7.4 Earthquake hits the Caribbean...

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http://www.breitbart.tv/html/8853.html

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Powerful Earthquake Hits Caribbean

ROSEAU,Dominica-A powerful earthquake rocked the eastern Caribbean Thursday, sending office workers and shoppers on several islands fleeing into the streets. Minor injuries were reported on the island of Martinique.The 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 2 p.m. EST and was centered 26 miles southeast of Roseau, capital of Dominica, where the shaking lasted for about 20 seconds. The temblor was felt hundreds of miles away in Puerto Rico to the west, and Venezuela and Suriname to the south.In the neighboring island of Martinique, a government official said police and firefighters were responding to hundreds of calls for help. He said some people sustained minor injuries, but no major casualties have been reported. The official declined to give his name in accordance with government policy.The earthquake collapsed the roofs of a bank and a store in the capital of Martinique, Fort-de-France. Ambulances were called in."My house shook so hard I thought it was going to fall," said a caller to Radio Martinique who identified herself only as Fannie. "The door, the windows, everything shook."The quake struck at a depth of 90 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site."I wouldn't expect major damage because the quake has some depth," said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said the quake was too deep to generate a destructive tsunami.In Trinidad, the shaking sent workers streaming out of office towers into the streets of the capital, Port-of-Spain. Thousands more ran outside in St. Maarten. Flight's at Princess Juliana International Airport were briefly suspended. In Guyana, lawmakers evacuated the South American country's parliament building.The earthquake did not disrupt production at Trinidad's state-owned oil refinery, Petrotrin, which produces 160,000 barrels of refined gasoline, diesel and oil daily for domestic use and export to countries including the United States."We have not had any reports about breakdowns from our exploration and production fields," spokesman Arnold Corneal said. "We are still doing checks."In St. Luca, Julian Dubois, deputy director of the national emergency management organization, said the quake caused some panic and broke water lines but did not appear to cause severe damage. In the capital, Castries, people spoke of buildings swaying but not toppling. A glass door of one company was shattered.St. Lucia resident Annie Ellis said the quake was the strongest she has experienced. "In all my years, I have never felt any earthquake so powerful," said the 100-year-old Ellis. "And it lasted such a long time."In Antigua, islanders said the shaking lasted about 30 seconds."I haven't felt one like that in a while," said Jessie Kentish, a resident of the capital, St. John's."It was a long time."The temblor triggered a series of false quake alarms in California, with computers picking up energy coming out of the Caribbean and erroneously treating it as local seismic activity. The fake quakes began registering nine minutes after the Caribbean quake, USGS scientists said.In September, a similar incident occurred when a massive earthquake struck off the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean and triggered six false reports of quakes in California.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8T7NR3O1&show_article=1

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Briton dies during Caribbean quake

A British citizen has died during an earthquake in the eastern Caribbean, the Foreign Office confirmed.The magnitude-7.4 earthquake was centred 14 miles north-west of Martinique's coastline and lasted longer than 20 seconds.The Foreign Office confirmed a Briton had died but said it understood the death was not directly related to the earthquake.A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm a British citizen died in Martinique yesterday afternoon but we are advised it was not as a direct result of the earthquake."We understand the individual died of a heart attack."The earthquake collapsed the roofs of a bank and a store in the capital of the French island and left cracks in several other buildings.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=paBriton_FR07_Caribbean_quake&show_article=1
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Powerful quake shakes Caribbean, one dead

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake shook several Caribbean holiday islands, destroying buildings and killing at least one person and causing widespread panic.Thousands of residents fled their homes on the French island of Martinique and in Barbados after the earthquake struck late Thursday.The quake, which was felt as far as Venezuela and the US territory of Puerto Rico, left at least two people injured in Martinique, while Barbados' emergency services chief was hurt while helping the population, police said.One third of Martinique and thousands in Guadeloupe lost electricity.One elderly woman died after suffering a heart attack in the panic of the moment in Martinique, security officials said.The US Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was about 23 kilometers (14 miles) northwest of Martinique, causing buildings to collapse on the French island and Barbados.Police helicopters flew over Martinique to search for casualties."For the moment, a building and a bank have collapsed," a Martinique police official told AFP.While no casualties were reported in the French territory of Guadeloupe, police said fires were reported in the main city of Pointe-a-Pitre.Hospitals were functioning normally except Hospital de Trinite, where an eight-storey tower developed large cracks after the quake."We have rarely seen anything like this. This lasted for more than 30 seconds. The last time round was in 1970 and it was less powerful," a local resident said.In Paris, French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie summoned an emergency meeting to consider relief measures.The earthquake was 143 kilometers (89 miles) deep, causing no threat of a destructive tsunami, according to the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.In Fort de France, people took shelter under tables, while others rushed out of buildings or even jumped out of windows.There were similar scenes in Barbados.USGS geophysicist Stuart Sipkin said large earthquakes in the Caribbean were uncommon but not unheard of."Earthquakes of this magnitude aren't nearly as common (in the Caribbean) as they are in the Pacific Rim," Sipkin told AFP from Colorado. "They've occurred in the past, and there have even been tsunami-producing earthquakes in the Caribbean. There just hasn't been one for quite a while."Sipkin said the depth of the earthquake made damage and casualties less likely."But things that happen when you get deeper earthquakes is that even though the shaking at the surface is not as strong, it's felt over a wider area," he said.Several observatories in Martinique and in mainland France registered the quake at levels of between 6.8 and 7.3 on the Richter scale.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071130113330.isznyqhd&show_article=1

