Increased Seismic Activity Near Irazu Volcano in Costa Rica

The Observatory on Seismology and Volcanology of Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: OVSICORI) of the National University is monitoring a new earthquake cluster in the province of Cartago, not far from the Irazu volcano. According to an update by the OVSICORI geologists, more than 400 seismic disturbances ranging between one and three degrees on the moment magnitude scale have been detected over the last 14 hours in this cluster.

 

Costa Rica is known as a seismic country, but detecting more than 100 earthquakes on any given day is not very common.

 

The epicenter of these quakes, which have not stopped since before midnight on Friday, is in the vicinity of San Juan de Chicua, a farming community located about five kilometers to the northwest of the Irazu volcano, a major tourist attraction that has been subject to closures in the last several months due to ongoing landslides. The depth of these temblors ranges from one to five kilometers.

 

Neighbors of communities such as Cot, Llano Grande and Pacayas, which are located in northern Cartago, felt numerous quakes that did not allow them to sleep through the night. A resident of San Juan, who was interviewed by national news radio station Columbia 98.7 FM, explained that:

We felt two strong earthquakes about fifteen minutes after midnight. Later we felt smaller temblors, one after the other. You can first hear this sound coming from below right before the quake hits. Other times, the earth simply moves a bit and we don’t really feel it unless we hear the roof creaking above us. They’re still happening

In the past, the OVSICORI has detected earthquake clusters near the Irazu colossus, which is a sister volcano to the Turrialba, but none of them have presented this high grade of activity. Earth scientists at both the OVSICORI and the National Seismology Network of the University of Costa Rica are trying to determine if this cluster has any relation to the volcanic activity from the Irazu, but residents in nearby communities explain that they have not felt the vibration typically associated with volcanic temblors.

Courtesy of news.co.cr

http://goo.gl/c0PdqC

Two trains collide injuring over 200 in South Africa

A commuter-railroad crash outside Johannesburg Friday left 239 injured after a moving train plowed into a stationary train on the same track. There were neither critical injuries nor fatalities, according to Lillian Mofokeng, the Metrorail representative for the Gauteng province cited by the Associated Press Saturday. Most of the injured have returned home safely, with only eight remaining in hospital.

 

“We’re seeing things like soft-tissue injuries — and more serious issues like spinal injuries and fractures and breaks,” a representative of the ER24 paramedic service told BBC News. “The cause of the crash is currently under investigation … but we do know two trains collided and one was partially derailed.”

 

Both trains were on the way from the city center of Johannesburg to the nearby township of Soweto. The route is used frequently by commuters, who are being transported by bus at this time. The area is currently closed to the general public.

 

“We have managed to clear the scene, but technicians are still repairing the area,” Mofokeng said. It is still unclear why the accident happened, so an investigation will be conducted to determine its cause.

 

Initial reports indicated more than 300 had been injured, but that number has since been revised downwardly.

Courtesy of ibtimes.com

http://goo.gl/RyufQi

Snowfall forces road closure on Mauna Kea summit, Hawaii

While most of Hawaii experiences sweltering conditions this July, part of the Big Island might seem like winter after Mauna Kea got some snow overnight.

 

Officials have closed the road to the summit of Mauna Kea Friday after snow fell and caused icy road conditions. A ranger reported mixed rain and snow, fog and 1.5 inches of frozen snow on the summit.

 

It is not known when the road will reopen to the public.

 

No winter weather advisories have been posted at this time.

Courtesy of hawaiinewsnow.com

http://goo.gl/SYXyhc

QUAKE SWARM PUERTO RICO REGION

***VERY URGENT***

  QUAKE SWARM

PUERTO RICO REGION

***BE ALERT***

QUAKE SWARM SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS

***VERY URGENT***

 QUAKE SWARM

SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS

***BE ALERT***

MAGNITUDE 5.3 LUZON, PHILIPPINES

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20002ye0#general_summary

Subject To Change

Depth: 24 km

Distances: 15km (9mi) N of Claveria, Philippines
74km (46mi) NW of Aparri, Philippines
78km (48mi) NE of Laoag, Philippines
80km (50mi) NE of San Nicolas, Philippines
458km (285mi) N of Manila, Philippines

MAGNITUDE 2.6 NORTHERN TEXAS, USA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=451230

Subject To Change

Depth: 12 km

Distances: 12 km NW of Dallas, United States / pop: 1,197,816 / local time: 10:30:08.0 2015-07-18
5 km NE of Irving, United States / pop: 216,290 / local time: 10:30:08.0 2015-07-18

MAGNITUDE 2.6 TENNESSEE, USA

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=451208

Subject To Change

Depth: 4 km

Distances: 636 km S of Chicago, United States / pop: 2,695,598 / local time: 08:30:28.7 2015-07-18
226 km W of Nashville, United States / pop: 530,852 / local time: 08:30:28.7 2015-07-18
20 km SE of Tiptonville, United States / pop: 4,464 / local time: 08:30:28.7 2015-07-18
10 km W of Obion, United States / pop: 1,119 / local time: 08:30:28.7 2015-07-18

MAGNITUDE 5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.

http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=451207

Subject To Change

Depth: 54 km

Distances: 3860 km NE of Tokyo, Japan / pop: 8,336,599 / local time: 22:20:29.3 2015-07-18
4586 km NE of Pyongyang, North Korea / pop: 3,222,000 / local time: 22:20:29.3 2015-07-18
4602 km NE of Seoul, South Korea / pop: 10,349,312 / local time: 22:20:29.3 2015-07-18

MAGNITUDE 2.3 CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN REGION

Subject To Change

Depth: 10 km

 

Distances: Latitude, Longitude 27.7454 -18.0184