Week of 6/23/13 to 6/29/13

June 29, 2013 – SPACE - Launched 36 years ago, the Voyager 1 spacecraft speeds a rate of about a million miles a day entering a bizarre and mysterious region more than 11 billion miles from Earth that scientists are struggling to make sense of. It's a region where the fierce solar winds have all but vanished and pieces of atoms blasted across the galaxy by ancient supernovae drift into the solar system, the NASA probe is causing scientists to question some long-standing theories on the nature of our solar system and life beyond its cold dark edge dubbed the “magnetic highway” --a newly discovered area of the heliosphere, the vast bubble of magnetism that shields the solar system from deadly cosmic rays. Scientists had long envisioned this outermost layer of the solar systems, the heliosheath, to be a curved, distinct boundary separating the solar system from the rest of the Milky Way where three things would happen: The sun's solar winds would become quiet; galactic cosmic rays would bombard Voyager; and the direction of the dominant magnetic field would change significantly because it would be coming from interstellar space, not the sun. “The models that have been thought to predict what should happen are all incorrect,” said physicist Stamatios Krimigis of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Scientists had assumed when Voyager exited the heliosphere, the vast bubble of magnetism surrounding the solar system, solar winds would become still, galactic cosmic rays would bombard Voyager from every angle and the direction of the magnetic field would change because it would be coming from interstellar space, not the sun.

But the latest readings from Voyagers instruments support none of those suppositions, scientists said. Voyager has reported solar winds suddenly dropped by half, while the strength of the magnetic field almost doubled, and those values then switched back and forth five times before they became fixed. “The jumps indicate multiple crossings of a boundary unlike anything observed previously,” a team of Voyager scientists wrote in one a study. Voyager did detect the expected increase in galactic cosmic rays but found at times the rays were moving in parallel instead of traveling randomly. “This was conceptually unthinkable for cosmic rays,” Stamatios Krimigis, a solar physicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., told the Los Angeles Times. “There is no cosmic ray physicist I know who ever expected that they would not all be coming equally from all directions.” Whether Voyager 1 -- which launched in 1977 -- has truly left the solar system has been a matter of some debate, because scientists have come up with competing theories on what constitutes in outermost edge. “We're not free yet,” Krimigis said. “This is a new region that we didn't know existed. We have no road map, and we're waiting to see what's going to happen next.” –Daily Galaxy

June 29, 2013 – SPACE - EARTH-DIRECTED CME:  When the current spate of geomagnetic storms is over, another could follow close on its heels. A coronal mass ejection (CME), pictured below, is expected to deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field late on June 30th or early on July 31^st. The cloud was propelled in our direction during the early hours of June 28th when magnetic filaments around sunspot AR1777 erupted. The explosion registered approximately C4 on the Richter Scale of Solar Flares. Because the CME is not heading squarely toward Earth, there is still a chance that it will miss. Stay tuned for updates as the arrival time approaches. – Space Weather

June 28, 2013 – NICARAUGA - A new earthquake swarm started this morning, visible on INETER’s seismograms. Telica has six cones, the tallest of which is 1061 meters high. There is a double crater at the top, 700 meters wide and 120 meters deep. Telica has erupted frequently since the Spanish Era. The most recent eruption was in 2011. In terms of explosive force, Telica’s largest eruption has been rated with a VEI of 4. That eruption occurred in 1529. One of Nicaragua’s most active volcanoes, Telica has erupted frequently, and ash from those frequent eruptions keeps the slopes of its cone bare of vegetation.  –Volcano Discovery, Wikipedia

  

A trio of forces at play: A Supermoon, a geomagnetic storm from a CME, and the advent of the summer solstice- did these forces create a energy shift in planetary processes within Earth’s interior? Volcanoes across the planet have suddenly become more agitated.

June 28, 2013 – MEXICO - Seismic activity has picked up, suggesting that the volcano could be headed for more vigorous activity soon. SO2 emissions on NOAA recent satellite data have been relatively high as well. A magnitude 3.6 volcanic quake occurred on Tuesday night 23:57 local time and was located SE of the crater at 2 km depth. Over 3 hours of low frequency and short amplitude tremor were recorded. An earthquake swarms occurred yesterday as well and another one seems to have started an hour ago. The rate of small to moderate steam and ash explosions was reported to about 2 per hour during yesterday, with ash plumes reaching up to 1-2 km height above the crater. Ashfall has been reported at Tepetlixpa and Ecatzingo. On 25 June, with the support of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Navy of México, a reconnaissance flight over Popocatepetl´s crater was carried out. It could be observed that the inner crater has grown to 250 m in diameter and 60 m depth, as a result of the explosions of recent days. No other changes could be seen. (CENAPRED) – Volcano Discovery

