• Large pumice raft reported between New Zealand and Fiji

    A large pumice raft was found floating to the west of Minerva Reef in an area about 600 km (372 miles) SE of Fiji and 500 km (310 miles) SW of Tonga, New Zealand's GeoNet reported today. Pumice rafts are created by submarine or near-ocean volcanic activity. The…

  • Major eruption at Zhupanovsky, ash up to 10 km (33 000 feet) a.s.l.

    A major eruption took place at Zhupanovsky volcano, Kamchatka, Russia at 02:30 UTC on November 20, 2016. Aviation Color Code was raised to Orange. At 02:39 UTC today, KVERT reported that a major eruption took place at Zhupanovsky volcano with ash plume, according to…

  • Large sinkhole opens on a highway in Algeria, swallows 5 cars

    A large sinkhole has opened up on a highway near Ben Aknoun, a commune of Algiers Province and a suburb of the city of Algiers in northern Algeria, on November 18, 2016. Five cars fell into the hole, injuring a total of 11 people. According to the Nassim Bernaoui,…

  • 1st major winter storm of season blankets Northern Plains

    Argos, the first major US winter storm of the season has already blanketed parts of the Northern Plains. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), further heavy snow accompanied with strong winds is expected in the region of the Great Lakes and inner…

  • Severe flooding hits the Dominican Republic, 20 000 evacuated

    Two weeks of continuous heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in the Dominican Republic, damaging more than 4 000 houses and displacing more than 20 000 people. So far, five deaths, including two children, have been reported. Forecasters warn a new tropical…

  • New Zealand earthquake: One of the most complex ever recorded on land

    New Zealand's GeoNet has revised their initial magnitude of the November 13, 2016 Kaikoura earthquake from M7.5 to M7.8. The agency added that early indications show this was one of the most complex earthquakes ever recorded on land. "This complexity means…

  • Destructive tornadoes hit Johannesburg, South Africa

    At least two tornadoes have been reported in South Africa over the past two days. One of them damaged over 50 houses, three of them severe. At least one person was injured. The first tornado ripped through Ennerdale in southern Johannesburg between 18:00 and 19:00…

  • Extremely dangerous M7.8 earthquake hit near Christchurch, New Zealand

    A major earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.8 hit near Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand at 11:02 UTC on November 13, 2016. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). New Zealand's GEONET is reporting M7.5 at a depth of 16 km (9.9 miles). A…

  • New eruptive phase begins at Sabancaya after 18 years, Peru

    A new eruptive phase has started at Peru's Sabancaya volcano with a violent explosion registered at 01:42 UTC on Monday, November 7, 2016, INGEMMET-OVI said. Since then, the volcano is constantly emitting steam and ash. Ashfall is reported in communities up to…