• Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan

    A shallow earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as M6.0 hit off the east coast of Honshu, Japan at 09:01 UTC on August 20, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). USGS is reporting the same magnitude and depth. According…

  • Very strong and shallow M7.4 earthquake hits South Georgia island region

    A very strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.4 hit South Georgia island region at 07:32 UTC on August 19, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The epicenter was located about 261 km (162 miles) W of South Georgia, 293 km…

  • Active volcanoes in the world: August 10 – 16, 2016

    ​New activity/unrest was observed at two volcanoes between August 10 and 16, 2016. During the same period, ongoing activity was observed at 15 volcanoes. New activity/unrest: Chikurachki, Paramushir Island (Russia) | Chirpoi, Kuril Islands (Russia). Ongoing…

  • Tropical Storm “Chanthu” hits Japan

    Tropical Storm "Chanthu" made the first landfall in Japan's Chosi, Chiba prefecture around 18:30 UTC on August 16 (03:30 JST on August 17) and the second near Cape Erimo on the southern tip of the main island of Hokkaido around 08:30 UTC on August 17,…

  • Major tailings dam failure in China’s Henan Province

    Two villages in China's Henan Province were covered in red mud containing toxic heavy metals after a waste pond dam collapsed on August 8, 2016, releasing 2 million cubic meters of aluminum production byproducts. The toxic waste pond was located in Dahegou…