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Quake kills 3, injures 55

Dompu - A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumbawa island on Monday, killing three, injuring 55 and damaging hundreds of homes, officials said as repeated aftershocks rattled nerves.Buildings collapsed in Dompu and Bima districts and officials rushed to reach remote areas as frightened residents gathered outdoors, with some fleeing to higher ground in fear of potential tsunamis.Health Ministry spokesperson Rustam Pakaya said that three people had died, including a five-year-old boy, while 55 people had been injured. He did not provide further details on the fatalities.Most of the injured were being treated at the general hospital in Dompu, said a doctor there, Suriyani."We received 34 people injured. Some with slight injuries have gone home already but some 20 people are still under hospital treatment, with broken bones, open wounds and head injuries caused by collapsing walls," she said.Siti Hajar, Bima health ministry chief, said that one person had been hospitalised and 10 others had slight injuries. She said 20 houses had been destroyed and hundreds more damaged.
Camping on higher ground
Suhartomo, her counterpart in Dompu, said that 10 houses had collapsed in Dompu town and about 90% had suffered cracks.Officials struggled to reach Dompu's Kilo area due to a quake-triggered stoneslide blocking the access road but Syafruddin, a paramedic at a health centre there, said more than 100 houses were destroyed."People in Kilo, especially women and children, have been camping on higher ground since this morning in fear of another quake and a tsunami, as they live on the coast," he said.The Indonesian meteorological agency measured the initial quake at 6.7, though the US Geological Survey (USGS) later revised its same initial calculation down to 6.4.The earthquake, which hit at 12:02 (16:02 GMT), occurred 44km west of Raba and 349km east of Denpasar, Bali, at a depth of 30km, the USGS said.Repeated aftershocks - including two measuring 5.6 and 5.7 - triggered panic, residents said.ElShinta radio reported that about 100 people in Bima town rushed to higher ground when the large aftershock hit, fearing a tsunami.Welfare minister Aburizal Bakrie told ElShinta that it "appeared that the local government is able to handle the problems" following the quake but staff had been sent from Jakarta to investigate and would assist if needed.The Indonesian meteorological agency said a tsunami warning was issued for the original quake, though for technical reasons it was not sent as usual by text message to media.The powerful quake was felt on the nearby resort islands of Lombok and Bali.The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2227745,00.html

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Geologist's prophecy: Holy Land overdue for a major earthquake

TEL AVIV-Based on 400-year historical cycles a the pattern of recent tremors, the Middle East should be expecting a major earthquake in the near future,a geologist said.A leading Israeli geologist has assessed that the Middle East, particularly, the Levant, was ripe for a major earthquake. The geologist based his forecast on seismological data as well as historical patterns."All of us in the region should be worried," Shmuel Marco, a geologist at Tel Aviv University, said. Seismologists have often warned of the prospect of a major earthquake in the Middle East. The Levant has undergone a series of serious tremors on the magnitude of five on the Richter Scale, but without causing significant damage.On Nov. 20, an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale shook Israel and Jordan. The earthquake, whose epicenter was in the area of the Dead Sea, did not cause major damage.Marcos a member of Tel Aviv University's Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, has sought to predict the next major earthquake in the Levant through historical examination. The geologist has examined ancient records from the Vatican and other religious sources in his research.The major earthquakes in the Levant took place along the Jordan Valley. Earthquakes were reported in 31 BCE, 363 CE, 749 CE and 1033 CE."So roughly, we are talking about an interval of every 400 years," Marcos said. "If we follow the patterns of nature, a major quake should be expected any time because almost a whole millennium has passed since the last strong earthquake of 1033."Based on history, Marcos predicts a major earthquake that would affect Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Authority and Syria. He said the sites important to Christianity, Islam and Judaism could be particularly vulnerable."I am looking for patterns and I can say that based on ancient records, the pattern in Israel around the Dead Sea region is the most disturbing to us," Marcos said. "When it strikes and it will this quake will affect Amman, Jordan as well as Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. Earthquakes don't care about religion or political boundaries."

