Earthquake
swarms could indicate eruption near Nisyros, Greece
4
December, 2012
A
seismic swarm of 2000 micro-earthquakes near the island of Nisyros
since 24 November could indicate a start of a or coming of a volcanic
eruption near Nisyros.
The
quakes are located between the area of Simi Island (Greece) and the
Bozburun peninsula of SW of Turkey. Information is still scanty, but
seismic signals from this possible eruption are very similar to those
recorded from current volcanic eruptions.
If
an eruption is taking place, it would form a new submarine volcano
near Nisyros. No proof has yet been found to prove that an eruption
may be taking place.
Some
sources think the swarm may be tectonic (as the Aegean sea is very
seismically active).
The
island has a 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) to 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) wide
caldera, and was constructed within the past 150,000 years, with 3
separate eruptive stages, ranging from explosive and effusive
andesitic eruptions to effusive and extrusive dacitic and rhyolitic
activity. Its coasts are generally rocky or pebbled, but there are
also a few sandy beaches (mainly in the northeastern part).
The
volcano is currently active (but not erupting), and fumaroles are
found at the craters. It has had four historical eruptions, all of
which had a VEI of 2. Almost all of its eruptions involved phreatic
activity.
The
latest eruptive activity was a steam explosion in 1888, after small
ash eruptions in 1871 and 1873 and earthquakes are not infrequent. A
period of seismic unrest in 1996–1997 led an international team of
scientist to initiate monitoring of the volcanic unrest in the
European Union sponsored Geowarn project.
The
entire volcanic complex includes the seafloor between Nisyros and
Kos, the island of Gyali, and a part of Kos Island
Drenched
Northern California to get more rain
4
December, 2012
12:19PM
EST December 4. 2012 - SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Just as Northern
California residents recovered from a series of wet, windy storms,
another system on the way is expected to drench the area.
With
rain expected to start falling in far Northern California overnight
Tuesday, some areas could see up to 5 more inches of rain before the
storm moves out, the National Weather Service said.
The
rain could be especially heavy in areas north of Redding and across
the Sierra Nevada, meteorologist Dan Keeton said.
Still,
it should be nothing like the three previous downpours that dumped
between 15 to 20 inches of rain in some areas over the five-day
period that ended Sunday. Forecasters said the latest storm left the
area faster than expected.
"It's
going to be significant, but less impactful," Keeton said of the
coming rain. "There will be some isolated impact in certain
areas, but nothing as widespread compared to what we saw late last
week. This was a down payment on our winter water supply
accumulation."
Pacific
Gas & Electric crews were still working to restore power to about
5,700 users, down from the height Sunday of 57,000 in areas
stretching from Santa Cruz to Eureka and parts of the San Francisco
Bay area.
Three
powerful storms drenched the region within a week. In the high
Sierra, more than 5 feet of snow during the stretch forced the
closures of a major road and a secondary roadway through Yosemite
National Park, officials said Monday.
Both
roads typically close in the late fall when heavy snows arrive and
reopen when weather allow in the spring.
Sunday's
storm dropped as much as an inch of rain an hour in some areas while
toppling trees, bringing flash flooding to roadways and knocking out
power.
"I
think everybody got nervous last week," Keeton said. "These
storms came with plenty of warnings, but it rained so hard at times
that many were still left surprised by what Mother Nature can do."
Rivers
across Northern California swelled from the deluge but did not flood
as much as expected. Flood warnings had been issued for the Napa and
Russian rivers north of San Francisco, and for the Truckee River near
Lake Tahoe.
In
Napa, officials had handed out more than 8,000 sandbags and about 150
tons of sand, but the city appeared to avoid any major damage.
In
Nevada, rescue crews searched for a homeless man in Reno who
reportedly fell into the Truckee River from a limb Sunday night.
A
sudden shift in the weekend weather turned rain into snow, keeping
rivers and streams largely within their banks in Reno and Sparks,
Nev., and Truckee, Calif.
In
southern Oregon, the Coquille and Rogue rivers were both about 2 feet
above flood stage as a result of storms.
The
weather service said more rivers along the coast and inland in the
Willamette Valley could be flooded amid heavy rains.
A
Southern Oregon man was being held on $40,000 bail after being
charged with disorderly conduct and recklessly endangering rescuers
after a disagreement on whether to save his three boats that went
downstream, authorities said
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