THE PRIEST CLASS OF THE MAGI: Precursors To The Fall Of Immoral Christian Dominionism And The Collapse Of FAILED White Supremacy Paradigm - International Arrest Warrant To Be Issued Against Pope Francis I For Inciting Criminality And Treason; Vatican And Roman Catholic Church Declared As Transnational Criminal Organizations!

July 21, 2013 - BELGIUM - On July 20, Pope Francis formally and publicly incited criminal behaviour among all Roman Catholics by prohibiting the reporting of child abuse within his church, and threatening excommunication against those who speak about such abuse.

Few eyebrows were raised last week when Pope Francis brought the Vatican’s legal system up to date by criminalizing leaks of official information and formalizing laws against sex crimes. But now that the laws have been made public, a closer look revealed that the pope has made it illegal to report sex crimes against children.

According to the new laws, revealing or receiving confidential Vatican information is now punishable by up to two years in prison, while newly defined sex crimes against children carry a sentence of up to twelve years. Because all sex crimes are kept confidential, there is no longer a legal way for Vatican officials to report sex crimes.

“We didn’t mean for this to happen, obviously,” lamented Vatican foreign minister Monsignor Dominique Mamberti. “It’s quite the papal pickle that His Holiness has placed upon our heads. Sex crimes are more illegal than ever, but technically it’s illegal to report them.” Mamberti said that the simultaneous passing of each law is merely a coincidence and insisted that the Church is not trying to protect itself against further embarrassment, but critics outside the Vatican are skeptical.

(Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

“They know exactly what they’re doing,” claims Fabrizio Perona of Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper. “They just thought nobody would notice. The Church wants to impress the world by getting tough on sex crimes, but they criminalized leaks, which is the only way anybody would ever discover their crimes. It’s genius, if you stop and think about it.”

Mamberti says plans are already being made to eliminate the loophole, but change often comes slowly to antiquated Vatican law, which is based on the 1889 Italian code. “We’re not going to let a dangerous law like this stand, but people need to understand that this is the Vatican, and there is a process here. Voting, incense, prayer. We ask the minors at risk to please be patient with us.”

Fortunately, only clergy and lay people who live and work in Vatican City are subject to the new legislation, which differs from the canon law governing the universal Catholic Church.

As the Holy See moves to clarify the law, Mamberti has warned would-be offenders within Vatican walls that they “are still subject to the most watchful eye of all: the eye of God. His judgment is greater than—oh, who am I kidding? For now, there is nothing we can do.” - NewsLo.

By his action, the Bishop of Rome, Jorge Bergoglio, faces arrest and indictment as the head of a Criminal Organization, under terms of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Criminal Organizations (2000).

“Pope Francis is telling every Catholic in the world to break the laws of their own country and give aid and comfort to child rapists. That’s not simply a grossly immoral act but a war crime, since he’s attacking the laws and sovereignty of other nations, and threatening the safety of their people” commented George Dufort, the Belgian-based Secretary of the International Common Law Court of Justice, which successfully prosecuted former Pope Benedict and other Vatican officials last February.

In response to Bergoglio’s statement, the ITCCS has today released the following plan of action to its affiliates in twenty one countries, including Italy:

1. The ITCCS Central Office has applied for a Bench Warrant from the Prosecutor’s Office of the International Common Law Court of Justice, for the immediate arrest of Jorge Bergoglio and his associates on a charge of high treason, war crimes and a criminal conspiracy against humanity and the Law of Nations. Jorge Bergoglio and his associates are to be immediately detained and brought to public trial for these crimes, under the auspices and authority of the Law of Nations and The International Common Law Court of Justice.

2. On Sunday, August 4, 2013, a Global Proclamation will be issued, declaring the Roman Catholic Church to be a Transnational Criminal Organization under the law, and ordering its active disestablishment, including by seizing its funds and property, and arresting its officers and clergy: actions authorized against criminal bodies by the aforementioned United Nations Convention.

3. Members and clergy of the Roman Catholic Church are hereby ordered to refrain from funding or participating in the Church of Rome, on pain of arrest as associates of a Criminal Organization. The public is encouraged to assist in the seizure of Roman Catholic church wealth and property in accordance with international law.

This Statement is issued in twelve languages and will be enacted in twenty one countries, including in Italy and at the Vatican as part of the International Convergence and Reclamation planned for September 20-22, 2013 in Genoa and Rome.

Issued by ITCCS Central, Brussels

21 July, 2013

See the evidence of Genocide in Canada and other crimes against the innocent at www.hiddennolonger.com and at the websites of The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State at www.itccs.org and www.itccs.tv .

An International, multi-lingual ITCCS site can be found at: http://kevinannettinternational.blogspot.fr/

The complete Common Law Court proceedings of Genocide in Canada are found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvhfXAd08TE – Common Law Court Proceedings – Genocide in Canada  (Part One) – 1 hr. 46 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPKFk_L7y9g – Common Law Court Proceedings – Genocide in Canada  (Part Two) – 1 hr. 47 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ormOIlOi4Vc – Final Court Verdict and Sentencing – 8 mins. 30 secs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IylfBxm3sMg – Authorizations and Endorsements of ITCCS/Kevin Annett by indigenous eyewitnesses – 10 mins.

–

See the evidence of Genocide in Canada and other crimes against the innocent at www.hiddennolonger.com and at the websites of The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State at www.itccs.org and www.itccs.tv .


An International, multi-lingual ITCCS site can be found at: http://kevinannettinternational.blogspot.fr/

The complete Common Law Court proceedings of Genocide in Canada are found at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvhfXAd08TE – Common Law Court Proceedings – Genocide in Canada  (Part One) – 1 hr. 46 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPKFk_L7y9g – Common Law Court Proceedings – Genocide in Canada  (Part Two) – 1 hr. 47 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ormOIlOi4Vc – Final Court Verdict and Sentencing – 8 mins. 30 secs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IylfBxm3sMg – Authorizations and Endorsements of ITCCS/Kevin Annett by indigenous eyewitnesses – 10 mins. - ITCCS.


Read more on the crimes of the Vatican HERE.

DISASTER IMPACT: Powerful 6.9 Quake Strikes New Zealand - Video Footage Show Damage To Wellington Parliament And The Tremor Effect On Swimming Pools, Shops, And Streets! UPDATE: Geophysics Professor Predicts Large Quakes Will Continue For Some Time - No One Can Say How Long?!

July 21, 2013 - NEW ZEALAND - A large 6.9 earthquake has hit central New Zealand, sending people diving for cover in the capital of Wellington. The quake was felt widely across the country.