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2007/me_mideast_11_26.asp

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Minor earthquake felt across Israel, none hurt

A minor earthquake was felt throughout Israel at approximately 11:20 a.m. Tuesday.The quake, which lasted only a few seconds, was measured at 4.2 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was in the Dead Sea, Israel Radio reported. There were no reports of injured or damage."The whole house shook. Some things fell from their place," a caller told Israel Radio.A Magen David Adom ambulance driver who was in the northern Dead Sea area when the earthquake took place said that the quake had not been felt too strongly, even near its epicenter. "I was on shift with the ambulance. At first there was a small quake and then a larger quake came. It wasn't very strong but it was enough to be a bit frightening," he said.The last substantial earthquake in the area occurred in February 2004, and was measured at 5.2 on the Richter scale.Tel Aviv University scientists recently said that a major earthquake in the region was long overdue.The university's Dr. Shmuel Marco noted that the Syrian-African Rift is a high-risk location for earthquakes."If we examine the records of the Kinneret and the Dead Sea over the last two millennia, there were relatively many strong earthquakes during the first 1,000 years and few during the next 1,000," he said."We have not had any strong ones since 1033, which means another one is long due. It's impossible to know when it will strike, just like you can't predict road accidents."

RELATED
The big one is due

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1195546678523&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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15,000 homeless in Chile quake

TOCOPILLA, Chile - Strong aftershocks from a powerful earthquake hit northern Chile on Thursday as the government erected a working military hospital and promised hundreds of other portable dwellings for 15,000 left homeless by the quake.Government and army workers scrambled to distribute tons of food, water and medicine after the 7.7 magnitude quake struck near the desert village of Quillagua in the foothills of the Andes on Wednesday, killing at least two people and injuring more than 150.Major aftershocks shook the region Thursday, including one of magnitude 6.2 and another of magnitude 6.8, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of further damage or injuries.The earthquake destroyed or damaged 4,000 houses and the local hospital, blocking roads, crushing cars and knocking out power across northern Chile, officials said.This port city of 27,000 and the nearby mining town of Maria Elena were the hardest hit, and presidential spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber said both would be declared disaster areas to expedite aid delivery.Four Cabinet ministers were in the area coordinating recovery and aid efforts. President Michelle Bachelet also flew there Thursday morning.Housing Minister Patricia Poblete said many structures cannot be saved, and firefighters and other workers began demolishing the most severely damaged homes. Dr. Cristian Castillo told The Associated Press "80 percent of our hospital is useless."Two women were killed in Tocopilla, 25 miles from the epicenter, when their houses collapsed, authorities said. Hospital director Juan Urrutia said at least 117 people were treated there for injuries or panic.In tiny Quillagua, with a population of around 100, one person suffered minor injuries and 15 houses were damaged.Electricity was restored in large areas of Tocopilla. Army trucks were distributing water to residents as supply was still cut off in most of the city.In Maria Elena, 1,200 homes were damaged-or 70 percent of the city's total, authorities said. Residents were still without running water and electricity late Wednesday.Lagos Weber said about 170 people were taken to hospitals across the region, but that many of the injuries were not serious. About 10 road workers who had been trapped near Tocopilla when a section of a tunnel they were repairing collapsed were all rescued in good condition Thursday.Hundreds of residents slept in cars or tents in front of their houses. Schools were being used as shelters for those left homeless by the quake.But officials said many are refusing to go to shelters, fearing their homes will be looted if left unattended."We slept in the car, because we have to care for whatever the quake didn't destroy," resident Luis Porcel told the AP.Chile's largest copper mines are in the quake area, and production was halted as electric power was cut for several hours Wednesday before being restored. The nation is the world's largest copper producer.At a badly damaged restaurant Wednesday night, a dozen men drank beer by candlelight."What else can I do? I lost everything. So I'll just have a few drinks," said Samuel Araya, a 57-year-old miner in this town of 7,000 people.Blanca Pizarro said she took refuge under her kitchen table when the quake struck and seconds later the roof collapsed on the table. "I'm alive by a miracle," she said.The quake struck around midday Wednesday 780 miles north of the capital, Santiago, and was followed by several aftershocks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.It was so strong it shook Santiago and was felt on the other side of the continent in Sao Paulo, Brazil-1,400 miles to the east."It was incredible. I thought my last day had come when I saw the mountain shaking under a large cloud of dust," said Maria Ines Palete, a resident of Quillagua.The quake occurred in one of the most seismically active regions in the world, where the Nazca tectonic plate is shoving itself beneath the South American plate.A 1939 quake in Chile killed 28,000 people and in 1960, a magnitude-9.5 quake-the strongest recorded in the 20th century-killed 5,700 people. On June 13, 2005, a magnitude-7.8 quake near Tarapaca in northern Chile killed 11 people and left thousands homeless.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071115/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/chile_earthquake

