MASS ANIMAL DIE-OFF: Mysterious Mass Death Of Monkeys In Central America - 40 Howlers Dead In Recent Months, With Relatively Full Stomachs And No Signs Of Trauma; Scientists Are Baffled; Could This Be Related To Zika Or Other Mosquito-Borne Diseases?!

A dead howler monkey found in the woods in southern Nicaragua.© Paso Pacifico

February 12, 2016 - CENTRAL AMERICA - Scientists are investigating the mysterious die-off of dozens of monkeys in Central America, including the possibility that they have contracted Zika or another virus that could be passed to humans.

In recent months, around 40 howler monkeys have been found dead or dying in the tropical rainforests of Nicaragua. The animals have all had relatively full stomachs and no obvious signs of trauma. Experts fear there may be many more cases that have not been reported.

"Wild animals die off all the time, but it is really unusual to see this many deaths in such a short time with no apparent reason," said Kim Williams-Guillen, a conservation Ph.D. who has been researching in Nicaragua's jungles since 1999. "I have never seen anything like it."

"These deaths are worth investigating, not just from a conservation standpoint, but from a public health standpoint. It is very important we get to the bottom of this."


WATCH: Nicaragua Howler Monkey Die-off Signals New Viral Outbreak?

Primates are highly susceptible to mosquito-borne diseases, and outbreaks among them could be a precursor to the spread of disease among humans, although scientists are careful to warn that this leap remains rare.

Complicating the mystery is the fact that howler monkeys are immune to dengue but are highly vulnerable to yellow fever. Yet Nicaragua has been declared free of that disease for years.

What is less clear is how the primates will respond to Zika and chikungunya, both of which are related to yellow fever and have just arrived in the Western Hemisphere in the last couple of years.

Nicaragua has reported 29 cases of Zika so far. Meanwhile, chikungunya has infected more than 100,000 people across Central America since first arriving there in 2014.

Among the numerous unknowns is whether howler monkeys would even exhibit symptoms if they became infected with either virus.

"It is just not something that has been researched yet, how or whether they would affect primates," adds Williams-Guillen, who is conservation director at Paso Pacifico, an environmental nonprofit working in Central America's Pacific jungles.

The group is now coordinating with scientists from the University of California, Davis, to come up with a definitive diagnosis for whatever it is that is killing off the monkeys.

In addition to the possibility of a virus, the researchers will also probe other factors that might be at work, including drought and other environmental variables.

The first challenge is to take hair, skin and other samples from a recently deceased animal and then transport it to Davis.

Red Howler Monkey babies are seen at the Hacienda Miraderos forests in the Municipality of Armenia, Antioquia, Colombia, December 14, 2015.© Fredy Builes/Reuters

Liliana Cortez Ortiz, a University of Michigan researcher and member of the International Primate Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, said this kind of unexplained die-off of apparently healthy animals is unusual, but not unprecedented.

"Any instances in which primates are dying from unknown causes is potentially a concern for humans as well," she added. "We simply don't know why this is happening and we need to find out."

Despite their cute appearance and size, typically weighing around 17 to 20 pounds, howler monkeys are actually the loudest land animals on the planet.

That's because they have large, hard, hollow throats, which they use to project roars that can travel for miles across the jungle. To the untrained ear, they sound more like a big cat than a fluffy monkey.

But now that they are apparently suffering from a mystery disease, they also face a new threat, warns Cortez Ortiz: humans.

"Now that we know they are dying, it is possible that local people may become scared and take matters into their own hands, killing the monkeys deliberately out of fear," she said.

"It is very important that they message gets out in Nicaragua that that is not the way to handle this, and these monkeys are not a danger to humans." - PRI.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: New Eruption At Santiaguito Volcano In Guatemala - Sends Ash And Gas Clouds Thousands Of Feet High! [PHOTOS + VIDEOS]

Santiaguito volcano in Guatemala. Twitter

February 8, 2016 - GUATEMALA - A new explosion at Santiaguito volcano, Guatemala was recorded on February 7, 2016.

Look at the pictures of the large ash and gas clouds engulfing the sky. Powerful.

Twitter

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AHORA: El Volcán Santiaguito en plena actividad.

Video: Jorge Solano. pic.twitter.com/vtd61b5CKH

— Canal Antigua (@CanalAntigua) February 7, 2016

GOES imagery of the Santiaguito volcano eruption in Guatemala on 2/5. More info on GOES @ https://t.co/ucBQB5b0ij pic.twitter.com/iGr63tErf1

— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) February 5, 2016

WATCH: Santiaguito volcano erupts.

- Strange Sounds.

EXTINCTION LEVEL EVENT: Rare Quetzal Bird From Southern Mexico & Central America Facing Extinction - Numbers Are Dwindling At An Alarming Rate!

Quetzal. © Donna J. Provancher

December 20, 2015 - CENTRAL AMERICA - The rare quetzal bird, long seen as the national bird of Guatemala, is now on the verge of extinction. Reports say that the beautiful bird's numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate. There are a range of threats that pose a danger to the rare bird, including poaching and habitat loss.

In a report with Fox News Latino, the endemic bird of southern Mexico and Central America, is now on the verge of extinction due to habitat loss and poaching.

Sofia Solorzano Lujano, researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that the resplendent quetzal faces a range of existential threats, such as illegal trafficking and habitat loss and forest destruction.

The researcher from the institution also said that the birds have fallen prey to predators such as the green toucan, squirrels, as well as other nocturnal mammals. These predators normally attack quetzal eggs or young chicks. The researcher also added that bigger prey, like falcons and eagles, prey on the adult quetzals.


WATCH: Amazing quetzal at Monteverde - Costa Rica.

Besides being natural prey, the quetzals are also under threat because of human activity. These beautiful birds are known all over the world for their beautiful and exquisite plummage. People hunt these birds to the brink of extinction for their feathers, which are used to make fashionable clothing items such as headbands and headdresses. These beautiful birds are also seen as exotic pets. Many are sold at black markets for top dollar prices.

