SOLAR WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Underway - Sun Erupts With Large Solar Prominence and Coronal Mass Ejections!

According to Space Weather, Sunspot 1429 is starting to decay as it turns away from Earth. The 'spot poses a declining threat for Earth-directed flares. However, the ongoing geomagnetic storm is still in progress.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM UNDERWAY: A moderate G2-class geomagnetic storm is underway following the arrival of a CME on March 12th at ~0930 UT. The CME's impact caused strong ground currents in Norway. At the same time, photographic Southern Lights were recorded over New Zealand and Tasmania. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: text, phone. - Space Weather.

FILAMENT AND PROMINENCE LIFTOFF: Today we have a very tightly compacted solar filament tube off the southeast limb. Filaments are large regions that contain very dense, cool gas, held in place by the Sun's magnetic field in the Photosphere Region. These Solar Filaments can sometimes last for several days or months. Filaments and Solar Prominences are the same type of event. This type of event is considered a prominence when it is located off the limb of the Sun and appears bright against the darkness of space. It is called a filament when the cooler gas inside makes it appear darker against the background of the Sun. UPDATE: A prominence lifted off in the southeast quadrant and a bright plasma cloud is seen racing away from the Sun. Because of the location, the expanding CME will not be directed towards the Earth. 

INCOMING SHOCK DETECTED / G2 GEOMAGNETIC STORM:  ACE detected an incoming shock this morning after 08:00 UTC. The Solar Wind jumped to near 600 km/s and a Geomagnetic Sudden Impulse measuring 96 nT was detected. A G2 Geomagnetic Storm (KP=6) is now in progress. Initially a CME impact was predicted for late tonight. The expanding cloud could have arrived much earlier than expected, or this shock may be unrelated. More information to follow.

ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 6
Threshold Reached: 2012 Mar 12 1155 UTC
Synoptic Period: 0900-1200 UTC
Active Warning: Yes
NOAA Scale: G2 - Moderate

SUMMARY: Geomagnetic Sudden Impulse
Observed: 2012 Mar 12 0921 UTC
Deviation: 96 nT
Station: Boulder

- Solar Ham.

WATCH: Large Prominence on the sun.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL & UFO MEMES: Photo-Journalist Films Flying Saucer Over Barrancabermeja - Footage Shown on Mainstream Television in Colombia!

The following video and text translation constitutes a news report from Colombia about flying saucers or unidentified flying objects (UFOs), captured on film by photojournalist Edgar Malagon. Malagon, was  working on a documentary in the ‘oil city’ of Barrancabermeja located in northeastern Colombia; when he saw the translucent objects in the sky.

Two unidentified flying objects were photographed when they were in the Barrancabermeja refinery. The photojournalist, Edgar Malagon, says that while on a photography work at the refinery in Barrancabermeja, his camera captured images of two UFOs that were in the vicinity of the oil complex.

Said the photographer of the mayor of Barrancabermeja, which at the time of the photographs of UFOs, was doing work for a documentary on the oil city of Colombia. He argued that the two UFOs flew over him at a distance no greater than one kilometer and the clouds. He said that the shape was oval, very perfect and they were going at high speed. [Translated]

WATCH: UFO over Colombia.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Heightened Seismic Activity at the Cleveland Volcano - Rocked by Second Explosion in Two Days!

An explosion rattled an Aleutian volcano Friday for the second time in two days and cloudy weather again prevented clear views of any ash emission, researchers said.

Smoke rises from Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutians on Aug. 8, 2011, in this aerial photo provided by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A brief explosion Wednesday night rocked Cleveland Volcano, 940 miles southwest of Anchorage on Chuginadak Island, and likely produced some airborne ash, a volcanologist said. The blast may have also removed or partially removed a lava dome growing in the volcano's summit crater. Instruments 60 and 90 miles away registered another short explosion at Cleveland on Friday, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. Satellites have not detected a high-level ash cloud, one that could pose a threat to trans-oceanic air travel, the observatory says.

As Cleveland remained restless, researchers kept an eye on a volcano closer to Anchorage: Iliamna Volcano, which hasn't erupted for 500 to 1,000 years. The Alaska Volcano Observatory raised its alert level for Iliamna on Friday due to increased seismic activity over recent months. A similar swarm of small earthquakes at the volcano, 140 miles from Anchorage, occurred in 1996 and 1997, the observatory says. Seismographs showed the heightened activity continued Saturday. - The News Tribune.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/03/10/2061718/aleutian-volcano-explodes-again.html#storylink=cpy

EXTRATERRESTRIAL & UFO MEMES: AREA 51 - America's Book of Secrets!