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Quake kills 2, damages homes in Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile - A major earthquake crushed cars, damaged hundreds of houses and terrified people for hundreds of miles around Wednesday. Authorities reported at least two deaths and more than 100 injuries.The quake, which struck at 12:40 p.m., shook the Chilean capital 780 miles to the south of the epicenter, and was felt as far away as the other side of the continent — in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1,400 miles to the east.The U.S. Geological Survey calculated the magnitude at 7.7. It was followed by several aftershocks, including three larger than magnitude 5.Two women were killed in the town of Tocopilla, 25 miles from the epicenter, when their houses collapsed, authorities said. Hospital director Juan Urrutia said at least 100 people were treated there for injuries or panic.In the port city of Antofagasta, 105 miles south of the epicenter, police Capt. Javier Carmona said at least 45 people were injured. The mayor of nearby Maria Elena, Eduardo Ahumada, said 20 others were injured there and most of the town's 1,800 houses were damaged.Television images showed cars crushed by the collapse of a hotel entryway in Antofagasta."It was horribly strong. It was very long and there was a lot of underground noise," said Andrea Riveros, spokeswoman for the Park Hotel in nearby Calama, site of the Chuquicamata copper mine. The mine's owner, Codelco, reported power outages but no major damage.At the Agua del Desierto Hotel, administrator Paola Barria said she felt like she was riding on "a floating island." She reported downed power lines, cracked windows and fallen pieces of houses near the hotel."I was very frightened. It was very strong," she said. "I've never felt one that strong."Schools, hospitals and other buildings were evacuated in several cities. Television showed some patients holding their IV bags as they were wheeled from the hospital in Copiapo, 500 miles north of Santiago.The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued, then canceled, a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru. It said the quake generated only a two-foot wave.Scientists in Chile and the United States were trying to determine why such an intense quake apparently did not cause more damage."The ground in the region is very good, very firm, so the movement's effect on buildings is limited," said Sergio Barrientos, a seismologist at the University of Chile."It comes down to the level of shaking in certain places," added Paul Earle at the USGS. "It's not immensely populated in the areas most affected."The quake occurred in one of the most seismically active regions in the world, where the Nazca tectonic plate is shoving itself beneath the South American plate.A 1939 quake in Chile killed 28,000 people and in 1960, a magnitude-9.5 quake-the strongest recorded in the 20th century — killed 5,700 people. On June 13, 2005, a magnitude-7.8 quake near Tarapaca in northern Chile killed 11 people and left thousands homeless.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071114/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/chile_quake

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Major earthquake strikes northern Chile

SANTIAGO,Chile-A major earthquake struck northern Chile on Wednesday, toppling power lines, closing roads and sending terrified residents into the streets. Authorities reported 20 injuries but no deaths from the quake, which was felt in the capital as well as neighboring Peru and Bolivia.The earthquake, which struck at 12:40 p.m. local time (10:40 a.m. EST), measured magnitude 7.7 and was centered 780 miles north of Santiago, or 25 miles east-southeast of Tocopilla, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The USGS said it occurred about 37.3 miles underground.The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued, then canceled a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru. It said the quake generated only a 2-foot wave. Aftershocks were felt in several cities, according to media reports from the area.Some houses were damaged in the port city of Tocopilla, according to Deputy Interior Minister Felipe Harboe, "and some people were injured, apparently none seriously."He gave no figures but the government's Emergency Bureau said at least 20 people were injured in the small town of Maria Elena. A number of houses were damaged there, said Mayor Eduardo Ahumada.Presidential spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber said power was cut in several cities in northern Chile.The region is home to some of the country's largest copper mines. A statement from mine operator Codelco reported no "relevant" damage, but said its mines in the region were without power and only emergency teams were operating. Only minor landslides were reported, it said.Television images showed cars crushed by the collapse of a hotel entryway in Antofagasta, 105 miles south of the epicenter. A reporter for Radio Cooperativa said she saw cracks in the tarmac at the airport in Antofagasta.Schools, hospitals and other buildings were evacuated in several cities."It was horribly strong. It was very long and there was a lot of underground noise,"said Andrea Riveros, spokeswoman for the Park Hotel in Calama, 60 miles from the epicenter and site of the large Chuquicamata copper mine.She said the quake knocked out power to the hotel, but caused no damage.At the nearby Agua del Desierto Hotel, administrator Paola Barria said she felt like she was riding on "a floating island." She reported downed power lines, cracked windows and fallen pieces of houses near the hotel."I was very frightened. It was very strong," she said. "I've never felt one that strong."In the Bolivian capital of La Paz, 385 miles northeast of the epicenter, some high-rise buildings were evacuated, but there was no apparent damage and people soon returned to their offices.Stretching along the earthquake-prone Pacific "Ring of Fire," Chile has suffered many destructive temblors.A 1939 quake killed 28,000 people and in 1960 a magnitude-9.5 quake killed 5,700 people.That remains the most powerful quake on record.On June 13, 2005, a magnitude 7.8 quake near Tarapaca in northern Chile killed 11 people and left thousands homeless.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071114/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/chile_quake

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Krakatoa, Other Volcanoes Keep Indonesians on Their Toes

