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.
Indonesian Sinabung volcano erupted on February 26, 2016, sending thick smoke and ash up to 4.2 km (14 000 feet) a.s.l. and producing very large and impressive pyroclastic flows. According to Agus Salihin, a volcanologist at the Sinabung observation post,…
A rare triple waterspout was spotted and captured on camera on Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans, US on February 23, 2016. The large central waterspout has two smaller ones spiraling around it. Video courtesy News24 According to NOAA, there are two main…
At least four bright meteors, of which two exceptionally bright, were observed over the skies of Spain, Portugal and Morocco on February 19, 21, 23 and 24, 2016. A meteorite with a final mass of about 1 kg was later found in Cordoba. The source was fireball observed…
Ecuador's Tungurahua erupted at 17:02 UTC on February 26, 2016, sending ash more than 6 km (19 685 feet) above the crater (11 km / 36 089 feet a.s.l.). IGEPN reported there have been four explosions so far today. Ash emissions were observed traveling north-west….
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New activity/unrest was observed at 3 volcanoes from February 17 – 23, 2016. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 15 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Bulusan, Luzon (Philippines) | Telica, Nicaragua | Zhupanovsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia)….
A huge sinkhole opened up between two buildings in the city of Nordhausen, Thuringia, Germany on February 19, 2016. Nobody was injured, and the cause is still unknown. According to Jessica Piper, the spokesperson of the Nordhausen district, the crater is 30 meters…
A massive landslide slid onto Highway 14 in Idaho on February 18, 2016, trapping about 250 people in the small remote town of Elk City. According to Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), about 14 tons of debris slid onto a section of the highway, some 16 km (10…
A very deep earthquake registered by Geoscience Australia as M6.0 hit south of Fiji at 15:51 UTC on February 20, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 600 km (373 miles). USGS is reporting M5.8 at a depth of 579.4 km (360 miles). According to the USGS, the…
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New activity/unrest was observed at 4 volcanoes from February 10 – 16, 2016. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 18 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Aira, Kyushu (Japan) | Semeru, Eastern Java (Indonesia) | Soputan, Sulawesi (Indonesia) |…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by Geoscience Australia as M6.1 hit off the coast of Halmahera, North Maluku province of Indonesia at 17:26 UTC on February 17, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 0 km. USGS is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 10 km (6.2…
