• Shallow M6.1 earthquake under Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea

    A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit under the Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea at 15:06 UTC on January 17, 2019. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth. This earthquake can…

  • Mount Shindake erupts, large pyroclastic flow produced, Japan

    Mount Shindake on Japanese Kuchinoerabujima island erupted at 00:19 UTC (09:19 JST) on January 17, 2019, ejecting ash up to 6 km (19 600 feet) above sea level. The volcano is sporadically erupting since October 2018. The Alert Level remains at 3 (of 5). The…

  • All-time high temperature records broken in parts of Australia

    Parts of Australia are enduring extreme heatwave conditions which already broke numerous all-time temperature records. An unusual extended period of heatwaves over much of Australia began in early December 2018 and continued into January 2019. The Australian mean…

  • Volcanic activity intensifies at Mount Merapi, Indonesia

    Indonesian authorities are reporting increased activity at Mount Merapi over the past couple of days. Lava has so far flowed up to 800 m (2 624 feet) down the slope of the volcano. Authorities are preparing evacuation routes and emergency shelters as well as…

  • Rare winter storm aims Jerusalem, Israel

    Jerusalem is bracing for a rare winter storm, with snow forecast to reach the city during the afternoon hours of Wednesday, January 16, 2019 (local time). Strong winds and low temperatures are expected to persist for several days. National meteorologists said snow…

  • Strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits near the coast of Vanuatu

    A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit near the coast of Vanuatu at 18:06 UTC on January 15, 2019. The agency is reporting a depth of 46.9 km (29.1 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.6 at a depth of 50 km (31 miles). This earthquake can have a…