Geonet said it was centred in the Cook Strait, 20 kilometres east of Seddon at a depth of 17 kilometres. It struck at 5.09 pm (3.09pm AEST).

The New World supermarket in Blenheim, on New Zealand's south island, is closed after the earthquake.© Emma Allen/Fairfax NZ

It is the latest in a sequence of major earthquakes that have been hitting Wellington and wider areas around central New Zealand since Thursday.

Quakes measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale, 5.5 and 6.9 have all hit the Wellington area.

The most recent series of major quakes at the city on notice early this morning.

In the latest to strike this evening, there have been reports of considerable minor damage around the capital but there were no initial reports of injuries.

A police spokesman said while there were lots of reports of broken windows and power lines down, but there were no reports of deaths or major property damage. The Pacific Tsunami Center in Hawaii said the quake did not generate a tsunami.

Mackenzie Presten, 10, with caregiver Anthony Mills, ducks for cover at the ASB sports centre in
Kilbirnie during the earthquake.  © Craig Simcox/Fairfax NZ

A Wellington Airport spokeswoman said the airport would be closed until about 7pm because of fears its navigational aid equipment had been damaged by the quake.

Some flights were being diverted to Palmerston North in the interim.

The runway was assessed between 5.30pm and 6pm and no damage was found, she said.

As of 6pm, the only cancellation was a flight due to arrive in Wellington from Auckland at 7pm.

A Wellington City Council building being cordoned off after the earthquake.© Maarten Holl/Fairfax NZ

A Geonet map showing the epicentres of some of the earthquakes that shook New Zealand on Sunday.

A spokesman for the NZ Transport Agency said an initial damage report of state highways in the quake zone was done and no damage or blockages were found.

The agency would carry out more detailed inspections tomorrow, he said.

Images of damage have been posted on Twitter.

The Fire Service has cordoned-off part of the Civic Square in Wellington, as water gushes from a quake-damaged building.

© Alfonso Bezanilla

© Felix Marwick

Part of the square underneath the over bridge was shut by 5.45pm tonight after water started flowing out of the side of the fourth storey of the Wellington Library.

Flynn O'Leary, who was working security for Wellington City Council at the square, said it appeared Sunday afternoon's 6.9 magnitude quake had ruptured pipes inside the building. It was not immediately clear whether there was a risk of a connected overbridge collapsing.

The latest 6.9 quake gave a "severe roll" that has cut power in parts of Wellington.

A Wellington Electricity spokesman said there were currently power outages in Karori and parts of Wainuiomata. He estimated about 3500 customers were without power following the quake.

Parts of the Beehive and Parliament have suffered damage.

 Broken bottles litter the floor of a wine and spirits store following a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Wellington
Photo: EPA.

Tranz Metro advised that all train services to and from Wellington had been cancelled until further notice. Buses had been arranged, but would be limited.

Other parts of New Zealand have also been hit with people feeling the earthquake in Nelson, Palmerston North and other urban areas in the North and South Island.

Martinborough resident Ray Lilley said the quake shook the property for at least 40 seconds in a series of waves that rocked the house, causing it to rise and fall half a dozen times.

In Blenheim people had come out onto the streets.

Seddon is without power.


WATCH: Powerful quake damage Wellington Parliament.

WATCH: First moments after the quake hit.

The drama seems to have begun early Sunday morning as a swarm of earthquakes began in the Cook Strait.

On Friday, the country's biggest quake of recent months, a magnitude 5.7 event centred in Cook Strait at a depth of 8km, frightened Marlborough and Wellington residents. A second quake of 4.5 magnitude followed hours later.

GNS Science spokesman John Callan said there were several active faults under the seabed in Cook Strait.

Seismologists said post-seismic deformation in Canterbury was quite different from "slow-slip" or "silent" quakes that have been happening in parts of the North Island, such as Poverty Bay, Hawke's Bay and offshore of the Kapiti Coast, over the past decade. - SMH.

Geophysics Professor Predicts That Large Quakes Are Likely To Continue In New Zealand. 

Professor Euan Smith.

"Earthquakes are likely to continue near Wellington for some time – no-one can say how long," says Victoria Univesity geophysics professor Euan Smith in the wake of 5.8 and 6.9 quakes that struck the capital today.

"Some of them could be as large, or larger, than the ones we have just had."

Therefore, anyone with property or possessions which are vulnerable to being knocked over or down and damaged should take steps to secure them, Prof Smith says.

GNS' GeoNet unit weighed in with "Statistical analysis of the sequence to date provides estimates of the probability of future earthquakes in central New Zealand. GNS Science estimates that in the coming week there could be up to nine magnitude 5.0 or greater events, with an approximately 30% probability (a 1 in 3 chance) of a magnitude 6.0 or greater. The most likely period for this to occur is the next 24 hours, when the probability is approximately 20% (a 1 in 5 chance)."

Earthquakes less than magnitude 7.0 do not usually generate a tsunami, GeoNet says.

"However, it is possible for undersea landslides triggered by earthquake shaking to produce a tsunami. The impact of these types of tsunami is usually confined to the coastline close to the earthquake epicentre, and would reach the coast within 10 to 20 minutes following the earthquake."

Prof Smith adds, “Few events in the natural world are unprecedented.  While Wellingtonians reflect on the latest reminders that we all live in a dynamic place, they may be interested to know that something very similar happened in January 1950.

“Then, between January 6 and about January 28 more than 30 earthquakes above magnitude 3 occurred in Cook Strait, about 50 km north and slightly further west than the current quakes.  This swarm featured four earthquakes above magnitude 5, between January 7 and 21.  We have so far had two of magnitude greater than 5, on Friday and this morning (Sunday, 21 July2013), accompanied by numerous smaller ones.

“These two larger earthquakes are scientifically interesting because of their faulting type.  Fault types can be inferred from the way in which earthquakes radiate waves all around the world.  The USGS Earthquake Information Centre uses these waves to estimate the location, depth and faulting type.

“Their models show that our two bigger ones resulted from the squeezing of Wellington in the boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates.Their depths are consistent with them occurring on the boundary surface between the Pacific plate, which is sinking northwestwards under the North Island and northern South Island, and the overlying Australian plate.” - NBR.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Global Volcano Report For July 21, 2013 - Japan's Sakurajima Volcano Erupts With Frequent And Strong Ash-Rich Explosions; Strombolian Activity, Lava Flow And Moderate Explosions At Ecuador's Tungurahua And Reventador Volcanoes!

July 21, 2013 - WORLDWIDE VOLCANOES - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.

Eruption of Sakurajima just before midnight 20-21 July (local time).

