Volcanoes on opposite ends of the world erupted on Thursday.
The Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland, which has been the subject of close monitoring by seismologists since a series of earthquakes began weeks ago, finally broke through the ice covering with what the Iceland Met Office called a “fissure eruption.”
The volcano had erupted under the ice earlier this week leading to an aviation warning but it was canceled when the volcano’s activity appeared to cease. The latest eruption reportedly has lava spewing to the surface but “has not shown signs of volcanic ash.”
Despite the lack of ash, the aviation warning level has been raised to red and flights are being diverted around the volcano’s area.
Aviation experts have also placed a warning over the Tavurcur volcano in Papua New Guinea following an eruption Thursday.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center has been monitoring the ash cloud and providing updates to airlines. The cloud of ash has been drifting southwest since the eruption.
“The volcanic eruption reached the top of the atmosphere at 50,000 feet which is the same height as which planes travel,” said meteorologist Ian Shepherd “It’s too early to say at this point if the ash cloud will reach Australia but it was a significant eruption.”
Northern California has been shaken by a series of aftershocks including a 3.9 magnitude quake that struck early Tuesday.
The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded over 125 aftershocks of various degrees since the main 6.0 earthquake. In addition to the 3.9 quake, a series of quakes near 3.0 were recorded near American Canyon around 6 a.m. local time.
At least 100 homes or businesses have been declared unsafe for human occupation as a result of the quake. The latest estimate on damage says it would take over $1 billion to return all property to normal.
Officials throughout the region are warning residents to be careful around damaged buildings that are not condemned because aftershocks could break off debris.
Seismologists say the smaller quakes are a good thing because as time goes on it lessens the possibility of a larger quake.
A massive 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Peru late Sunday night.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was downgraded from a 7.0 initial reading.
A spokesman for Peru’s fire agency said that they’d received a report of one house being completely destroyed and 19 other buildings. They said many residents fled their homes for large open areas because of the strength of the quake.
Minor damage was reported to 14 homes, three schools and at least one church on top of the 19 buildings seriously damaged.
Authorities said two major landslides had taken place in the aftermath of the quake and aftershocks. Officials are warning of more landslides as the aftershocks continue throughout the region.
A 6.0 earthquake around 3:30 a.m. rocked Northern California on Sunday morning leaving residents rushing into the streets and some older buildings no longer stable enough to live in.
The quake centered about 6 miles southwest of Napa. State Geologist John Parrish told residents the aftershocks would decrease in magnitude but that buildings that were damaged in the main quake are now susceptible to collapse from the aftershocks.
Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa reported 172 patients arrived at a triage tent set up after the quake and that 13 of the patients required immediate admittance to the hospital. Hospital spokesman Walt Mickens said that one patient is in critical condition while a 13-year-old boy was airlifted to another hospital in critical condition after his home’s fireplace fell on him.
Pacific Gas & Electric said that 2,200 customers were without power on Sunday evening. A total of 70,000 lost power at some point in the aftermath of the quake.
The quake is also a potential financial disaster for the region as many of the iconic wineries in the region were struck. One vineyard reported that their entire 2011 and 2012 vintages were destroyed in the collapse of a building.
Some analysts say the quake could foretell a more serious earthquake. There are concerns that the energy released by the Napa quake could increase pressure on other fault lines throughout the region.
Hawaii, preparing for the landfall of Hurricane Iselle, was struck with a 4.5 magnitude earthquake Thursday morning.
The quake struck just off the northwest tip of the big island at a depth of 7.9 miles. Hawaiian officials said there were no immediate reports of damage but that surveys were not a priority due to the pending arrival of Hurricane Iselle.
The hurricane is the first of two that could strike the islands before the end of the week. Hurricane Iselle will make landfall on the big island tonight around 8pm local time and Hurricane Julio could hit the islands two days later.
Forecasters say it’s possible that Julio will turn north and only the outer bands of the storm will strike the islands.
Hawaii has not been hit head-on by a hurricane in 22 years. Residents have been stocking up on supplies and boarding up homes. Water is reportedly being sold at multiple times regular price because of shortages throughout the islands.
