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Growing Geologic Unrest: More Earthquakes, Volcanoes Along the Pacific Rim; US Midwest Hit, Too

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Just two days ago, Restoring Liberty posted a story about volcanoes erupting worldwide within minutes of each other. Eruptions were reported in Indonesia, Columbia, Japan and Chile along with a 7.0 magnitude quake in Indonesia and a 6.3 quake near the Redoubt Volcano southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.

Confounding geologists, Oklahoma and southern Kansas have seen a mysterious spike in earthquakes with dozens registered with USGS over the past week, some exceeding 4 magnitude on the Richter scale. Here’s a snapshot of those earthquakes over the past seven days:

Also notable are several earthquakes in the southeast corner of Missouri and western edge of Tennessee, all along the the Mississippi River border.

Finally, here is a snapshot of the earthquakes exceeding 4.5 magnitude over the last seven days along the Pacific Rim:

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Volcano Bursts Into Life in Mexico With Large Spurt of Ash and Steam

By Associated Press. Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Centre said in its daily report that the volcano registered a total of 80 low intensity exhalations and six explosions yesterday, releasing plumes of smoke between 1.5 and two kilometres high.

Authorities are urging people not to get close to the volcano and particularly to its crater. (Read more from this story HERE)

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6.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Alaska Near Active Volcano

By RT. A 6.3-magnitude earthquake has struck in Alaska, some 42 miles southwest of the active Redoubt Volcano, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has said.

Notably, the earthquake also struck near Mt. Katmai, the site of the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.

The epicenter was 9 miles south of Mt. Iliamna, another volcano in the area, the Alaska Dispatch News reported.

According to the USGS, the quake hit about 141 miles southwest of Anchorage. (Read more from this story HERE)

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8 Quakes Jolt Mount Bulusan in the Philippines

By Sun Star Manila. At least eight volcanic earthquakes rocked Mount Bulusan in Sorosgon, signifying that the volcano continues to show signs of restiveness, the Philippine Institute of Volcanolgy and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Wednesday.

Phivolcs-Bicol resident volcanologist Ed Laguerta said the quakes and the swelling of the volcano’s edifice are signs that pressure is building up in the volcano’s vent.

Aside from eight volcanic quakes, Phivolcs instruments recorded for the past 24-hour observation period slight inflationary trend at the volcano’s edifice during the precise leveling surveys.

Alert Level 1 (abnormal) remains hoisted over the volcano. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Magma Is Rising in Ubinas Volcano in Peru

By Hillary Ojeda. Only last week, scientists recorded the largest explosion at Peru’s most active volcano, Ubinas, in the Moquegua region of Peru.

Now, scientists have recorded an ascent of magma within the volcano, reports El Comercio.

The explosion last week resulted in the emission of large rocks (some the size of small cars) which frightened the local communities. Ash and small rocks up to two centimeters in diameter made their way to the communities of Querapi, Ubinas, Sacohaya, Tonohaya, Anascapa, Escacha and San Miguel, according to the mayor of Ubinas, Luis Concha. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Volcanoes Erupting Worldwide Within Minutes of Each Other

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By Associated Press. Eruptions of ash at five volcanoes shrouded the skies over parts of the Indonesian archipelago Wednesday, forcing three airports to close.

Mount Raung on Java island blasted ash and debris up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) into the air after rumbling for several weeks, government volcanologist Surono said.

Ash erupted also from Gamalama and Dukono mountains on the Moluccas islands chain, Sinabung volcano on Sumatra island and Mount Karangetang on Siau island, darkening the skies, Surono said. (Read more from “Volcanoes Erupting Worldwide Within Minutes of Each Other” HERE)

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Volcanic Ash Forces Airport Closures in Colombia

By AFP. Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in an ash cloud on Sunday, prompting authorities to temporarily close two airports in the area.

The civil aeronautics agency said it closed airports at Manizales and Pereira as a precaution after the 8:30 am (1330 GMT) eruption.

This resulted in the cancellation of at least 16 flights on Sunday. (Read more from this story HERE)
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Japanese Volcano Erupts

By Anime News Network. Ōwaku Valley, a part of Mount Hakone with high volcanic activity, has been showing more signs of an impending eruption recently.