Researchers have tried to save the quetzal from the threat of extinction, but so far efforts have proved to be in vain. The quetzals "are unable to survive in captivity," Solorzano said, adding that "once trapped they stop eating and die." The birds are known to be very calm and do not see humans or predators as a threat. They can usually be seen perching quietly on the branches in forests.

The brilliant bird is found in the cloud forests of Central America. In Ancient Times, the Mayans have held the beautiful bird to be sacred and have immortalized them in their artworks and legends, reports American Edu. The quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala, and is the name of the Guatemalan currency. Some countries, such as Costa Rica, have managed to preserve the quetzal's habitat by setting the birds in national parks to promote eco-tourism. It is predicted that Guatemala's national bird will extinct in the country in the late 2000s. - LatinOne.

GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS: "The Dry Corridor" - Panama Drought Set To Continue As El Nino Rocks Central America!

Children look at a carcass of a cow that died in Nicaragua's 2014 drought.  © Reuters

November 30, 2015 - CENTRAL AMERICA - More drought is expected in Panama before the end of the year, experts said Sunday, adding to months of difficult conditions for farmers in the face of parched soils across Central America.

The climatology department at the Etesa electrical company called on Panamanians to exercise caution with water use during the upcoming dry spell to ensure reservoirs can continue to meet needs across the country, Cuban news agency Prensa Latina reported.

The company said that water conservation is the responsibility of everyone so that resources can be effectively shared. The news comes as experts predict 2015 will be the hottest year on record.

But while parts of the country will continue to suffer drought, the particularly strong El Niño climatic effect this year means different parts of the region will be hit with different out-of-the-ordinary weather events.

Areas along the Caribbean coast can expect heavier rainfall than usual in the early months of 2016, according to forecasts.

Worsening drought associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon has severely reduced crop output in Central America this fall for the second year in a row.

In Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, all part of the Central American "dry corridor," drought conditions have exacerbated already fragile food security.

Historic drought in the Caribbean is also causing huge losses for farmers as the region suffers the driest conditions in more than five years.

This year's El Niño impacts in the region are worse than last year's, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

According to scientists, extreme weather events including droughts, heat waves, and floods are expected to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change.

Poorer nations in the global south are said to be the most vulnerable to the growing impacts of climate change. - TeleSUR.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Mystery Kidney Killer Spreads Fear In Sri Lanka - Already Killed Up To 20,000 People In 20 Years And Sickened Another 400,000!

In this July 16, 2013 photo, Kumaradasa, a Sri Lankan farmer suffering from a chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology, bathes helped by his wife outside
their house in Medavachchiya, Sri Lanka. The cause of his disease, which affects anywhere from an estimated 70,000 to 400,000 people in Sri Lanka's
rice basket, remains an enigma without a name. Kumaradasa died on June 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

January 19, 2015 - SRI LANKA - It's midmorning and hundreds of people are squeezed under a banyan tree's shady canopy to have blood drawn by just three nurses, working assembly-line fast. Others wait outside this dusty rural health center to get their vitals taken and give urine samples.

Most of the 1,000 villagers have come here on foot and have stood for hours under the hot sun — not because they feel sick, but out of fear. They want to know if they will be the next victims of a mysterious kidney disease that has killed thousands of farmers in Sri Lanka's rice basket.

Many have watched neighbors and loved ones — some only in their 30s — quickly succumb to deaths after their kidneys gave out. In the worst-hit villages, it kills as many as 10 people every month. No one knows why.

"In some cases, you only know if a certain person died of kidney disease after the autopsy," says Kalyani Samarasinghe, 47, standing outside the health center with a handful of medical papers and a cotton ball taped to her arm. "If you get a pain in the stomach or something, then you think: Is it the kidney?"

The disease has killed up to 20,000 people over the past 20 years and sickened another 70,000 to 400,000. It has expanded from two districts to seven in the North Central province's dry zone, where farming was transformed after the introduction of modern techniques in the 1960s and '70s. No cases have been detected elsewhere in the country, and research has failed to determine the cause.

In this July 16, 2013 photo, Kumaradasa, a Sri Lankan farmer suffering from a chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology, bathes helped by his wife outside
their house in Medavachchiya, Sri Lanka. The cause of his disease, which affects anywhere from an estimated 70,000 to 400,000 people in Sri Lanka's
rice basket, remains an enigma without a name. Kumaradasa died on June 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this July 24, 2014, photo, V.G. Karunawathie, a patient suffering from a chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology, rests after returning home from a dialysis
session at a nearby hospital, in Konketiyawa village in Padaviya, Sri Lanka. She received treatment on her second visit the same day as there were not enough
dialysis units to go around. Dialysis is supposed to be given three times a week, but some patients only go once a week, while others are forced to burn their
savings traveling hours by bus only to be too exhausted afterward to return home. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

This Dec. 9, 2013, photo shows the swollen feet of Seneviratnalage Jayatillake, a Sri Lankan farmer suffering from a chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology,
as he rests in his house in Padaviya, Sri Lanka. The cause of his disease, which affects anywhere from an estimated 70,000 to 400,000 people in Sri Lanka's rice
basket, remains an enigma without a name. Jayatillake died in February 2014 after a prolonged illness. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Some blame the water, heavy use of pesticides and fertilizer. Others wonder if it's something in the food, or whether heavy metals or toxic algae could be the source. Villagers have been told to give up lake fish, aluminum cooking utensils and illicit home-brewed alcohol, but no one's sure if any of it helps.

Dr. Rajeeva Dassanayake, a kidney specialist at the area's largest hospital in Anuradhapura, has come to the screening to try to calm the crowd.

"You need not fear and flee from this place," he says. "There are a lot of things being said by many people. Until they have finished fighting each other and come up with an answer, we can say nothing."

Similar diseases are wiping out thousands of farmers in parts of Central America, India and Egypt. In hard-hit Nicaragua and El Salvador, some believe agrochemicals are the problem, while others think years of prolonged dehydration in the baking heat is shutting workers' organs down.

