A 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook several provinces in central-southwestern Ecuador and Tumbes Province in north-western Peru on March 18, 2023, causing casualties and damage. The quake resulted in at least 14 fatalities, 462 injuries, and over 330 homes destroyed or damaged in Ecuador and Peru. Unofficial reports mention at least 15 fatalities.
Severe rainstorms hit Northern Syria from March 16 to 18, 2023, resulting in devastating floods that caused significant damage to infrastructure and agricultural land. The floods claimed at least eight lives and left many families homeless.
France’s Atlantic coast has been the site of an unprecedented number of dolphin strandings this winter, with over 910 dolphins washing up since the start of the season. The majority of the marine mammals have shown injuries consistent with entanglement in fishing nets, other fishing equipment, or boat engines.
Millions of fish have died in another mass kill in the lower Darling-Baaka river near Menindee, New South Wales, Australia last week. The area has been the site of several other mass fish kill events in recent years but the latest fish kill appears larger than the previous.
Located in the Central Volcanic Region, the town of Kawerau in New Zealand has been hit by a series of earthquakes since March 17, 2023, with a tally of over 780 quakes. Of these, six earthquakes have registered magnitudes above M4.0. The seismic activity has caused noticeable shaking in the region, with the most substantial earthquake having a magnitude of M4.8, while the majority of the quakes have been rated between M2.0 and M2.9.
A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS and IGEPN as M6.7 hit Ecuador at 17:12 UTC on March 18, 2023. IGEPN is reporting a depth of 37 km (23 miles); USGS 66.4 km (41 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.7 at a depth of 80 km (50 miles).
The death toll from the devastating flash floods in the Turkish provinces of Şanlıurfa and Adıyaman has risen to 16. These provinces were severely affected by last month’s powerful earthquakes. Heavy rainfall since March 14, 2023, has disrupted normal life, with streets and hospitals being inundated and highways collapsing.
New activity/unrest was reported for 5 volcanoes from March 8 to 14, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 15 volcanoes.
A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.0 hit the Kermadec Islands at 00:56 UTC on March 16, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 22 km (13.7 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
The Goma Volcanic Observatory (OVG) has reported an eruption of the Nyamulagira volcano, also known as Nyamuragira, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A plume was observed rising 1 500 m (4 900 feet) above the summit, reaching an altitude of 4.5 km (15 000 feet) above sea level.
