Very strong 7.3 earthquake hit Sumatra at 18:37:01 UTC. According to USGS, an epicenter was located 423 km (262 miles) SW of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, 537 km (333 miles) SW of Lhokseumawe, Sumatra and 951 km (590 miles) W of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2.396°N, 93.175°E)
A new island is forming in the Red Sea about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the coast of Yemen, on the northern edge of the Zubair Islands. An undersea eruption began in mid-December 2011. Local fishermen reported an eruption near the island of Saba.
Magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck near Santa Cruz Islands at 04:07:16 UTC. Epicenter was 75 km (46 miles) WNW of Lata, Santa Cruz Islands, 355 km (220 miles) E of Kira Kira, San Cristobal, Solomon Isl. and 584 km (362 miles) ESE of HONIARA, Guadalcanal, Solomon
Scientists have identified what appear to be terrestrial versions of tranquillityite in billion-year-old rocksin Western Australia. Tranquillityite is a mineral consisting of iron, zirconium, yttrium, titanium, silicon and oxygen. It is named after the moon’s Sea of
In last 33 years of satellite measurements of temperature readings for almost all regions of Earth, 2011 was the ninth-warmest year on record according to latest study by US scientists. Globally average for Earth’s atmosphere is 0.27 degree Fahrenheit warmer in
Russian space officials now estimate that Phobos-Grunt will fall to Earth on Jan. 15, though the date could change “due to external factors. The probe will re-enter somewhere between 51 degrees north and 51 degress south latitude; the exact location won’t be known
The rough sea and waves as 7 meters (23feet) high caused the cargo ship Rena to broke in two Saturday off the coast of New Zealand. This has allowed more oil to leak. There is now a yawning 20 to 30 metre gap between the ship’s bow and stern section, which is listing
Sunspot 1393 is growing rapidly, more than tripling in area since Friday. So far, however, the active region has not produced any strong flares. Solar activity remains low.Solar activity increased somewhat, with a solar flare detected around Sunspot 1386 off the
The emerald green islands of Vanuatu were marked by volcanic activity December 27, 2011. Large thermal anomalies were created by the expulsion of lava and hot volcanic gas from erupting volcanos. A wide volcanic plume can be seen blowing from the Ambrym volcano
OVDAS-SERNAGEOMIN reports that the Lascar volcano, located in the Antofagasta region, presents a slight variation of seismic activity, represented by the occurrence of a seismic swarm events volcano – tectonic (VT), whose features suggest a location in the environment