The Nevada desert is home to Area 51, one of the most famous secret spots in the United States and the subject of many conspiracy theories. What really goes on at this military testing ground?

It is one of the most covert military bases on American soil, protecting the nation's most confidential research and development. For decades, the highest levels of government had denied its existence. But behind the barbed wire fences and surveillance cameras are secrets...Go inside the most famous secret military base on Earth to expose the high-tech security, undercover operations, and most outrageous claims surrounding the 575 square miles of "restricted" space.

What actually goes on at Area 51? Is there a connection between Area 51 and the Roswell event of 1947? Could there be a secret subterranean city underneath the barren desert? Have the conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51 been a smokescreen for controversial military projects? While the government may never reveal what it's really hiding at Area 51, many believe it is a place where truth is stranger than fiction. - History Channel.

WATCH: AREA 51 - America's Book of Secrets.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Strong Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake Rattles Northwestern Kashmir!

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a strong 5.6 magnitude earthquake with a depth of 49.3 km hit northwestern part of Kashmir on March 12th, 2012 at 06:06 UTC. The European-Mediterranean seismological Centre (EMSC) reported it as a 5.7 magnitude earthquake with depth of 60 km. The quake was located at 36.796°N, 73.172°E.

The tremor had an epicentre with a distance of 141 km (87 miles) northwest of Gilgit, Kashmir; 154 km (95 miles) northeast of Chitral, Pakistan; 162 km (100 miles) southeast of Khorugh, Tajikistan; and 348 km (216 miles) north of Islamabad, Pakistan.

Based on the depth (49.3 km) and the epicentre location (preliminary),  this earthquake is moderately dangerous.  With moderate to maximum shaking for 9,000 people, and light shaking for 332,000. The biggest danger will come from landslides and rockfall. Additionally, the houses in the area are mostly build of stones and are very vulnerable. Koyo Zom is the highest peak in the Hindu Raj mountain range in Pakistan at 6872 m. The Hindu Raj mountain range lies between the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram ranges.

At 08:26:14 UTC, the same region was struck by another earthquake. This time, a magnitude 4.5.

WATCH: IBN's report on the tremor.

MYSTERY: Symbols of an Alien Sky, Man-Made or Natural Phenomena - The Latest UFO Sightings And Aerial Anomalies Around the World?!

Here are several of the latest unidentified flying objects (UFOs) seen recently across the globe.

Morrison, Colorado - 20th of February, 2012.

Russia - 8th of March, 2012.

Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil - 11th of March, 2012.

Sydney, Australia - 9th of March, 2012.

Ventura, California - 9th of March, 2012.

Bawsey Woods King's Lynn, United Kingdom - 8th of March, 2012.

Melbourne, Australia - March, 2012.

San Antonio, Texas - 3rd of March, 2012.

Fresno, California - 6th of March, 2012. 

BIG BROTHER NOW: The Emerging Global Police State - France Passes Law Paving The Way For Biometric Database For Citizens!

The passing of a new law in France paving the way for a biometric database and requiring all citizens to carry a biometric ID card is a time bomb for civil liberties, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has warned. On Tuesday, the French National Assembly passed a law for the creation of a national biometric database, ostensibly to fight identity fraud.

However, the EFF warns that biometric databases pose a mission-creep threat since the data can be used for reasons beyond identity fraud. It points out that governments are increasingly demanding storage of citizens' biometric data on chips embedded into identity cards or passports and centrally held on government databases, with little regard to citizens' civil liberties. The new laws compel the creation of an ID card that will contain information such as fingerprints, photograph, home address, height and eye colour. New passports will also contain the chip.  A second, optional chip will be created for online authentication for e-government services and e-commerce. EFF points out that France doesn't have a good track record for protecting biometric information - last year, the French government confirmed that 10pc of biometric passports in circulation were fraudulently obtained.