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The volcano continues to produce relatively frequent and strong ash-rich explosions, but activity has decreased a bit compared to previous days.

During last night, it had long-lasting (up to 1-2 hours) phases of continuous ash emissions of various intensity, with dense plumes up to about 500 m height, but completely silent and with no visible incandescence. During other phases, it was emitting a small plume of vapour with some dilute ash.

Explosions occurred at intervals of 1-10 hours, producing large ash plumes, but ejecting relatively few bombs. Small lightnings could be seen in the eruption plumes.


WATCH: Explosive eruptions at Sakurajima.

Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity both at the surface and internal remains at moderately high levels. Since the large vent-clearing vulcanian explosion on 14 July, the volcano has been producing strong strombolian activity and near-continuous ash emissions.

This is accompanied by numerous long-period (LP) earthquakes and an elevated output of SO2 (3000 tonnes per day), as well as inflation at the northern flank in combination with weaker deflation of an area SW of the volcano (where the source of the magma might be located at about 2 km depth).

On the night of 18 July, incandescence was seen at the crater and incandescent blocks were ejected and rolled down the flank for about 500 meters.

Current seismic recording at Tungurahua (RETU station, IGPEN).

Ashfall was reported in the Choglontus sector, with the ash being dark gray to black in color, which is indicative of juvenile (fresh, from new magma) ash.

Loud gunfire explosion sounds and rockfalls can be heard from the Runtún area. During windows of clear weather, an eruption plume of about 1000 m height could be seen above the volcano, drifting SW.

The observed activity indicates the presence of a new magma body in the upper conduit which feeds the present activity. It is likely that this will continue in the short term, with a possibility to increase if new magma is being ejected at depth. IGEPN assumes the most likely scenario is a continuation of moderate strombolian activity with moderate explosions ejecting varying amounts of ash and blocks that could affect the populations located in the vicinity of the volcano, in the direction of the prevailing winds. It seems less likely on the other hand, that the current eruption evolves into a more violent activity, which would require more magma input from a deeper source.

However, as happened in the past, the possibility of pyroclastic flows (but likely smaller than those from 14 July) cannot be rules out, and these could threaten areas on the lower slopes where farming activities are being conducted.

Another significant hazard are mud flows (lahars) that can be caused by mixing rain water with loose ash and block deposits. Areas particular at risk include stream valleys near Banos, Penipe and the sectors of the Pampa and Vascún.



Reventador (Ecuador): Effusive and explosive activity at the surface as well as seismicity have continued to increase. A lava flow is traveling from the summit crater on the southern side towards the SE flank and there are numerous small explosions which create ash plumes of up to about 1 km height.

Explosion from Reventador on 19 July. The red rectangle marks the lava flow (IGPEN).

Drumbeat seismic signal from Reventador on 12 July (IGPEN).

In its latest special report, IGPEN summarizes the evolution since 12 July as follows:

- 12 July: so-called drumbeats seismic signal, typical for magma ascent, followed by signals of rockfalls - this is likely the start of the lava flow.

- 13 July: an explosion and few long period (LP) tremors (typical for fluid movements)

- 14 July: low activity

- 15 July: more explosions and LP quakes as well as a strong pulse of tremor (continuous vibration)

- 16 July: numerous LP quakes and volcanic tremor, few explosions

- 17 July: starting at 10:30 (local time), a series of small and moderate explosions starts, accompanied by LP quakes.

- 18 July: LP quakes, tremor and explosions.


- Volcano Discovery.

PLANETARY TREMORS: The Pacific Ring On Fire - Powerful 6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Cook Strait, New Zealand!

July 21, 2013 - NEW ZEALAND - The New Zealand capital Wellington was rattled by a strong magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Sunday that broke water mains, smashed windows and downed power lines.

USGS earthquake location.

Wellington Police Inspector Marty Parker said there had been minor structural damage that had left parts of the city without power. There have been no reports of injury and no tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck under the Cook Strait 35 miles southwest of Wellington. It was 6 miles underground.

USGS earthquake location.

The quake could be felt hundreds of kilometers away in the center of New Zealand's North Island.

Parker said the quake struck near nightfall. A more complete picture of the damage would emerge in the morning, he said.

New Zealand is part of the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire" that receives regular seismic activity. A severe earthquake in the city of Christchurch in 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed much of the city's downtown. That earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3; however, the epicenter was located just 6 miles southeast of the city. - FOX News.

USGS earthquake shakemap intensity.

Tectonic Summary

The July 21, 2013 Mw 6.5 earthquake in Cook Straight, ESE of Blenheim, New Zealand, occurred as a result of oblique thrust faulting on or near the plate boundary between the Pacific and Australia plates. At the latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific plate is converging with Australia, moving westward at a rate of approximately 43 mm/yr, and is beginning a complex transition from Pacific plate subduction along the Hikurangi Trench to the north, to transform faulting along the Alpine Fault system and its associated structures to the south west. The depth and faulting mechanism of this earthquake are consistent with this tectonic transition.

The July 21 earthquake is the latest in a sequence of moderate earthquakes in the same region over the preceding two days, which began on July 18 2013 with a M 5.3 event approximately 25 km to the northwest, and continued with a M 5.8 event on July 20, just to the northeast of the July 21 earthquake. A number of smaller shocks occurred in the same area over the intervening period, and several dozen aftershocks of Magnitude less than 5 had been recorded by the New Zealand national network, GeoNet, within 2 hours of the mainshock. Many of these earthquakes align on an approximate NE-SW trend between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Historically, this region has hosted several large earthquakes, including the M 7.5 1848 Marlborough event a few tens of kilometers to the northwest of the July 21 earthquake, and the M 8.2 1855 Wairarapa event, some 80 km to the northeast.

Seismotectonics of the Eastern Margin of the Australia Plate

The eastern margin of the Australia plate is one of the most sesimically active areas of the world due to high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates. In the region of New Zealand, the 3000 km long Australia-Pacific plate boundary extends from south of Macquarie Island to the southern Kermadec Island chain. It includes an oceanic transform (the Macquarie Ridge), two oppositely verging subduction zones (Puysegur and Hikurangi), and a transpressive continental transform, the Alpine Fault through South Island, New Zealand.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

Since 1900 there have been 15 M7.5+ earthquakes recorded near New Zealand. Nine of these, and the four largest, occurred along or near the Macquarie Ridge, including the 1989 M8.2 event on the ridge itself, and the 2004 M8.1 event 200 km to the west of the plate boundary, reflecting intraplate deformation. The largest recorded earthquake in New Zealand itself was the 1931 M7.8 Hawke's Bay earthquake, which killed 256 people. The last M7.5+ earthquake along the Alpine Fault was 170 years ago; studies of the faults' strain accumulation suggest that similar events are likely to occur again.