In Sri Lanka, a report published by the World Health Organization two years ago found kidney disease in 15 percent of adults across three affected districts. More women were affected overall, but men over 39 years old were more severely sickened. Elevated cadmium and pesticide residues were detected in urine, leading the authors to surmise they may be damaging patients' kidneys over time, in combination with other factors such as arsenic.

Water — the source widely suspected as the culprit — came up clean. But the WHO study's Geneva-based author, Shanthi Mendis, says it could still be playing a key role when combined with other elements. She adds that the government's top two priorities should be supplying safe drinking water to residents and regulating the use of agrochemicals.

In this Feb. 5, 2014, photo, family members weep around the body of Seneviratnalage Jayatillake, a Sri Lankan farmer who suffered from a chronic kidney disease
of unknown etiology, during his funeral in Padaviya, Sri Lanka. The cause of his disease, which affects anywhere from an estimated 70,000 to 400,000 people in
Sri Lanka's rice basket, remains an enigma without a name. It mirrors an equally confounding condition plaguing thousands of farmworkers in parts of India,
Egypt and Central America, where chronic dehydration is one suspected cause. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Feb. 5, 2014, photo, villagers carry the coffin containing the body of Seneviratnalage Jayatillake, a Sri Lankan farmer who suffered from a chronic kidney
disease of unknown etiology, during his funeral in Padaviya, Sri Lanka. The cause of his disease, which affects anywhere from an estimated 70,000 to 400,000
people in Sri Lanka's rice basket, remains an enigma without a name. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

The WHO report documented raised levels of cadmium and lead in certain plants and vegetables, such as lotus root and tobacco. Some question whether these heavy metals could be leaching into the soil and groundwater from pesticides and fertilizers, which have been found to have high levels of cadmium in previous studies. The Agriculture Ministry says samples are regularly tested and come back within permitted limits, which are much stricter than those in neighboring countries.

Still, farmers douse their fields with too many chemicals, often using concoctions that include kerosene and multiple poisons. Most do not wear protective gear.

"Without it, it's difficult to get rid of weeds," says Ajith Welagedara, a backyard farmer who mixes a stronger-than-recommended amount of glyphosate, the country's most popular weed killer, and sprays it while walking barefoot without gloves or a mask. "I'm concerned, but there's no other way."

The government placed a ban on some agrochemicals since the WHO report came out, but it has not been enforced and the pesticides remain available.

For those already sickened, care is often inadequate. The country of 20 million, which emerged from a quarter-century of civil war in 2009, has just 183 dialysis machines, forcing most villagers to receive less than the three recommended weekly treatments. Since no national cadaver transplant program exists, many patients post desperate newspaper ads with their photos and blood types pleading for kidney donors.

The Health Ministry is trying to screen the area to determine how many people are sick with the so-called chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology, which often strikes several members of one family.

Fear is breeding stigma, but it is also driving many villagers to be screened. They hope early detection can help slow the disease, which typically does not produce symptoms until late. But their biggest worries extend much further.

"The major fear is about the children," says Samarasinghe, the villager at the community screening. "We have lived our lives to a certain extent, but it's the children we're worried about." - Yahoo.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: "Very Intense" - Seismic Vibration And "Booming Noise" Detected Under El Salvador's Chaparrastique Volcano!

June 16, 2014 - EL SALVADOR - The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) reports seismic vibration under Chaparrastique volcano has been very intense in the last days.

The Chaparrastique volcano in eastern El Salvador.

Local observers reported hearing a booming noise about this day at 2:00 am. There have been very little vapor or gas emissions so far.

This indicates that the duct system of the volcano is partially obstructed, withstanding the pressure of magmatic fluids, so there is a high probability of eruptive activity, either through the central crater or on its flanks. Eruptions in the last 500 years have been in the VEI-1 to VEI-2 range.

Volcanic tremor under Chaparrastique volcano now reached similar to the
pre-eruption of December 2013 measured values.

In the last few days the vibration of the volcano reached similar to the pre-eruption of December 29, 2013 measured values. Since February 2014 several hundred microearthquakes have been recorded under the northern flank of the volcano.

MARN informs about the tremor status every hour and new reports here on twitter. - Volcano Cafe. 

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: San Miguel (Chaparrastique) Volcano In El Salvador Erupts - Alert Declared For The Region; At Least 1,000 Evacuated!

May 20, 2014 - EL SALVADOR - El Salvador's San Miguel volcano, also known as Chaparrastique, erupted Monday, spewing reddish ash and prompting authorities to evacuate at least 1,000 as a precautionary measure.

Chaparrastique volcano spews ashes and smoke in San Miguel, El Salvador, on Dec. 29, 2013. (Getty Images)

The volcano is 90 miles from the country's capital of San Salvador.

The Civil Protection Department said in a statement that an alert had been declared for the municipality of San Miguel, where the volcano is located.

The city of San Miguel is 30 miles from the volcano. It is one of the largest cities in the Central American country.

The volcano erupted twice in December. Recently it has been experiencing higher levels of activity than those previous eruptions, El Salvador Environment Minister Hernan Rosa Chavez told Reuters.

The 7,025-foot volcano's last significant eruption was in 1976. - The Weather Channel.

GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS: Plagues & Pestilences - Coffee Prices Rise As Farmer Fight Devastating Fungus!

May 19, 2014 - GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS - The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to help Central American farmers fight a devastating coffee disease — and hold down the price of your morning cup.

At issue is a fungus called coffee rust that has caused more than $1 billion in damage across Latin American region. The fungus is especially deadly to Arabica coffee, the bean that makes up most high-end, specialty coffees.

Already, it is affecting the price of some of those coffees in the United States.

"We are concerned because we know coffee rust is already causing massive amounts of devastation," said Raj Shah, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

On Monday, he was expected to announce a $5 million partnership with Texas A&M University's World Coffee Research center to try to eliminate the fungus.