ANAK KRAKATAU, Indonesia-Sending a boom across the bay, the offspring of the fabled Krakatoa volcano unleashes another mighty eruption, blasting smoke and red-hot rocks hundreds of feet into the sky.Even on its quiet side, the black sand on the now-forbidden island is so hot that a visitor can only briefly set foot on it.This week's display by Anak Krakatau-or "Child of Krakatoa"-is impressive, yet it is a mere sneeze when compared to the blast in August 1883 that obliterated its "father" in the most powerful explosion in recorded history.• Click here for a Krakatoa photo essay.That blast was heard as far away as 2,500 miles and choked the atmosphere with ash and dust, altering weather patterns for years. Some 36,000 people were killed in the eruptions and ensuing tsunamis.Now the 985-foot peak growing from the ocean where Krakatoa once stood is erupting, one of several Indonesian volcanoes that have roared to life in recent weeks.They illustrate the awesome seismic forces at work deep below the surface of this island nation.No lives have been lost in the latest round of activity, but thousands of villagers have been evacuated from the slopes of Mount Kelud on eastern Java island. On Thursday, its alert status was dropped a level, meaning it is still dangerous, but residents can return home.Indonesia's history is studded with seismic events. The 2004 Asian tsunami was spawned by a monster quake off the west coast, which sits at the intersection of three tectonic plates that form one border of the "Pacific Ring of Fire."The plates — each moving at about the speed a fingernail grows each year — slide against or under each other, allowing molten rock from the Earth's mantle to break the surface via a volcano, or create energy released in an earthquake.The country's 17,000 islands are home to about 70 active volcanoes, the most in the world.Twenty of them are on Java, an island roughly the same size as Mississippi, home to more than half of the country's 235 million people.With demand for farmable land at a premium, many people choose to live within the shadow of the volcanoes because of the rich volcanic soil that is especially good for crops."We have lived here for generations. The land is my life," said Meseman, a 74-year-old papaya farmer on the slopes of Mount Kelud, who like many ethnic Javanese uses only a single name and declined to heed the warnings to leave the area. "It is impossible for me leave. If anything, the volcanic ash will make my fields more fertile."The cataclysmic eruption of Krakatoa — which actually lies west of Java in the Sunda Strait, contrary to the title of the popular 1969 movie, "Krakatoa, East of Java" — followed several months of gradually increasing activity.Anak Krakatau rose from the sea in 1930 and has been growing ever since.Visitors can reach the island in about two hours by motor boat from the northern coast of Java, which is a 2½-hour drive from Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. When it is quiet, it is a short, but steep walk to the top of the sandy peak.When Anak began erupting last week, officials declared a no-go zone of about two miles. But the captain of a boat agreed to take an Associated Press reporter and photographer to Anak, briefly landing on the side of the volcano that was not erupting.The ground was hot and appeared to vibrate beneath the pumice stone, a volcanic rock that floats on water.Despite the history of its father, Anak is not considered especially dangerous — for now.It has settled into a pattern of a gentle eruption every seven or eight years, scientists said."Maybe in hundreds of years it will blow, but I will be long gone by then," said Cahya Patria, among the scientists at the Center for Vulcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation who keep watch on the mountain from a hill on the mainland.Anak Krakatau is only just visible from their station, so the staff members monitor it with a seismograph and an array of other equipment installed on its slopes, including a camera that takes photos posted on the center's Web site.As the volcano keeps up a steady stream of thunderous explosions, scientists at the station log each eruption and its intensity.Visitors to Anak from Jakarta normally pass through the resort towns of Anyer and Carita, which were devastated by the series of tsunamis triggered by the 1883 eruption.There are few signs of that horror, aside from the foundations of a Dutch-built lighthouse that was scythed down by the sea.The park where its replacement now stands is a popular meeting point for young lovers, who sit on benches straining to catch a glimpse of Anak Krakatau as it billows mushroom clouds of smoke into the sunset.While most Indonesians are Muslims, many also follow pre-Islamic animist beliefs and worship ancient spirits.Often at full moons, people trek to crater rims and throw in rice, jewelry or live animals to appease the volcanoes."The Javanese see nature as a friend because it gives then food and life," said Bagong Suyanto, a professor of rural sociology at the University of Surabaya. "They trust it, they do not see it as a threat like volcanologists do."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310116,00.html

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Indonesia's Krakatau roars and dazzles with fireworks

