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China aftershocks
China Earthquake Aftershock Trends
May 15 | Geology.com

This image is a USGS plot of epicenters of the main shock and the after shocks for the Sichuan, China earthquake. The spread of epicenters along the fault is an indication of the tremendous strain accumulated prior to rupture.

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earthquakes
Turn Your Laptop Into A Seismograph
May 15 | Chronicle of Higher Education

This article describes two programs. One monitors the acceleration sensor in a Mac computer and uses it to detect shaking. Another detects vibrations and sends a signal to other nearby computers. These signals travel faster than seismic waves and can warn that vibrations are on their way.

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Chaiten Volcano Eruption
Chaiten Volcano Updates
May 14 | Geology.com

Links to recent news items related to a partial ash cloud collapse and regional context. New videos from under the ash plume with street, farm, landscape and aerial scenes.

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China
Zipingku Dam: Cracks Discovered After China’s Earthquake
May 14 | Sky News

Dangerous cracks have been discovered in he Zipingku Dam, located about five kilometers upstream from the earthquake damaged community of Dujiangyan.

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North Carolina
North Carolina Tornado
May 9 | CNN News

There are news reports of tornadoes in North Carolina on Thursday evening and Friday morning. One person is reported killed and others injured. High winds caused significant damage to homes, cars, airport facilities and utility lines.

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Chaitén volcano plume
Plume from Chaiten Volcano Reaches the Atlantic
May 7 | Earth Observatory

Chaiten Volcano is pumping out such an intense amount of ash that its plume visibly extends on satellite images from Chile, across Argentina and over the Atlantic Ocean. Earth Observatory has natural color and infrared images of the plume.

Chaiten Volcano Resource Page

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Myanmar cyclone
Myanmar Cyclone Death Toll Tops 100,000
May 7 | MSNBC

Millions of people in Myanmar are waiting for aid to arrive. The cyclone that hit last weekend washed a 15-foot high storm surge onto the coastline that drowned thousands and swept away the homes of a million.

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japan earthquake
Japan Earthquake: Magnitude 6.8 off East Coast of Honshu
May 7 | USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

A large earthquake occurred off the east coast of Honshu, Japan. USGS reports a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 and their shakemap estimates intensity VII effects in areas of the coastline near the epicenter. It occurred at 1:45 local time and was preceded by smaller earthquakes.

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largest_volcano_usgs.jpg
The Most Powerful Volcanic Eruption of the 20th Century
May 7 | Geology.com

Can you name the volcano? It was three times as powerful as Pinatubo and thirty times the power of St. Helens. If your answer was Katmai, that is incorrect. Forty years after the eruption the volcanic vent responsible was finally realized. This is the most important story of mistaken identity in the history of volcano science.

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Chaiten Volcano
Chaitén Volcano Eruption Image
May 6 | Earth Observatory

Chaitén Volcano in southern Chile erupted on May 2nd for the first time in over 9000 years with a plume of ash and steam that reached altitudes of over 15 kilometers. Earth Observatory has a satellite image showing the eruption plume drifting into neighboring Argentina.

Chaiten Volcano Resource Page

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Cyclone Nargis
Myanmar Cyclone Death Toll Hits 10,000
May 6 | MSNBC.com

Tropical Cyclone Nargis has killed 10,000 people in Myanmar and the count is expect to rise much higher. Many people are blaming the government for failing to issue warnings and to quickly accept offers of aid from other countries.

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Cyclone Nargis
Myanmar: Cyclone Nargis Report and Pictures
May 4 | CNN

Hundreds of people are feared dead after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar (Burma) this weekend. A state of emergency has been declared for three cities (Yangon, Irrawaddy, Pegu) and two states (Karen and Mon).

Pictures of Cyclone Nargis aftermath at CNN

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Mississippi Flooding
Highest Flood Recorded on Lower Mississippi River Since 1973
May 4 | USGS Newsroom

The largest flood on the lower Mississippi River since 1973 was measured on April 22 in Vicksburg, Mississippi by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The flow measured 1.8 million cubic feet per second. That is enough water to fill more than 20 Olympic size swimming pools in one second, or more than 1.75 million pools in a day.

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Nevada Earthquakes
Mogul, Nevada Earthquake Swarm
May 3 | Los Angeles Times

Over 1000 small earthquakes have occurred below the Reno, Nevada suburb of Mogul during the past two months. Some of these have been strong enough to do minor damage and the intensity and frequency of the quakes are increasing. Now local residents are worried and scientists ponder the meaning of these earthquakes.