North of New Zealand, the Australia-Pacific boundary stretches east of Tonga and Fiji to 250 km south of Samoa. For 2,200 km the trench is approximately linear, and includes two segments where old (greater than 120 Myr) Pacific oceanic lithosphere rapidly subducts westward (Kermadec and Tonga). At the northern end of the Tonga trench, the boundary curves sharply westward and changes along a 700 km-long segment from trench-normal subduction, to oblique subduction, to a left lateral transform-like structure.

Australia-Pacific convergence rates increase northward from 60 mm/yr at the southern Kermadec trench to 90 mm/yr at the northern Tonga trench; however, significant back arc extension (or equivalently, slab rollback) causes the consumption rate of subducting Pacific lithosphere to be much faster. The spreading rate in the Havre trough, west of the Kermadec trench, increases northward from 8 to 20 mm/yr. The southern tip of this spreading center is propagating into the North Island of New Zealand, rifting it apart. In the southern Lau Basin, west of the Tonga trench, the spreading rate increases northward from 60 to 90 mm/yr, and in the northern Lau Basin, multiple spreading centers result in an extension rate as high as 160 mm/yr. The overall subduction velocity of the Pacific plate is the vector sum of Australia-Pacific velocity and back arc spreading velocity: thus it increases northward along the Kermadec trench from 70 to 100 mm/yr, and along the Tonga trench from 150 to 240 mm/yr.

The Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone generates many large earthquakes on the interface between the descending Pacific and overriding Australia plates, within the two plates themselves and, less frequently, near the outer rise of the Pacific plate east of the trench. Since 1900, 40 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded, mostly north of 30°S. However, it is unclear whether any of the few historic M8+ events that have occurred close to the plate boundary were underthrusting events on the plate interface, or were intraplate earthquakes. On September 29, 2009, one of the largest normal fault (outer rise) earthquakes ever recorded (M8.1) occurred south of Samoa, 40 km east of the Tonga trench, generating a tsunami that killed at least 180 people.

Across the North Fiji Basin and to the west of the Vanuatu Islands, the Australia plate again subducts eastwards beneath the Pacific, at the North New Hebrides trench. At the southern end of this trench, east of the Loyalty Islands, the plate boundary curves east into an oceanic transform-like structure analogous to the one north of Tonga.

Australia-Pacific convergence rates increase northward from 80 to 90 mm/yr along the North New Hebrides trench, but the Australia plate consumption rate is increased by extension in the back arc and in the North Fiji Basin. Back arc spreading occurs at a rate of 50 mm/yr along most of the subduction zone, except near ~15°S, where the D'Entrecasteaux ridge intersects the trench and causes localized compression of 50 mm/yr in the back arc. Therefore, the Australia plate subduction velocity ranges from 120 mm/yr at the southern end of the North New Hebrides trench, to 40 mm/yr at the D'Entrecasteaux ridge-trench intersection, to 170 mm/yr at the northern end of the trench.

Large earthquakes are common along the North New Hebrides trench and have mechanisms associated with subduction tectonics, though occasional strike slip earthquakes occur near the subduction of the D'Entrecasteaux ridge. Within the subduction zone 34 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded since 1900. On October 7, 2009, a large interplate thrust fault earthquake (M7.6) in the northern North New Hebrides subduction zone was followed 15 minutes later by an even larger interplate event (M7.8) 60 km to the north. It is likely that the first event triggered the second of the so-called earthquake "doublet". - USGS.

MASS FISH DIE-OFF: Hundreds Of Dead Stingrays Wash Ashore In Veracruz - Perplexed Mexican Authorities Are Investigating The Mysterious Event?!

July 21, 2013 - MEXICO - Mexican authorities are investigating the death of at least 250 stingrays found on a beach of the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

Stingray carcasses litter the shore of the Chachalacas beach near the town of Ursulo Galvan on Mexico's Gulf Coast, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Mexican authorities are investigating the death of at least 250 stingrays. Ursulo Galvan Mayor Martin Verdejo says witnesses told authorities fishermen dumped the stingrays on the beach because they weren't able to get a good price for them. Chopped stingray wings are commonly served as snacks in Veracruz restaurants. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Residents and visitors first spotted the dead rays Tuesday on the Chachalacas beach in the town of Ursulo Galvan and posted photos on social media.

Ursulo Galvan Mayor Martin Verdejo says witnesses told authorities fishermen dumped the stingrays on the beach because they weren't able to get a good price for them.

Stingray carcasses litter the shore of the Chachalacas beach near the town of Ursulo Galvan on Mexico's Gulf Coast, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Mexican authorities are investigating the death of at least 250 stingrays. Ursulo Galvan Mayor Martin Verdejo says witnesses told authorities fishermen dumped the stingrays on the beach because they weren't able to get a good price for them. Chopped stingray wings are commonly served as snacks in Veracruz restaurants. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Stingray carcasses litter the shore of the Chachalacas beach near the town of Ursulo Galvan on Mexico's Gulf Coast, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Mexican authorities are investigating the death of at least 250 stingrays. Ursulo Galvan Mayor Martin Verdejo says witnesses told authorities fishermen dumped the stingrays on the beach because they weren't able to get a good price for them. Chopped stingray wings are commonly served as snacks in Veracruz restaurants. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

A stingray carcass lays on the shore of the Chachalacas beach near the town of Ursulo Galvan on Mexico's Gulf Coast, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Mexican authorities are investigating the death of at least 250 stingrays. Ursulo Galvan Mayor Martin Verdejo says witnesses told authorities fishermen dumped the stingrays on the beach because they weren't able to get a good price for them. Chopped stingray wings are commonly served as snacks in Veracruz restaurants. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Beachgoers walk past stingray carcasses on Chachalacas beach near the town of Ursulo Galvan on Mexico's Gulf Coast, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. Mexican authorities are investigating the death of at least 250 stingrays. Ursulo Galvan Mayor Martin Verdejo says witnesses told authorities fishermen dumped the stingrays on the beach because they weren't able to get a good price for them. Chopped stingray wings are commonly served as snacks in Veracruz restaurants. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

Food vendor Adriana Loredo says she was at the beach when she saw fishermen dumping the rays from their nets.

Chopped stingray wings are commonly served as snacks in Veracruz restaurants. - Huffington Post.

GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS: Rising Food Prices And Social Unrest - NECSI Report Predicts World Will Reach Its Food Price Threshold In August 2013!

July 21, 2013 - EARTH - In August 2011, Marco Lagi, Yaneer Bar-Yam, and K.Z Bertrand released a report through the New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI).