SUNDA STRAIT, Indonesia-Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano lets out a massive roar as it blasts a gigantic cloud of smoke and flaming red rocks hundreds of meters into the night sky.A few hours later, a river of lava and stones glowing like embers glide down the slopes of Mount Anak Krakatau as the muted light of the rising sun tries to break through thick clouds settled above the mountain.The volcano, whose name means "Child of Krakatau," formed in the Sunda Strait close to Java island after Mount Krakatau's legendary eruption in 1883.It rumbled to life about two weeks ago and since then has been dazzling scientists and visitors with its amazing pyrotechnics.Scientists monitoring the volcano say Anak Krakatau is not especially dangerous and will continue to rumble for some time, but warn people to stay out of a 1.9 miles zone around the mountain."We are a little worried sometimes when we heard the big boom and we see rocks that fall from, I don't know, half kilometer from the hole," Chad Bouchard, one of a group of eight tourists who spent the night in a boat in the ocean to watch the volcano. "Sometimes we see the splash inside the ocean. That's a little scary but no, I think it might be stupid but I feel safe."
DEVASTATING DISASTER
Anak Krakatau, which lies 26 miles from the nearest observation post in Serang on the westernmost edge of Java, gradually formed after the volcanic island of Krakatau blew up in a massive eruption in 1883, triggering tsunamis and killing more than 36,000 people.Ashes from that eruption, one of the most devastating natural disasters in recorded history, were carried by upper level winds as far away as New York City.Krakatau, one of dozens of volcanoes in the sprawling Indonesian archipelago, last erupted in 1988, but its eruptions have never approached the ferocity of its parent.Child of Krakatau is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," but authorities have not yet raised the alert level to the highest which would require the evacuation of people around the volcano.A vulcanologist monitoring Anak Krakatau said the volcano was likely to rumble and roar for some time."It is still at the third level of alert. It is safe and there aren't any problems.There were approximately one hundred explosions yesterday,"Saut Simatupang, head of volcano observation in Bandung, told Reuters."If the energy is the same as this, it is more likely it will stay at this level for quite some time as the tremors are frequent. Today only, there have been one hundred."Visitors who had their morning coffee in a boat in the shadow of the volcano in the Sunda Strait's choppy waters about a one-and-a-half-hour ride from the mainland said they felt safe."It's spectacular, it's just amazing to be here," said Patricia Anderton, a tourist from New Haven in the United states."I feel incredibly lucky to be able to see it."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071111/wl_nm/indonesia_krakatau_dc;_ylt=AobVSoVTsOPiscAo6azoujes0NUE

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Remnant of Yellowstone volcano rising

WASHINGTON-A big blob of molten rock appears to be pushing up remnants of an ancient volcano in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, scientists reported on Friday.They say no volcanic explosion is imminent-that already happened 642,000 years ago, creating the volcanic crater known as a caldera where part of Yellowstone Lake sits.But satellite readings show just how volcanically active the area remains, the researchers reported in the journal Science.From the middle of 2004 through 2006, the floor of the caldera rose 7 inches at a rate of 2.8 inches a year-the biggest rise ever measured, they reported."There is no evidence of an imminent volcanic eruption or hydrothermal explosion. That's the bottom line," University of Utah seismologist Robert Smith said in a statement."A lot of calderas worldwide go up and down over decades without erupting."Yellowstone is North America's largest volcanic field, produced by what is known as a hotspot, a plume of hot and molten rock squirting up from 400 miles beneath the planet's surface.Monstrous eruptions took place there starting 2 million years ago but activity bubbles along much more calmly now-akin to similar volcanic fields such as the Campi Flegrei just outside Naples in Italy.Beneath the field lies what is known as a magma chamber, which is actually similar to a wet sponge in structure."Our best evidence is that the crustal magma chamber is filling with molten rock," Smith said. "But we have no idea how long this process goes on before there either is an eruption or the inflow of molten rock stops and the caldera deflates again."Heat from the chamber warms the park's hundreds of hot springs and geysers, including "Old Faithful," perhaps the world's best-known geyser.Established in 1872 as the first U.S. national park, Yellowstone also stretches to parts of Montana and Idaho.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071109/us_nm/volcano_yellowstone_dc

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Yellowstone Lava Dome Filling Up Quickly

WASHINGTON-Yellowstone National Park, once the site of a giant volcano, has begun swelling up, possibly because molten rock is accumulating beneath the surface, scientists report.
But, "there is no evidence of an imminent volcanic eruption," said Robert B. Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.Many giant volcanic craters around the world go up and down over decades without erupting, he said.Smith and colleagues report in Friday's issue of the journal Science that the flow of the ancient Yellowstone crater has been moving upward almost 3 inches per year for the past three years.That is more than three times faster than ever observed since such measurements began in 1923, the researchers said."Our best evidence is that the crustal magma chamber is filling with molten rock," Smith said in a statement. "But we have no idea how long this process goes on before there either is an eruption or the inflow of molten rock stops and the caldera deflates again."It's not unusual for ancient volcano sites like Yellowstone and Long Valley, Calif., to rise and fall, according to the researchers.The Yellowstone volcanic field was produced by what the researchers described as a plume of hot and molten rock beginning at least 400 miles beneath Earth's surface and rising to 30 miles underground, where it widens to about 300 miles across.Blobs of molten rock sometimes rise to refill the magma chamber beneath Yellowstone.The volcano at Yellowstone produced massive eruptions 2 million, 1.3 million and 642,000 years ago, all larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.Site of the famed Old Faithful and hundreds of other geysers, Yellowstone sprawls across parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,309738,00.html
PS:Late last nite I heard an "expert" talking on the radio about this phenomena and he down played the news saying what they always say...that it is not an inminent threat....
On the contrary i think it is and I think it keeps building up and is not stopping soon.
We are talking about a SuperVolcano here...I'll post later more exact info about this.I do think is an inminent Threat...I wish I could tell you when it's gonna go off...but when it does is gonna bring destruction to most of the US....

As in the days of Noah....

