Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.

  • Large pyroclastic flow at Merapi volcano, ashfall blankets nearby communities, Indonesia

    A significant eruption occurred at Indonesia’s Merapi volcano at approximately 06:55 UTC (13:55 local time) on January 21, 2024, producing a large pyroclastic flow that reached about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the summit. The eruption caused a large ash cloud and panic but no fatalities or injuries have been reported. The Alert Level remains at 3 (on a scale of 1-4).

  • Very bright fireball over Spain and Portugal

    A very bright fireball streaked through the night sky over Spain and Portugal at 20:03 UTC on January 21, 2024. This event took place some 19 hours after asteroid 2024 BX1 impacted Earth’s atmosphere over Berlin, Germany, as the 8th asteroid on record to be discovered before impacting Earth.

  • Shallow M6.2 earthquake hits Southwest Indian Ridge

    A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit Southwest Indian Ridge at 22:09 UTC on January 20, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). This is the third M6+ earthquake of the day, after M6.1 in the Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands, and M6.5 in Amazonas, Brazil.

  • Deep M6.5 earthquake hits Amazonas, Brazil

    A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit Amazonas, Brazil at 21:31 UTC on January 20, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 629 km (390 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.7 at a depth of 615 km (382 miles).

  • Damaging M5.6 earthquake hits Cartago, Colombia

    A strong earthquake registered by the SGC as M5.6 hit Cartago, Colombia’s Valle del Cauca Department at 11:26 UTC (06:26 local time) on January 19, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 52 km (32 miles). USGS and EMSC are reporting M5.6 at a depth of 61 km (38 miles).