MANILA, Philippines – Growing unrest is being reported at Taal Volcano in Batangas. The volcano appears to becoming more agitated. It has been shaken by 15 volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours. According to the Philippine Volcanic and Seismology (Phivolcs), there was also a slight increase of water level in the crater of the volcano. Ground deformation is also being reported on one flank of the volcano. A 6 km exclusion zone has been set up around the volcano to protect locals from any sudden, unexpected eruptions from the volcano. –Philstar

      

June 28, 2013 – ALASKA - Alaska volcano eruptions are entering a more powerful phase. After six weeks of Alaska volcano eruptions reaching five miles into the sky, covering nearby communities with ash and shutting down air flights, there looks to be no end. Alaska volcano eruptions 2013 started in May at the Pavlof Volcano, which is located about 590 miles southwest of the major city Anchorage, in the Alaska Peninsula. The most powerful phase of Alaska volcano eruptions started with low-level rumblings. According to scientists at the federal-state Alaska Volcano Observatory, the latest phase of Alaska volcano eruptions started late on Monday and continued through the night into Tuesday. The blasts emanate from the crater of a 8,261 foot volcano. Tina Neal, an geologist at the observatory said, “For some reason we can’t explain, it picked up in intensity and vigor.’ In May, Alaska volcano eruptions sent a smaller ash cloud 15,000 feet into the air. The ash was visible for miles. Residents were worried that it would damage power generators. The ash plume has so far topped of at an altitude of 28,000 feet, which is too low in the air to affect major air traffic.

      

June 28, 2013 – KAMCHATKA – Russia’s northernmost active volcano churned out ash to a height of up to 7,000 meters (almost 23,000 feet) in the country’s Far East, local Emergencies Ministry’s department reported on Friday. The 3,283-meter (10,771 feet) Shiveluch volcano increased activity in May 2009 and has been periodically spewing ash from three to ten kilometers. “Considering the direction and the force of wind, the cloud of ash moved to the southwest and dissipated without having reached residential areas,” the department said in a statement. Although the current eruption poses no immediate threat to nearby settlements, the ensuing ash fallouts could be hazardous to health and the environment. The clouds of volcanic ash could also pose threat to air traffic because the tiny particles cause problems with aircraft engine turbines. There are more than 150 volcanoes on Kamchatka and up to 30 of them are active. –RIA Novosti

           

June 27, 2013 – ARIZONA – Temperatures will be at full throttle later this week over the interior West, reaching dangerous levels, challenging records and elevating the wildfire threat. While many folks over the interior West are accustomed to and expect hot weather during the summer the developing pattern will take the heat to the extreme. In some cities record highs for any date throughout the year could be equaled or breached. The weather this week will favor an expanding area of sunshine and building heat over the West. As temperatures soar to record-challenging levels, dry fuel and the potential for spotty dry thunderstorms will push the wildfire threat to new areas and raise the risk in other locations. Once the pattern sets up, the heat wave will last through next week in many areas. Grassy and wooded areas that are green now may become dry fuel for fires as the atmosphere heats up. Cities that will experience record-challenging heat on a daily basis during the pattern into next week include Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver, Boise, Idaho, Rawlins, Wyo., –Accuweather

     

June 27, 2013 – CHINA - Shanghai health officials today reported another death from the H7N9 flu virus, in a man whose infection was first announced in early April and whose wife was among the first in the city to die from the disease. The 56-year-old man whose surname was Gu died early this morning, raising the number of outbreak fatalities in China to 40, according to a report from Xinhua, China’s state news agency. His case had been confirmed on Apr 11. The man’s 52-year-old wife died from an H7N9 infection on Apr 3, according to previous reports. Family-cluster infections aren’t surprising in outbreak settings and can result from common exposures or human-to-human contact. So far the man and his wife are the only known couple to be infected in the outbreak.  -CIDRAP

      

June 27, 2013 – SPACE – NASA said the 10,000th near-Earth object (NEO) has been discovered using the Pan-STARRS-1 telescope in Hawaii. Astronomers spotted asteroid 2013 MZ5 on the night of June 18, marking a significant milestone for the NEO search. The space agency said 90 percent of all NEOs discovered were first detected by NASA-supported surveys. “But there are at least 10 times that many more to be found before we can be assured we will have found any and all that could impact and do significant harm to the citizens of Earth,” said Lindley Johnson, program executive for NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program at NASA Headquarters, Washington. –Red Orbit

      

