The Watchers team and our contributors bring the latest on extreme weather, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, space weather, and all things science. We're all about making sense of the natural world and keeping you informed on what’s happening. Got a tip or a question? Hit us up using the form at newstips!
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 hit Chile at 16:20 UTC on November 4, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 90.8 km (56.4 miles). CSN Chile is reporting M6.4 at a depth of 87 km (54 miles). According to the USGS, the epicenter was located 25.9…
.jpg){kind=small}
New volcanic activity/unrest was reported for 4 volcanoes between October 26 and November 1, 2016. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 10 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Cleveland, Chuginadak Island (USA) | Copahue, Central Chile-Argentina…
This month’s Full Moon – the second of three supermoons in 2016 – will be the largest and closest to Earth since January 26, 1948. It won't come this close again until November 25, 2034. Out of three meteor shower peaks for the month, only Southern Taurids…
A newly discovered asteroid 2016 VA will flyby Earth at a distance of 0.25 LD (96 000 km / 59 000 miles) from the surface at 00:42 UTC on November 2, 2016. Asteroid 2016 VA was discovered on November 1, 2016 by Mt. Lemmon Survey. It's estimated size is 6 – 22 m…
A mysterious green fireball streaked across the sky over northern Japan on October 31, 2016, sparking speculations what the fiery object might be. The event lasted for about 15 seconds and was captured by several cameras. While one astronomer said the object was a…
ESA's Swarm satellite trio has discovered why GPS navigation systems on low-orbiting satellites sometimes black out when they fly over the equator between Africa and South America. Swarm itself has experienced this anomaly numerous times before its scientists…
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the EMSC as M6.5 hit central Italy at 06:40 UTC on October 30, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS is reporting M6.6 at a depth of 10 km. According to the EMSC, the epicenter was located 16…
.jpg){kind=small}
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes between October 19 and 25, 2016. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 11 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Bulusan, Luzon (Philippines) | Cleveland, Chuginadak Island (USA) | Ebeko, Paramushir…
After several days of weak but constant eruptions, Costa Rica's Turrialba volcano experienced what media described as "spectacular" eruption during the early morning hours of October 26, 2016. The eruption occurred at 11:34 UTC (05:34 CST). Due to…
A massive landslide buried a stretch of the Medellin-Bogota highway on October 26, 2016, claiming lives of at least 6 people, authorities reported. At least 12 are still missing. "The landslide was apparently caused by an explosion in a quarry in the…