But the government isn't doing this just to protect our $4 specialty coffees, as much as Americans love them. The chief concern is about the economic security of these small farms abroad. If farmers lose their jobs, it increases hunger and poverty in the region and contributes to violence and drug trafficking.

Washington estimates that production could be down anywhere from 15 percent to 40 percent in coming years, and that those losses could mean as many as 500,000 people could lose their jobs. Though some countries have brought the fungus under control, many of the poorer coffee-producing countries in Latin America don't see the rust problem getting better anytime soon.

Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica have all been hard hit.

Much of the blander, mass-produced coffee in this country comes from Asia and other regions. Most of the richer, more expensive coffees are from small, high altitude farms in Central America. Because the farms are smaller, farmers there often don't have enough money to buy the fungicides needed or lack the training to plant in ways that could avoid contamination.

The rust, called roya in Spanish, is a fungus that is highly contagious due to airborne fungal spores. It affects different varieties, but the Arabica beans are especially susceptible. Rainy weather worsens the problem.

"We don't see an end in sight anytime soon," said Leonardo Lombardini of Texas A&M's World Coffee Research.


WATCH: Consumer Alert - Coffee Fungus.

So far, major U.S. coffee companies have been able to find enough supply to avoid price increases. But some smaller outfits already have seen higher prices, said Ric Rhinehart of the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

Rhinehart said the worst-case scenario is that consumers eventually will pay "extraordinarily high prices for those coffees, if you can find them at all."

He said some very specialized varieties from a single origin — Guatemalan antigua coffees, for example — have been much harder to source. If the problem continues, he says, some small coffee companies either will raise prices or use blends that are easier to find, decreasing the quality of the coffee.

Larger companies such as Starbucks and Keurig Green Mountain Inc. have multiple suppliers across the region and say they have so far been able to source enough coffee.

"It's a little bit too soon to tell what the impact will be on supply and long term quality over time," said Lindsey Bolger, who heads up coffee sourcing for Keurig Green Mountain.

Still, the companies are trying to ensure that their future supply isn't affected, so they are working closely with growers on better practices that will help them avoid contamination.

"Supporting the farmer's ability to access information, technology and resources allows them to adapt to these uncertainties and ensures the longevity of our industry's supply chain," said Craig Russell, Starbucks Global Coffee executive vice president. Starbucks even bought a Costa Rican farm for research purposes.

USAID intends to work with Texas A&M to step up research on rust-resistant coffee varieties and help Latin America better monitor and respond to the fungus. The U.S. already collaborates with some of the coffee companies and other international organizations to finance replanting of different varieties of trees.

The effort is part of the Obama administration's Feed the Future program, which aims to rid the world of extreme poverty through agricultural development and improved nutrition.

While the effort has helped hungry children around the globe, "we're at risk of backtracking because of coffee rust," Shah says. - Breitbart.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Meteorite Lit Up The Sky Over Juarez, Mexico!

April 21, 2014 - MEXICO -  The phenomenon was discussed in social networks and subsequently confirmed by witnesses of the neighboring area and Juarez city.

© Juarense Astronomical Society

The Juarense Astronomical Society, through its website at Facebook, confirmed "we were able to capture on camera an intense light caused by a large meteorite that crossed the sky in Ciudad Juarez on Saturday night, April 12."

They added: "Usually, when an intense stream of light is observed through the night sky, it is a clear indication that this is a meteorite from outer space. These are objects are the size of a basketball. Upon entering our atmosphere, they burn from the tremendous force of air friction from traveling more than 60,000 miles per hour.

The stella changes color as it crosses different temperature zones, and usually, if the sky is clear and dark, the stella registers the seven colors of the rainbow. When the stella is no longer seen, there may be two causes: either the fireball has disintegrated completely, or due to cooling, the object has turned off and finally hit the ground, making the bolide in what we call a meteorite."

The explanation is also accompanied by a picture capturing the meteorite's passage.

The same version was confirmed by the National Weather Service in Santa Teresa , New Mexico. - Norte Digital. [Translated]

PLANETARY TREMORS: Nicaragua On Maximum Alert After Series Of Earthquakes - Government Gets Ready For "Catastrophe Of Major Proportions"!

April 16, 2014 - NICARAGUA - The authorities in Nicaragua have put the entire country on an "extreme red alert", the highest possible, after the country was hit by a series of tremors.

People living in buildings most at risk of collapse are being evacuated to shelters.

Nicaraguans were asked to sleep outdoors as seismologists warned of the possibility of a powerful earthquake rocking the Central American country.

Officials said the recent tremors had reactivated a fault which caused a devastating earthquake in 1972.

Between 5,000 and 10,000 people were killed in the disaster.

'Major catastrophe'

First Lady and government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo told citizens "we have to live on constant alert". She also urged people to sleep under open skies until further notice.

The government agency in charge of disaster preparedness, Sinapred, said it was getting ready for a "catastrophe of major proportions".

Managuans grabbed whatever possessions they could before moving to government shelters.

Soldiers have been erecting tent hospitals in case a major earthquake hits.

Squatters have moved into the derelict buildings destroyed by the 1972 earthquake.

The fear is that buildings already damaged then may collapse if another quake hits.

Soldiers have been erecting field hospitals and the Red Cross urged people to donate blood to replenish the country's blood banks.

Some people considered to be at high risk either because of their age or because they live in houses at risk of crumbling have been moved to shelters.

Past memories

Much of Managua was destroyed in the 1972 quake and many families continue to live in buildings damaged then.

"These are residents who have been here for many years in these buildings that are in ruins [and] have been dilapidated since the the 1972 earthquake" Lt Col Mario Rivas of the Civil Defence Force told the Associated Press news agency.

In the past week, Nicaragua was hit by three quakes of magnitudes ranging between 5.1 and 6.7, as well as dozens of aftershocks.

Two people have died and dozens been injured.

Managua resident Daniela Artola, 56, said her family was jumpy. "We're scared, more than anything because of the memories of the past," she said.

"The worst is the wind in the night; every gust puts us on alert again, because it breaks the silence."