June 26, 2013 – ALASKA – Two Alaskan volcanoes that began minor eruptions weeks ago are showing their strongest seismic activity yet, emitting small amounts of lava and ash along with smoke plumes, the Alaska Volcano Observatory said Tuesday. The observatory warned of more vigorous activity with the Pavlof and Veniaminof volcanoes, both on the Alaskan Peninsula — though that will likely just mean more ash. Pavlof, a snow-covered, cone-shaped mountain, has been erupting since early May.  -CNN

      

June 26, 2013 – ARIZONA – A ridge of high pressure will cause elevated temperatures across most of the Western United States, from Arizona and California, northward to the US/Canada border.  This also may bring the first monsoon storms to the region as this abnormally large ridge of high pressure takes hold. It’s that time of the year again, where a hot desert meets the Summer. Temperatures in the 100s across Phoenix will turn to 115+, with 120+ along the Colorado River Valley as a ridge of high pressure builds in the area. This ridge will be very large, bringing temperatures 15-20 degrees higher than normal for Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah.   –Weather Space

      

June 25, 2013 – SINGAPORE - The National Environment Agency (NEA) has confirmed that the hail that some residents, particularly those living in the western parts of Singapore experienced, is not caused by the cloud seeding in Indonesia. It said in a briefing on Tuesday evening, that clouds do not travel that far and the clouds would be going in the wrong direction if it was related as the wind is currently blowing the haze away from Singapore. Asked if the hail was related to the haze, NEA would only say that it was a possibility but could not give a confirmation. It added that the heavy downpour on Tuesday afternoon was not toxic. Wednesday’s forecast was still likely to be “unhealthy” even though the current PSI reading is in the “moderate” range. This is because the PM2.5 reading is in the “unhealthy” range.

      

 

June 25, 2013 – MECCA – Saudi Arabia reported nine new MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) cases in the past 3 days, including six cases that were asymptomatic. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Jun 22 that two Saudi MERS cases that had been announced earlier were also asymptomatic. The Saudi and WHO reports offered the clearest evidence yet of such cases, which suggest the possibility that people can unknowingly carry and spread the virus.  –CIDRAP      

 

 

Storm systems growing more intense: A radar image of the storm complex that may have caused the East Coast tsunami

June 25, 2013 – NEW JERSEY - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says a 6-foot wave that hit the East Coast earlier this month was a rare tsunami. The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said the source of the wave is “complex and under review,” but they believe it was caused by a strong storm and perhaps even the “the slumping at the continental shelf east of New Jersey.” The weather service says that Brian Coen, who was spear fishing near Barnegat Inlet in New Jersey, saw the effect of the tsunami first hand. He told the weather service that he noticed an outgoing tide that lasted a couple of minutes and exposed rocks that had been submerged. That was followed by a big six-foot wave. The Asbury Park Press, which covers the Jersey coast, talked to Paul Whitmore, director of the tsunami center. He explained the weather system that moved through the area may have changed the air pressure enough to “generate waves that act just like tsunamis.” When that happens, the wave is called a ‘meteotsunami” — in other words a tsunami caused by meteorological conditions, not seismic activity.  -NPR                      

 

June 25, 2013 – INDIA - The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has begun a detailed study to analyze the possible threats of an underwater volcano near the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam, about 70km south of Chennai. Confirming the presence of an underwater volcano five weeks ago, an AERB reply to an RTI query said the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has also recommended an advanced study to figure out the status of the volcano, though initial investigations did not detect any significant geological signs.  –Times of India

      

June 25, 2013 – EQUATOR – There is no widespread tsunami threat after a 6.4 earthquake reported at 12:04 p.m. on Mon. June 24, 2013 in the Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The agency issued the notification saying the determination was based on historical earthquake and tsunami data. The quake was centered 772 miles ENE of Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana; 775 miles ENE of Cayenne, French Guiana; 778 miles ENE of Matoury, French Guiana; 786 miles ENE of Kourou, French Guiana; and 844 miles NNE of Salinopolis, Brazil, according to information compiled by the USGS. The USGS reports the earthquake was located at a depth of 6.2 miles and at the following coordinates: 10.726°N 42.616°W. – Maui Now

          

After weeks of relative calm, rocket attacks threatens to unravel fragile Israeli-Gaza peace truce. Islamic Jihad, the second-largest organization in the Gaza Strip, is riling over the killing of one of its activist by Hamas; escalating tensions along the border is its payback.