Indonesian volcano roaring to life

ANAK KRAKATAU, Indonesia - Sending a boom across the bay, the offspring of the fabled Krakatau volcano unleashes another mighty eruption, blasting smoke and red-hot rocks hundreds of feet into the sky. Even on its quiet side, the black sand on the now-forbidden island is so hot that a visitor can only briefly set foot on it.This week's display by Anak Krakatau-or "Child of Krakatau"-is impressive, yet it is a mere sneeze when compared to the blast in August 1883 that obliterated its "father" in the most powerful explosion in recorded history. That blast was heard as far away as 2,500 miles and choked the atmosphere with ash and dust, altering weather patterns for years. Some 36,000 people were killed in the eruptions and ensuing tsunamis.Now the 985-foot peak growing from the ocean where Krakatau once stood is erupting, one of several Indonesian volcanoes that have roared to life in recent weeks.They illustrate the awesome seismic forces at work deep below the surface of this island nation.No lives have been lost in the latest round of activity, but thousands of villagers have been evacuated from the slopes of Mount Kelud on Java island.On Thursday, its alert status was dropped a level, meaning it is still dangerous, but residents can return home.Indonesia's history is studded with seismic events. The 2004 Asian tsunami was spawned by a monster quake off the west coast, which sits at the intersection of three tectonic plates that form one border of the "Pacific Ring of Fire."The plates-each moving at about the speed a fingernail grows each year- slide against or under each other, allowing molten rock from the Earth's mantle to break the surface via a volcano, or create energy released in an earthquake.The country's 17,000 islands are home to about 70 active volcanoes, the most in the world.Twenty of them are on Java, an island roughly the same size as Mississippi, and is home to more than half of the country's 235 million people. With demand for farmable land at a premium, many people choose to live within the shadow of the volcanoes because of the rich volcanic soil that is especially good for crops."We have lived here for generations. The land is my life," said Meseman, a 74-year-old papaya farmer on the slopes of Mount Kelud, who like many Indonesians uses only a single name and declined to heed the warnings to leave the area. "It is impossible for me leave. If anything, the volcanic ash will make my fields more fertile."The cataclysmic eruption of Krakatau — which actually lies west of Java in the Sunda Strait, contrary to the title of the popular 1969 movie, "Krakatoa, East of Java" — followed several months of gradually increasing activity.Anak Krakatau rose from the sea in 1930 and has been growing ever since.Visitors can reach the island in about two hours by motor boat from the northern coast of Java, which is a 2 1/2-hour drive from Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. When it is quiet, it is a short, but steep walk to the top of the sandy peak.When Anak began erupting last week, officials declared a no-go zone of about two miles. But the captain of a boat agreed to take an Associated Press reporter and photographer to Anak, briefly landing on the side of the volcano that was not erupting.The ground was hot and appeared to vibrate beneath the pumice stone, a volcanic rock that floats on water.Despite the history of its father, Anak is not considered especially dangerous-for now.It has settled into a pattern of a gentle eruption every seven or eight years, scientists said."Maybe in hundreds of years it will blow, but I will be long gone by then," said Cahya Patria, among the scientists at the Center for Vulcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation who keep watch on the mountain from a hill on the mainland. Krakatau is only just visible from their station, so the staff members monitor it with a seismograph and an array of other equipment installed on its slopes, including a camera that takes photos posted on the center's Web site. As the volcano keeps up a steady stream of thunderous explosions, scientists at the station log each eruption and its intensity.Visitors to Anak from Jakarta normally pass through the resort towns of Anyer and Carita, which were devastated by the series of tsunamis triggered by the 1883 eruption. There are few signs of that horror, aside from the foundations of a Dutch-built lighthouse that was scythed down by the sea.The park where its replacement now stands is a popular meeting point for young lovers, who sit on benches straining to catch a glimpse of Anak Krakatau as it billows mushroom clouds of smoke into the sunset.While most Indonesians are Muslims, many also follow pre-Islamic animist beliefs and worship ancient spirits. Often at full moons, people trek to crater rims and throw in rice, jewelry or live animals to appease the volcanoes."The Javanese see nature as a friend because it gives then food and life," said Bagong Suyanto, a professor of rural sociology at the University of Surabaya. "They trust it, they do not see it as a threat like volcanologists do."

On the Web:
http://krakmon.vsi.esdm.go.id/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071109/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_volcano_nation;_ylt=AmOBRVfMLsgT.eyGTi3wi.BI2ocA

As in the days of Noah....