The US Geological Survey, which monitors seismic activity around the world, said it could not confirm whether the fault line running underneath Managua had been reactivated, but said it was not unusual for quakes to affect nearby faults. - BBC.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Major Global Seismic Uptick As Blood Moon Approaches - Powerful 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Nicaragua, Following The 6.1 Magnitude Tremor Earlier Today; President Daniel Ortega Place The Country On RED ALERT; 1 Dead, 200 Injured; Over 1,000 Homes Damaged, And At Least 20 Destroyed In The Capital! [PHOTOS+MAPS+ESTIMATES]

April 11, 2014 - NICARAGUA -  A magnitude-6.6 earthquake shook Nicaragua on Friday afternoon, sending people running frightened into the streets less than 24 hours after a magnitude-6.1 quake rattled the country, the United States Geological Survey said.

USGS earthquake location map.

There were no immediate reports of new casualties or serious damage, but the USGS said the quake was felt in El Salvador and neighboring Costa Rica.

The government raised the number of people injured in the Thursday evening quake from 23 to 200. It also said that a 23-year-old woman had died of an apparent heart attack after the quake.

USGS earthquake shakemap intensity.

In the capital city of Managua, 300 homes were damaged and at least 20 were destroyed by the Thursday quake, said one of the mayor's deputies, Fidel Moreno.

Authorities ordered the demolition of two old buildings that had withstood the earthquake of 1972 that killed 10,000 people. Hospitals began discharging patients with minor illnesses so they could have beds available in the event of injuries from an aftershock or new quake.

A woman walks inside a home that was damaged by an earthquake in Nagarote, Nicaragua, Thursday, April 10, 2014.
Photo By Esteban Felix/AP

Two men talk outside a home damaged by an earthquake in Nagarote.
Photo By Esteban Felix/AP

A girl passes by in a bicycle, in front a home damaged by an earthquake in Nagarote, Nicaragua.
Photo By Esteban Felix/AP

A girl walks in front a home damaged by an earthquake in Nagarote.
Photo By Esteban Felix/AP

A painting of a Nicaragua lake is seen hanging from a wall inside a home damaged by an earthquake in Nagarote.
Photo By Esteban Felix/AP

A man carries the remains of the wall of his home, damaged by an earthquake in Nagarote.
Photo By Esteban Felix/AP

"We're trying to take as many preventive measures as possible to prevent more deaths," said government spokeswoman and First Lady Rosario Murillo.

President Daniel Ortega said that he raised the country's alert level to red, meaning government officials were evacuating everyone at risk of harm from aftershocks or new quake.

On Thursday night, officials took 155 people out of neighborhoods northeast of the capital city due to risk of landslides. One of the shelters was still housing 22 families on Friday.

Schools closed in the capital and also in the northwestern city of Leon.

The government said roughly 800 homes were damaged in the town of Nagarote and surrounding areas, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of the capital.

Friday's quake struck at 3:29 p.m. local time (20:29 GMT), and was centered about 6 miles (11 kilometers) east-southeast of the town of Nandaime. It had a depth of 85 miles (138 kilometers).

The USGS said Thursday's quake struck at 5:27 p.m. local time (23:27 GMT), and was centered about 11 miles (18 kilometers) southeast of the city of Larreynaga. It had a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). - AP.

Tectonic Summary Seismotectonics of the Caribbean Region and Vicinity

Extensive diversity and complexity of tectonic regimes characterizes the perimeter of the Caribbean plate, involving no fewer than four major plates (North America, South America, Nazca, and Cocos). Inclined zones of deep earthquakes (Wadati-Benioff zones), ocean trenches, and arcs of volcanoes clearly indicate subduction of oceanic lithosphere along the Central American and Atlantic Ocean margins of the Caribbean plate, while crustal seismicity in Guatemala, northern Venezuela, and the Cayman Ridge and Cayman Trench indicate transform fault and pull-apart basin tectonics.

Along the northern margin of the Caribbean plate, the North America plate moves westwards with respect to the Caribbean plate at a velocity of approximately 20 mm/yr. Motion is accommodated along several major transform faults that extend eastward from Isla de Roatan to Haiti, including the Swan Island Fault and the Oriente Fault. These faults represent the southern and northern boundaries of the Cayman Trench. Further east, from the Dominican Republic to the Island of Barbuda, relative motion between the North America plate and the Caribbean plate becomes increasingly complex and is partially accommodated by nearly arc-parallel subduction of the North America plate beneath the Caribbean plate. This results in the formation of the deep Puerto Rico Trench and a zone of intermediate focus earthquakes (70-300 km depth) within the subducted slab. Although the Puerto Rico subduction zone is thought to be capable of generating a megathrust earthquake, there have been no such events in the past century. The last probable interplate (thrust fault) event here occurred on May 2, 1787 and was widely felt throughout the island with documented destruction across the entire northern coast, including Arecibo and San Juan. Since 1900, the two largest earthquakes to occur in this region were the August 4, 1946 M8.0 Samana earthquake in northeastern Hispaniola and the July 29, 1943 M7.6 Mona Passage earthquake, both of which were shallow thrust fault earthquakes. A significant portion of the motion between the North America plate and the Caribbean plate in this region is accommodated by a series of left-lateral strike-slip faults that bisect the island of Hispaniola, notably the Septentrional Fault in the north and the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault in the south. Activity adjacent to the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault system is best documented by the devastating January 12, 2010 M7.0 Haiti strike-slip earthquake, its associated aftershocks and a comparable earthquake in 1770.

Moving east and south, the plate boundary curves around Puerto Rico and the northern Lesser Antilles where the plate motion vector of the Caribbean plate relative to the North and South America plates is less oblique, resulting in active island-arc tectonics. Here, the North and South America plates subduct towards the west beneath the Caribbean plate along the Lesser Antilles Trench at rates of approximately 20 mm/yr. As a result of this subduction, there exists both intermediate focus earthquakes within the subducted plates and a chain of active volcanoes along the island arc. Although the Lesser Antilles is considered one of the most seismically active regions in the Caribbean, few of these events have been greater than M7.0 over the past century. The island of Guadeloupe was the site of one of the largest megathrust earthquakes to occur in this region on February 8, 1843, with a suggested magnitude greater than 8.0. The largest recent intermediate-depth earthquake to occur along the Lesser Antilles arc was the November 29, 2007 M7.4 Martinique earthquake northwest of Fort-De-France.