June 24, 2013 – ISRAEL - Israeli aircraft pounded targets in the Gaza Strip early Monday after rockets were fired at Israel from the territory, the military said, unsettling a tenuous cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The military said its aircraft struck two weapons storage facilities and a rocket launch site. No injuries were reported. Rocket fire from Gaza has declined since Israel carried out an eight-day military campaign last November in response to frequent attacks. An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire has largely held, but sporadic fire still persists. No militant group claimed responsibility for the rocket launch, but speaking on Army Radio, Israel’s chief military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai blamed the militant Islamic Jihad group. Islamic Jihad has occasionally fired rockets from Gaza in the past, challenging Hamas’ truce with Israel. Israel said it holds Hamas, which rules the coastal territory, ultimately accountable for the renewed fire. “Last night’s rocket attack is an intolerable act of aggression against Israel and its civilians. Hamas is held accountable for all acts of terrorism deriving from the Gaza Strip,” said another military spokesman, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a total of six rockets were fired at Israel overnight, causing no damage or injuries.  –ABC

      

June 24, 2013 – VIETNAM – Researchers have discovered a new virus in patients in Vietnam suffering from severe brain infections, a team of scientists reported today in mBio, the journal of the American Society for Microbiology.  The virus was detected in 28 of 644 patients who had severe brain infections and none of 122 patients who had non-infectious brain disorders, according to researchers at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Wellcome Trust South East Asia Major Overseas Program and the Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam. It’s tentatively called CyCV-VN and is part of a group of viruses known as Circoviridae known to circulate in animals such as birds and pigs, they said. “We don’t yet know whether this virus is responsible for causing the serious brain infections we see in these patients, but finding an infectious agent like this in a normally sterile environment like the fluid around the brain is extremely important,” Rogier van Doorn, head of emerging infections at the Wellcome Trust Vietnam Research Program and Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Vietnam, said in a statement. Brain infections can be fatal and may leave people who survive them with severe disabilities, the researchers said. Bacteria, parasites, fungi and viruses can cause the infections, though doctors can’t pinpoint the cause of more than half of them. The study was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the European Union and the Li Ka-Shing Foundation-University of Oxford Global Health Program.  –Bloomberg

      

June 24, 2013 – NEVADA – Nevada seismologists and emergency managers say they’re monitoring an earthquake swarm in Carson City that has the potential to result in a major temblor. But officials from the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, stress they can’t predict how the sequence of over 120 minor quakes that began June 1 will play out or if it will result in larger events. The largest quakes of the swarm have been one of magnitude-2.9 on June 5 and two of magnitude-2.8 on Thursday and June 16. While each has been followed by many smaller quakes, no injuries or major damage have been reported. UNR seismologists say based on past seismic activity in the region, the probability of larger quakes increases as sequences progress. They say the swarm is of concern because it may be associated with the Genoa Fault Zone, which is capable of producing major quakes of magnitude-7 or more. Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the nation behind California and Alaska. –LVS

 

June 24, 2013 – EGYPT - Egypt’s president has warned Ethiopia that “all options are open” in dealing with its construction of a Nile dam that threatens to leave Egypt with a dangerous water shortage. Speaking in a live televised speech before hundreds of supporters on Monday, Mohammed Morsi said Egypt was not calling for war, but it is willing to confront any threats to its water security. “If it loses one drop, our blood is the alternative,” he said to a raucous crowd of largely Islamist supporters that erupted into a standing ovation. Ethiopia’s $4.2 billion hydroelectric dam, which would be Africa’s largest, challenges a colonial-era agreement that had given Egypt and Sudan the lion’s share of rights to Nile water. Experts estimate that Egypt could lose as much as 20 percent of its Nile water in the three to five years needed for Ethiopia to fill a massive reservoir. Morsi’s speech reflected the importance of the Nile River to Egypt. It provides almost all of the fresh water to a country that is otherwise largely parched desert. As much as 85 percent of the Nile’s water comes from Ethiopia. “We are not calling for war, but we will not allow, at all, threats against our water security,” Morsi said before adding, all options are open. The great Nile is that which all our lives are connected to. The lives of the Egyptians are connected around it … as one great people,” Morsi told the crowd. Shifting his tone later in the speech, Morsi said that Egypt considered Ethiopia a “friend” and noted he had visited the country twice since taking office. He said his administration was in continuous dialogue with Ethiopia and Sudan to discuss water rights. –Al Jazeera

US agency says shallow, weak quake registers in NC

Published: June 24, 2013 

KINSTON, N.C. — Federal earthquake scientists say they registered a small earthquake in rural eastern North Carolina, but it was so weak nearly no one felt the shaking.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the earth shook Monday morning about three miles below the surface of the earth near the town of Deep Run, about eight miles southwest of Kinston. The agency says the shallow temblor was measured at a magnitude 2.1 that produced light shaking and no damage just after 7 a.m.
A quake of magnitude 2.5 to 3 is the smallest generally felt by people.
More than a million earthquakes occur in the world each year. Most strike remote regions or are so small they cannot be felt.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/06/24/2986294/us-agency-says-shallow-weak-quake.html#storylink=cpy