The smoke which regularly issues from its vents was mingled with ash, turning noticeably gray, for about ten seconds around noon on July 21. On June 30 and July 1, it had also erupted on a very small scale, ejecting material to a distance of over 100 meters (328 feet), which technically meets the qualifications for an “eruption.” (The distance material from the recent eruption was ejected has not yet been measured.) (Read more from this story about more volcanoes erupting worldwide HERE)

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Volcano Erupts in Chile

By Yahoo News. The Cabulco volcano in southern Chile has erupted twice in the last 24 hours after being dormant for decades. And there may be more action on the way. (Listen to the video about this Chilean volcano, part of those erupting worldwide along the Pacific Rim, HERE)

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Scientists: World Must Prepare for Catastrophic Volcanic Eruption

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

The world is woefully unprepared for a massive volcanic eruption that could kill millions of people and destroy much of modern society, a leading group of scientists have warned.

In a new report on the risks posed by natural disasters, experts at the European Science Foundation concluded that large volcanic eruptions posed the greatest risk human survival.

They calculated that there is between a five to 10 per cent probability of an explosive eruption large enough to cause huge numbers of deaths, alter the climate and poison the atmosphere occurring by the end of the century.

Such an eruption would be of a similar size to the explosion of Tambora on Sumbawa, Indonesia in 1815, which killed around 100,000 people at the time.

The ash cloud thrown out from this eruption reached more than 26 miles (43km) into the atmosphere and triggered temperature changes that led to widespread famine and epidemics.

The summer following the Tambora eruption is known as ‘the year without summer’.

The scientists warn, however, that rising population levels and increasing reliance on global travel could mean the impacts of a similar eruption could be far more severe. (Read more from this story about the potential for a catastrophic volcanic eruption HERE)

2013: The Most Volcanic Eruptions Recorded in Modern History

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Photo Credit: APThis year will go down on record, as seeing the most volcanic eruptions recorded in modern history. The previous number was set in 2010, at 82 volcanic eruptions for the year.

The number of volcanoes erupting across the planet has been steadily rising from a meager number of just 55 recorded in 1990. While most scientists may readily dismiss any significance to the latest figures and may be quick to say the planet is just experiencing normal geological activity, it does raise other concerns about just what may be transpiring within the interior of our planet.

The average number of volcanic eruptions per year should be about 50 to 60; as of December 5, 2013, we already at 83. Volcanic eruptions are one way the planet dissipates a dangerous build-up of heat, magma, and pressurized gases.

Read more about this story HERE.

Global Cooling at Full Tilt this Summer; Scientists Blame Volcano

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Photo Credit: Accuweather

Photo Credit: Accuweather

Throughout history, large volcanic eruptions have been known to influence climate.

This summer, the Midwest experienced a cold wave referred to as “Julytober” following the June eruption of Mount Sheveluch in Russia. Experts continue to compare this eruption to others from history and debate whether it could have induced the cooler Midwestern weather.

“Large Russian volcano eruptions tend to cool the Midwest,” Historical Climatologist Evelyn Browning-Garriss said.

When a volcano erupts, if it is large enough, it can send debris miles into the stratosphere. The stratosphere is the atmosphere above where weather takes place.

Debris sent into the stratosphere by an eruption can include volcanic ash, chemicals and gases, specifically sulfur. This debris can influence temperatures by aiding in a decreased amount of solar radiation.

“Sulfur dioxide combines with water in the atmosphere to provide sulfuric acid aerosol droplets that reflect incoming solar radiation,” PhD Research Geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory David Schneider said.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska Volcano Eruptions Get Worse: `We Can’t Explain’ Says Geologist (+video)

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volcanoAlaska volcano eruptions are entering a more powerful phase. After six weeks of Alaska volcano eruptions reaching five miles into the sky, covering nearby communities with ash and shutting down air flights, there looks to be no end.

Alaska volcano eruptions 2013 started in May at the Pavlof Volcano, which is located about 590 miles southwest of the major city Anchorage, in the Alaska Peninsula. The most powerful phase of Alaska volcano eruptions started with low-level rumblings.

According to scientists at the federal-state Alaska Volcano Observatory, the latest phase of Alaska volcano eruptions started late on Monday and continued through the night into Tuesday. The blasts emanate from the crater of a 8,261 foot volcano.

Tina Neal, an geologist at the observatory said, “For some reason we can’t explain, it picked up in intensity and vigor.”