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View Larger Map
Frank Landslide: 105 Years Ago
May 3 | Dave's Landslide Blog

The Frank Landslide happened on April 29th, 1903 in Alberta, Canada. A short description of the event with a few photos can be found at Dave Petley’s blog.

Use the Google Map at right to zoom in on the slide. Click the “View Large Map” link to go full screen.

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Faults Threaten Houston
May 2 | University of Houston News

Researchers at the University of Houston used advanced radar-like laser technology to map the location of more than 300 surface faults in Harris County, Texas. The new, most accurate map of these faults produced to date, might prove to be valuable to planners and mitigation studies.

Related stories.
NASA Image
NASA Article Archive
May 2 | NASA / JPL

An archive of NASA news releases, image galleries and articles on a variety of topics related to planetary geology, earth observation, global climate change, monitoring volcanoes, looking beyond our solar system, monitoring the oceans and more. A few of the most popular ones are:

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White River Flooding
Flooding on the White River of Arkansas
April 29 | Earth Observatory

Early this month there was significant flooding on the White River of Arkansas. These two Landsat images, available in greater detail at Earth Observatory, clearly show the extent of the flooding on April 7th, 2008 (top image) compared to April 14th, 2006 (bottom image).

This has been an exceptional year for flooding in this area. The river reached its fifth highest crest of 33.78 feet on April 19, 2008, and its sixth highest crest of 33.04 feet on March 29, 2008.

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Virginia
Virginia Tornadoes
April 29 | MSNBC

Three tornadoes in southeastern Virginia caused massive damage and injured about 200 people on Monday. Governor Kaine declared a state of emergency for the areas hit by the storms.

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USGS Seismic Hazards Map
USGS Image
2008 United States National Seismic Hazard Maps
April 28 | USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

“The 2008 U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Maps display earthquake ground motions for various probability levels across the United States and are applied in seismic provisions of building codes, insurance rate structures, risk assessments, and other public policy. This update of the maps incorporates new findings on earthquake ground shaking, faults, seismicity, and geodesy.” Quoted from the USGS Release.

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Leaking Water Line Causes Landslide in La Jolla
April 27 | FOX6.com

A small (25′ x 25′) landslide was caused by a ruptured water line on a hillside in La Jolla. The closest homes are a couple hundred feet away but residents realized that landslides can sometimes involve large areas. A video accompanies this short article.

Related stories.
Landslide Warnings on the River Spey
April 27 | Northern Scot

Movement on the banks of the River Spey in the north-east of Scotland, has produced a 120-foot high cliff above the river. Officials fear that it will collapse and produce a large wave that might overwhelm anyone in or along the river.

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Nevada Earthquakes
Nevada Earthquakes
April 26 | Reno Gazette-Journal

At least two dozen earthquakes have been felt in Reno since Thursday morning. The strongest was a magnitude 4.7 about six miles northwest of Reno. No injuries or major damage have been reported.

Latest USA Earthquakes from USGS

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California earthquake probabilities
A New Forecast of California Earthquakes
April 25 | Southern California Earthquake Center

The 2007 Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities has released the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast - the first comprehensive framework for comparing earthquake likelihoods throughout all of California. It provides important new information for improving seismic safety engineering, revising building codes, setting insurance rates, and helping communities prepare for inevitable future earthquakes.

Related stories.
bobcat
Geologist Kills Rabid Bobcat with Rock Hammer
April 25 | Tucson Citizen

Rich Thompson and his wife were hiking in the field when attacked by a rabid bobcat. Both received bites and scratches in a ten minute battle. Thompson finally managed to pull a rock hammer out of his pack and end the encounter.

Related stories.
Why I Renewed My Earthquake Insurance
April 24 | CNBC

This article by Jane Wells and published on the CNBC website reveals her response to recent USGS reports of earthquake probability in California. She says that her earthquake insurance is: “the most expensive insurance I own.”

Article: Homeowners Insurance Does Not Cover Natural Hazards

Related stories.
Illinois earthquake
USGS Podcast on the Illinois Earthquake
April 21 | USGS

USGS has a Podcast interview about this earthquake with Harley Benz, Scientist-in-Charge at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center. For specific details about the event you can find data at the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.