USGS plate tectonics map for the region

The southern Caribbean plate boundary with the South America plate strikes east-west across Trinidad and western Venezuela at a relative rate of approximately 20 mm/yr. This boundary is characterized by major transform faults, including the Central Range Fault and the Boconó-San Sebastian-El Pilar Faults, and shallow seismicity. Since 1900, the largest earthquakes to occur in this region were the October 29, 1900 M7.7 Caracas earthquake, and the July 29, 1967 M6.5 earthquake near this same region. Further to the west, a broad zone of compressive deformation trends southwestward across western Venezuela and central Columbia. The plate boundary is not well defined across northwestern South America, but deformation transitions from being dominated by Caribbean/South America convergence in the east to Nazca/South America convergence in the west. The transition zone between subduction on the eastern and western margins of the Caribbean plate is characterized by diffuse seismicity involving low- to intermediate-magnitude (Magnitude less than 6.0) earthquakes of shallow to intermediate depth.

The plate boundary offshore of Colombia is also characterized by convergence, where the Nazca plate subducts beneath South America towards the east at a rate of approximately 65 mm/yr. The January 31, 1906 M8.5 earthquake occurred on the shallowly dipping megathrust interface of this plate boundary segment. Along the western coast of Central America, the Cocos plate subducts towards the east beneath the Caribbean plate at the Middle America Trench. Convergence rates vary between 72-81 mm/yr, decreasing towards the north. This subduction results in relatively high rates of seismicity and a chain of numerous active volcanoes; intermediate-focus earthquakes occur within the subducted Cocos plate to depths of nearly 300 km. Since 1900, there have been many moderately sized intermediate-depth earthquakes in this region, including the September 7, 1915 M7.4 El Salvador and the October 5, 1950 M7.8 Costa Rica events.

The boundary between the Cocos and Nazca plates is characterized by a series of north-south trending transform faults and east-west trending spreading centers. The largest and most seismically active of these transform boundaries is the Panama Fracture Zone. The Panama Fracture Zone terminates in the south at the Galapagos rift zone and in the north at the Middle America trench, where it forms part of the Cocos-Nazca-Caribbean triple junction. Earthquakes along the Panama Fracture Zone are generally shallow, low- to intermediate in magnitude (Magnitude less than 7.2) and are characteristically right-lateral strike-slip faulting earthquakes. Since 1900, the largest earthquake to occur along the Panama Fracture Zone was the July 26, 1962 M7.2 earthquake. - USGS.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Global Seismic Uptick - Strong 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Managua In Nicaragua! [MAPS+ESTIMATES]

April 10, 2014 - NICARAGUA - A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck near the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

USGS earthquake location map.

It said the quake, very shallow at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km) and therefore more powerful, struck at 2327 GMT north of Managua, 14 miles (22.5 km) northeast of the town of Nagarote.

A magnitude 6.4 quake is capable of causing severe damage.

USGS earthquake intensity map.

The quake was initially reported as having a 6.2 magnitude. - Reuters.

Tectonic Summary Seismotectonics of the Caribbean Region and Vicinity

Extensive diversity and complexity of tectonic regimes characterizes the perimeter of the Caribbean plate, involving no fewer than four major plates (North America, South America, Nazca, and Cocos). Inclined zones of deep earthquakes (Wadati-Benioff zones), ocean trenches, and arcs of volcanoes clearly indicate subduction of oceanic lithosphere along the Central American and Atlantic Ocean margins of the Caribbean plate, while crustal seismicity in Guatemala, northern Venezuela, and the Cayman Ridge and Cayman Trench indicate transform fault and pull-apart basin tectonics.

Along the northern margin of the Caribbean plate, the North America plate moves westwards with respect to the Caribbean plate at a velocity of approximately 20 mm/yr. Motion is accommodated along several major transform faults that extend eastward from Isla de Roatan to Haiti, including the Swan Island Fault and the Oriente Fault. These faults represent the southern and northern boundaries of the Cayman Trench. Further east, from the Dominican Republic to the Island of Barbuda, relative motion between the North America plate and the Caribbean plate becomes increasingly complex and is partially accommodated by nearly arc-parallel subduction of the North America plate beneath the Caribbean plate. This results in the formation of the deep Puerto Rico Trench and a zone of intermediate focus earthquakes (70-300 km depth) within the subducted slab. Although the Puerto Rico subduction zone is thought to be capable of generating a megathrust earthquake, there have been no such events in the past century. The last probable interplate (thrust fault) event here occurred on May 2, 1787 and was widely felt throughout the island with documented destruction across the entire northern coast, including Arecibo and San Juan. Since 1900, the two largest earthquakes to occur in this region were the August 4, 1946 M8.0 Samana earthquake in northeastern Hispaniola and the July 29, 1943 M7.6 Mona Passage earthquake, both of which were shallow thrust fault earthquakes. A significant portion of the motion between the North America plate and the Caribbean plate in this region is accommodated by a series of left-lateral strike-slip faults that bisect the island of Hispaniola, notably the Septentrional Fault in the north and the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault in the south. Activity adjacent to the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault system is best documented by the devastating January 12, 2010 M7.0 Haiti strike-slip earthquake, its associated aftershocks and a comparable earthquake in 1770.