The report, "The Food Crises and Political Instability in North Africa and the Middle East," reveals a link between the background trend of rising global food prices and riots around the globe using data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Food Price Index.

A recent report highlights the connection between food price increases and social unrest.
© New York Times

"When you have food prices that peak, you have all these riots. But look under the peaks, at the background trend. That's increasing quite rapidly, too," said Yaneer Bar-Yam, president of NECSI, in an interview with Wired Science. "In one to two years, the background trend runs into the place where all hell breaks loose."

Social unrest, the NECSI report explained, often reflects severe cases of poverty, unemployment, and injustice. While food prices might not be the primary cause of protests, it provides a platform for populations to revolt.

"When the ability of the political system to provide security for the population breaks down, popular support disappears.

Conditions of widespread threat to security are particularly present when food is inaccessible to the population at large," said Bar-Yam.
"All support for the system and allowance for its failings are lost.

The loss of support occurs even if the political system is not directly responsible for the food security failure, as is the case if the primary responsibility lies in the global food supply system."

In February 2011, the World Bank released a Food Price Watch report that determined over 44 million people worldwide were being driven to starvation by rising global food prices. The U.S. Department of State recorded over 60 riots around the world between 2008 and 2011, including parts of northern Africa, the Middle East, Tunisia and Egypt.

The NECSI report analyzes where background trends of food prices and statistical points of social unrest meet, or where social turmoil is most likely.

An article in The New York Times names four reasons for the upward trends in prices: weather, higher demand, smaller yields, and crops diverted to biofuels.

The Food Crises and Political Instability report doesn't simply compile the correlation between food prices and political uprisings, but also projects a certain global threshold when food price trends might rise significantly enough to spark global unrest. According to the NECSI, the world will reach its food price threshold in August 2013.

"Our predictions are conditional on the circumstances, and thus allow for policy interventions to change them.

Whether policymakers will act depends on the various pressures that are applied to them, including both the public and special interests," said Professor Bar-Yam.

Reversing the predictions of NECSI's report will take quick and controversial policy changes by individual governments around the world.

What policy changes have your government officials taken to combat rising food prices?

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one-minute book trailer, click HERE. - World Watch.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFF: Plagues & Pestilences - Bird Experts And Scientists Left Puzzled As Birds Fall Dead From North Queensland Skies In Australia?!

July 21, 2013 - AUSTRALIA - Experts are looking for clues as to why common black kites are falling dead from north Queensland skies.

A juvenile black kite soaring on thermals in the wild. Scientists are investigating a mass run of deaths
among the raptors. Source: News Limited

Black kites, also known as shite-hawks and firebirds, are medium-sized birds of prey and are among the few raptor species which gather in flocks.

Testing has so far excluded bird flu and Newcastle disease, both highly contagious viral infections linked to mass deaths of migratory wild birds, and transmissible to humans.

But the cause of the latest spate of deaths, possibly linked to a cross-border infection, is still a mystery.
Biosecurity Queensland has confirmed it is testing "several kites in relation to unexplained deaths in the tropical north Queensland region''.

"The exact number of bird deaths is unknown and estimates are not available at this stage of the investigation,'' a spokesman told The Courier-Mail.

He said a range of tests were being undertaken for potential causes.

"Laboratory testing is ongoing to determine the cause of this mortality incident.''

Environment Department wildlife director Beck Williams said her office would investigate if it was suspected the birds might have been illegally killed.

Bird of prey expert James Biggs said it was highly unusual for raptors to die in large numbers or, literally, drop dead from the sky.

"If it is not disease, it could possibly be poisoning, but without being familiar with the ongoing tests it is hard to know,'' the Cairns Tropical Zoo bird supervisor said.

Black kites prey on insects, small animals and birds, and can spend all day soaring on the wing, hawking insects out of the air and eating them on the fly.

"They are often seen hovering around fires, like cane burn-off, where they catch the insects pushed up on the updraft,'' Mr Biggs said.

"But if there is a road kill they will feed on that too.

"Whatever it is that is killing them I'd be very keen to know why. It's a puzzle.''

Members of the public can report bird deaths by calling 1300 264 625. - Courier Mail.

TERMINATOR NOW: The Rise Of The Machines - Google Plans On Implanting Chip Into Your Brains?!

July 21, 2013 - UNITED STATES - The power of computing, and the thrill of its apparently infinite possibilities, has also long been a source of fear.

Going into a San Francisco second-hand book shop, shortly before a visit to Google's headquarters in California, I happened upon a copy of Dick Tracy, an old novel based on Chester Gould's cartoon strip starring America's favourite detective.

For a 1970 publication, the plot seemed remarkably topical. Dick, and his sidekick Sam Catchem, find themselves battling a sinister character known as "Mr Computer" who wants to control the world. His strange powers enable him to remember everything he hears or sees and recall it instantly. This is a bad guy who can store data, analyse voice patterns and read private thoughts.

My visit to the legendary "Googleplex" at Mountain View comes at an awkward time for the company. Edward Snowden's revelations about the snooping of the US Government's National Security Agency (NSA) in its clandestine electronic-surveillance programme PRISM have provoked a crisis of trust in Silicon Valley. Larry Page, Google co-founder and CEO, rushed out a blog to deny claims in leaked NSA documents that it – in parallel with other American internet giants – had been co-operating with the spying programme since 2009. "Any suggestion that Google is disclosing information about our users' internet activity on such a scale is completely false," he said.

Testing the water: Google HQ in Mountain View, with 'No Swimming' sculpture by Oleg Lobykin.

Trust is everything to Google. It stands on the verge of a technological breakthrough that can transform its relationship with us. Already, it is universally recognised as the world leader in searching for information. It handles around 90 per cent of internet searches in the UK: when we want to know something, most of us turn to Google. But it wants more – it wants to become our constant companion.

The rapid evolution of mobile technology has brought new opportunities to a business generating annual revenue in excess of $50bn (£33.7bn). It began, just 15 years ago, as a service that enabled you to type a request into a personal computer and be given links to associated websites. Things have rather moved on. Soon Google hopes to have the ubiquitous presence of a personal assistant that never stops working, capable of conversing naturally in any language. Ultimately, as Page and co-founder Sergey Brin have asserted, the goal is to insert a chip inside your head for the most effortless search engine imaginable. Some will find this prospect exciting. Others might want to call for Dick Tracy.

The first stage of this new level of intimacy is Google Glass, which I am invited to trial as part of a briefing on the company's future plans.