In May, Alaska volcano eruptions sent a smaller ash cloud 15,000 feet into the air. The ash was visible for miles. Residents were worried that it would damage power generators.

Read more from this story HERE.

A Blast of a Find: 12 New Alaskan Volcanoes

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Photo Credit: James Baichtal

In Alaska, scores of volcanoes and strange lava flows have escaped scrutiny for decades, shrouded by lush forests and hidden under bobbing coastlines.

In the past three years, 12 new volcanoes have been discovered in Southeast Alaska, and 25 known volcanic vents and lava flows re-evaluated, thanks to dogged work by geologists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Forest Service. Sprinkled across hundreds of islands and fjords, most of the volcanic piles are tiny cones compared to the super-duper stratovolcanoes that parade off to the west, in the Aleutian Range.

But the Southeast’s volcanoes are in a class by themselves, the researchers found. A chemical signature in the lava flows links them to a massive volcanic field in Canada. Unusual patterns in the lava also point to eruptions under, over and alongside glaciers, which could help scientists pinpoint the size of Alaska’s mountain glaciers during past climate swings.

“It’s giving us this serendipitous window on the history of climate in Southeast Alaska for the last 1 million years,” said Susan Karl, a research geologist with the USGS in Anchorage and the project’s leader.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska May Events from Space

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Following an April which was the coldest on record in many locations (including Fairbanks), May was a month with more record events. Anchorage saw it’s second latest measurable snowfall on May 18th which made the 2012-2013 snow season on record. The record cold also delayed the river breakup, which set the stage for the severe ice jam flooding in Circle and Galena.

The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the aerial extent of the flooding in Galena from space. Below is the extent of the Yukon River last year on May 27, and the second picture is the widespread flooding behind the ice Jam on May 28th of this year.

Photo Credit: NASA images courtesy LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland.



Photo Credit: NASA images courtesy LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland.

Above is the Yukon River flooding Galena May 28, 2013.

More information and images can be found HERE.

While erupting volcanoes along the Aleutian Range are not uncommon, there were some views of Pavlof Volcano taken from the International Space Station (ISS) that are worth a look.

Photo Credit: ISSA Crew, NASA

Above is the erupting Pavlof Volcano on May 18, 2013 taken from the ISS. It is located between Sand Point and Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula. The Volcano just to the right of Pavlof is Pavlof’s Sister, and is also a volcano.

A summary of the recent Pavlof eruption with a few more ISS photos can be found HERE.

This most recent eruption of Pavlof Volcano was downgraded by the Alaska Volcano Observatory on May 28th as activity subsided.

Massive Underwater Volcano Discovered off the Coast of Southeast Alaska

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Photo Credit: Forest Service Geologist Jim BaichtalAbout 10,000 years ago, give or take a couple thousand years, a volcano blew its top in the middle of Behm Canal. The crater is still there, covered by 150 feet or so of ocean. But when the volcano exploded many thousands of years ago, it was not underwater. That’s what makes it so interesting.

Well, that and the fact that nobody currently living knew it was even there until just a few weeks ago.

U.S. Forest Service Geologist Jim Baichtal, who is based on Prince of Wales Island, and Anchorage USGS geologist Sue Karl were looking at some hydrographic surveys, something geologists tend to do.

When we were done, I noticed the area from Thorne Arm to Rudyerd had been surveyed,” Baichtal said. “I zoomed in and there was this large… some kind of volcano, and two other dome-like structures.”

Karl added that, “This new NOAA survey allowed us to see things that people had never seen before.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Video: Mt. Aetna Erupts in Spectacular Fashion

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Mount Etna erupted in Italy and sent gas and lava shooting into the air. The eruption was the first of 2013 for the volcano. The colorful and powerful display has gone viral on YouTube.

The volcano is located in Sicily. Mount Etna is regarded as one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Science World Report notes. The volcano in Italy has been spewing lava for [a long time]. The first known Mount Etna eruption was in 1500 BC. Periods of dormancy for the volcano in Sicily are extremely rare.

Even though Mount Etna is so active, approximately a quarter of the population in Sicily live nearby. Airports were not closed when signs that an eruption were imminent, the Daily Mail reports. Folks living on the on the island city of Catania were not alerted about Mount Etna either.

See news footage:

More video of Mt. Aetna:

Read more from this story HERE.

See more CBS footage: