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 strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.9 hit Turkey – Iran border region at 18:14 UTC on January 18, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.9 at a depth of 15 km (9 miles). The same region was hit by M5.8 earthquake on January 18, injuring at least 70 people and damaging more than 300 homes.
A team of scientists from NorthWest Research Associates (NWRA) have made a breakthrough discovery in the study of solar flares, using data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The researchers found small signals in the upper layers of the solar atmosphere, known as the corona, that can indicate which regions on the Sun are more likely to produce solar flares.
The presence of a low level jet (LLJ), or strong wind in the lower atmosphere, combined with tropical moisture to create persistent heavy rain in the Auckland area on Friday, January 27, 2023, resulting in widespread severe flooding, destruction and casualties.
New activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes from January 18 to 24, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 21 volcanoes.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the Kermadec Islands at 10:45 UTC on January 26, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 135.7 km (84.3 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.6 at a depth of 100 km (62 miles).
At least one person was killed and two others were injured when an M5.6 earthquake hit the Bajura district in western Nepal at 08:58 UTC on Tuesday, January 25, 2023. The USGS registered it at a depth of 25 km (15 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.6 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
On January 22, 2023, a massive rift on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica finally gave way, resulting in the formation of a new iceberg measuring 1 550 km2 (~600 mi2). The U.S. National Ice Center has named it Iceberg A-81. The rift, spanning most of the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica, appeared ready to spawn an iceberg in 2019, posing an uncertain future for scientific infrastructure and a human presence on the shelf that was first established in 1955 by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
Severe storms hit Texas, U.S. on Tuesday afternoon LT, January 24, 2023, causing widespread damage and leaving more than 100 000 homes without power. The NWS Storm Prediction Center received reports of 10 tornadoes by midnight UTC on January 25, with 7 of them happening in Texas and 3 in Louisiana.
A very deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 hit Santiago del Estero, Argentina at 18:37 UTC on January 24, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 601 km (373.4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 584 km (362.9 miles).
Brutal cold weather is impacting Japan on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, bringing remarkable sea-effect snow. Recorded strong winds and temperatures seen only once in 10 years are expected on January 25. The weather is causing flights to be canceled and traffic disruptions due to frozen roads.