Moving east and south, the plate boundary curves around Puerto Rico and the northern Lesser Antilles where the plate motion vector of the Caribbean plate relative to the North and South America plates is less oblique, resulting in active island-arc tectonics. Here, the North and South America plates subduct towards the west beneath the Caribbean plate along the Lesser Antilles Trench at rates of approximately 20 mm/yr. As a result of this subduction, there exists both intermediate focus earthquakes within the subducted plates and a chain of active volcanoes along the island arc. Although the Lesser Antilles is considered one of the most seismically active regions in the Caribbean, few of these events have been greater than M7.0 over the past century. The island of Guadeloupe was the site of one of the largest megathrust earthquakes to occur in this region on February 8, 1843, with a suggested magnitude greater than 8.0. The largest recent intermediate-depth earthquake to occur along the Lesser Antilles arc was the November 29, 2007 M7.4 Martinique earthquake northwest of Fort-De-France.

USGS plate tectonics map for the region

The southern Caribbean plate boundary with the South America plate strikes east-west across Trinidad and western Venezuela at a relative rate of approximately 20 mm/yr. This boundary is characterized by major transform faults, including the Central Range Fault and the Boconó-San Sebastian-El Pilar Faults, and shallow seismicity. Since 1900, the largest earthquakes to occur in this region were the October 29, 1900 M7.7 Caracas earthquake, and the July 29, 1967 M6.5 earthquake near this same region. Further to the west, a broad zone of compressive deformation trends southwestward across western Venezuela and central Columbia. The plate boundary is not well defined across northwestern South America, but deformation transitions from being dominated by Caribbean/South America convergence in the east to Nazca/South America convergence in the west. The transition zone between subduction on the eastern and western margins of the Caribbean plate is characterized by diffuse seismicity involving low- to intermediate-magnitude (Magnitude less than 6.0) earthquakes of shallow to intermediate depth.

The plate boundary offshore of Colombia is also characterized by convergence, where the Nazca plate subducts beneath South America towards the east at a rate of approximately 65 mm/yr. The January 31, 1906 M8.5 earthquake occurred on the shallowly dipping megathrust interface of this plate boundary segment. Along the western coast of Central America, the Cocos plate subducts towards the east beneath the Caribbean plate at the Middle America Trench. Convergence rates vary between 72-81 mm/yr, decreasing towards the north. This subduction results in relatively high rates of seismicity and a chain of numerous active volcanoes; intermediate-focus earthquakes occur within the subducted Cocos plate to depths of nearly 300 km. Since 1900, there have been many moderately sized intermediate-depth earthquakes in this region, including the September 7, 1915 M7.4 El Salvador and the October 5, 1950 M7.8 Costa Rica events.

The boundary between the Cocos and Nazca plates is characterized by a series of north-south trending transform faults and east-west trending spreading centers. The largest and most seismically active of these transform boundaries is the Panama Fracture Zone. The Panama Fracture Zone terminates in the south at the Galapagos rift zone and in the north at the Middle America trench, where it forms part of the Cocos-Nazca-Caribbean triple junction. Earthquakes along the Panama Fracture Zone are generally shallow, low- to intermediate in magnitude (Magnitude less than 7.2) and are characteristically right-lateral strike-slip faulting earthquakes. Since 1900, the largest earthquake to occur along the Panama Fracture Zone was the July 26, 1962 M7.2 earthquake. - USGS.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Strong 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Nicaragua's West Coast! [MAPS+ESTIMATES]

March 02, 2014 - NICARAGUA - A strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Nicaragua just off its north-western Pacific coastline, the US Geological Survey, which monitors earthquakes worldwide, reported Sunday.

USGS earthquake location map.

USGS earthquake shakemap intensity map.

The epicenter of the quake, which stuck at 0937 GMT, was in the ocean 23 kilometers (14 miles) west-southwest of the town of Jiquilillo, and 160 kilometers (99 miles) west-northwest of the capital Managua, the USGS reported.

The quake epicenter is at a depth of 70.9 kilometers (44 miles) and located just south of the Gulf of Fonseca, shared by Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.

In El Salvador, government officials said that the earthquake was felt across the small Central American country.

USGS earthquake uncertainty ratio map.

Seismic waves generated from the earthquake, produced on a seismograph. Earthquake Report

"There are no reports of personal or material damage," the Salvadoran office of Civil Protection said.

No report yet from officials in Nicaragua or Honduras.

 Due to the depth of the hypocenter, we expect that this earthquake might cause maximum some slight damage (based on the epicenter off the coast). This estimate is only valid if the current earthquake data will be confirmed.

The Nicaraguan press is reporting continuous aftershocks in the greater epicenter area

It is estimated that tens of millions of people have felt this earthquake at various intensities. A lot of people will have been interrupted from their sleep. The reason that so many people have felt it is the depth of the hypocenter. At earthquake-report.com we know from our experience that earthquakes in between 50 and 80 km depth are being felt as strong up to several hundred kms from the epicenter. This is also the reason that we are receiving  “I Have Felt It” reports from all the neighboring countries (luckily without serious damage so far).

USGS earthquake population exposure map.

USGS earthquake estimates of fatalities and losses map.

The James Daniell CATDAT theoretical damage engine comes out below 1 million $ damage for this earthquake. This model is based on parameters like Magnitude, depth of the hypocenter and damage during historical earthquakes in the same region.

Maximum shaking intensity as reported by USGS (agency with the highest Magnitude) MMI VI = strong shaking. We, at Earthquake Report, are estimating Strong shaking with maximum slight damage and a minimal number of injuries. As this is a typical subduction earthquake, the main movement may have been up and down, aan earthquake movement which is less damaging than a mainly horizontal movement.

SOURCES: Economic Times | Earthquake Report.

Tectonic Summary Seismotectonics of the Caribbean Region and Vicinity

Extensive diversity and complexity of tectonic regimes characterizes the perimeter of the Caribbean plate, involving no fewer than four major plates (North America, South America, Nazca, and Cocos). Inclined zones of deep earthquakes (Wadati-Benioff zones), ocean trenches, and arcs of volcanoes clearly indicate subduction of oceanic lithosphere along the Central American and Atlantic Ocean margins of the Caribbean plate, while crustal seismicity in Guatemala, northern Venezuela, and the Cayman Ridge and Cayman Trench indicate transform fault and pull-apart basin tectonics.

