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.
A shallow earthquake registered by GeoNet as M5.9 hit the Auckland Islands, New Zealand region at 02:21 UTC on May 31, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 12 km (7.4 miles). USGS and EMSC are reporting M6.2 at a depth of 0 km.
A shallow earthquake registered by Geoscience Australia as M3.8 hit Melbourne, Australia at 13:41 UTC on May 28, 2023, at a depth of just 2 km (1.2 miles). USGS is reporting M3.6 at a depth of 9.5 km (5.9 miles); EMSC M3.6 at a depth of 5 km (3.1 miles).
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit Tonga region at 00:11 UTC on May 27, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 223.9 km (139 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 219 km (136 miles).
At least two people have died and dozens have been rescued or evacuated after flash floods hit nine provinces of Algeria on May 24, 2023. The severe weather event caused significant damage, with houses destroyed or damaged, vehicles swept from roads, and transport severely disrupted.
A strong earthquake registered by the JMA as M6.2 hit near the east coast of Chiba Prefecture, Japan at 10:03 UTC (19:04 JST) on May 26, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 50 km (31 miles). USGS is reporting M6.2 at a depth of 44.2 km (27.5 miles); EMSC M6.1 at a depth of 60 km (37.3 miles).
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes from May 17 – 23, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 18 volcanoes.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit the Panama-Colombia border region at 03:05 UTC on May 25, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.6 at a depth of 40 km (25 miles).
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit Banda Sea, Indonesia at 15:49 UTC on May 24, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 166 km (103 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 171 km (106 miles).
The southern eyewall of Category 4 Typhoon “Mawar” grazed the northern tip of Guam at around 08:00 UTC on May 24, 2023, with maximum sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph). Mawar became the 15th typhoon of at least Category 4 intensity to pass within 110 km (70 miles) of Guam in records since WWII.
Mawar rapidly intensified into a super typhoon on May 23, 2023, as it continued moving toward Guam where a state of emergency has been declared. There is a possibility Mawar makes a direct hit to the island, resulting in significant damage. This will be the strongest storm to hit the island in 20 years.