My first impression is that this revolutionary contraption is remarkably unobtrusive. It looks like a pair of glasses and, at 36 grams, weighs about the same as a typical pair of sunglasses due to its largely titanium frame. Despite the chunkiness of the right temple – made from plastic and where all the technology is stored – there is no sense of imbalance.

The awkwardness only starts when you start to interact. You turn the contraption on by tapping your finger on the right side of the frame, or surreptitiously throwing your head back. On a screen projected a few inches in front of your right eyeball is a digital clock and the magic words "OK glass", the uttering of which takes you to a range of task options: ask a question, take a picture, record a video, get directions to, send a message to, make a call to, make a video call to.

The idea of Google Glass is that you can walk down busy streets receiving helpful facts – without needing to take your mobile phone from your pocket. It could end the urban hazard of pedestrians staring at their mobiles instead of looking where they're going.

At the moment it's a work in progress, which is why the prototype is called the Explorer and the 10,000 American-based pioneers who are trialling the apparatus – mostly web developers and heavy social-media users – are dubbed "explorers".

Does it work? Yes and no. Answering questions is its central feature. It likes straightforward instruction such as "OK Glass... Google – what is the height of David Cameron?", returning within four seconds with an image of the Prime Minister and a computer voice telling me "David Cameron is six feet zero inches tall". But when I ask for the name of the wife of his predecessor, Gordon Brown, I'm offered details of "Golden Brown", a hit for The Stranglers in 1982.

Work in progress: Ian Burrell tries out Google Glass.

The camera and video option is novel and discreet, except when you bark out the words: "OK Glass, take a picture!" Three seconds after giving the order, you have a shot (or film) which you can share with friends on the Google+ social network. One Explorer recently used Google Glass to snap a police arrest as it was taking place. The potential is enormous: a proud mum could film her son taking a penalty kick in a football match while dad, abroad but connected through the Google Hangout service, could watch the action live through his wife's Google Glass. The more you hand your life over to Google, the more you get out of this technology.

Google Glass is part of a wider ecosystem and is not currently intended as an alternative to a mobile phone but as a complement to it. Glass needs the mobile in your pocket to locate your position and connect to your contacts via 4G and Bluetooth. Rather than encouraging users to be constantly gibbering in public, the default position for this device is "off", I am told. The screen has been positioned above the eye line and at two o'clock on a clock face to ensure that the people f you are with know from your squint when you are consulting Glass.

But none of these caveats can conceal the scale of Google's ambition. It is staking its future on a vast store of information called the Knowledge Graph, which is growing at an exponential rate. When it launched in May 2012, Knowledge Graph was a pool of 3.5 billion facts on 500 million of the world's most searched subjects. In a little over a year the knowledge held on the Google servers has grown to 18 billion facts on around 570 million subjects.

This Knowledge Graph is the base for Google Now, the latest incarnation of Google which is personalising the search engine by giving you a series of bespoke "cards" as you log on. They tell you the local weather, the traffic you might face on the way to work, details of your meetings and restaurant bookings taken from your Google email account, your team's latest result and so on.

In Building 43 of the Googleplex, Ben Gomes talks with barely concealed excitement about a "new epoch". A Google fellow and the company's Vice President of Search he has been working on these technologies for 14 years. "[Knowledge Graph] is everything you have at some point asked a query about – plus everything that everyone else has thought of!" he exclaims. "It's a meld of all the world's interests and information needs."

The future, he says, is for this enormous resource to be "present everywhere". It's a long step from the British Council library in Bangalore, where Gomes used to go to obtain his reading matter. "You borrowed a book – if it was available – and then you read it and got the next book. I got two books and that was all the information that I had for a week," he says. "Today it would be unthinkable for that [information] not to be available in seconds."

Google's options have grown with recent advances in speech-recognition technology (it can now decipher 35 languages) and in natural-language processing, the "holy grail" that means the computer can understand what is being spoken (for example, knowing that "tall" refers to height) and hold a conversation. The "OK Google…" voice-prompted search tool (already installed on mobile apps) is to become standard on the Google Chrome engine.

Google's engineering director Scott Huffman demonstrates Voice Search.

Scott Huffman, Google's engineering director, says the company's intention is to "transform the ways people interact with Google". That means having conversations similar to those you would have with humans. No longer will we have to go to "settings" to recalibrate our devices – we will simply order them to make the desired changes. And those devices will not be in our pockets – but all around us in every room.

"If you look back 10 years there was a computer on my desk and today there's a computer in my pocket and it still has a screen and a keyboard," says Huffman.

"But fast forward a bit and… I think there is going to be a device in the ceiling with microphones, and it will be in my glasses or my wristwatch or my shirt. And like the Google Glass it won't have a keyboard… you just say 'OK Google, blah-blah-blah' and you get what you want."

Where will it end? Gomes agrees that a chip embedded in the brain is far from a sci-fi fantasy. "Already people are beginning to experiment with handicapped people for manoeuvring their wheelchairs," he says. "They are getting a few senses of direction with the wheelchair but getting from there to actual words is a long ways off. We have to do this in the brain a lot better to make that interaction possible. We have impatience for that to happen but the pieces of technology have to develop."

Any visitor to the Googleplex will testify that this is not a regular company. By lunch time, Googlers are out on the sand of the beach volleyball court. A statue of a dinosaur skeleton – a pointed juxtaposition of past and future – has been decorated with model pink flamingos, hanging from its bones. Around the central patio there are awnings in Google-style primary colours which add to the impression of a holiday resort.

It is anything of the sort, of course. In one of the site's 30 cafés, the piped sound of Australian group Men at Work accompanies Google staff as they help themselves to free meals. Yoshka's Café is named after the first dog to have a Google pass – staff are allowed to bring canines to work, to add a feeling of domesticity (and presumably to get them to stay later). Small plates are offered to encourage smaller portions and less waste. Fruit and water are placed at eye level but you have to bend down for sugary drinks. All of this is data driven. Ingredients in meals are marked on displays with traffic-light colours to convey healthy credentials. Coconut scores a green but vanilla, for some reason, is marked a dangerous red.

There are seven gyms in the Googleplex and I see a man walking on a gym treadmill while simultaneously working from a specially made desk with a large computer screen. He has headphones on and his laptop is also open, showing a screensaver of his baby. Nearby there is a Japanese meditation space – "Experience the joy and mindfulness of just eating, try monotasking for lunch today" – and a Nap Pod capsule where you can have a power sleep (30-minute limit "out of fairness to fellow Googlers").

Building 43 is decorated with a giant model of Virgin Galactic's Space Ship One, donated by Sir Richard Branson, and Building 2000 has a long, silver, swirling slide that allows you to bypass the stairs.