The EFF describes the new law as invasive and could bring undue interference into people's lives. It also warns the passing of the law is disproportionate and one motive could be to prop up French smart card and biometrics companies who have been lobbying heavily for the creation of a biometric ID card. “History has shown that databases in France created for one purpose have been used for others: In 1998, for example, France created a national DNA database of sex offenders, but its scope was expanded to include data from those convicted of other serious violent criminal offences and terrorism. The database was later expanded to include the data of those who committed a wide range of offences. Anyone suspected of any crime is now compelled to submit a DNA sample, as well.  “Moreover, the measure is non-proportionate, given that there are less than 10,000 annual instances of fraudulent identity documents reported in France. It is difficult to argue that this justifies fingerprinting and face digitisation of an estimated 45m individuals and storing this information in a central biometric database," the EFF railed. - Silicon Republic.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Mount Sakurajima Continues Its Record-Breaking Activity - Produces Explosive Plumes up to Altitudes of 10,000 Feet!

According to the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report from the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program,  Mount Sakurajima's explosive release of gas, ash or rock continues unabated.

Zoom-in image of the latest eruption from Mount Sakurajima.

Based on information from JMA, the Tokyo VAAC reported that during 29 February-7 March explosions from Sakura-jima often produced plumes that rose to altitudes of 1.2-3 km (4,000-10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NW, E, and SE. A pilot observed an ash plume on 5 March. Another pilot report on 6 March noted a plume drifting SE at an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l.

Geologic Summary: Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, is a post-caldera cone of the Aira caldera at the northern half of Kagoshima Bay. Eruption of the voluminous Ito pyroclastic flow was associated with the formation of the 17 x 23-km-wide Aira caldera about 22,000 years ago. The construction of Sakurajima began about 13,000 years ago and built an island that was finally joined to the Osumi Peninsula during the major explosive and effusive eruption of 1914. Activity at the Kita-dake summit cone ended about 4,850 years ago, after which eruptions took place at Minami-dake. Frequent historical eruptions, recorded since the 8th century, have deposited ash on Kagoshima, one of Kyushu's largest cities, located across Kagoshima Bay only 8 km from the summit. The largest historical eruption took place during 1471-76. - Weekly Volcanic Activity Report.

WATCH: Live Sakurajima camera.

EXTREME WEATHER: The Australian Weather Anomalies Continue - Perth Swelters Through Record Heatwaves as an Emergency Warning Has Been Issued for WA Bushfire!

Perth is sweltering through the eighth heatwave of the summer and autumn seasons, the first time such an event has happened since records started being kept in 1897.

The Bureau of Meteorology defines a heatwave as three consecutive days at or above 35 degrees Celsius. In the summer and autumn of 1977/78, Perth sweltered through seven heatwaves. It is also only the second time in recorded history there have been two heatwaves in Perth in March. The last time was in 1988. Another hot day is forecast for tomorrow with a maximum of 37 degrees. It is expected to cool down to the low 30s for the remainder of the week. - Yahoo.

Meanwhile, a fierce bushfire is threatening lives and homes in Western Australia's southwest, with authorities warning residents that they need to "act immediately to survive".

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) has issued an emergency warning for people northwest of Ellis Creek plantation in the area north, east, south and west of the Nannup-Balingup Rd from Wrights Bridge, east of Cundinup Rd, south of the Cundinup-Kirup Rd and north of Agg Rd in the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup. "You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes," the FESA statement said. Residents have been warned to leave now for a safer place if the way is clear, or be ready to defend their homes. - Herald Sun.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Land Subsidence Continues in China - 300 Metres of a High Speed Rail Track in Hubei Province Collapses After Heavy Rains!

Adding to the woes of China's beleaguered railway sector, a section of a new high-speed rail track in central China's Hubei province collapsed possibly due to persistent rains, prompting authorities to rush hundreds of workers for its repair.

A section of the Hanyi High-speed Railway collapsed after persistent rain on March 9. [China.org]

The Hanyi High-speed Railway, which links the provincial capital Wuhan and Yichang city, is expected to open in May. But part of it has already collapsed after test runs, amid persistent rains.

The roadbed of a 300-metre section rail in Qianjiang city collapsed on Friday.

Workers said that heavy rains in the past few days may have caused the problem, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

The 291-km Hanyi railway, constructed by the China Railway's 12th Bureau Group Co., will be a major high-speed rail in central China.

The Railways Ministry, which has been under fire for lax safety standards, has said it remained committed to high-speed rail.  - Times of India.