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.
In January 2022, Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai (HT-HH) emitted the biggest atmospheric explosion recorded on Earth in more than 100 years. Several months after the eruption, a New Zealand-led team has completed the fullest investigation to date into the eruption of this underwater Tongan volcano.
A shallow earthquake, registered by the BMKG, USGS and EMSC as M5.6, hit West Java, Indonesia at 06:21 UTC on November 21, 2022. All agencies are reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The quake resulted in the deaths of more than 160 people. The number is expected to rise.
A major lake effect snow event produced record-breaking snow amounts around the Great Lakes over the past 2 days. The storm buried roads and vehicles and caused the deaths of at least 3 people.
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 WJ1 impacted Earth’s atmosphere over Niagara Falls at 08:27 UTC on November 19, 2022, becoming the 6th asteroid to be discovered before impacting Earth.
Seismic activity under Takawangha volcano, Alaska increased over the past couple of days and intensified on November 18, 2022, forcing the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) to raise the Aviation Color Code to Yellow and the Volcano Alert Level to Advisory.
A strong and shallow earthquake, registered by the BMKG as M6.8, hit southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia at 13:37 UTC on November 18, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS is reporting M6.9 at a depth of 10 km; EMSC M6.7 at a depth of 10 km.
New activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes from November 9 to 15, 2022. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 28 volcanoes.
Minor volcanic unrest continues at New Zealand’s Taupō volcano, as shown by continued small earthquakes and ground deformation. The Volcanic Alert Level remains at 1.
Periods of heavy lake effect snow will impact the Great Lakes through Sunday, November 20, 2022. Snowfall rates of 50+ mm (2 inches) per hour are expected, creating nearly impossible travel. Between 30 and 60 cm (1 and 2 feet) of snow, with local amounts in excess of 120 cm (4 feet), are likely.
A shallow earthquake, registered by the USGS as M5.3, hit western Texas at 21:32 UTC on November 16, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 8.3 km (5.1 miles). The quake was followed by a series of aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 2.6 to 4.1.