It's no wonder people want to work here. About 10,000 do. But the company gets two million applications a year, a demand reflected in the new Hollywood movie The Internship, which was partly filmed at the Googleplex.

In the Dick Tracy novel, Mr Computer (his initials were I.B.M.) came a cropper when the detective's deliberately eccentric behaviour caused his adversary's brain to malfunction. But what would we do without Google? Since my visit I've found myself engaging more and more with its services.

Back in London I get to have another go with Glass. This time the headset (the only one in the UK) is orange. There are six colours and Google is also working on a sunglasses design. I'm starting to get the hang of it, of swiping the frame from ear to eye to move through your timeline of previous searches, photo snaps and actions. I learn to say "Welcome to London" in Japanese. It's great fun.

But to get the best results, I'm told to speak up and in an American accent. Google seems to respond best when I'm hollering like John Wayne in 7th Cavalry uniform. Imagine that in your local restaurant. "OK Glass Google!" I yell self-consciously in broad Texan. "Will I need an umbrella tomorrow?"

Google Glass and I are now in full conversation. "Yes," she tells me. "The forecast for tomorrow in London is 24 degrees with a 50 per cent chance of rain."

As it turns out, tomorrow is a glorious day and I don't need a brolly at all, although those Google Glass shades would have been handy. This is a product that will continue to be honed. And there's something strangely reassuring in the fact that, for all its Knowledge Graphs and interactive spectacles, even the world's greatest search machine still can't predict the British weather. - Independent.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Shooting Star A Stunner - Massive Fireball With Long Tail Blazes Over New Zealand!

July 21, 2013 - NEW ZEALAND - The sight of a giant shooting star left a North Taranaki man shaking after his early morning run.

A shooting star photographed by an astronaut in space. © Reuters

Lance Howarth, a mobile mechanic, was out running around the back roads of Lepperton this morning when he saw the star around 5:45am.

''It was that bloody spectacular I had to stop and watch it.''

He said the star had completely lit up the dark moonless sky and surrounding countryside.

''It was early and still dark and the only reason I noticed it was because all of a sudden I could see where I was going and I thought, 'hang on, it's just got light really quickly' and looked up and there it was.''

He described the shooting star as a massive 'fireball' with a long tail and said it seemed to travel from the north east to south west before disappearing into cloud over the ranges.

''It was just frickin' huge. For a while I thought it might crash into the ranges.''

The star almost passed right above his head, and was completely silent, he said.

''It was the best thing I've ever seen, and the most frightening.''

Stunned, his mind ran to the possibilities of what it could mean.

''I did think for a second, ''are we about to be invaded by aliens?'''

The star also left a vapour trail which hung in the sky for at least half an hour, he said.

''I had to keep looking back.''

Mr Howarth finished his run and went home.

''I was shaking. It was incredible. And scary.''

But Mr Howarth, who runs a casual 18 kilometres most mornings, is no stranger to shooting stars.

''I see about two every morning. But I've never seen anything like this in my life.''

He said the clear country skies and getting up early were the key to seeing the stars.

''There's no interference from city lights so you just see everything.''

While he doesn't subscribe to the superstition of wishing on stars, he did wonder if it might bring him good luck.

''I thought, 'what's going to happen today? Am I going to win Lotto?'''

New Plymouth Astronomical Society president Nick Gladstone said shooting stars were common, but it was unusual for one to last long enough to catch more than a glimpse.

''There's no day of the year you can't see a shooting star, but most of them are over and done with before you get a proper look.''

Mr Gladstone said they had sent out a message to all the society's members asking for sightings of the star.

''If other people have seen it we might be able to get more information about exactly where it was and how high it was and tell if it was part of a meteor shower.''

If you saw the shooting star email nickandviv@gmail.com - Stuff.

MASS FISH DIE-OFF: THOUSANDS OF TONS Of Fish Have Died In Lake Tondano, Indonesia - Farmers Stand To Lose BILLIONS Of Dollars?!

July 21, 2013 - INDONESIA - Fish farming business in Lake Tondano, Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi Province in danger of collapse due to the phenomenon of Lewo rano (water evil) which caused thousands of tons of fish are harvested tilapia and carp died suddenly. As a result of the death of the fish, farmers lose billions of dollars.

Based on the search Tribune Manado, about 90 percent of fish farming in the District Kakas, Eris, South Tondano, and Remboken affected by this natural phenomenon. Farmed fish nets step in sudden death.

Camat Kakas, Jeffery Masiouw Manado Tribune in an interview on Thursday (18/07/2013) explained this phenomenon Lewo rano started happening late last June. He tells the time according to the residents water containing high levels of sulfur appeared and caused the death of fish in the village Tonelet. In just a few days, about five tons of fish are harvested in the village died.

This incident continues to happen and began to spread to other villages on the east coast of Lake Tondano. Rano Lewo move according to the wind and lake currents other villages. Wave of fish kills were widespread.

"This incident has lasted nearly a month and a growing number of dead fish. We did not have data on the number of fish farmers affected and how many dead fish. Tonelet Only in the village there are about 50 tons of dead fish," he said.

If the data is in the form of money dikonfersi the losses suffered by fish farmers in the District Kakas reach about USD 10 billion. If combined with three other districts, the total loss is estimated at about USD 50 billion.

Hukumtua Tolimembet Village, District Kakas, Wenny Lewo rano M Wensen phenomenon occurred in the village last week. Distance from the village to the initial source of the scene about seven kilometers. This natural phenomenon caused severe damage in the village. Based on reports there are about 50 tons of dead fish.

"The negative impact that occurs because there is a big enough fish breeders who died approximately five tons. Enterprises fishponds mine was also affected and about 2.5 tons of fish are harvested dead," he said.

The sudden death of fish began when reddish brown water moves toward the village. The emergence of this water makes the fish gather at the water surface. Fish such as stress and many are trying to jump out of the net. Several hours later the fish dead and floating on the surface of the water.

"Fish are dying because we can not sell direct white and slimy. Fish we waste or buried in the ground. We actually lose," he said.

Rano Lewo subsequent movement towards Sub Eris and South Tondano. This natural phenomenon cause similar damage in the two districts. rano Lewo currently has up to Remboken District on the west coast of Lake Tondano.

Ronny Koway, fish ponds in the village guards Sendangan, District Remboken Lewo rano says this phenomenon is taking place in their region since Wednesday (17/7) evening. Reddish brown water caused the fish are harvested dead.

"Last night the fish start to look stressed and assembled on the surface of the water. But the morning (yesterday) when we returned to the cages apparently dead fish. We can not do anything to prevent this phenomenon. Approximately 400 kilograms of fish we die. Much also the owner of cages around our locations to experience the same thing, "he said.