Along the northern margin of the Caribbean plate, the North America plate moves westwards with respect to the Caribbean plate at a velocity of approximately 20 mm/yr. Motion is accommodated along several major transform faults that extend eastward from Isla de Roatan to Haiti, including the Swan Island Fault and the Oriente Fault. These faults represent the southern and northern boundaries of the Cayman Trench. Further east, from the Dominican Republic to the Island of Barbuda, relative motion between the North America plate and the Caribbean plate becomes increasingly complex and is partially accommodated by nearly arc-parallel subduction of the North America plate beneath the Caribbean plate. This results in the formation of the deep Puerto Rico Trench and a zone of intermediate focus earthquakes (70-300 km depth) within the subducted slab. Although the Puerto Rico subduction zone is thought to be capable of generating a megathrust earthquake, there have been no such events in the past century. The last probable interplate (thrust fault) event here occurred on May 2, 1787 and was widely felt throughout the island with documented destruction across the entire northern coast, including Arecibo and San Juan. Since 1900, the two largest earthquakes to occur in this region were the August 4, 1946 M8.0 Samana earthquake in northeastern Hispaniola and the July 29, 1943 M7.6 Mona Passage earthquake, both of which were shallow thrust fault earthquakes. A significant portion of the motion between the North America plate and the Caribbean plate in this region is accommodated by a series of left-lateral strike-slip faults that bisect the island of Hispaniola, notably the Septentrional Fault in the north and the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault in the south. Activity adjacent to the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault system is best documented by the devastating January 12, 2010 M7.0 Haiti strike-slip earthquake, its associated aftershocks and a comparable earthquake in 1770.

Moving east and south, the plate boundary curves around Puerto Rico and the northern Lesser Antilles where the plate motion vector of the Caribbean plate relative to the North and South America plates is less oblique, resulting in active island-arc tectonics. Here, the North and South America plates subduct towards the west beneath the Caribbean plate along the Lesser Antilles Trench at rates of approximately 20 mm/yr. As a result of this subduction, there exists both intermediate focus earthquakes within the subducted plates and a chain of active volcanoes along the island arc. Although the Lesser Antilles is considered one of the most seismically active regions in the Caribbean, few of these events have been greater than M7.0 over the past century. The island of Guadeloupe was the site of one of the largest megathrust earthquakes to occur in this region on February 8, 1843, with a suggested magnitude greater than 8.0. The largest recent intermediate-depth earthquake to occur along the Lesser Antilles arc was the November 29, 2007 M7.4 Martinique earthquake northwest of Fort-De-France.

USGS plate tectonics map for the region

The southern Caribbean plate boundary with the South America plate strikes east-west across Trinidad and western Venezuela at a relative rate of approximately 20 mm/yr. This boundary is characterized by major transform faults, including the Central Range Fault and the Boconó-San Sebastian-El Pilar Faults, and shallow seismicity. Since 1900, the largest earthquakes to occur in this region were the October 29, 1900 M7.7 Caracas earthquake, and the July 29, 1967 M6.5 earthquake near this same region. Further to the west, a broad zone of compressive deformation trends southwestward across western Venezuela and central Columbia. The plate boundary is not well defined across northwestern South America, but deformation transitions from being dominated by Caribbean/South America convergence in the east to Nazca/South America convergence in the west. The transition zone between subduction on the eastern and western margins of the Caribbean plate is characterized by diffuse seismicity involving low- to intermediate-magnitude (Magnitude less than 6.0) earthquakes of shallow to intermediate depth.

The plate boundary offshore of Colombia is also characterized by convergence, where the Nazca plate subducts beneath South America towards the east at a rate of approximately 65 mm/yr. The January 31, 1906 M8.5 earthquake occurred on the shallowly dipping megathrust interface of this plate boundary segment. Along the western coast of Central America, the Cocos plate subducts towards the east beneath the Caribbean plate at the Middle America Trench. Convergence rates vary between 72-81 mm/yr, decreasing towards the north. This subduction results in relatively high rates of seismicity and a chain of numerous active volcanoes; intermediate-focus earthquakes occur within the subducted Cocos plate to depths of nearly 300 km. Since 1900, there have been many moderately sized intermediate-depth earthquakes in this region, including the September 7, 1915 M7.4 El Salvador and the October 5, 1950 M7.8 Costa Rica events.

The boundary between the Cocos and Nazca plates is characterized by a series of north-south trending transform faults and east-west trending spreading centers. The largest and most seismically active of these transform boundaries is the Panama Fracture Zone. The Panama Fracture Zone terminates in the south at the Galapagos rift zone and in the north at the Middle America trench, where it forms part of the Cocos-Nazca-Caribbean triple junction. Earthquakes along the Panama Fracture Zone are generally shallow, low- to intermediate in magnitude (Magnitude less than 7.2) and are characteristically right-lateral strike-slip faulting earthquakes. Since 1900, the largest earthquake to occur along the Panama Fracture Zone was the July 26, 1962 M7.2 earthquake. - USGS.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Increasing Volcanic Arrest At El Salvador's Chaparrastique Volcano - Small Explosions!

February 13, 2014 - EL SALVADOR - A small ash explosion occurred yesterday afternoon at the volcano, at 16:44 (local time).

Sequence of the small explosion at San Miguel yesterday (MARN)

Tremor amplitude at San Miguel volcano over the past weeks (MARN)

Location of recent earthquakes at San Miguel (MARN)

It only lasted about 10 minutes and produced a small ash plume rising approx. 500 m. It is the first eruptive activity since the larger explosion on 29 Dec past year, and is likely only a precursor of more violent activity to come.

Seismic activity has been increasing constantly over the past weeks, and clusters of earthquakes have been taking place at shallow (1 km) depth beneath the northern flank, MARN scientists measured. Tremor, indication of internal fluid (magma) movements and/or pressure, has been rising in intensity. As well, increasing values of sulfur dioxide (SO2) degassing suggest that new magma is rising within the volcanic edifice. - Volcano Discovery.