In an analysis of the landslide database for 2019 by Dr. Dave Petley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield– it was shown that 463 non-seismic fatal landslides occurred last year, causing 3 270 deaths. Given the number of deadly landslides, 2019 is the…
Heavy rains drenched parts of Southern California on March 22 and into March 23, 2020. The coastal mountain ranges were also hit by the widespread rain, while some beneficial rain and snow fell in the southern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Southern…
The latest results of deformation around Mt. Thorbjorn volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula indicate that inflation causing an uplift in the area has started again, the Icelandic Met Office reported on March 19, 2020. The uplift is slower than in January but seems to…
Desert locust plague situation remains extremely alarming as new swarms continue forming and invading parts of Africa and the Middle East. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that the outbreak poses an unprecedented threat to food…
In a rare occurrence, a meteotsunami hit the Praia do Cassino Beach in the southernmost region of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on March 14, 2020. The rapid waves slammed into nearby vehicles, causing beachgoers to panic and run away to safety. Powerful…
Nearly 400 000 hectares (1 million acres) of rabi crops across many parts of North India were ravaged by unseasonal downpours, hailstorms, and strong winds this month. Millions of growers are affected, particularly those from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar…
An unusually intense cyclone hit parts of the Middle East with very heavy rain and strong winds, starting with Egypt on March 12, 2020, before moving onto other neighboring countries. The worst affected was Egypt where it was described as the country's worst…
A new study published recently in Science reveals that ice ages over the last million years ended when the tilt angle of the Earth's axis was approaching higher values. During these periods, longer and more intense summers caused the huge ice sheets to melt in…
A strong earthquake registered by the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) as M5.2 hit 4.9 km (3 miles) NE of the city of Grindavik at 10:25 UTC on March 12, 2020. The quake struck at a depth of 6.1 km (3.8 miles) and was felt in large areas of SW-Iceland. More than 400…
The National Geological and Mining Service of Chile (SERNAGEOMIN) raised the alert level for the Antillanca-Casablanca volcanic complex in the Los Lagos region of Chile to Yellow on March 11, 2020, after a swarm of 73 tremors detected since March 9. The last…