Rano Lewo movement is likely to continue up to the District of West Kakas and returned to its original location where this natural phenomenon appears. - Yahoo News Indonesia. [Translated]

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: More Sinkholes Keep Popping Up Across United States - Major Sinkhole Forms In Cherokee County, Atlanta, Georgia!

July 21, 2013 - UNITED STATES - A water main break in Cherokee County caused a major sinkhole to form under East Cherokee Drive at Holly Springs Road early Thursday morning.

Many residents woke Thursday morning to find a sinkhole that had formed over night on East Cherokee Drive.

Cherokee County Sheriff spokesman Lt. Jay Baker said that the water main break was called in a little after 2 a.m., on Thursday morning. As deputies closed the road, the asphalt began to sink.

Then the road collapsed.

"Fortunately, we were getting calls about it when water was coming through the road," Baker said. "If it had just happened, it could have been deadly for somebody who drove into it."

The Cherokee County Water and Sewage Authority turned off water for about five houses in the area. Spokesman Dwight Turner said a 20-foot section of PVC pipe had split under East Cherokee Drive, causing water to leak out of the road.

"[The pipe] is probably 30 years old or older," he said. "We've been replacing PVC pipe with ductile iron pipe for many, many years and we will continue to. But we haven't gotten it all done yet. And that's just one of the things that happens."

Ductile iron pipes are thought to last for several decades, Turner said.

Turner said the water department is trying to get the water turned back on by 9 a.m., Thursday morning.


WATCH: Sinkhole in Cherokee County.

Baker said the road could open up late this afternoon, but stressed that it wasn't a guarantee.

"The road is shut down and will likely be shut down most of the day," he said. "Fortunately, there are a lot of routes in this area to circumvent this spot."

Mac Rogan lives down the street from where the sinkhole formed. He said he was leaving home to take his daughter to daycare when he came across the hole at the end of his street.

"It's an enormous sinkhole just kind of right at the end of the intersection that kind of impedes traffic going down East Cherokee Drive," Rogan said. "It very much is concerning."

Rogan said East Cherokee Drive is a busy road and that the sinkhole blocks traffic trying to get to Georgia Highway 5 - another commonly travelled road in the area.

"This is going to be a significant impact on traffic until they get hole fixed," he said.  - AJC.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Global Volcano Report For July 19, 2013 - Updates On Sakurajima, Churchill, Long Valley, Colima, Popocatépetl, Santa María, Santiaguito, Pacaya, Fuego, Telica, San Cristobal, Turrialba, Tungurahua And Sabancaya!

July 21, 2013 - WORLDWIDE VOLCANOES - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.

Sakurajima volcanoes.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): An ash plume at 20,000 ft (6 km) altitude was reported this morning at 03:08 GMT (12:08 local time). This would be the largest explosion of the volcano in at least 1 year.

Map of recent earthquakes at Mt Churchill volcano in eastern Alaska.

Churchill (United States, Eastern Alaska): A seismic swarm with magnitudes up to 3.5 has been occurring in the Wrangell Arc about 40 km NE of Mt. Churchill volcano during the past few days. The intensity and frequency of the quakes has calmed down yesterday.

While some few of the quakes are near the volcano, most are not, and the swarm is probably not linked to the volcanic system of Mt Churchill volcano.

Map of recent quakes at the Long Valley caldera (California).

Long Valley (California): Normal seismic activity with numerous tiny earthquakes continues to occur at the southern and western parts of the caldera as well as under Mammoth mountain. There are no signs of a possible eruption in a near future.

Colima (Western Mexico): Although the volcano is no longer making much news, a lava flow continues to effuse as a viscous flow on the upper eastern flank of the volcano (source: pers. communicataion).

Aerial view of the crater of Popocatepetl on 15 July (CENAPRED).

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has been comparably low with an average of 1-2 emissions of steam and gas, sometimes some ash, per hour during the past days. The strong explosion from 12 July has effectively destroyed the new lava dome, an aerial inspection via helicopter on 15 July showed.

In the past 24 hours, a number of volcanic-tectonic quakes have appeared, which could indicate that a new batch of magma is currently intruding, and lead to another phase of increased activity soon. The alert level remains unchanged at Yellow Phase 3.

Moderate explosion from Santiaguito early on 18 July.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Not much has changed in the generally weak activity. Occasional explosions, sometimes moderately large, occur at irregular intervals. One yesterday morning at 05:59 local time produced an ash plume of 700 m height and ash fall in areas to the SW. The lava flow on the southern flank of the dome remains active and produces small rock avalanches.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Mild strombolian activity from the Mackenney crater continues.

Fuego (Guatemala): The lava flow on the southern side has remained active and was about 250 m long this morning, producing near-constant rockfalls towards the Taniluya canyon.

At the summit, there are occasional strombolian explosions with incandescent material ejected to 100-125 m height above the crater.

Current seismic recording at Telica (TELN station, INETER).

Telica (Nicaragua): The swarm of small earthquakes continues with little changes over the past days.

Seismic recording from San Cristobal volcano (CRIN station, INETER).

San Cristobal (Nicaragua): Some elevated seismicity was recorded at the volcano during recent days and continues. This includes phases of harmonic tremor and long-period events.

Current seismic recording from Turrialba volcano (VTUC station, OVSICORI).

Turrialba (Costa Rica): The seismic swarm continues but has decreased in strength during the past day.

Last night's seismic signal from Tungurahua (RETU station, IGPEN).

Tungurahua (Ecuador): After the strong vulcanian explosion on 14 July, the volcano calmed down first, but resumed activity on 16 July which has been characterized by ash venting and small to moderate explosions and is continuing.

This activity was accompanied by the appearance of tremor and long-period earthquakes indicative of fluid movements. In addition, inflation is measured at the NW flank, suggesting that more magma is rising, and could lead to new powerful explosions similar to the one from last Sunday... [read more]

Recent earthquakes near Sabancaya volcano.

Sabancaya (Peru): A strong seismic swarm has occurred during the past days under the volcano, culminating in a magnitude 5.9 earthquake on 16 July. The swarm consisted almost entirely of volcanic-tectonic quakes, that relate to rock fracturing due to rapid pressure changes and might be caused by an intrusion of magma. IGP reports that up to 1500 earthquakes were recorded per day.

At the moment, the swarm still continues, but is decreasing. No changes of activity have been noticed at the surface. The number of long-period quakes (thought to correspond to internal movements of magma, gasses and other fluids) has remained low.


Complete Earthquake list (worldwide) for July 19, 2013.


- Volcano Discovery.