surrounding areas of Mexico. They occurred at about 11:00 PM local time. The three smaller earthquakes had magnitudes of 5.8, 5.0 and 5.9. There are no early news reports of injury or damage.
One of NASA’s most famous images is known as the “Satellite Photo of Earth at Night.” It really isn’t a photo, instead it is a compiled image that maps the location of permanent lights on Earth’s surface. It is not a map of population, instead it is more a map of electricity use.
Shown at right is heavily illuminated Europe in contrast with the less illuminated Africa.
A collection of petroglyph photos from Arizona, British Columbia, California, Chile, Hawaii, India, Mexico, Namibia, Nevada, New Mexico, Norway, Ontario, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Utah, Virgin Islands, Washington.
White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, is famous for its many gypsum sand dunes. Earth Observatory has a satellite image of the dunes and comments on their geologic history and accumulation.
Archaeologists from Colorado State University have been exploring Apupato Island, located in Lake Patzcuaro, Mexico. They believe it was once inhabited by important members of the Purepecha people during the Tarascan Empire.
This is a brief article about some unique skulls from Mexico that are approximately 2,500 years old. The people of the time apparently had pits put in their teeth so that gemstones could be set within. This article includes a nice photo of one of the gem-encrusted smiles.
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City yesterday frightening many people but causing little damage. The earthquake was located over 100 miles away but Mexico City felt significant shaking because it is located on lake sediments.
This narrated slide show gives you a short tour of the Giant Crystal Cave discovered near Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico in 2000. The cave has crystals that are 36 feet long. The narrator is Dr. Chris McKay of NASA.
The Mexican state-owned oil company, Pemex, is investing to boost production in several areas. One is a plan to have deepwater oil production from the Gulf of Mexico by 2015.
Lee Allison describes a situation about gold mines in Mexico that are eagerly hiring Mexican citizens who are returning from the United States with mining skills.
If you missed the documentary on the enormous crystals within Mexico’s Naica mine, you can read the story at National Geographic’s website. There is also a short video and a photo slideshow of the amazing cave. One of the explorers appropriately described their experience as “if you are a tiny insect in a geode”.
Three scientists explored the “Crystal Cave of Giants” in Mexico’s Naica Mountain for a National Geographic documentary. The cave has some of the largest gypsum crystals in the world – some the size of redwood trees.
Hurricane Norbert continues in the eastern Pacific as a Category 3 hurricane, expected to hit Baha on Saturday. You can access track maps and public advisories at the National Hurricane Center. Earth Observatory has a good satellite image of the storm acquired on October 8.
The National Hurricane Center is calling Hurricane Norbert an “extremely dangerous Category Four hurricane”. It is now in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico. It is expected to track towards Baja California where it could make landfall late Friday night or Saturday morning.
National Geographic has a photo gallery for Mexico’s Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals) which contains some of the largest crystals in the world, including translucent gypsum crystals up to 36 feet long.
An emergency at Presidio, Texas has workers sandbagging to build a dam that will hold back the water that might be released from a Mexican reservoir. Parts of the town was flooded recently and more water is expected to be released from the Luis Leon Reservoir because of heavy rains.
“Mexico City once topped lists of places with the worst air pollution in the world. Although efforts to curb emissions have improved the situation, tiny particles called aerosols still clog the air.” Quoted from the NASA release.
Underwater archaeologists may have discovered the oldest human skeleton ever found in the Americas. It is a female skeleton thought to be about 13,600 years old. The shape of the skull does not agree with the northern Asia origin for the earliest people in the Americas.
Tropical Storm Julio passed over the southern tip of Baja California today. It is expected to track up the Baja Peninsula and weaken as it interacts with mountainous terrain.
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