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Sun, 11 Apr 2021
The World for People who Think

Earth Changes


Clue to slow human bird flu jump

Scientists believe they may have discovered a reason why the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus cannot yet jump easily between humans.


Light quake strikes Quebec&#39;s Far North

MONTREAL (CP) - A light earthquake struck northern Quebec Wednesday afternoon.


Minor earthquake shakes Eureka area

EUREKA -- A minor earthquake shook parts of northwestern Montana Wednesday morning, but apparently caused no damage.

People reported pictures falling off walls, said Chrystal Stacy, a Eureka-area emergency services dispatcher. There were no injuries.


Bulusan volcano spews ash

SORSOGON CITY -- After being quiet for 11 years, Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon province, southeast of Manila, erupted late Tuesday night, spewing ash clouds as high as 1.5 kilometers into the sky and prompting government warnings to residents not to go near the volcano.

The Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported a steam-driven explosion from the summit of the 1,559-meter volcano at 10:58 p.m. on Tuesday. It lasted 20 minutes and was accompanied by an earthquake.


UN warns of worst mass extinctions for 65m years

Humans have provoked the worst spate of extinctions since the dinosaurs were wiped out 65m years ago, according to a UN report that calls for unprecedented worldwide efforts to address the slide.

The report paints a grim picture of life on earth, with declining numbers of plants, animals, insects and birds across the globe, and warns that the current extinction rate is up to 1,000 times faster than in the past. Some 844 animals and plants are known to have disappeared in the last 500 years.

Arrow Up

Methane gas leak responsible for Sago Mine Blast

Within hours of the Jan. 2 explosion at the Sago Mine that trapped and killed 12 men, some already believed lightning was the likely cause.

Powerful bolts had peppered nearby Buckhannon that morning, some striking close to the underground coal mine where two 13-man crews were just starting the day shift.

Two-and-a-half months later, the mine's owner said Tuesday it has evidence to prove the theory. Although it cannot fully explain how, International Coal Group Inc. officials said they believe electricity from above found some conduit into the earth, sparking methane gas that had accumulated in a worked-out, sealed-off chamber.


Canadian miners safely above ground after fire

TORONTO - A group of Canadian miners, trapped by a fire in a potash mine for 24 hours in central Canada, were finally brought to the surface after the mine was cleared of fire and smoke, a mine official said on Monday.

The fire, which broke out at 3 a.m. Central Standard Time early on Sunday at the mine in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, had forced 70 miners to rush to safety in emergency refuge rooms.

Comment: Comment: Another mine accident...

Cloud Lightning

Crews Rush to Reach Trapped West Virginia Miners

Tallmansville - A coal mine explosion that may have been sparked by lightning trapped 13 miners 260 feet below ground Monday, and rescuers went in to find them after waiting almost 12 agonizing hours for dangerous gases to clear.


Shifting Wind Worries Texas Firefighters

Firefighters said they were making progress Tuesday against a string of wildfires ravaging the dry Texas grassland, but the good news was tempered by a threat of shifting winds and the distress of evacuees returning to charred homes.

Wind-blown flames have raced across more than 1,000 square miles since Sunday, killed 11 people and forced about 1,900 others to evacuate.


Comet dust build-up? South Korea gets rare yellow snowfall

Seoul - South Koreans were treated to a rare weather phenomenon on Monday when yellow snow fell in the capital and elsewhere across the country.

But the snow -- containing dust or sand from the desert regions of northern China -- could pose a health hazard, the country's meteorological office warned.

"It's tough to say whether it's yellow sand mixed in snow or if it's snow mixed in yellow sand," a met official told Reuters.

A high concentration of the dust particles prompted the weather bureau to issue a yellow dust warning for the second time in three days.

South Korea frequently gets sand or dust storms, but a yellow snow storm is very rare.