Related stories.
Geology Jobs Page - Links to Over 200 Resources
April 16 | Geology.com

We recently updated our geology jobs page adding links to over 200 employers, headhunters and articles relevant to the job market for geologists. If you know anyone looking for earth science employement or anyone who advises geology students we invite you to share the URL with them.
http://geology.com/jobs.htm

Related stories.
Tracking Pollution from China To North America
April 14 | NASA

Tracking China's Pollution
In a new NASA study, researchers taking advantage of improvements in satellite sensor capabilities, offer the first measurement-based estimate of the amount of pollution from East Asian forest fires, urban exhaust, and industrial production that makes its way to western North America. (NASA Image)

Related stories.
India
Climate Change Will Have Biggest Impact on Developing Countries
April 14 | Strategic Risk

In 2007, worldwide losses from natural disasters was about $82 billion. The pattern of future damage is expected to disproportionately hit developing countries such as India.

Related stories.
Jackson School of Geosciences
Geological Barriers to Earthquakes
April 9 | Jackson School of Geosciences

“Geoscientists from The University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences and their colleagues report this week that the rupture, which produced an 8.1 magnitude earthquake, broke through a geological province previously thought to form a barrier to earthquakes. This could mean that other sites with similar geological barriers, such as the Cascadia Subduction Zone in northwestern North America, have the potential for more severe earthquakes than once thought.” Quoted from the original release.

Related stories.
Google and National Hurricane Center to Make Storm Surge Maps
April 1 | News Press

The National Hurricane Center is working with Google to put storm surge maps of the Gulf Coast online for public viewing. Storm surge is often the most damaging element of a hurricane and these maps can be used to guide planning, evacuation and other storm-related efforts.

Related stories.
Arizona Homebuyer's Guide
Homeowner’s Guide to Geologic Hazards in Arizona
March 29 | Arizona Geological Survey

I really like to see publications like this placed on the web where citizens have free access to valuable information prepared by government agencies. This publication includes chapters on floods, earthquakes, problem soils, mass movements, subsidence and earth fissures, radon, karst, abandon mines, volcanic hazards and radon. Every state should have a publication like this on their website.

Related stories.
Climate Change: The Greatest Strategic Risk to the Insurance Industry
March 26 | Strategic Risk

A new study reveals that analysts for the property/casualty insurance industry think that climate change is the biggest risk to their industry.

Related stories.
Landslide Affects Four New York Homes
March 25 | Fox23News.com

Homeowners near Albany are in trouble with a landslide damaging their property. Their hopes that the city will pay to stabilize the slope will probably not pan out because the slide is on private property. And, their hopes that insurance will pay are slim because homeowners insurance normally excludes landslide damage.

Related stories.
landslide
USGS Image
Hikers Find Huge Landslide in Remote Forest
March 12 | SeattlePI.com

Hikers last week in the 2,837-acre Table Mountain Natural Resources Conservation Area came upon a landslide that was about 750 feet wide and about 1/2 mile in length. The slide is on the south flank of Greenleaf Peak about three miles north of North Bonneville. A USGS seismologist is going to look through seismograph records in the area to see if the time of the slide can be determined.

Related stories.
Spectacular Yosemite Rockfall and Debris Avalanche Photos
March 3 | Geology.com

rockfall
Herb Dunn shares an amazing photo sequence of a massive rockfall and debris avalanche in Yosemite National Park. Get out of the way!

Related stories.
Huge Dust Storm in Kuwait
February 21 | Terra Daily

A large dust storm in Kuwait has closed the ports and disrupted air traffic.

Related stories.
Higher Than Normal Sulfur Dioxide Emissions at Kilauea
February 19 | Starbulletin

Officials at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were warning visitors last week to stay in their cars with air conditioners on while driving a five-mile portion of Crater Rim Drive.

Related stories.
Earth by NASA
Ten Reasons Why Understanding the Earth is Important
February 17 | Le Scienze

Here are five good news stories about how understanding the earth has been put to beneficial use and five reasons why we need to understand it better.

Related stories.

Google Earth
Free High Resolution Satellite Images - Google Earth
Promotion | Geology.com
Google Earth is a free download that will allow you to view recent satellite images of Earth in 3D. Worldwide coverage. Fly over landscapes and cities, or zoom in on your house! This is the same program used by national news networks to give you great satellite images. Free download.


Welcome! I would like to offer you a free and easy way to learn about earth science topics in the news. Every day you can find links to several news topics right here or receive them as a daily email message.

If you see an interesting item in the news please consider sharing it with others by using this form.

I look forward to hearing from you!
Hobart King



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