A new map released by the federal government is showing that over half the U.S. is at greater risk for experiencing earthquakes.
The U.S. Geological Survey has updated the national seismic hazard maps for the first time since 2008. The new maps use research from the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami off the Japanese coast along with the 2011 earthquake that shook Virginia and caused significant damage to national monuments in Washington, D.C.
Parts of Washington, Oregon, Utah, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and Tennessee have moved into the top two hazard zones in the new map according to project chief Mark Petersen.
Sixteen states have all or part of their territory in the highest risk category: Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Most of the major regions are in the western part of the country, however, there is a major hazard area comprising of southeast Missouri, western Kentucky & Tennessee and eastern Arkansas.
While the islands of Japan are still dealing with a weakening Typhoon Neoguri, which continues to dump heavy rain across the country, they are now dealing with the fallout of a 6.8 magnitude earthquake.
A tsunami advisory was issued for the area with waves increasing up to a meter in height. Local officials say the currents in rivers and oceans have reached dangerous levels and are telling residents to stay out of the water.
The quake was centered about five miles deep and off the shore of Fukushima, the site of the catastrophic nuclear meltdown in 2011. No damage has been reported at the plant and no release of additional radiation beyond that which has been leaking for the last three years.
Most of Japan has been dealing with massive flooding from Typhoon Neoguri, which struck the island days ago with wind gusts over 155 miles per hour. Three people have been confirmed dead from the storm with hundreds injured. One of the dead was confirmed to be a 12 year boy who died when his home was buried in a mudslide.
A major earthquake woke up Mexico and Guatemala Monday morning, leaving at least four people dead.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck around 6:23 a.m. local time on the Pacific Coast about a mile from Puerto Madero on the Guatemalan border. The quake was initially measured at 7.1 but reduced to 6.9.
Two people died in the Guatemalan town of Pati when their home collapsed on them. A third was confirmed dead from a heart attack brought on by the stress of the quake. A wall in Huixtla crushed a man when a building collapsed.
Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina said on the radio that a newborn was killed when hit by a collapsing wall but emergency personnel did not confirm it.
Massive power outages have left most of Guatemala without electricity. Early reports had hundreds of homes with significant damage and utility poles down for hundreds of miles.
Morningside was shaken by 2.7 magnitude earthquake Wednesday night.
The quake, which struck around 10:15 p.m., was centered near Yellville, Arkansas, about 30 miles from Morningside. Friends and partners of the show who were on social media reported feeling their homes shake for a brief moment but there were no reports of damage.
Several witnesses said they could hear the rumbling outside of their homes similar to a truck on the highway or passing train.
The quake was the second to strike Arkansas in the last month. A magnitude 3.8 quake struck near Fairfield Bay, Arkansas on June 4th causing minor damage. The epicenter of that quake was about 50 miles from the Yellville quake.
A scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey said there is a possibility that a massive earthquake off the Alaskan coast Monday could be connected to an earthquake that struck hours earlier in New Zealand.
A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck shortly after noon pacific time near the largely uninhabited Kermadex Islands, northeast of the country’s North Island. The quake was followed by an aftershock of 6.3 minutes later. The Alaskan quake of magnitude 7.9 struck off the Aleutian Islands shortly before 2 p.m. pacific time.
“The timing of it is such that we call the surface waves, the waves that travel around the circumference of the earth, arrived about the time the earthquake occurred,” Oppenheimer said.
However, Oppenheimer said the strength of the Alaskan quake indicates that it would have likely happened within a short time if it was not triggered by the New Zealand quake.
“There is just so much stress relieved within an earthquake of magnitude 7.9,” he said.
The Alaskan quake triggered a small tsunami with waves about half a foot high. Seismologists attribute the low height to the 63 mile depth of the quake.
New Zealand was hit with a trio of strong quakes Tuesday morning. Two quakes, magnitude 6.9 and 6.3, struck within minutes of each other. The third, a 6.2 magnitude quake, struck about 45 minutes later.