'Island' emerges in erupting Indonesian volcano

AN island that has emerged in the middle of the crater lake of Indonesia's Mt Kelut may have been effectively plugging the volcano but it could be dislodged, scientists warned yesterday.
The peak in East Java, whose fertile slopes are populated by thousands of people, was put on high alert on October 16 but has not fully erupted, puzzling scientists who say it is impossible to predict what may happen next.“The island was visually captured by our CCTV (closed-circuit television) on Sunday, with smoke now pluming up to one kilometre from it,” volcanologist Saut Simatupang said.He estimated that the 100m-long island loomed 20m above the surface of the crater lake. The temperature of the lake has soared so high it has broken measuring instruments, he said.Mr Simatupang said he still could not determine whether the island was new product or old lava from the 1990 eruption that had solidified at the bottom of the crater lake, more or less acting as a cork.It appeared to have been pushed up Saturday night, when volcanologists mistakenly thought an eruption was occurring so they abandoned their posts.Overnight, continuous tremors shuddered underneath Kelut, with dozens of puffs of steam or smoke shooting into the air, Mr Simatupang said.“We are not taking a chance yet to get closer to study the volcano, although we think it is mostly steam coming out,” Mr Simatupang said.“This could go on or it could be that the volcano is keeping its energy for a bigger eruption.”The head of Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency, Surono, told President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that Kelut appeared to have altered its normal eruptive behaviour.“There seems to be a change in the volcano's character, from historical explosive eruptions to an effusive or slow eruption,” he said during a phone call broadcast on ElShinta radio.“Is it possible that there will be an eruption (given the change), or can we still not have an accurate prediction?” Mr Yudhoyono asked.“There is a very small probability that there will be an explosive eruption, but I am still doing more evaluation with my colleagues,” Surono replied.Authorities have been trying to evacuate people living in a 10km danger zone around the volcano's peak but many have refused to leave or they return to their homes during daylight hours.Residents said they were defying a police threat to jail them if they stayed.“I'm not afraid ... If they want to put me in jail, just go ahead,” said Kandi, a 56-year-old clove farmer from Bladak village, eight kilometres from the peak.The district police chief, Ibnu Istica, said that police were telling people about a new law - that has yet to come in effect - under which people could be jailed for up to three years for refusing evacuation orders.Since record-keeping began, Mount Kelut's eruptions have claimed more than 15,000 lives, including an estimated 10,000 in a catastrophic 1586 eruption. A 1919 eruption spewed heat clouds that killed 5160 people.Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where several continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22717221-401,00.html

As in the days of Noah....

1 000s refuse to flee volcano

Mount Kelud - A deadly Indonesian volcano spewed clouds of white smoke on Sunday as the temperature of its crater lake soared.But thousands of residents defied warnings of a major eruption, choosing to tend sugar cane crops and livestock on its slopes.The top scientist monitoring Mount Kelud said the temperature of its crater lake had reached 76°C - a rise of more than 25°C over the last 24 hours, indicating a blast could be imminent.The spike indicated magma within the volcano was very close to breaking through to the surface, possibly sending a torrent of mud, ash and rock known as lahar pouring down the mountain, said Surono, who uses a single name.Despite the threat, authorities said 25 000 people were ignoring evacuation orders and remained in the danger zone around Kelud."If I live in a shelter, I can't make money," said Buhirin, a 74-year-old farmer living well within the danger zone. "I have the courage to stay because I have experienced three Kelud eruptions. I know where the lahar will flow."Kelud - one of more than 100 active volcanos in Indonesia - has been on the highest alert level for more than two weeks, but on Saturday recorded a spike in activity that led scientists to wrongly declare an eruption had begun.The mountain is in the heart of densely populated Java island.Some villagers apparently believe a local myth that the mountain won't erupt if residents turn off all the lights and speak softly.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2214803,00.html
As in the days of Noah....

Mt Kelud eruption report 'a false alarm'

INDONESIA'S volcano centre has said Mount Kelud in East Java has not erupted, contradicting earlier reports that it had."There was no eruption. If there had been an eruption, our equipment near the crater would have been damaged," said Surono, head of the Centre for Vulcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation. Earlier on Saturday, centre officials said their monitoring instruments near the crater had shown an eruption, but this was impossible to confirm visually because of heavy cloud cover.Surono said incessant tremors and a dramatic rise in the temperature of the crater lake prompted volcanologists at Mount Kelud to flee their post fearing for their safety. "Temperatures rose 2 degrees celsius in a day. This was an extremely sharp increase. On other volcanoes such phenomena would have resulted in heat clouds," Surono said.Umar Rosadi, a scientist monitoring the volcano, said he and 17 colleagues had returned to their post after tremors subsided."There has not been an eruption. All of our equipment works normally," he said.When Mount Kelud erupted in 1990 at least 30 people were killed. In 1919, about 5000 died as Kelud ejected scalding water from its crater lake.An estimated 350,000 people live within 10 km (6 miles) of the volcano which is about 90 km southwest of Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city and one of its busiest airports.In Sugihwaras, a village 8km from the crater that suffered casualties and was badly damaged in 1990, many people panicked when they heard the reports that Kelud had erupted."The mosque announced that Kelud had erupted and there was a half hour to evacuate," said Ngatijo, a villager.The authorities have been monitoring the volcano for several weeks and raised its alert status to the highest level about two weeks ago when its activity increased.Indonesia has the highest number of active volcanoes of any country and sits on a belt of intense seismic activity known as the "Pacific Ring of Fire".

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22699921-401,00.html

As in the days of Noah....